Travel demand has increased significantly over the past year, causing prices to skyrocket. Savvy consumers have turned to travel credit cards to offset higher prices and provide rewards for future trips. Unfortunately, unless you book your trip in advance, this results in a reduction in reward inventory. Here’s what I’m doing right now: planning my 2023 trip so I can sit back and avoid trouble.
In preparation for multiple trips that cost tens of thousands of dollars, I’m accumulating points and buying new credit cards to maximize my daily spending in 2022 and beyond.
You may be wondering how this will affect my credit score, which is a legitimate concern. Every credit request causes your credit score to drop by five points. However, this decline is temporary. My score will recover within a few months as my credit profile benefits from higher available credit and lower utilization. Plus, I’ll keep these credit cards for the long haul.
If you’re trying to save money while traveling, consider how applying for multiple credit cards can affect your balance and continue to achieve your long-term goals. Here are the five travel cards I applied for this month to add to my mileage balance for travel in 2023:
Capital One Venture
The Capital One Venture Card is at the top of my list for several reasons. I already own the Capital One Venture X Rewards credit card, a premium card with many travel benefits. But it also has an annual fee of $395, and I’m not sure if I can justify keeping it longer.
Capital One Venture is a great option as it has a reasonable $95 annual fee and a $100 Global Entry/TSA PreCheck credit every four years. My whole family is currently applying for Global Entry, so this credit will be applied immediately to the card’s annual fee.
What’s more, the Venture Card offers all the travel perks I appreciate (which I don’t want to pay extra for):
No foreign transaction fees
Access to the airport lounge
travel insurance
Extended Warranty
My Citi credit card doesn’t currently have these perks, so Venture is a great addition to my wallet.
Last but not least, the card’s welcome bonus is helping me get closer to my travel destination in 2023. New cardholders earn 75,000 bonus miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening. Capital One has 17 transfer partners to choose from, but I might transfer my miles to Turkey Miles&Smiles. The program only charges 50,000 miles for a one-way business class ticket to Turkey (my frequent and favorite travel destination). With the remaining miles, I can buy three one-way economy class tickets to Hawaii for 7,500 miles each. That’s well worth it for 75,000 miles.
With 2x the mileage rate on all charges on the card and 5x the mileage rate on hotels and car rentals booked at Capital One, I will continue to earn many rewards well beyond the welcome bonus. Needless to say, this card is a long-term keeper for me.
American Express Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card currently offers 60,000 bonus points if you spend $4,000 within the first six months of card membership. However, my goal is to get the higher 90,000 point reward, and this is a good time to claim the card. American Express has a one-time rule for credit card welcome bonuses, although sometimes members target offers that don’t include the language.
I used to have an American Express® Business Gold Card, but Personal Gold is better for me. It earns 4x points at restaurants and grocery stores (up to $25,000 per year), 3x points on flights, and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
Food and groceries are my biggest expenses, which makes it an ideal card for everyday use. Also, I’ve saved hundreds of dollars in the past with Amex trades, so I’m sure I’ll get back my $250 annual fee soon. Add in $10 a month in food and Uber Eats points, and the card is worth it.
American Express Membership Rewards is the best rewards program, thanks to an impressive selection of transfer partners. I plan to use the card’s welcome bonus to buy a business class ticket to Europe. The transfer partner, ANA MileageClub, charges only 88,000 miles for round-trip business class airfare.
Alaska Airlines Visa Business credit card
Japan is open to tourists again and I, for one, can’t wait to plan a trip for cherry blossom season. My plan is to use the Alaska Airlines Visa® Business credit card’s welcome bonus to get me there. Japan Airlines is one of Alaska Airlines’ 18 travel partners.
Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan offers one of the best deals for business class travel to Japan. A one-way business class ticket on Japan Airlines costs just 60,000 Alaska miles. Not only does Japan have one of the best business-class products, but Alaska Mileage Plan lets you add in a free stopover. So I could fly from the West Coast to Tokyo, stop over for a few days, and continue to Osaka without redeeming more miles.
The Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card Welcome Bonus is enough to cover one-way business class fares to Japan. Approved applicants with purchases of at least $4,000 within the first 90 days of account opening will receive 70,000 bonus miles and Alaska Famous Companion fares.
The $50 annual fee is low compared to other airline credit cards – considering they offer 20% off Alaska Airlines in-flight purchases and offer cardholders free checked bags and up to 6 traveling companions ,This is worth it.
Citi Premier Card
Technically, the Citi Premier Card is not for me, but I will manage the rewards. My mom needed a new credit card because we were saving for a family vacation, so I asked her to apply for the card and then help her meet spending requirements and redeem points.
The card offers an all-time welcome bonus of 80,000 points after spending $4,000 within three months of account opening. It’s perfect for everyday use as it earns 3X points on restaurants, gas stations, supermarkets, and air and hotel travel. While the $95 annual fee isn’t ideal, it’s partially offset by a $100 annual hotel savings offer that applies to ThankYou travel bookings of $500 or more.
The Citi ThankYou program is highly underrated, with 16 airline and hotel partners. With 80,000 bonus miles, I’ll probably transfer enough points to Turkish Airlines to cover a one-way business class ticket to Istanbul for my mom. We’ll then transfer 21,500 miles to Flying Blue for a return ticket in economy class. I’m hoping as we get closer to the departure date, she’ll have more miles in her account and we’ll upgrade to business class on the return segment. But, for now, economy class offers plenty of value.
Iberia Visa Signature card
The Iberia Visa Signature® card is mentioned below. The card’s welcome bonus is, of course, generous: 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 in the first three months of account opening, and an additional 25,000 Avios if you spend $20,000 in the first 12 months.
But the value of this card goes way beyond this bonus. Cardholders who spend $30,000 or more in a calendar year will receive a $1,000 coupon for two tickets on the same flight. It applies to economy class and business class tickets. The good thing about this discount is that Iberia often offers tickets to and from Spain for $500 or less. Discount coupons basically get you two tickets to Europe per year. It’s a great card perk that’s well worth the $95 annual fee.
So learn more:
- Recenze American Express Centurion Black Card
- Kreditní karta X1 – Zkontrolujte, jak zažádat.
- Kreditní karta Destiny – Jak objednávat online.
- Recenze karty Delta Skymiles® Reserve American Express – Zobrazit více.
- AmEx se zaměřuje na zákaznickou zkušenost s novým běžným účtem a přepracovanou aplikací
- Discover it® Odměny v kartách odměn uvidíte, jak to funguje
