5 Things to Know About the TAP Air Portugal Credit Card

The TAP Miles&Go American Express Card, also known as the TAP Air Portugal credit card, can help jump-start your next visit to Portugal, or to more than 80 destinations in over 30 countries throughout Europe, Africa, North America and South America. It's issued by First Electronic Bank and serviced by Cardless, a credit card provider.

In addition to rewards, the card offers travel perks like priority boarding, free checked bag, and two lounge visits per year. But unless you’re flying to Portugal frequently, you’ll get more flexibility and value from a different credit card.

Here’s what you need to know about the TAP Air Portugal credit card.

» MORE: TAP Portugal: What you need to know

1. It has a $79 annual fee

The TAP Air Portugal credit card charges an annual fee of $79, which is lower than you might find on some other airline credit cards. And it's possible to offset that cost with the card’s perks and rewards if you travel at least once per year.

If you prefer a $0 annual fee, it’s worth exploring options like the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. It earns 3 points per dollar spent on restaurants, travel, transit, gas stations, electric vehicle charging stations, popular streaming services and select phone plans. All other purchases earn 1 point per dollar spent. There’s also a sign-up offer: Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $1,000 in purchases in the first 3 months - that's a $200 cash redemption value.

» MORE: NerdWallet's best airline credit cards

2. Rewards will accumulate slowly

Because the TAP Air Portugal Card earns bonus rewards only on travel-related expenses, and not everyday purchases, it will likely be a while before you can enjoy the fruits of your spending. The card offers:

• 3x Tap Miles&Go miles on TAP Air Portugal purchases.

• 2x miles on rideshare purchases, hotel purchases and car rentals.

• 1x mile on all other spending.

As of this writing, new cardholders are also eligible for a welcome offer: Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles after spending $2,500 with the card within 90 days of account opening. Terms apply. Plus, for every 5 miles earned with the card, you’ll earn 1 status mile, up to 10,000 per annual qualification period.

Those rewards are decent, but a general-purpose rewards credit card — especially one that earns points or miles on everyday purchases — may help you reach your travel goals faster. The $95-annual-fee Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, for instance, earns 5 points per dollar spent on all travel purchased through Chase; 3 points per dollar spent on dining, select streaming services, and online grocery purchases; 2 points per dollar spent on travel not purchased through Chase; and 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases. Plus, you'll be able to redeem your rewards toward a much wider array of travel options. There’s also a sign-up bonus for new cardholders: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

3. The travel perks can offset the annual fee

The TAP Air Portugal credit card features perks like preferred boarding, two TAP premium airline lounge passes per year, and two extra checked bags per year.

These kinds of airline-specific benefits aren't typically offered by general-purpose rewards credit cards. And if they're features you know you'll use, then they can make up for the cost of the annual fee.

The card also doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees, so you’ll save on purchases when you travel abroad.

» MORE: NerdWallet’s best credit cards for travel

4. Card acceptance may vary internationally

The TAP Air Portugal credit card runs on the American Express payment network. But unlike cards that run on the Visa or Mastercard networks, American Express isn’t as widely accepted abroad.

As a result, it's important to have a backup payment method for purchases you might make in another country.

5. You can redeem TAP Miles&Go with Star Alliance partners

Since TAP is a Star Alliance member, you can redeem TAP Miles&Go miles with more than 20 carriers for award flights to more than 1,200 airports worldwide. The alliance includes United Airlines as a domestic partner, as well as several international transfer partners.

Another option for frequent flyers of TAP Air Portugal, though, would be the $95-annual-fee Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which earns 2 miles per dollar on purchases. Capital One miles can be transferred to TAP Air Portugal at a rate of 1:1. But you'll also have the flexibility to apply those miles toward any airline, hotel or eligible travel expense. It also offers a bonus for new cardholders: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.