Why April Is a Great Month to Apply for a New Travel Credit Card

Travel credit cards are an excellent way for budget-conscious travelers to start saving for their next big adventure. Many of the top travel credit cards earn points and miles on your everyday spending, helping you turn groceries and gas into a business-class ticket to your next destination.

While these cards can come in handy all-year-round, they're especially useful for those who are planning summer vacations. After all, with the average American planning to take at least three trips this summer (at about $2,743 per trip, according to Go City), a travel card in your quiver ensures you're collecting the most rewards for those travel purchases. So, if you have the credit score and financial stability to get a new card, here's why April might be a good time to start applying.

1. Earn your sign-up bonus early

Signing up for a new credit card often puts you in the race for a welcome bonus. Many of the best travel credit cards have hefty bonuses that could put as much as $750 (or more) toward your next adventure.

The problem, of course, is that you have to hit certain spending limits before that bonus becomes yours. There also might be a lag between the moment you hit the requirements and the moment when the bonus is credited to your account. For instance, a card might have a welcome bonus of 75,000 miles when you spend $4,000 within three months of opening your account. Once you hit those requirements, the card issuer will apply the bonus to your rewards balance within two billing cycles.

If you get your travel credit card in April, that gives you some time to hit the bonus requirements before it's time to start traveling in the summer. You can charge any bookings or reservations you make in advance to your card, helping you hit the required spending threshold. If you get your bonus in time, you might be able to apply it as a statement credit against these charges, though if your card doesn't have a 0% APR intro period, don't hesitate to pay them off.

2. Start earning rewards for summer travel

Getting a travel card in April means you can start building up a slew of points or miles, which you can then use to cover portions of your summer travel.

Most travel cards will earn extra points or miles for travel purchases. But many of the best travel cards will also earn extra on various spending categories, like food or fuel. Since you're probably already budgeting for this spending, one of these cards can help you set points aside for your future travel.

Of course, you don't need a travel credit card to earn extra points. In fact, you might be better off with a cash back credit card that more closely aligns with your spending. You can accumulate this cash back, then use it to help cover your travel purchases. A few types of credit cards that might help you earn more include:

• Best credit cards for dining and restaurants
• Best credit cards for gas and groceries
• Best credit cards for streaming services
• Best credit cards for large purchases

3. Take advantage of travel insurance

Finally, many credit cards have hefty travel insurance built into their cards. This insurance could include trip cancellation, trip delay, rental collision, baggage delay, lost luggage reimbursement, and travel accident, among others. When you book your summer travel with a card that has travel insurance, that coverage is available for you to use, if you need it. If you're thinking about buying travel insurance, this could save you some money.

All things considered, getting a travel credit card now means you can start earning rewards for your summer travel plans. This could include covering airfare, hotels, or other charges, like baggage or food. Take a look at some of our favorite travel cards and see if it's worth applying for a new one in April.