Earn yourself air miles to help fund your honeymoon

With the country gripped by Royal Wedding fever, and traditional wedding season just around the corner, many affianced couples will be deep in the midst of planning their own big day. Most will struggle to match the lavishness of a Westminster Abbey wedding; but costs can easily rack up to tens of thousands of pounds. moneysupermarket.com has looked at how couples can generate some extra bang for their buck by paying for their special day with the right credit card.

Reward cards offer a huge range of financial benefits for spending, but a product that offers air miles could be of huge help to newlyweds looking to fund that all important honeymoon experience. For example, putting £10,000 of wedding costs on a British Airways American Express Premium Plus Card would generate 15,000 air miles - more than enough for two return flights to Paris. Spending £30,000 using the same product would fund flights to Morocco for the happy couple. Alternatively spending £10,000 on an American Express Platinum cash back credit card would earn £171.

Kevin Mountford, head of banking at moneysupermarket.com said: "While the majority of the population will be rolling out the bunting for the royal wedding, those couples planning their own big day will no doubt be shuddering at the thought of shelling out thousands of pounds in wedding costs. Budgeting brides should be looking for ways to offset these costs and a little research can uncover some serious savings.

"For those funding the cost of their wedding gradually, a product that offers rewards such as air miles, cash back or reward points is a great way to generate some extra value from their spending. However this approach will only work for those able to pay off the balance each month as any interest charged on the card will always negate the value of the rewards, even on the most generous schemes."

Cards that offer interest free purchases might also be a good option for those who need to spread the cost of their wedding over a longer period of time. A couple spending £20,000 on a zero per cent purchase card, such as the market leading M&S Money Credit Card offering 0 per cent on purchase for 15 months, rather than a credit card at the average rate of 18.32 per cent would save themselves a whopping £3,922.01 in interest payments over 15 months.

Kevin Mountford continued: "An interest free product is a great way to spread the cost of large purchases but consumers must be extremely disciplined about payments and realistically plan their budget for repaying the debts they owe, before the promotional period expires. Missing a payment or paying late can mean forfeiting the interest free benefits of the card and land people with a hefty bill, so setting up a direct debit to avoid missing the minimum repayment is crucial.

"Ultimately, getting married can be a hugely expensive business, but with some forward planning and the right products in their wallets, couples can ease the pressure of funding the event or even earn themselves some money towards honeymoon flights in the process."