Are Travel Credit Cards Worth It If You Only Travel Once a Year?

"I Only Travel Once a Year. Is a Travel Card Still Worth It?"

This is one of the most honest questions on r/PHCreditCards:

"I only travel once a year. Does a travel credit card even make sense for me?"

The short answer is uncomfortable but honest: for many people, no.

That doesn't mean travel cards are bad. It means they're often misaligned with how people actually live and travel.

Last month, someone posted: "Got a travel card kasi mukhang sulit. But I only travel pag Christmas, going home sa province. Worth it ba?"

The replies were split.

Some said: "Keep it, you'll travel more eventually."

Others said: "Cancel it. You're paying for features you don't use."

This article helps you decide realistically, not aspirationally.

Why Travel Cards Are Marketed So Aggressively

Travel credit cards are appealing because they:

• Promise "free" flights
• Look premium
• Feel aspirational

Walk into any bank branch and you'll see the posters: a couple on a beach. A business traveler in a lounge. Someone sipping wine in business class.

The message is clear: This could be you.

Banks know that travel is emotional. But emotions don't pay annual fees — cash flow does.

Example:

Kat saw an ad for a travel card: "Earn miles on every purchase. Fly free."

She imagined herself in Boracay, Japan, maybe Europe someday.

She signed up.

Annual fee: ₱4,500.

She didn't think much of it at the time. "I'll earn it back," she thought.

The Real Cost of a Travel Credit Card

Most PH travel cards come with:

• Higher annual fees (₱3,000–₱6,000 range, positioned as "premium")
• Higher spend thresholds (to unlock bonuses or conversions)
• More complex reward systems (earn rates, conversion ratios, expiry rules)

If you travel once a year, you must ask:

"Will I realistically earn more value than the fee?"

If the answer is uncertain, that uncertainty usually resolves to "no."

Kat's reality:

Annual fee: ₱4,500.

She spent ₱15,000 a month on her card. That's ₱180,000 a year.

Her card earned 1 mile per ₱35 spend. So she earned around 5,143 miles in one year.

She needed 15,000 miles for a one-way Manila–Cebu flight (economy, saver award).

Kulang siya. And her miles were set to expire in 18 months.

"Wait, so kailangan ko mag-spend pa?" she asked herself.

How Much Do You Need to Spend to Break Even?

Let's simplify.

To break even on a travel card, you must:

• Earn enough points or miles
• Redeem them at reasonable value
• Offset the annual fee

For once-a-year travelers, this often requires higher spending than expected.

Example:

Let's say your travel card has a ₱4,000 annual fee.

To beat that fee purely via miles, kailangan mo:

• Spend hundreds of thousands of pesos yearly
• Redeem at good value (around ₱0.80 per mile)
• Actually use the miles before they expire

Many casual travelers in PH don't hit that level of spending. And even if they do, redemptions aren't always easy.

PH comparison sites stress that air miles cards "take time to earn those points and redeem" — often requiring years of spending, which clashes with low, irregular travel frequency.

The Redemption Timing Problem

Travel rewards don't always align with your schedule.

If you:

• Travel only once a year
• Have fixed dates (Christmas, Holy Week, summer vacation)
• Can't be flexible (because of work leave, school schedules, pasabay sa family)

Redemptions become harder, not easier.

Example:

Jun travels once a year — always in December, going home to Iloilo for Christmas.

He saved up 20,000 miles. He tried to book a Manila–Iloilo award flight for December 20.

The system said: "No award seats available."

He tried December 19. Wala.

December 21. Wala pa rin.

The only availability? January 8. Mid-week. 6 AM.

"But I need to be there by December 20," he thought. "And I have to be back by the 27th for work."

He gave up. He booked a promo fare instead. ₱3,200.

His miles are still sitting there.

This is where many Reddit users feel disappointed.

Why Cashback Often Wins for Infrequent Travelers

Cashback:

• Has no redemption stress
• Has no blackout dates
• Can be used anytime

For people who travel occasionally, cashback often provides more real-world value.

Local guides describe cashback cards as ideal for "laidback and steady" spenders who just want predictable rebates on regular expenses — hindi yung "free trips to Japan or Korea."

Cashback cards in PH typically give 0.5–8% back in pesos (depending on category and caps), with simpler rules and often lower or waiver-eligible annual fees than travel cards.

Example:

Marge used to have a travel card. Annual fee: ₱3,800. She earned miles slowly. She rarely redeemed.

She switched to a cashback card. Annual fee: ₱1,500 (waived if you spend ₱50,000/year, which she does).

She earns 5% back on groceries, 2% on utilities, 1% on everything else.

Last year, she earned ₱8,500 in cashback.

She used ₱5,000 of it to offset her Cebu Pacific ticket for her annual trip to Palawan. The rest, she used for grocery.

The Hidden Risk: Forcing Spend to "Justify" the Card

A common regret:

"I spent more just to make the card worth it."

If you change your spending to justify a travel card, the card is costing you — not rewarding you.

Articles and forums warn that many people end up forcing spend "to make the card worth it," effectively losing money trying to justify an annual-fee travel card.

Example:

Bea got a travel card with a ₱5,000 annual fee.

After six months, she realized she wasn't earning miles fast enough.

So she started using the card for everything. Even when it didn't make sense.

She bought a new TV on installment. "At least I'm earning miles."

She booked a hotel through the bank's portal instead of Agoda — even though Agoda was ₱2,000 cheaper. "But I'll earn bonus miles."

She signed up for a gym membership she didn't really want. "I need to hit ₱200,000 spend this year to maximize the card."

At the end of the year, she calculated:

• Extra spending to "maximize" the card: ₱18,000
• Miles earned from that extra spending: 3,600 miles
• Value of those miles if redeemed perfectly: ₱2,880

She lost ₱15,120.

"Tanga lang," she told her friend. "Nag-aksaya lang ako trying to justify the card."

When a Travel Card Can Make Sense (Even If You Travel Once a Year)

It might work if:

• Your spending is already high and stable (you're not changing behavior to earn points)
• You pay in full every month (interest kills rewards value)
• You're flexible with dates (you can adjust travel plans to find award seats)
• You enjoy planning redemptions (you find it fun, not stressful)
• You can clearly quantify perks (lounge access, insurance, discounts) exceeding the annual fee

Notice that travel frequency isn't the only factor — behavior matters more.

Some cards occasionally offer strong welcome bonuses or first-year fee waivers that temporarily flip the math in your favor. But you still need realistic spend and a plan to use the miles before expiry.

Example:

Rafael travels once a year — always to Singapore to visit his sister.

He has a travel card with a ₱6,000 annual fee.

But:

• He spends ₱40,000 a month on the card (business expenses he gets reimbursed for)
• He pays in full every month
• He's flexible with dates (he can visit anytime between March and May)
• He redeemed 50,000 miles last year for a round-trip Manila–Singapore flight (normally ₱22,000)

For him, it works. Kasi his spending is high and consistent, and he knows how to play the game.

But he's the exception, not the rule.

A Smarter Middle Ground

Many Filipinos do better by:

• Using cashback year-round
• Paying for flights normally (promo fares, seat sales)
• Avoiding high annual fees

Travel becomes simpler and often cheaper.

Example:

Lino and his wife used to both have travel cards. Combined annual fees: ₱9,000.

They'd stress about hitting bonuses, tracking miles, finding redemptions.

"Parang trabaho na," his wife said.

They switched to cashback cards. Combined annual fees: ₱2,000 (both waived because of their spending).

Now they just:

• Earn cashback on groceries, utilities, gas
• Book promo fares when they see them
• Use their cashback to offset travel costs

Last year, they earned ₱12,000 in cashback combined. They used ₱8,000 for their Palawan trip. The rest went to bills.

"Mas peaceful," Lino says. "And honestly, mas sulit pa."

A Simple Self-Check

Ask yourself:

• Would I keep this card if I didn't travel this year?
• Am I stressed about "making it worth it"?
• Do I understand how to redeem my points?

If these feel uncomfortable, a travel card may not be right yet.

One more check:

Pull out your last 12 months of spending. Did you:

• Spend enough to offset the annual fee through rewards?
• Actually redeem your points or miles?
• Feel good about the value you got?

If you answered "no" to any of these, it's a sign.

Travel Cards Are Optional, Not a Milestone

You don't "graduate" financially by getting a travel card.

You graduate by using money intentionally.

A travel card isn't a status symbol. It's a tool.

And like any tool, it only works if it fits the job.

Final story:

Dani canceled her travel card last year.

Her friends asked: "Why? Sayang naman."

She said: "Sayang yung annual fee if I'm not using it properly."

She switched to a simple cashback card. No pressure. No stress.

This year, she still traveled — Siargao, one week, promo fare. She paid cash. She used her cashback to buy pasalubong.

She didn't feel like she was missing out.

"Travel cards are for people who travel a lot or spend a lot," she says. "I'm neither. And that's okay."

That's the real answer.