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Home / Tips & ideas / Finances / Using reward credit cards for travelling

Using reward credit cards for travelling

March 16, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 24 Comments

View of the Alps from a plane window. Copyright Gretta Schifano

View of the Alps from a plane window. Copyright Gretta Schifano

If you’re saving up for a trip have you thought about using reward credit cards? They can be very useful – as long as (listen up, this is very important) you always do this:

Pay the balance in full every month so that you don’t incur any interest charges.

Reward cards

TSB have commissioned me to write this post about reward cards, including their Avios Credit Card. Reward card providers make money both from the interest which they charge the cardholders and from the retailers who accept payments with the cards. Some credit cards offer you cash back on your spending and others offer points such as Avios. Avios replaced the Airmiles scheme in 2011. Avios are points which you collect as you spend and which you can then use towards flights with British Airways, Air Malta, Aurigny, Flybe, Iberia and Monarch. Taxes and charges still need to be paid using actual money and you can also use Avios for things like hotels and Eurostar tickets.

Avios

My husband travels a lot for business. The only good thing about this for me and for the kids is that he amasses Avios which we can then use for family trips. We used Avios for our flights to Athens last year and also for our flights to Florida the year before – although we did have to divide the family between two planes for that trip because there were only two Avios seats available per BA flight to the US. When we look at using our Avios I always compare the cost of the taxes and other charges for Avios flights to the cost of flying with a budget airline – sometimes the latter option is actually better.

As long as you pay your credit reward card balance off every month you won’t pay any interest but you will still receive the relevant rewards for your spending. Once you have a rewards card it’s good to use it for all of your day-to-day spending to maximise the rewards which you can earn.

TSB Avios card

TSB Avios card

Choosing a reward card

If you want to sign up for a card like this it’s worth shopping around to find the one which suits you best. Some cards charge a fee so you need to work out whether or not the rewards you will receive on your spending are worth paying the fee for. Also think about whether or not the rewards you’re collecting are useful to you – there’s no point collecting Avios, for example, if you’re not planning to travel anywhere.

London Gatwick flight information. Copyright Gretta Schifano

London Gatwick flight information. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Here are just a few of the credit cards on offer in the UK with rewards which can be used for travel. The details are correct at the time of writing.

  • TSB Avios American Express Credit Card – This card has no annual fee and gives you one Avios on nearly every £1 which you spend.
  • BA American Express Credit Card – This card has no annual fee and offers one Avios for virtually every £1 which you spend. There’s a 3,000 Avios welcome bonus for new cardholders.
  • Virgin Atlantic American Express Credit Card – There’s no annual fee for this card and you’ll receive one Virgin Flying Club mile for every £1 spent.

If you shop at Tesco you can also use your Tesco Clubcard points to buy vouchers for Avios, Virgin Flying Club miles or Monarch flight tokens.

Do you use reward cards to earn points which you can use for travelling?

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by TSB.

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Related

Categories: Finances, Seasonal
Tags: Avios, Reward cards

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Kara says

    March 23, 2015 at 11:01 am

    What a great idea!

    Reply
  2. Laura says

    March 23, 2015 at 6:44 am

    I have one of these types of credit cards and it’s so useful. We don’t go abroad much, but when we do it’s nice to be able to upgrade.
    Laura recently posted…How Ocean Florida saved the day and made it awesomeMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Globalmouse says

    March 22, 2015 at 9:57 pm

    Using reward cards for travelling is such a great idea, especially if you can start collecting them during business travel and then enoy them for leisure travel. Sounds like you’ve got a good set up there!
    Globalmouse recently posted…Ski Transfer service – “4 Friends Transfer” – Geneva to the AlpsMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Sarah Ebner says

    March 22, 2015 at 9:52 pm

    We use reward cards for travelling and have found them very useful. We even got a marvellous upgrade because of the number of airmiles we had! However, as you say, you need to be sure to pay them off every month so you don’t rack up interest. Useful post!
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…Disneyland Paris by RobertMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Mummy's Little blog says

    March 21, 2015 at 8:55 pm

    we dont have a credit card as i do not trust myself is that bad! we rarely go on flights but one day i will!
    Mummy’s Little blog recently posted…Bugaboo’s and AdventuresMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Shell Louise says

    March 20, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    I collect Tesco points but we don’t travel much. I save my points to use at Christmas 🙂
    Shell Louise recently posted…Mother’s Day at Rufford AbbeyMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Rachel says

    March 20, 2015 at 10:46 am

    I had never even though of doing this, it sounds like such a good idea too x
    Rachel recently posted…Wrap.meMy Profile

    Reply
  8. Jaime Oliver says

    March 20, 2015 at 12:26 am

    I had not thought of doing that! .. it saves and is easier – has to be good in my book
    Jaime Oliver recently posted…Starting Out On The Journey Of LearningMy Profile

    Reply
  9. Emma says

    March 19, 2015 at 8:38 pm

    We have one credit card that is just for booking holidays!
    Emma recently posted…Do you accept praise like a child does?My Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      March 19, 2015 at 10:55 pm

      That’s very organised and sensible!

      Reply
  10. Jen aka Muminthemadhouse says

    March 19, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    What a great post and I love that you can use these things to your benefit, but yes you are right always pay it off in full each month
    Jen aka Muminthemadhouse recently posted…Homemade Pizza Recipe – Cooking with kidsMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      March 19, 2015 at 10:56 pm

      Definitely, that’s so important.

      Reply
  11. Michelle says

    March 19, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    This sounds like a really good idea, if I travelled I’d definitely do it xx

    Reply
  12. Nayna Kanabar (@citrusspiceuk) says

    March 19, 2015 at 3:58 pm

    We collect air miles but have yet to redeem them.
    Nayna Kanabar (@citrusspiceuk) recently posted…Bath Bomb workshop at Amba HotelsMy Profile

    Reply
  13. angela hamilton says

    March 19, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    One thing I dont have is a credit card, they scare ne lol x
    angela hamilton recently posted…My New ToyMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      March 19, 2015 at 3:01 pm

      You’re very sensible!

      Reply
  14. Erica Price says

    March 19, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    We used to save up avios points until our credit card provider changed to something else. We have had problems redeeming them in the past due to lack of flight availability, but my husband says that things have improved now, so we are hoping to use the remainder of ours up soon.
    Erica Price recently posted…March Round UpMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      March 19, 2015 at 3:02 pm

      I hope that you can use them to go somewhere lovely.

      Reply
  15. Lucie Aiston says

    March 19, 2015 at 1:53 pm

    Great information in this post. I don’t own a credit card which, believe me, is a good thing lol! x
    Lucie Aiston recently posted…Trutex Boys Slim Fit School TrousersMy Profile

    Reply
  16. lisa prince says

    March 19, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    im so pleased i dont need to stress about all of this sort of thing, dont think i will ever get to travel x

    Reply
  17. Emily says

    March 19, 2015 at 10:22 am

    I use reward credit cards but use the points for other things rather than travelling at the moment. I’m sure when my children are older though I will start to do that. Really informative post. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      March 19, 2015 at 10:24 am

      You’re welcome.

      Reply
  18. Mummy of Two says

    March 19, 2015 at 9:37 am

    It is a great idea but I try not to spend too much on credit cards as I never get around to paying them off in full!
    Mummy of Two recently posted…Pregnancy – Week 37 – We’ve nearly made itMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      March 19, 2015 at 10:24 am

      Very wise!

      Reply

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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