Wouldn’t it be cool to have a credit card that throws a couple of free tickets at you every once in a while just for being a good customer? They are out there, however most people never get a chance to use those benefits based on their travel habits and credit card choices. Choosing the right card takes a little homework and a lot of planning to get the most out of the benefits airline miles credit cards offer. Here are a few tips to consider when applying for an airline credit card.

First and foremost you need to know that airline credit cards come in two different flavors, frequent flyer cards and air mile reward cards. Frequent flyer cards are for people who travel very often on specific airlines. I realize that I just stated the obvious however; this is the single biggest mistake most credit card applicants make. If you do not travel frequently, at least 3 times a year or more, you should consider carrying an air miles reward card instead.

Frequent flyer cards usually represent a single airline, i.e. Delta, American and so on.  With this class of card, you will gain air miles sooner than you will with the airline rewards cards. These miles actually have a cash value and can be accumulated into a frequent flyer accounts. From these accounts, you can buy, sell, trade and donate the miles as you please. These accumulated miles can actually appreciate and depreciate according to the price of tickets and the economy. They also have a cash value as far as the IRS is concerned too.

The main things you want to watch out for on frequent flyer cards are the annual fees and interest rates. Airline credit cards often have hefty annual fees and ugly interest rates. For this reason, you have to factor in these variables and weigh them against the benefits you will receive for your intended use of the card. You must not carry a balance on these credit cards; the difference between interest rates on frequent flyer cards and other cards can be significant. For infrequent flyers, paying this extra interest and the annual fee can greatly diminish or wipe out any benefits you may earn.

Unlike frequent flyer cards, airline reward cards do not specify a particular airline. These rewards cards offer benefits toward airline tickets by way of points that are gained from everyday purchases. This class of reward card does not have the accumulation benefit like frequent flyer cards do, however. You are free to redeem their miles on almost any airline that you wish to use. Also, since the issuers of these credit cards aren’t beholden to any one airline, they can usually offer rates that are lower than the frequent flyer card’s rates. If you look around, you can find air mile reward cards with additional travel benefits like hotel rewards and gas savings too.

One last thing that you should think about, make sure the air miles credit card that you are considering has an airline at the airport that is closest to you. With gas at $4.50 a gallon, having to travel 300 miles to the closest airport that your airline flies out of that can eat up your savings in a hurry. Also, before you apply, check fares in your area to the places you are most like to travel. Some airlines have naturally low fares to certain places based on the regularity of their flight patterns. If you use these airlines you can use less air mile rewards and save the rest for another sunny day.

Aubrey Clark is an Author and editor for Direct Banc, a Low Interest Rate Credit Card Directory. Aubrey is a financial expert who has spent over twenty years working and training in financial markets. He current project is an Airline Miles Credit Card tutorial for business travelers.