WalletHub: Best Credit Cards for Foreign Travel

WalletHub released a study of the best credit cards for foreign travel © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With 72 million Americans planning a foreign trip this year, credit cards providing up to 13 international travel benefits and 86% of people not fully understanding how foreign fees work, WalletHub released a report identifying the best cards to use.

WalletHub also released the results of its 2018 Foreign Transaction Fee Survey, which provides insights into people’s attitudes toward and understanding of foreign fees. You can find highlights from both below.

• 96% of credit cards offer rental car insurance, while 86% offer travel accident insurance and 37% offer a form of luggage insurance.
• The best credit cards for international travelers are the Bank of America Premium Rewards Credit Card, Bank of America Travel Rewards and Barclays Arrival Premier World Elite Mastercard.
• 86% of people don’t fully understand when credit cards can charge foreign transaction fees. 82% think foreign transaction fees are unfair.
• 51% of Americans worry more about foreign transaction fees on credit cards than tariffs on Chinese imports.
• Two-thirds of people think credit cards should charge lower foreign transaction fees in countries allied with the U.S.
• Capital One, Discover, USAA and Barclays are the only major issuers that exclusively offer no foreign transaction fee credit cards. Getting such a card, along with a no foreign fee debit card, enables international travelers to minimize the cost of currency conversion.

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/krubin0830/

instagram.com/famtravltr/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

WalletHub: Top 20 Places to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. San Francisco tops the list of Top 20 Places to Celebrate Valentine’s Day © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner and America’s sweethearts planning to spend an average of $143.56 each on the occasion, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018’s Best Places for Valentine’s Day along with interesting stats about the holiday in its Valentine’s Day Facts infographic.

To determine the most romantic yet affordable cities for celebrating the Day of Hearts, WalletHub compared 100 of the largest U.S. cities across 23 key metrics, ranging from florists per capita to forecasted precipitation to cost of a three-course meal for two.

Top 20 Places for Celebrating Valentine’s Day
1	San Francisco, CA		11	Austin, TX
2	San Diego, CA		12	Scottsdale, AZ
3	Las Vegas, NV		13	Denver, CO
4	Orlando, FL		14	Washington, DC
5	Chicago, IL		15	San Antonio, TX
6	New York, NY		16	San Jose, CA
7	Portland, OR		17	Minneapolis, MN
8	Seattle, WA		18	Atlanta, GA
9	Honolulu, HI		19	Phoenix, AZ
10	Los Angeles, CA		20	Houston, TX

To view the full report and your city’s rank, visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-and-worst-cities-for-valentines-day/10056/

Valentine’s Day Facts

• $19.6B: Total Valentine’s Day spending projected for 2018 ($143.56 per person celebrating).
• $191 vs. $99: Men plan to spend nearly twice as much as women, on average, for Valentine’s Day 2018.
• $8.5 Billion: Amount Americans will spend on jewelry ($4.7B), flowers ($2B) and candy ($1.8B).
• 9 Million: Number of marriage proposals made each Valentine’s Day.

For the full infographic, visit: https://wallethub.com/blog/valentines-day-facts/10258

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/krubin0830/

instagram.com/famtravltr/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

2018’s Best & Worst Frequent Flyer Programs – WalletHub Study

WalletHub released its report on 2018’s Best Frequent Flyer Programs, which ranks the 10 largest domestic airlines © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With U.S. airlines expected to carry more than 600 million passengers on domestic flights this year and credit card debt levels exploding, you can expect airfare savings to be increasingly important in the months ahead.

To help travelers make the best decisions for their wallets, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2018’s Best Frequent Flyer Programs, which ranks the 10 largest domestic airlines based on 23 key metrics, ranging from the value of a point/mile to blackout dates for rewards flights.

WalletHub’s report also features a custom calculator that allows users to personalize the results based on their own budgets.

Here are a few highlights:

• Delta SkyMiles is the best frequent flyer program for the third straight year.
• The average airline rewards program gives frequent flyers 12% off their airline spending. And they’re all free to join.
• Hawaiian Airlines offers the most rewards value to frequent flyers ($19.95 per $100 spent), with Alaska Airlines coming in a close second ($19.87 per $100 spent).
• Four of the 10 largest airlines are offering more rewards in 2018 than in 2017, sweetening the pot by an average of 20%.
• Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways are the only two major airlines whose miles do not expire because of inactivity.
• The Frontier Airlines Credit Card and the Lufthansa Credit Card are 2018’s best airline credit cards, according to WalletHub’s editors.

For the full report, including the custom calculator, visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-frequent-flyer-program/25943/

 

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/krubin0830/

instagram.com/famtravltr/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

2017 Best Places for Christmas Celebrations

New York City is one of the top-ranked places for Christmas Celebrations by WalletHub © 2017 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With Christmas being the most popular holiday in the U.S. and one of the most expensive – Americans plan to spend up to $682 billion over the holiday season this year – the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2017’s Best Places for Christmas Celebrations.

To help Americans celebrate Christmas without breaking the bank, WalletHub compared the 100 biggest cities across 29 key metrics. The data set ranges from Christmas events per capita to average price per Christmas party ticket to shopping centers and outlets per capita.

Best Cities for Christmas Celebrations
1	Chicago, IL		11	St. Louis, MO
2	San Francisco, CA		12	Dallas, TX
3	Pittsburgh, PA		13	Cincinnati, OH
4	New York, NY		14	Los Angeles, CA
5	Seattle, WA		15	Denver, CO
6	Orlando, FL		16	Birmingham, AL
7	Atlanta, GA		17	San Diego, CA
8	Washington, DC		18	Houston, TX
9	Las Vegas, NV		19	Oklahoma City, OK
10	Portland, OR		20	Miami, FL

Key Stats

• Durham, North Carolina, has the lowest average price for a Christmas party ticket, $8.27, which is six times lower than in Las Vegas, the city with the highest at $49.99.
• San Francisco has the most Christmas events (per square root of the population), 0.038, which is 38 times more than in Tucson, Arizona, the city with the fewest at 0.001.
• Miami has the most Christmas tree farms (per square root of the population), 0.024, which is 24 times more than in Fort Worth, Texas, the city with the fewest at 0.001.
• San Francisco, California, has the most gift shops (per square root of the population), 0.209, which is 104.5 times more than in Garland, Texas, the city with the fewest at 0.002.
• New York has the most toy stores (per square root of the population), 0.145, which is 72.5 times more than in Detroit, the city with the fewest at 0.002.

To view the full report and your city’s rank, visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-places-for-christmas/41924/

More from WalletHub

• Best Places for New Year’s Eve Celebrations
• 50+ New Year’s Eve Facts – Traditions, Spending & More
• 2017 Holiday Budgets by City
• Best Gift Cards
• 16 (Nearly Free) Gift Ideas for the 2017 Holiday Season
• 6 Holiday Shopping Tips – Give More & Spend Less
• Best Charities to Donate to – Holidays & Beyond
• Best Winter Holiday Destinations

See also:

Nighttime Stroll of New York City’s Holiday Lights

 

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/krubin0830/

instagram.com/famtravltr/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

WalletHub Picks Best Credit Cards for Holiday Travel

With the busiest travel season of the year upon us, WalletHub, a personal-finance website, names the best credit cards for travelers © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With some of the year’s busiest travel dates fast approaching, the personal-finance website WalletHub announced its selections for Winter 2017’s Best Travel Credit Cards, plus key money-saving tips for domestic and international travelers. Applying for the right card now will give people enough time to earn up to $625 in free travel, the company says.

Here’s an overview of WalletHub’s picks, which were selected from more than 1,000 offers due to their particularly attractive travel rewards.

• Best Initial Bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred – $625 in travel for spending $4,000 in the first three months; $95 annual fee starting year two.
• Best All-Around Travel Rewards: Barclaycard Arrival Plus – $400 travel statement credit for spending $3,000 in the first three months; 2% back on all purchases when you redeem for travel and a 5% miles rebate; no annual fee in the first year ($89 thereafter).
• Best Airline Rewards: Frontier Airlines Credit Card – 2 round-trip domestic tickets for spending $500 in the first 90 days; 2 miles per $1 spent on flyfrontier.com and 1 mile per $1 spent on everything else; $69 annual fee.
• Best Hotel Rewards: Club Carlson Premier Rewards – 50,000 bonus points after first purchase and 35,000 points for spending $2,500 within 90 days of account opening, redeemable for up to 9 free nights; 40,000 bonus points on account anniversary, worth up to 4 free nights; $75 annual fee.

For the rest of the best offers as well as additional money-saving travel tips, visit: https://wallethub.com/best-travel-credit-cards/
For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/karen-rubin

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/krubin0830/

instagram.com/famtravltr/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

WalletHub Report: Best & Worst Hotel Rewards Programs

Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco © 2016 Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

With roughly half of all holiday season hotel goers waiting until mid-December to book reservations and the right loyalty program capable of providing significant savings, WalletHub today released its 2016 Hotel Rewards Report to help travelers make an informed choice.

WalletHub examined the rewards programs operated by the 12 largest U.S. hotel chains based on 21 key metrics, such as the average value of a point, point expiration policies and the volatility of award night pricing. You can find a handful of highlights below.

• For the second year in a row, Wyndham Rewards is the best hotel loyalty program for travelers of all spending levels, earning an average WalletHub Score of 71.10.
• La Quinta offers up to $14.17 in rewards value per $100 spent – most among major hotel loyalty programs.
• The value in purchasing hotel rewards points varies widely from program to program. With some, it’s a rip-off, while others make it a no-brainer.
• Best Western is the only major hotel chain whose rewards points do not expire due to account inactivity.

In addition to identifying the best and worst hotel rewards programs, WalletHub’s report features a custom calculator that allows users to personalize the results based on their own hotel budget.

For more travel features, visit:

goingplacesfarandnear.com

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

instagram.com/krubin0830/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures

WalletHub Study: 2016 Best & Worst Airlines

Flying American Airlines into Flagstaff, Arizona © 2016 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

WalletHub has just announced its list of 2016’s Best & Worst Airlines in order to help consumers prepare for the busy summer travel season.

“Everyone can compare airlines based on price, but it’s much more difficult to weigh your options when it comes to other aspects of the air travel experience. WalletHub’s report therefore focuses on quantifying those aspects – delays, baggage issues, pet care, passenger comfort and more – in order to help travelers make more-informed decisions.”
Among the highlights:

• Best & Worst Overall: Virgin America (soon to be part of Alaska Airlines) and JetBlue top the list of 2016’s best airlines, while United, American and ExpressJet are the worst.
• Most & Least Reliable: Delta is the best airline for avoiding cancelations, delays and mishandled luggage, while ExpressJet and Envoy Air are the worst.
• Most & Least Comfortable: JetBlue offers the most comfortable in-flight experience, while Spirit and Frontier are the least comfortable.

For the full list of 2016’s Best & Worst Airlines, visit:
http://www.wallethub.com/edu/best-airlines/20916/

For CardHub’s report on 2016’s Best & Worst Frequent Flyer Programs, visit:
http://www.cardhub.com/edu/best-frequent-flyer-program/

For more travel features, visit:

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

www.examiner.com/international-travel-in-national/karen-rubin

goingplacesfarandnear.com

goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com

moralcompasstravel.info

travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/

goingplacesfarandnear.tumblr.com/

‘Like’ us on facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures

Twitter: @TravelFeatures