The expedia definitely sounds like a sweet deal when you are getting points with each mile you fly... But if that deal wasn't around, the cash value of the thank you points is worth at most 1%.
You can get a free domestic ticket with 20k points, but lets leave that one out because both cards can get you that.
So it seems that if I book air travel with the Expedia card, I'll get more points than Travelocity because of the points per mile. ($1000 booking for 15k miles of air travel = 17000 points).
But if I make everyday purchases with Travelocity, then I'll get 2% of gift card (so to speak) to purchase on Travelocity.
Now, it makes sense to have both cards!!! I've got 10 credit cards now and people are starting to decline me because of "too many recently opened accounts."
Decisions decisions!
Originally Posted by
ackfoo
Travel booked through Travelocity should be eligible for frequent flyer miles from your airline, which is a great deal. However, you can get the same thing with the Expedia Premier pass card and that card is a better value. I just read about it in the January issue of SmartMoney magazine. It was named "Best travel rewards card."
Here's what I've found (all the details at expedia.com/card)
There are 2 cards, one has a $75 annual fee and the other doesn't.
It is a version of Citi's Premier pass card and you earn:
- 3x points when you book on Expedia (double for using your credit card, and an additional point if you are a member of their rewards program)
- 2x for grocery, gas, dining, and drugstore purchases for the fee version and single points for the no fee version
- 1x for everything else
- 1x for every mile you fly (fee version) and 1 point for every 3 miles you fly (no fee) - points for flying is a big differentiator and really makes this card much more valuable than the Travelocity card
The redemption options are also better - you redeem through Citi's ThankYou network and can redeem for travel (Expedia's inventory) or gift cards or other things. With Travelocity's card you are limited to Travelocity when you redeem. The Expedia card gives you many more options. The value vs. cost of airline tickets seems pretty good too - flights in the US are 20,000 points for a $400 ticket (as opposed to 25K and 50K for most airline programs).