Almost all credit card issuers offer exclusive rewards and benefits to their cardholders and it is one of the most significant reasons behind the increasing demand for credit cards among individuals nowadays. Many people like to save more & more reward points and sometimes they even don’t know why they are saving these points and the points expire without their knowledge. Being a credit cardholder, you must know that you can maximize your rewards and benefits with a credit card only if you use your earned rewards in the right way and at right time.

using reward points for travel bookings

Many card issuers offer travel cards that earn you Airmiles or reward points that can be redeemed against Airmiles, which can further be used to get award flights (free flight tickets using Airmiles) or exciting discounts on travel-related bookings. If you have such a credit card, your aim should be to use your reward points as soon as you have earned enough of them instead of just saving them. You can always earn more & more points, but once these points expire, you can’t get them back. Here are the reasons why it is beneficial to use your reward points/miles for travel-related bookings now instead of saving them:

1. Save Your Money

If you have earned thousands of reward points or Airmiles on your credit card and you are planning a trip via flight, this is the right opportunity to redeem your points and save on your flight/hotel bookings. If you have earned a really good number of points, you can even book your flights/hotels for free just by using your reward points or Airmiles for the same. If you don’t have reward points/miles to get complimentary flights, you can use them to book some part of it, and the rest of the amount can be paid via your credit card.

For example, if you need to book a flight worth Rs. 25,000, and you have points/Airmiles equivalent to Rs. 18,000, you should definitely use the reward points to save Rs. 18,000 and pay the remaining amount, i.e, Rs. 7,000 only, using your credit card. This is how you can save a lot on travel-related bookings using your earned reward points.

2. Maximize The Value Of Your Reward Points/Miles

The value of reward points/miles may decrease with time as inflation is also applicable to these. For example, if you are getting an award flight for 30,000 Airmiles now, you might get the same flight for 40,000 Airmiles after some time. So, better is to get the best out of your reward points/Airmiles than to just save them and get them devalued. So if you have a chance to redeem your reward points/Airmiles against an award flight, you should go for it without delay as you have no idea when this number might increase.

3. Credit Card Offers Might Change/End

The offers/benefits on a credit card can also be taken down anytime by the card issuer for any reason and without prior notice. So, if your card issuer is allowing you to redeem your reward points against Airmiles or flight/hotel bookings, it doesn’t mean that the option will always be open. It might happen that you are just saving more & more points to redeem them against something big, and something big has just been missed.

If you have already earned enough reward points/Airmiles to get an Award flight to your dream destination, it is highly advisable to go for it. Once your card issuer cancels the option to redeem your points against travel, the same trip will close you thousands more than you can get for now.

Must Check: Best Travel Credit Cards in India 2024.

Bottom Line

It is true that redeeming only hundreds of reward points is not a good idea until it’s a really good deal, but just saving these points even after earning thousands & lakhs of them is even worst. You should be aware of the fact that these points are generally not valid for a lifetime but expire after a few years. So, it is always better to redeem them against something as good as travel to save more & get a rewarding experience. You can always earn more points by spending more but you can’t get these points back once they expire.

Moreover, travel can be considered as one of the best categories to redeem your earned points against as it is something that can cost you the most if booked without these points/miles. Now, you might have understood why is it better to use your earned points for travel instead of saving them. In case of any further doubts, make sure to ask us in the comment section below!

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