Get a Great Travel Rewards Credit Card—or Two

You generally need to have excellent credit to qualify for the best travel rewards credit cards. If you don’t have excellent credit right now, work on improving your credit by taking care of past due balances and building up a positive payment history. There are generally two types of travel rewards credit cards: general purpose credit cards that pay higher rewards on all travel purchases and brand-specific credit cards that pay higher rewards on purchases with a specific airline or hotel.

You Don’t Have to Stick to Just One Credit Card

Having more than one travel rewards credit card in your wallet gives you the opportunity to earn more rewards. You may, for example, have one credit card that pays higher rewards on gas purchases and another credit card that pays higher rewards on travel purchases.

You Also Don’t Have to Stick to a Travel Rewards Credit Card

A cash back credit card can also be used to help you pay for travel. But, there are some things to watch out for. First, make sure there are no caps on the amount of cash you can earn on the card. Second, choose a card that pays more cash back in the areas that you spend the most.

Pay Close Attention to Fees, Perks, and Restrictions

Pick a credit card that doesn’t have a cap on the rewards you earn.and that doesn’t have a short expiration period. Look for other perks like no foreign transaction fees, complimentary companion tickets, waived checked baggage fees, and the ability to earn bonus rewards by booking with travel partners. You’ll probably have to pay an annual fee on the best travel rewards credit cards. Many cards waive the annual fee in the first year but starting in year two; you’ll have to pay the fee. If you can earn enough rewards for a free flight or hotel, you’ll barely notice that you’ve paid the annual fee.

To get free travel with your credit card rewards, you have to earn enough rewards to make a redemption. The more you use your credit card, the more rewards you can earn. Knowing your rewards program inside out will help you learn the best way to use your credit card to maximize your rewards. For example, if your card pays more rewards on gas purchases, then you always want to use your credit card for gas.

Always Pay Your Balance in Full

It is one of the most important rules to follow when you’re using any rewards credit card, especially a travel rewards credit card. Paying your balance in full each month will help you maintain excellent credit which will allow you to qualify for better credit card offers. Having a good credit score is important, but that’s not the only reason to pay your balance in full each month. You have to pay finance charges whenever you carry a balance on your credit card beyond the grace period. Finance charges negate the rewards you receive on your credit card. To truly use your credit card for free, you have to pay off all your charges every month so that you avoid interest.

Avoid Transactions Like Balance Transfers and Cash Advances

Speaking of avoiding extra charges on your credit card, balance transfers, and cash advances almost always means paying a fee. Even if your credit card has a 0% promotional rate on balance transfers, the balance transfer fee could be hundreds of dollars depending on the amount of the balance you transfer. Fees aren’t the only reason you should avoid balance transfers and cash advances. These transactions don’t earn you any rewards. And, they take up room on your credit card, leaving you with less available credit for purchases that will let you earn travel rewards.

Earn the Sign-up Bonus

Lots of travel rewards credit cards offer very lucrative signup bonuses. Some of the bonuses are so big that you earn a free flight right away. To earn a signup bonus, you typically have to spend a certain amount on your card within the first three months of opening your account.

Choose a Credit Card With a Sign-up Bonus That’s Easy to Earn

The minimum spending threshold should be low enough that you can afford to pay off your balance in full each month. For example, a $3,000 spending threshold means you’ll need to charge and pay off about $1,000 each month. If that’s out of your budget, look for a travel rewards credit card with a lower spending bonus.

Try to Meet the Spending Threshold as Quickly as Possible

With many credit cards, it will take about four to six weeks after you’ve earned the bonus for it to be credited to your account. Be patient that means it could be about five months from your account opening before you receive your spending bonus.

Don’t Try to Earn the Spending Bonus on More Than One Credit Card at a Time

Also, keep in mind that many credit card issuers only allow you to earn one spending bonus every two to four years. Or, with some credit card issuers, you may only be able to earn one spending bonus in the lifetime of that credit card issuer. Read the fine print to find out whether you can earn another spending bonus from a credit card issuer and the time period you may have to wait between earning bonuses.

Join the Hotel and Airline Loyalty Programs

Your credit card will pay rewards on your purchases. Most hotels and airlines have loyalty programs that will also pay rewards for your stays and flights. Signing up for these programs and free and you can boost your rewards when you provide your loyalty rewards number during booking. Let’s say, for example, you’re booking a flight on Delta Airlines and staying in a Marriott hotel. Use your SkyMiles number and your Marriott rewards numbers when you’re booking to earn rewards with those programs. Plus, earn rewards on your credit card for the purchases. Stick to the same hotel and airline brands as much as you can. The more you use the same brands, the more points you can earn. You’ll also move up in status levels which give you additional perks plus bonus points on your flights and hotel stays.

Transfer Points Between Programs

Once you’ve accumulated points in different programs, you may be able to combine them into a single program and redeem for a trip. Ideally, you want to transfer points with a 1:1 ratio so that you keep all the points you’ve worked so hard to earn.

Redeem Your Rewards Right Away

Depending on the credit card, you can either use your rewards to book travel via the card’s online booking tool, or you can redeem your rewards for a statement credit. If you choose the statement credit route, you’ll have to charge the travel to your credit card then use your rewards to credit the account for the amount of the travel. If you don’t want to end up paying off the balance, redeem your rewards right away. Otherwise, you might have to pay at least the minimum payment to keep your account in good standing while you wait for the statement credit to post to your account.

Always Pay on Time to Avoid Forfeiting Your Rewards

The fine print of your rewards credit card will include the things that can make you lose your credit card rewards. Most commonly, late payments will cost you all the points you’ve accumulated. Set a reminder a few days before your due date so you won’t forget to make your credit card payment. Or, set up an automatic payment just in case you forget your payment.

Pay Attention to Rewards Program Changes

Credit card issuers can and do change terms of rewards program terms frequently. Don’t assume you’re grandfathered into a program. Pay attention to inserts that come with your credit card statement that explain any changes that have been made to your credit card rewards program. You’ll need to alter your spending habits to continue maximizing the rewards you’re earning.