Airline credit cards are cards that are offered by airlines. They tend to give rewards in the form of airline flights. There are broadly two types of airline reward credit cards, those that are offered by a single airline and those that are offered by a group of airlines or a credit card company.
Like most reward cards airline credit cards offer rewards on a points system, so that if there is a certain amount of money that is paid on a credit card then there will be rewards in the shape of points, often in miles, that can themselves be traded for a flight.
The more general airline cards that are not tied to any particular airline tend to have a wider range of airlines that they can be used on. This flexibility is a trade off against a level of generosity, as the more tied airline cards tend to have far more generous rewards.
The real issue is whether or not a person prefers flexibility to loyalty. If there are only a certain amount of destinations or if the person lives near a hub airport then they will probably do better with a credit card that is tied up with a particular airline.
There is also the situation that some people feel more comfortable with one airline than they do with any other and they will travel with that airline whenever it is practical to do so. These travellers will not really benefit from a generic card as they are not likely to use the flexibility that goes with the card.
Some specific airline cards can be tied in with the frequent flyer programs that are offered by the airline. This can be a particular issue with people who are constant business travellers, and they can be earning double reward programs by using the service.
Credit card borrowers should consider whether an airline reward card is well suited to them. If they carry a lot of borrowing on the card from month to month then a low interest rate will in almost all cases be worth more than the rewards points that they could be getting. If they value flexibility then the cash from a cash back card is far more flexible, if less generous for a constant traveller. Finally if the card is not used much then the savings on an annual fee from a no annual fee card should be considered.
