The Barclays Breeze Easy™ Visa® Credit Card rewards you generously for flying on Breeze Airways, offering up to 10x points on premium fare bundles and trip add-ons. While the card includes useful benefits like priority boarding and free Wi-Fi, its limited route network and fixed redemption options of one cent per point make it practical only for frequent Breeze travelers.
This credit card review will cover everything you need to know about this card to determine if you should add this card or a different card to your wallet. Let’s dive right in.
Welcome Bonus of Breeze Airways Card
The Breeze Credit Card currently offers the following welcome bonus: Earn 30,000 bonus BreezePoints after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days.
Points are worth the fixed rate of 1 cent per point and can only be redeemed for Breeze flights and related purchases, which keeps redemption simple but limits your options.
Earning Breezy Rewards Points
The Breeze Credit Card allows you to earn BreezePoints at the following rates:
- 5 points per dollar on Breeze’s Nicer Bundles, Nicest Bundles, and Trip Add-ons.
- 2 points per dollar on Breeze’s Nice Bundles and in-flight purchases of food and beverages.
- 2 points per dollar at grocery stores and restaurants.
- 1 point per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
You’ll get excellent value on Breeze flights themselves, especially with premium fare bundles, but the limited route network means these high multipliers may not be useful for many travelers.
The 2x rewards on dining and groceries is below what you can earn with popular transferable points cards, making this a poor choice for everyday spending.
Since BreezePoints can only be redeemed for Breeze flights at 1 cent per point with no transfer partners, you’re likely better off using a flexible rewards card unless you frequently fly specific Breeze routes.
Annual Fee of the Breeze Easy Visa
The Breeze Credit Card comes with an $89 annual fee, which you can offset through several card perks, including priority boarding, complimentary Wi-Fi on Airbus planes, and 7,500-anniversary bonus points (worth $75) when spending $10,000 annually.
After spending $15,000 on the card each calendar year, you’ll also receive a one-way bundle upgrade.
Card Benefits of the Breeze Airways Credit Card
The Breeze Credit Card offers the following benefits:
Anniversary Bonus: Spend $10,000 on purchases in a membership year and you’ll earn 7,500 bonus points on your card anniversary, worth $75 toward Breeze flights.
Priority Boarding: The primary cardholder and travel companions on the same reservation receive Group 1 priority boarding on Breeze Airways flights.
Complimentary Wi-Fi: The primary cardholder and travel companions on the same reservation receive in-flight Wi-Fi on Breeze Airways flights, saving you $8 per person.
Bundle Upgrade: Each time you hit specific spending thresholds in a calendar year, you’ll earn a one-way bundle upgrade that can be used to move up to either a Nicer or Nicest bundle. This upgrade includes extra perks like checked bags and enhanced seat selection.
No Foreign Transaction Fees: You’ll save money on every purchase while traveling internationally since this card doesn’t add the typical 3% surcharge that many other cards impose.
Intro APR: 0% introductory APR for the first 12 billing cycles following each balance transfer that posts to your account within 45 days of account opening. A balance transfer fee of the greater of $5 or 5% applies for each transfer.
Visa Signature Benefits: This card is a Visa Signature card offering special benefits such as rental car discounts, golf and wine discounts, and emergency travel assistance.
Roadside Dispatch: Get access to 24/7 emergency roadside assistance for situations like dead batteries, flat tires, fuel delivery, and mechanical breakdowns. While you’ll need to pay for the actual service provided, having access to reliable help when stranded can be invaluable.
Travel and Emergency Assistance Services: You’ll get 24/7 access to emergency support worldwide, including medical referrals, legal help, and lost luggage assistance. While the service itself is included, you’re responsible for any actual costs incurred.
Redeem BreezePoints
Breeze Airways keeps things refreshingly simple with its BreezePoints program, offering a straightforward value of 1 cent per point when redeeming for flights.
Getting started is easy – just log into your Breezy Rewards account during booking, and you’ll see the option to use your points right on the payment page.
One of the best features of BreezePoints is that you can use them to pay for those taxes and fees that typically aren’t covered by other airline rewards programs, meaning your points can truly get you a free flight.
You can choose to cover your entire fare or just a portion, with the option to pay the remainder in cash if you don’t have enough points.
With Breeze operating point-to-point routes between smaller cities and popular destinations, you’ll want to check their route map when planning your next points redemption.
Pros and Cons of the Breeze Airways Card
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this card:
Pros:
Strong Airline Rewards Rate: You’ll earn up to 10x points on Nicer and Nicest bundles when combining the card earnings with loyalty program earnings. This is a competitive return for airline spending.
Priority Boarding Benefits: You and your travel companions get priority boarding on all Breeze flights, which can make your airport experience more pleasant.
Free Wi-Fi Access: Cardholders receive complimentary Wi-Fi on Airbus A220 flights for themselves and travel companions. This is a nice perk since Wi-Fi typically costs up to $8 per flight.
Cons:
No Free Checked Bag: Despite charging an $89 annual fee, the card doesn’t offer a free checked bag benefit, which is a standard perk on many airline cards with similar annual fees.
Fixed Redemption Rate: Points have a fixed value of 1 cent each with no opportunity to get outsized value through strategic redemptions or transfer partners.
No Trip Delay Insurance: The card lacks trip delay coverage, which is an important protection offered by many competing travel cards in this price range.
Limited Route Network: Breeze primarily serves regional airports in the eastern United States, making the card impractical unless you live near airports with Breeze service.
Spending Requirement for Anniversary Points: The 7,500 anniversary points bonus requires $10,000 in annual spending, unlike other travel cards that provide anniversary bonuses without spending requirements.
Poor Everyday Earning Rate: The card only earns 1x points on most everyday purchases, making it a weak choice for regular spending compared to cards offering 1.5x or 2x rewards.
Alternatives to the Breeze Easy Visa
Now that you know about this credit card’s various benefits and pros and cons, it’s time to see its alternatives.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) is one of the most popular travel rewards cards because it offers nice welcome bonus and extra points on travel and dining, which can be transferred to airline and hotel partners or redeemed directly for travel at a rate of 1.25 cents per point through Chase Travel℠. The Sapphire Preferred also offers great travel and purchase protections for a card with a $95 annual fee. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Rewards: 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3x points on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases (excluding Walmart, Target and wholesale clubs), 2x points on all other travel purchases, and 1 point per dollar on all other purchases. Card Benefits: Ability to transfer to airline and hotel partners, 25% bonus when redeeming points through Chase Travel, $50 annual hotel stay credit via Chase Travel, 10% anniversary points bonus, no foreign transaction fees, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, baggage delay insurance, purchase protection, and extended warranty. Transfer Partners: Aer Lingus, Air Canada Aeroplan, British Airways, Emirates, Air France KLM Flying Blue, Hyatt, IHG, Iberia, JetBlue, Marriott, Singapore KrisFlyer, Southwest, United, and Virgin Atlantic.
United℠ Explorer Card
The United℠ Explorer Card (review) delivers premium travel benefits without the premium price tag, making it ideal if you fly United just a few times yearly. You’ll enjoy practical perks like free checked bags and priority boarding alongside monthly credits for ride-sharing and grocery delivery that provide value throughout the year. Welcome Bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. Earning Miles: 2x miles on United Airlines purchases, dining (including eligible delivery services), hotel accommodations when purchased directly with the hotel; 1x miles on all other purchases. Card Benefits: Free first checked bag for you and one companion, 2 United Club one-time passes each year, $120 Instacart credit, $100 JSX credit, $60 ridesharing credit, $100 United Hotels credit, Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® or NEXUS application fee credit, 25% back on United inflight and Club premium drink purchases, no foreign transaction fees, travel insurance (primary rental car, trip delay, trip cancellation, lost luggage, and baggage delay), purchase protection, and extended warranty.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) delivers both everyday value with unlimited 2x miles on purchases and premium comfort through comprehensive airport lounge access for you upon enrollment. You’ll also receive $300 in annual travel credits plus 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, creating substantial ongoing value. Welcome Bonus: bonus_miles_full Earning Rewards: 10x miles on hotels and rental cars and 5x miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Travel; 2x miles on all other purchases. Card Benefits: $300 annual credit for bookings through Capital One Travel, 10,000 bonus miles every account anniversary, airport lounge access (Capital One and Priority Pass) upon enrollment, Global Entry / TSA PreCheck credit, Hertz President’s Circle elite status, primary rental car insurance, trip delay insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and cell phone protection. Transfer Partners: Accor (2 to 1), Aeromexico, Air Canada Aeroplan, Air France-KLM Flying Blue, Avianca LifeMiles, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Choice Privileges, Emirates, Etihad, Finnair, I Prefer Hotels (1 to 2), Japan Airlines(2 to 1.5), JetBlue (5 to 3), Qantas, Qatar, Singapore KrisFlyer, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Red, and Wyndham Rewards.
Is the Breeze Airways Card Worth It?
While I appreciate the Breeze Credit Card’s ability to earn up to 10x points on Nicer and Nicest bundles when combined with loyalty program earnings,
I generally don’t recommend this card unless you regularly fly Breeze’s specific routes. I find the $89 annual fee hard to justify given that points can only be redeemed for Breeze flights at a fixed one-cent value, even though the card does include useful perks like priority boarding and free Wi-Fi on Airbus flights.
The requirement to spend $10,000 annually just to receive the anniversary points bonus feels restrictive, and I’ve had better experiences with cards that earn transferrable points.
For most travelers, I suggest looking at more flexible travel rewards cards that offer broader redemption options and more extensive travel benefits for a similar annual fee.
