When out stalking the wilds for a good airline mileage credit card, there are a few things to watch for and think about before choosing a mileage credit card.

• Let's start off with the most obvious one: What's the annual fee? If a credit card company makes you pay a yearly fee for the privilege of owning one of their cards, you'll want to make sure you accrue enough mileage points to compensate for this annual fee.
• Here's another obvious consideration: What's the interest rate? We recommend using a mileage credit card only if you can pay off your balance each month, but since that may not always be possible a competitive interest rate is important. For more information about interest rates, read our article on The many types of credit card APRs.

Now for some considerations you may not know about.

• For starters, what's the grace period on the card before interest accrues? This is very important. Some credit cards will start accruing interest before you receive your statement in the mail. In this case, the only way you can avoid paying interest is to pay off your balance before you receive your bill.
• Are there initial one-time benefits? Some cards offer a whole bunch of miles or other cool stuff when you first sign up. But before signing up, ask yourself if the benefits will outweigh the cost. For example, if you signed up for a credit card with an annual fee of $75 that promised you a free companion ticket for travel within the U.S., and if you figure the lowest-priced, coast-to-coast ticket would cost you $200, you would save $125 the first year. Then consider the miles you'd rack up on charges made on the card during the year. If you carry a zero balance and pay your bills on time, you win in year one!
• Is there a cap on the number of points or miles you can earn per year? Make sure you get a card that's not too restrictive.
• Are there any additional benefits besides the earned mileage? For example, cards may offer such benefits as travel accident insurance, rental car insurance, discounts on rental cars, or theft insurance on products purchased with the card.

Now, if you're looking at a credit card that isn't associated with any particular airline, you've got a few other things to think about.

• Which airlines can you transfer your points to? And are points transferable to your airline frequent-flyer account? Most mileage cards handle card points and mileage points in one of three ways:

1. Earned mileage points go directly into your airline mileage account.
2. Earned mileage points are only held in the credit card mileage account. Ticket rewards and upgrades can only be accessed by redeeming points acquired through the mileage card. Mixing of airline and card points is not allowed.
3. Earned mileage points are retained within the card's account balance but can be transferred to the airline frequent-flyer account. You may only be able to convert points to miles in blocks of points as specified by the card and the airlines, so read the fine print to make sure.

• Have you read all the fine print? You may discover that low-mileage round trips will not apply to coast-to-coast travel.
• Are you planning on using your miles to travel internationally? The number of points required for international travel may actually be higher than they would be with a regular airline-affiliated credit card.
• What priority will you receive from the airlines when you use your points? The number of seats available to passengers using frequent flyer miles has been going down over the past several years, so ask the credit card company and your target airline what priority your reward will receive. Many people have found themselves with plenty of miles but no way to use them. Remember, the airlines give priority to paying customers first.
• How long are reward coupons good for?
• Will you be able to use your points for other things besides air miles? Cards such as the American Express® Preferred Rewards Gold Card allow you to make purchases of services and merchandise with your points.

The main point is, do your homework and you'll be rewarded with a great credit card that will make your travel dreams come true. You can start your research by checking out our top airline mileage and travel rewards cards. Also, check out airline credit cards on Travelhammer.