If you like to fly a lot, I’m hoping by now you are familiar with airline credit cards.  If not, you’re missing out on a whole bunch of rewards and opportunity!  When I reference a particular credit card to friends, I usually get that disgusted face of “it sounds too good to be true” or “it just seems like I won’t get anything for my money”  I’m  sure if you brought up these type of credit cards to your family and friends, you would get the same type of response.

Let’s face it, airline credit cards are no different than any other credit card.  It’s the bad people that make the credit card industry look bad.  When you apply for a credit card, you know what you’re getting yourself into.  If you don’t pay your bill on time, you’re going to get slapped with the fees and penalties.  I just don’t think people can grasp that concept and the same goes with reward credit cards.  If you don’t pay off your bill in full each month, you’re not going to capitalize on the rewards.

Before you go out and apply for rewards credit cards whether it is an airline credit card or gasoline rebate credit card, I must assure you that you’re only going to get the most for your rewards if you pay off your credit card on time each month IN FULL.  If you can’t grasp this concept, you’re probably better off using your debit card or cash because you’re only going to hurt yourself in the long run.

Now, let’s get down to the dirty work.  Most credit cards don’t necessarily have “secrets” but there are some flaws that come along with credit cards such as an airline credit card.  Below are a few things you may find wrong with a travel type credit card when you start to use it for the first time.  These tips help you get a better understanding of what you might expect in the future.  Remember though, this only affects a few credit cards, not all of them.

Some of the airline programs you apply for may limit the free miles you get each year.  To avoid this, make sure you read the terms before you apply for your credit card.

When you do redeem your free miles for a ticket, you may find that it’s tough to get a seat because most airlines will cater the paying customers before they acknowledge your free ticket.

Watch out for your ticket to be cancelled.  The airline will assume that since your airline ticket is free, they can cancel it easier than a paying customer.

Remember in the long run when you want to make the most out of your airline miles based credit card, make sure you pay your bill off in full on time, this will make a world of difference!