Reconnecting with childhood friends is exciting and what better way to celebrate the reunion than with a trip. Once you have decided on the destination, it’s time to start planning. You need a budget for everything starting from travel to shopping and hotel bookings. For example, if you have specific requirements like staying in Holiday cottages in the Yorkshire Dales near a pub, you would have to do an extensive search and decide on your budget accordingly!
Start by making a list of everything, starting from the mode of transport (sites similar to StressFreeCarRental.com might come in handy if you are travelling to Madrid and nearby cities), the hotel room charges, food, shopping, and more. Find the cost of each item on your list. Keep extra money if you want to indulge in an adventurous activity, buy something, or for a crisis.
For instance, while on a road trip with your friends, you can end up in a hailstorm. You might have to look for a car repair near your location once the rain stops to ensure that the car is capable of going forward to the destination. You can search – Paintless Dent Removal near me and contact them to discuss the repair charges. This is where you might need the extra money, i.e., to deal with such unexpected situations.
Now, here’s the good news! You can reduce the total cost of the trip without losing out on the fun. What can help you achieve this is your credit card.
Let’s find out the best credit card for beginners that makes your trip with childhood friends a memorable one. We discuss the different categories of credit cards and how you can get the most value from them. If you are hungry for more discounts and offers, add your cards to mobile apps like CRED. It is important for you to bear in mind that excessive spending does have its negatives, so be aware of how much you are spending and plan out what you’ll need, otherwise, you could be looking at massive debt and seeing if Discharging Credit Card Debt In Bankruptcy is a potential avenue for you to look into when you know your situation.
Flights:
Choose from a range of credit cards meant for travel. You earn miles every time you book air tickets, and these miles can be redeemed on your next trip. These are co-branded credit cards so check the airline or aggregator before you apply for the credit card.
Other benefits include complimentary access to airport lounges in India and abroad, reward points as a welcome gift, and discounts on dining. Some cards offer complimentary air tickets.
The top travel cards include Axis Express Platinum Travel Credit Card and Citi PremierMiles Credit Card. American Express offers 5000 membership reward points on joining, travel vouchers worth Rs. 6360 on spending Rs. 1.9 lakh, and a Taj Experience gift card worth Rs. 10000. The Citi card offers 10000 miles on joining, and you can earn 10 miles when you spend Rs. 100 on airline transactions.
Fuel:
If you are taking your vehicle or hiring a vehicle for your trip, then there are credit cards that provide great offers on fuel. Offers include discounts on fuel at specified fuel outlets, discounts on retail purchases, and travel vouchers from aggregator websites.
While some rewards are in the form of cashback, other rewards are in the form of points. The top two credit cards in the fuel category include Standard Chartered Super Value Titanium Credit Card and ICICI Bank HPCL Coral American Express Credit Card.
Benefits you can get from the Standard Chartered Credit Card include 5% cashback on fuel, utility, and phone bills. The ICICI Bank Credit Card is co-branded with HPCL and gives you 4% rupee value back on fuel spends at HPCL petrol pumps.
There are no income restrictions or age restrictions for ICICI. Compare the different fuel cards available online when choosing the best credit card for fuel.
Hotel Stay:
No matter which hotel you choose, there are some amazing benefits that credit cards offer you. Some offer reward points on hotel bookings, discounts on dining, and retail spending.
The two best cards for hotel bookings are HDFC Diners Black Credit Card and Yatra SBI card. For every hotel booking, the HDFC card offers you 10x reward points and discounts of up to 33% when you buy from Partner brands.
You must book your hotels through Yatra to enjoy the benefits offered by the SBI card. It offers a whopping 20% discount on hotel bookings across India. The bonus is the Yatra vouchers worth Rs. 8250 on paying the annual fee.
Don’t forget that these offers are in addition to the offers that hotels offer customers during the festive season and special occasions. You can also compare the offers from different hotels before making your final decision.
Shopping:
If you are an online shopaholic and want to get a new wardrobe for your trip, then go for credit cards that help you to do that. To get the most from these credit cards, you need to check if they are co-branded with online portals like Amazon or Flipkart. Offers include cashback, reward points on spends, and welcome benefits.
The top two shopping cards are Amazon Pay ICICI Credit Card and Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card. The ICICI credit card offers you 5% cash back on purchases, 2% reward points on recharges and bill payments, and no-cost EMI for purchases over Rs. 3000.
The Axis Bank Credit Card gives you welcome benefits worth Rs. 3300, 5% cashback on shopping, and complimentary access to domestic lounges four times a year.
Combine the credit card benefits with the offers given by these online portals to get more discounts.
Dining:
What’s a trip with childhood friends if you don’t indulge in some fine dining? Get discounts every time you pay with these credit cards. Get cashback and reward points on every spend.
The best credit cards in this category are American Express Platinum Travel Card and Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card. The American Express Credit Card offers a 15 to 20% discount at select restaurants, welcome benefits of Rs. 5000, and Complimentary Priority Pass Membership.
The Standard Chartered Credit Card gives you a massive 25% discount at some of the top restaurants in India, 5% cashback on duty-free spends, and 20% cashback on Uber rides.
Insurance:
There are credit cards that offer accidental death cover, lost card liability, and overseas emergency hospitalization. However, before applying for the cards, you need to check their terms and conditions.
Some of the best credit cards for insurance cover include HDFC Bank Regalia Credit Card and Axis Privilege Credit Card. The HDFC Bank card provides an accidental death cover of Rs. 1 crore and overseas hospitalization cover of Rs. 15 lacs.
The Axis Bank Card gives you an air accident cover of Rs. 2.5 crores, purchase protection of Rs. 1 lakh, lost card liability of Rs. 3 lacs, and air loss travel document cover of USD 300.
Enjoy a Stress-Free Trip
With credit cards to take care of your expenses and insurance, you can focus on enjoying your trip with childhood friends. Whether you travel by air or on the road, there are credit cards that offer you discounts and other offers.
You can book a hotel and dine at the best restaurants in India and abroad and be rewarded with offers like dining discounts and membership in exclusive dining programs.
Start packing your bags now!
