How do I choose the best credit card to pay for my trip?

We are often faced with a dilemma: what is the best credit card to use to pay for our trip (airfare, accommodation, etc.)?

How do we choose the right credit card to optimize our purchase in all aspects?

Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine the best credit card to pay for your trip!

Credit cards with the best travel multipliers

Here, in a nutshell, is a table summarizing the different credit card reward multipliers that can be earned on expenses categorized as “travel”.

As you can see, you can’t just rely on the multiplier, since the value of the points differs from program to program. Which credit card gives the best return for travel will also depend on the currency in which you make your purchase. Finally, some credit cards offer a higher return on more specific travel expenses, as on certain sites or platforms.

So, here’s some food for thought on which credit card to use to get the biggest return on your travel purchase, depending on its type.

Airline tickets

Do you need travel insurance?

This section mainly covers cancellation, interruption, flight delay, baggage loss, etc., since coverage for emergency medical care is automatically included, regardless of the method of payment, with several credit cards (under certain conditions).

Airline ticket paid with reward points

As a general rule, the best credit card will be :

However, some credit cards stand out by offering protection even if the trip is partially paid for by the credit card; see the next point.

Airline ticket partially paid by credit card

These cards stand out from all the others, because you’ll be covered when part of the trip has been charged to the credit card! So if you pay the taxes on an award ticket Aeroplan or use a travel credit, you’ll be protected in the event of a hitch.

In this situation, the best credit card will be one of the following:

However, baggage delay insurance requires that the full cost of the airline ticket be purchased with National Bank cards. The same is true for car rental insurance.

Airline ticket paid entirely by credit card

Some cards require that the trip be paid in full on the credit card . So you can’t go wrong if you charge all your travel expenses to your credit card and those mentioned above.

However, travel insurance is not the same from one credit card to another! When you compare coverage amounts, they differ greatly from one card to another.

Do you plan to use airline rewards points?

Do you have points in the bank and want to use them to pay for this trip? You will therefore need to use the credit card linked to the rewards points program in question.

For example, by paying for your plane ticket with the National Bank World Elite Mastercard, you’ll be covered in the event of a problem, and you’ll be able to use your NBC rewards points within 60 days of purchase.

Do you need toearn a particular type of point?

As a result of your airfare purchase, you will be able to collect points. Turn to the card that gives the type of points you are looking for! To do this, you need to determine your objectives and your points accumulation strategy.

However, you have to ask yourself which aspect you favor when the card that gives you the best insurance doesn’t match the card that gives you the type of points you want.

Similarly, the return (discount) may be greater with another card, but travel insurance must be factored into the equation, not just the “best return” as illustrated in the table at the beginning of this article.

Do You Need to Unlock a Bonus?

Finally, if you don’t need travel insurance and your priority is to unlock a bonus, you can check out the best current offers!

Accommodation, car rental and activities

Do you need travel insurance?

When it comes to accommodation, travel insurance may be a little less important. In fact, a large majority of establishments allow the cancellation of the reservation without charge during a specific period (often up to 24 hours before the stay).

On the car rental side, the BMO Ascend World Elite Mastercard offers some of the best rental car insurance coverage around.

For activities, organized tours, excursions, etc., most of these purchases are non-refundable, so it’s imperative to put these expenses on cards with good travel insurance like the National Bank World Elite Mastercard^®.

Do you intend to use reward points on this same trip?

Just like airline tickets, you need to use the card with the rewards program you want to use to reduce your bill.

Do you need toearn a particular type of point?

Some credit cards, such as the Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport, offer points for travel purchases, no foreign exchange fees and the ability to use these same points as account credit.

If you’re staying at a Marriott Bonvoy hotel, it’s more advantageous to pay with credit cards linked to this program to earn more points.

However, do you want to earn 5X Marriott Bonvoy points, or would you save on foreign currency fees instead? The answer is yours.

Do You Need to Unlock a Bonus?

Same as the answer given above for plane tickets.

Bottom Line

There’s no single answer to choosing the right credit card to pay for a trip and get the “best return”. Indeed, there are several factors to consider in order to make the “best choice” in your situation.