Contributed by Stephanie Litaker
If you know the in's and out's of airline travel, you should also know the in's and out's of an airline credit card. What's that? It's a credit card that offers you frequent flier miles in return for every dollar you spend. Whether you travel for business or for pleasure, an airline credit card can get you to more places faster - especially if there's a nice tail wind. But what card is right for you? Let's talk about that.
It's pretty easy to understand that an airline credit card will reward you with frequent flier miles for the purchases you make, but unfortunately not all airlines make this offer available. The major airline companies will offer this option to their customers, and if you travel regularly this is a great option for you. Even if you don't travel a lot but would like to, an airline credit card can help you reach that goal; face it, you will probably use your credit card anyway so at least with an airline credit card you'll get more than just the new pair of jeans you bought at the Gap.
When you are trying to decide which airline credit card is right for you, you should always consider all of the options and all of the other perks that come along with the card. Some cards will offer you more than just frequent flier miles. For instance the Northwest WorldPerks Visa card offers you the chance to upgrade your airline tickets from coach to first class as an added benefit, and if you earn enough frequent flier miles, this will occur automatically for you upon check-in.