The best credit cards for free flights

Fancy a free flight? Here's how to get one...

It’s starting to look like spring might be on its way – hurrah! So if you’re starting to think about where to go on holiday this year, you might also be considering how to pay for it.

So how would you feel if I told you that you could travel for free – all thanks to your credit card? Imagine sitting on a flight to Venice with a glass of wine in your hand knowing you hadn't paid for it?

Well, that’s exactly what could happen if you use a reward credit card. These nifty bits of plastic do exactly what they say on the tin – they reward you for your everyday spending. In some cases, the rewards come in the form of cashback. But in others, the rewards are airmiles. And if you collect enough airmiles, you’ll then be able to turn these airmiles into a flight!

Of course, this will require some planning and a fair bit of patience. After all, the time it takes you to build up enough airmiles will depend on how much you spend on your credit card. So if you’re hoping to go on holiday next month, using airmiles is a fairly unrealistic option.

But if you’re thinking ahead, using a reward credit card can be a great way to go – providing you can afford to pay off the balance in full each month (otherwise you’ll be hit with a hefty interest rate that will far outweigh any rewards).

So let’s take a look at some of the best reward credit cards on the market.

Free flights

It’s worth noting that BA miles can only be redeemed on British Airways flights and Virgin Flying Club miles can, unsurprisingly, only be redeemed on Virgin Atlantic flights. And for both of these, you’ll also have to pay taxes and fees on top of the cost of the flight.

You can find out how far your BA miles will get you here and how far your Flying Club miles will get you here.

However, if you use the Lloyds TSB Airmiles Duo Credit Card or Tesco Clubcard Credit Card, you’ll be using airmiles and as a result, all taxes and fees are included in the cost of the flight. You’ll also have a choice of airlines. So personally, I would opt for these credit cards over the British Airways and Virgin offerings.

You can find out exactly how many airmiles you’ll need for a particular flight here.

I should also point out here that American Express isn’t accepted everywhere – which could be a problem if you have either the British Airways American Express Credit Card or the British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card (which also charges a £150 annual fee).

The Lloyds TSB Airmiles Duo Credit Card gets around this by offering a second card, the MasterCard, as back up. Although you won’t earn as many airmiles for using the MasterCard, it may still come in handy if you can’t pay by American Express.

Cashback

Alternatively, if you think it will take you forever to collect enough airmiles, another option is to earn cashback instead.

The American Express Platinum Cashback Card, for example, offers 5% cashback in the first three months up to £100. After that, you’ll get up to 1.25% depending on how much you spend, with no limit on how much you earn. 

So you could simply use this cashback to help pay for your holiday instead.

Fly with the Post Office!

Finally, if all of this sounds like a lot of hard work, the Post Office is currently offering a free flight with its Post Office Credit Card!

If you apply and you’re accepted for the card by 27 March (so hurry!), you’ll be offered a free return flight to one of six European capitals – Dublin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Paris or Madrid. All you need to do is enter the code FLIGHT on the online application form to qualify. Note that taxes, fuel and passenger charges are not included in the deal.

The voucher you will receive for your free flight is valid for 90 days from the date of issue and both flights must take place before 14 December 2011. You’ll also need to be fairly flexible as you will be asked to supply three alternative destinations and/or dates of travel and to indicate your order of preference. Although the Post Office will try to get your first choice, there's no guarantee that you will be able to get it - so flexibility is key.

The Post Office Credit Card also offers 0% on balance transfers for 12 months (2.98% fee). Although this isn’t market-leading – the Barclaycard Platinum with 18 Month BT Visa offers 18 months interest-free on balance transfers – the Post Office Credit Card also offers 0% on balance transfers for five months in the second and third years. So this might be handy if you have further balance transfers to make later down the line.

You also won’t have to pay interest on purchases for the first three months.

What’s more, if you decide to use your credit card abroad, there’s no commission on purchases overseas. There’s also no cash advance fee when purchasing Post Office travel money online or in branch.

You can find out the full details about this flight offer here. And don’t forget to enter the code FLIGHT when you apply!

Happy flying!

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