EX-PATS are brave people. Choosing to give up all your familiar surroundings, loved ones and home-nation’s culture for a new job or home abroad is no mean feat.
That’s not to say, however, that they don’t find themselves missing Blighty, their families and home comforts. Unfortunately, depending on where you’ve chosen to start your new life, travel costs can be expensive and at times prohibitive.
Missing loved ones, whether it’s your children, your parents or your siblings and friends is probably the number one reason for British expats to take a trip back to the UK. Beyond that, many of us Brits don’t do well in the warm weather, and for some a trip back home might be to escape the unbearable heat of the summer in countries like Egypt or the United Arab Emirate states.
Of course we live in a world where communications can put us in touch with our loved ones at the touch of a button, with web cams, voice over internet phones and email all helping to shorten the distance, but there are times when digitally-encoded catch-up wont cut it, and you just need to literally ‘get in touch’.
There will of course be times, and emergencies, that will force you to return home. A death in the family is something that can’t be financially accounted for, but it’s likely you’ll want to get home no-matter what your bank balance looks like.
On the brighter side, there are times of the year when you’d rather be at home with your family, like Christmas. If you’ve relocated to a non-Christian part of the world, you may find yourself longing for a traditional British Christmas more than ever.
Similarly, Islamic countries observe the holy month of Ramadan during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar – which means no eating in public during the daylight hours and a much more solemn, quieter atmosphere when out and about.
If you are considering becoming an expatriate, or you are currently living or working abroad, then it’s likely you will be flying more frequently than ever before.
Though it might feel better to pay for flights up front with the available cash you have, there are benefits to taking up an airline credit card, which both provides payment protection, for peace of mind, and some rewards which might actually, over time, pay for more flights back to the UK.
First off, many consumer experts recommend booking flights on some sort of credit card, as you are protected.
It's well worth using a credit card for purchases of £100 to £30,000, under Section 75 of the 1974 Consumer Credit Act, credit card issuers and retailers take joint responsibility for faulty purchases, so if the airline you book with happens to go under – you would be able to claim a full refund.
More importantly for the frequent flying British expat; is the fact that airline credit cards let you earn ‘miles’ on the money you spend on the card.
For example (at the time of publication) one leading card rewards its users with 20,000 destination miles when they spend £250 on card purchases within 90 days of the account opening.
No matter where you have chosen to work or set up your new life, these miles could be a great help with travel costs back to the UK during the year.
Airline credit cards aren’t right for everyone though, and should only be taken by people who can afford to pay off the full balance every month, otherwise you’ll be charged interest on the balance – and this might negate the reward of the free miles if you get caught in a trap of monthly repayments.
Like any credit card, take a look at the small print – find out what restrictions are on the miles you earn, such as which airlines will accept them, and how long they are valid for.
About the Author: Mark Hooson writes for the finance team at Moneysupermarket.com and enjoys visiting his ex-pat family members in Dubai.
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EX-PATS are brave people. Choosing to give up all your familiar surroundings, loved ones and home-nation’s culture for a new job or home abroad is no mean feat.