Airline and travel company credit cards, which reward spending with points, are not as good as they seem, according to Which? Holiday.
Several companies, including bmi, British Airways, Ryanair and Thomas Cook offer rewards-based cards where you can redeem points for flights.
But Which? pointed out that to earn a free return flight to Paris with Ryanair a passenger would have to spend £1,500 on their credit card with a six-month period.
To collect enough points for a free flight to Cape Town with Thomas Cook would involve spending £59,000 on its credit card.
The report said: "When Which? Money compared cards from these companies they found that some of the free flights offered did not include taxes and charges, which often cost more than the flight itself."
Which? is also warning consumers to be on their guard against bogus timeshare resale companies which are praying on owners of unwanted properties.
Already it claims hundred of owners have been conned out of cash by resale companies promising to sell their timeshares if they gave them money up front for services which were never provided.
Which? says that The Timeshare Association, set up by timeshare owners, received 466 complaints from consumers who had fallen victim to such scams in the first six months of this year.
In total, 878 consumers reported 961 unsolicited calls from companies offering to sell their timeshare properties.
According to Which? finding a legitimate buyer for a second-hand timeshare is hard, leaving many vulnerable to predatory resale companies.
A new law that prohibits companies from taking money upfront for selling timeshare properties will come into force next February, but in the meantime Which? fears rogue resale companies will become more aggressive in their targeting of owners.
It warns consumers never to pay money upfront for a sale, to be wary of any cold callers and to check a company’s credentials with The Timeshare Association.
By Linsey McNeill
