Wife Gail and I started cutting down on credit cards years ago. We get the same offers each week that you do, and we toss them regularly. One of the cards we do have regularly sends us “checks†that we can write against our balance. They get tossed, too.
On the other hand…
We did get a new card earlier this month and so far it has saved—repeat, saved—us $175. A major airline offered this card. We resisted it for a long time and then finally realized we couldn’t afford to turn it down. It allows both of us to check the first bag free for every flight on that airline, even if we buy the tickets from an online source other than the airline.
The card is free for the first year. If you renew for the second year, it does cost $95, but they give you a companion ticket and 25,000 miles free when you renew. There are other benefits, but these are the ones I remember.
In other words, it’s free now, but it looks like I’ll make an even bigger profit when I pay to renew it.
The bonus miles are important to us, because we have a grandson in Boston. (Did I ever tell you how cute and smart he is?) But the major savings will come from the free checked baggage. I somehow can’t manage to travel with the obligatory suits and ties without checking one bag, and that adds up.
As soon as they started charging for checked bags I bought a huge bag. If they are going to charge per bag, why not take a big one? And I learned how to pack that bag. On my last three flights it has weighed within one pound of the max allowed.
What’s more, I am carrying on less weight than ever before, and that’s good for my aging back and knees.
You’ve gotta play every angle, these days.
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