Title: 
How To Pick The Best Airline Credit Cards

Word Count:
506

Summary:
So you want to take advantage of air miles to travel, and you are looking for the best airline credit card? Well several aspects of the card will be important to you, as they would with any card.  Attributes such as APR, billing cycle, credit limit, and versatility of use. There are however three things to look for in an airline credit card that you may not have thought of:

* What airlines are active in your area
* How fast can you use your earned miles
* And how do you ...


Keywords:
airline credit cards, air, miles, frequent, flyer, rewards


Article Body:
So you want to take advantage of air miles to travel, and you are looking for the best airline credit card? Well several aspects of the card will be important to you, as they would with any card.  Attributes such as APR, billing cycle, credit limit, and versatility of use. There are however three things to look for in an airline credit card that you may not have thought of:

* What airlines are active in your area
* How fast can you use your earned miles
* And how do you use your credit card

The active airlines in your area will be a big factor in determining which card is right for you. If you live near a major hub like Los Angeles, CA. or Dallas, TX then you can pretty much use any airline you like. Smaller airports will be more exclusive and you should call to determine which airlines are there, and what choices of destinations are available.

How fast you can utilize your airline miles is usually a function of how many you earn. This means that you cannot turn in your miles for travel until you have earned a preset number of miles.  This number can vary, and there are usually ways to speed up the number of miles you ear. For example, American Airlines often doubles the number of miles you earn with their air miles card when you buy flights using their card. Often a first purchase earns double miles as well, so make it a good one. Keep in mind that it is also possible to lose miles (this is taken from the terms and conditions associated with an American Airlines Reward Card):

"Miles may never expire, provided that once every three years you (i) fly on American Airlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection® carriers or an airline participant in the AAdvantage program or (ii) have qualifying AAdvantage participant account activity."

Be sure to check the terms and conditions on any air miles card you are looking at to see what conditions need to be met to keep your earned rewards.

If you carry a balance on your card, you incur an interest charge. This is true with any card, as it is with airline cards.  As seen here, Airline Credit Cards can often carry higher interest rates than normal cards. This isn't always true, and your credit score will ultimately define the APR you receive, but creditors tend to place slightly higher APR on rewards cards.  With this in mind, make sure that the fees and interest you pay doesn't drain the value from the miles that you are earning. It might be better to go with a normal card and save enough money to by the tickets for example. Keep a close eye on your interest payments and pay off your balance as fast as possible.

In the end, there is no "best airline credit card" for everyone.  Through careful research and an understanding of your individual spending habits, it will be possible to determine what is best for you.