CardHub Report: Save $500 on Holiday Travel with the Right Credit Card
CardHub today released its list of the Best Travel Credit Cards for 2013 , selected from more than 1,000 different offers, in order to help consumers save as winter vacation planning gets into full swing in advance of the busy holiday season.
With nearly 60% of consumers expected to take a vacation this holiday season and the price of both airfare and lodging higher than last year, it’s clear that we could all use a few hundred extra dollars during this expensive time of the year. The right credit card offers just that, thanks to historically lucrative initial rewards bonus and 0% financing deals, but taking advantage of such perks this winter necessitates starting the application process as soon as possible.
You can find a quick summary of CardHub’s choices for 2013’s Best Winter Travel Credit Cards listed below. More information about each card offer as well as additional money-saving travel tips can be found here: http://www.cardhub.com/best-travel-credit-cards/ .
Best All-Around Travel Credit Cards
- BarclayCard Arrival Card : $400 initial travel rewards bonus & effectively 2% cash back on everything when you redeem for travel-related expenses
- Chase Sapphire Preferred Card : $400-500 initial bonus
Best Airline Credit Cards
- Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card : 50,000 bonus points = 2 free round-trip domestic flights
- Lufthansa Credit Card : 50,000 bonus miles = 2 free round-trip domestic flights or 1 round-trip international flight, 1 free companion ticket after first purchase
- PenFed Premium Travel Rewards Credit Card : $200 initial bonus & 5 points per $1 spent on airfare
Best Hotel Credit Cards
- Club Carlson Premier Rewards : 85,000 bonus points = up to 18 free nights, 10 points per $1 at Carlson properties, 40,000 bonus points each account anniversary
- HHonors Surpass Credit Card : 60,000 bonus points = up to 12 free nights, 12 points per $1 at Hilton properties
- Marriott Rewards Premier Credit Card : 50,000 bonus points = up to 7 free nights, 1 additional free night upon account approval, another free night on your account anniversary, 5 points per $1 spent at Marriott properties.
Best Roadtrip Credit Cards
- PenFed Platinum Rewards Credit Card : 5 points per $1 on gas at any station, 3 points per $1 on groceries through Dec. 31
- Blue Cash Preferred from American Express : $150 initial bonus, 6% cash back at supermarkets, 3% on gas and department stores
Best Cards for Financing Travel
Buy More Time to Pay for Holiday Travel:
- Citi Diamond Preferred Card : 0% for 18 months, no annual fee
Reduce Your Existing Debt Burden:
- Slate Card from Chase : 0% for 15 months & no balance transfer fee
“The holiday season is always one of the most expensive times of the year, with consumers shelling out money for gifts, food, decorations, travel, and hosting duties,” said Odysseas Papadimitriou, CEO of the leading personal finance websites CardHub and WalletHub. “That’s why we typically see people rack up large amounts of credit card debt during the fourth quarter of the year, before turning their attention to paying off amounts owed during the first few months of the New Year with the aid of annual salary bonuses, tax refund checks, and clean-slate motivations. But why wait? If you have good or excellent credit, you can minimize your holiday-based credit card balance as well as avoid interest for more than a year by leveraging one of the extremely lucrative credit cards deals that is currently on the market. And if your credit isn’t in tip-top shape, you can give yourself the gift of cost-effective credit building by opening a secured credit card, spending responsibly, and always making on-time monthly payments. In short, putting the right credit card on your wish list this holiday season will help you set the table for a financially successful 2014.”
Be sure to check out the WE Magazine for Women 2013 Holiday Gift Giving Guide. Shop from home, office or anywhere! http://www.staging.wemagazineforwomen.com/we-magazine-2013-holiday-gift-guide-is-here/
