 TITLE: How a Credit Card Bonus Can Help You Pay for Travel CONTENT: Credit Card Rewards Can Help Offset a Vacation\n----------------------------------------------\nThe most straightforward way your credit cards can help you offset or fully pay for an upcoming trip's expenses is with their rewards. Depending on the cards you have and the type of rewards they earn, you may be able to use your rewards to cover the cost of your airfare, hotels, rental car, gas, food and more.\nHere are some potential ways you can do this.\n### Book via Your Card Issuer's Travel Portal\nMany major financial institutions, including Chase and Capital One, have their own travel platform. So if you have a card that earns Chase Ultimate Rewards points, for instance, you can use your rewards to book travel through the Ultimate Rewards portal and save money that way.\nThis option is convenient, and in some cases, it's a method you can use to squeeze more value out of your rewards. For example, points earned with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card are worth 25% more when redeemed for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards. And if you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, they're worth 50% more.\nThat said, some of these portals may not offer access to all travel providers, so you may miss out on a deal with a certain airline, hotel chain or other brand.\n### Book Directly With Travel Providers\nCertain travel credit cards, including the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, allow you to use your card to book travel with any eligible travel provider, then use your rewards to get a statement credit that helps cover that purchase.\nThis method offers a lot of flexibility and also allows you to book directly with airlines, hotel brands and car rental companies, so you don't have to go through a middleman if there are issues with the reservation.\n### Transfer Rewards\nSome travel rewards programs allow you to transfer your points or miles to select partners, usually airline and hotel loyalty programs. You can do this with Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards and certain Citi ThankYou® Points.\nBecause airline and hotel rewards programs often have dynamic pricing structures, this approach can make it possible to get more value out of your rewards than if you were to redeem them directly with the card company. That said, it can take more time and research to maximize your rewards this way.\n### Redeem for Cash or Gift Cards\nSome credit cards allow you to redeem your rewards for cash or gift cards at a good redemption rate. This can make it possible to cover expenses that travel rewards don't traditionally cover, such as groceries, restaurant meals, gas and more.\nHowever, it's important to note that many travel rewards programs don't offer as much value if you redeem your rewards for cash versus travel. With Capital One, for instance, your rewards miles are worth 1 cent apiece on travel redemptions but just 0.5 cents apiece if you redeem them for cash.\nIntro Bonuses Are Another Way to Save\nIn addition to the ongoing rewards cards earn on purchases, many of the top travel rewards cards offer a one-time intro bonus for new cardholders. In most cases, you'll be required to use the card to spend a certain amount on purchases within a set period in order to earn the bonus.\nThe spending requirement will vary depending on the card, but it usually ranges from $1,000 to $5,000, and most cards give you three months to meet the requirement—though in some cases, you may get up to six months.\nIn rare cases, you may get the welcome offer after you make just one purchase. But in most cases, expect to have to meet a spending threshold. For example, the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers 100,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.\nOne thing to keep in mind is that many card issuers place restrictions on who can earn a bonus. For example, if you've earned a bonus on the same card recently—say you had the card a few years ago and canceled it but want it again—you may not qualify to receive the intro bonus. This is one way card issuers can prevent credit card churning. END