Keep in mind, these rewards cards make the most sense if you pay off your balance in full every month. The money you save by earning frequent flyer miles can often be offset by the interest you pay on your balance. While airline credit cards are a great way to earn free travel, be sure you come out on top by paying your balance off every month.

Transferring Points. Even branded airline credit cards such as the US Airways credit card accrue points specific to the US Airways, points accrued from using an airline credit card can be used with any of the airline’s partners.  Many card issuers will offer a discount or double miles if you book directly on the card issuer’s website. The American Express Rewards and Platinum charge cards follow this practice.

Good Credit Sense When Selecting a Travel Credit Card

Don’t let your rewards get eaten up by a hefty foreign transaction fee.  If you’re headed overseas, you may want to find a travel friendly card without a foreign transaction fee.  Many credit cards will charge you as much as 3-4% for each purchase.  Global travelers tend to need to have a card with no foreign transaction fees.  Otherwise, if you spent $5,000 overseas, the transaction fees could cost you $200!

Virgin Atlantic’s miles transfer to Air China, Nippon Airways, Gulf Air, Starwood rewards points, Hyatt points, Hilton Honors points, and Marriott rewards points.

Starwood makes it very tempting to become a loyal customer by offering one of the best rewards rates when redeeming their Starpoints (Starwood rewards points) for nights in their hotels, however if you want to trade in your rewards points for airline miles, Starwood offers a generous 25% bonus on the points you transfer, making it one of the best travel credit cards available.