People who travel a lot usually complain about not having any benefits or deals from airlines and flying companies for their loyal customers. Even for people who fly occasionally, this becomes a big question that what can they do for availing discounts and offers for different airlines and airport needs so that the flight becomes more budget-friendly and enjoyable.
Mastercards, credit cards, travel cards, and a long list of other options are available for you to avail yourself and enjoy some luxuries offered by various banks and credit cards companies.
How does This System Work?
Availing mastercards means that you are subscribing to an offer of the company for which you have to pay a specific amount either monthly or yearly or as per company policies.
Then on every transaction, you make with the card, you earn points. Companies also select these places where you can use the card to collect points. These points than either sum up to give you credit or turn it into a discount for the next transaction.
Some companies also adjust the annual fee and provide a concession if your usage is great, and you appear to be a loyal customer to them. This becomes a great benefit if you travel frequently.
Benefits for People
Less fare
These cards are usually linked for airlines because such cards use air miles as well. Counting Airmiles usually result in a discounted fare rate next time. This is not the only way you can redeem the points. You can use the discount on dining services at airports, specific restaurants, and even for some hotels which are on their collaboration lists. This way, you can save a lot of money while traveling, making use of the fee you pay.
Free points
For motivation and gaining loyal customers, many companies gift the new users some basic initial points to start. Other than this, users can also get free points when they top up the card and load the balance in it. Sometimes the amount is fixed, and some companies give the pits according to the amount deposited. These are some of the few means other than transactions by which you can earn free points.
Discounts
Many companies like Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard offer various discounts on selected services. These services usually include different hotels, car rentals, restaurants, and other places which are more or less related to traveling somehow. Some brands can also be accessed through these mastercards as some of them come with the facility of membership for a reputed brand, by which you are usually added to the loyal customer group of the brand, making it an opportunity for you to avail discounts on their products.
Insurance
If you are an owner of the mastercard of a company, there is a high chance that the company might offer insurance. This means that if you lose the card, then the company can provide you insurance for your money if there is no means for getting it back. This makes it a reliable platform to invest your money.
Do you Need a Mastercard for Traveling?
For people who travel a lot, this is a great thing to opt for as there will be many places that you can avail of the discounts you gain from your first transactions.
Do not be attracted by the discounts in the first look as there is a mentionable fee for these cards. You need to pay a fee to keep yourself subscribed to the card and avail of the points. Be sure that you do not pressure yourself into using the card anyway.
If your expenditures are not exceeding than the price of the card or if you feel like you might not be able to avail the points you gain, there is no need for going for the card because the points take time to be earned, and then they are used once they reach a specific amount. If you are not a frequent traveler, there might not come a time where you can avail these points which ends up in loss.
Some companies even provide a time duration for the points to be used, so if you do not travel regularly, these points might go to waste which will also be a waste of your investment charges or fee.
Conclusion
Only go for the card if it suits your needs. But, if you avail of it, you will get many benefits as these cards work usually for many currencies and operate on many brands.