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best air miles reward credit card?
- Thread starter matas
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DesiPower
Lifer
Using a miles card is pretty complicated and personally don't like it. It all depends on where you are traveling, when you are traveling and what airlines. On a average you would probably get around 1 cent for each mile and maybe 2. That's like getting 1 or 2% cash back. So basically IMHO, its worth the same, cash back or miles, but with cash back I don't have to go through all the complicated calculation or the heartbreak.
Here's an article which explains airline miles pretty well...
This Google search has more results...
http://www.google.com/search?q=how+much+is+a+mile+worth
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DesiPower
Lifer
It has a $65 annual fees and good only if you spend $4500 a month or stay at starwood a lot...
kranky
Elite Member
Here's why I prefer cashback over a card that gives you miles.
- Cash gives you a choice of any airline. FF miles don't.
- Cash lets you get a ticket on any flight where there are seats available, whenever you want to make your plans. FF miles don't. Only a few seats on any flight are available for use with FF miles. If the FF seats are gone when you want to travel, what good are they?
- The airline where you have FF miles may not fly to where you want to go. Even if they go there today, they might not in the future.
- Cash lets you buy a ticket using whatever rebate you've earned. With miles, if you don't have enough for the whole ticket, you can't use any.
- No expiration dates on cash.
- Airlines are not exactly rolling in profits. You might end up building up miles on an airline that goes bankrupt before you can use them.
- Cash gives you a choice of any airline. FF miles don't.
- Cash lets you get a ticket on any flight where there are seats available, whenever you want to make your plans. FF miles don't. Only a few seats on any flight are available for use with FF miles. If the FF seats are gone when you want to travel, what good are they?
- The airline where you have FF miles may not fly to where you want to go. Even if they go there today, they might not in the future.
- Cash lets you buy a ticket using whatever rebate you've earned. With miles, if you don't have enough for the whole ticket, you can't use any.
- No expiration dates on cash.
- Airlines are not exactly rolling in profits. You might end up building up miles on an airline that goes bankrupt before you can use them.
Texashiker
Lifer
I need a card that gives something like 10,000 air miles for every $1,000 purchase.
Buy something for $1,000, get the air miles, go to California for Christmas vacation, then close the card account.
Buy something for $1,000, get the air miles, go to California for Christmas vacation, then close the card account.
DesiPower
Lifer
What card's 10,000 miles is worth a free ticket to CA!?!? never heard that before...
GTaudiophile
Lifer
I would pick a card from an airline that operates your local hub.
For most of the airline cards, those with an annual fee of under $100 will only offer about 1 mile per dollar spent. Those over $100/year will typically offer more like 2 miles per dollar spent. Obviously, if you use the card to book on a specific airline, you earn more miles.
My closest international gateway is IAD, one of UAL's hubs, so I have UAL rewards card. What is also cool about United and US Airways is that you can use miles on other Star Alliance Partner Airlines. Delta is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance (strong connections with Air France/KLM/Korean/Alitalia); American is a member of the One-World Alliance (strong connection with British Airways/JAL/Qantas).
Since I use my UAL card for everything, even for items costing less than $1.00 like bubble gum, I generally earn well over 30K miles a year from credit card use. It takes about 50K miles to book my most-traveled route from IAD to FRA/MUC, so I get a "free" round-trip to Europe about every 18 months or so. Consider that such tickets are worth around $1K or more, I see this personally as being more valuable than a cash rewards card alone.
Of course, there are blackout dates. Finding seats in the summer months or around Christmas can be difficult. But I have found that traveling to places outside of these high-traffic times of the year can be more rewarding anyway.
For most of the airline cards, those with an annual fee of under $100 will only offer about 1 mile per dollar spent. Those over $100/year will typically offer more like 2 miles per dollar spent. Obviously, if you use the card to book on a specific airline, you earn more miles.
My closest international gateway is IAD, one of UAL's hubs, so I have UAL rewards card. What is also cool about United and US Airways is that you can use miles on other Star Alliance Partner Airlines. Delta is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance (strong connections with Air France/KLM/Korean/Alitalia); American is a member of the One-World Alliance (strong connection with British Airways/JAL/Qantas).
Since I use my UAL card for everything, even for items costing less than $1.00 like bubble gum, I generally earn well over 30K miles a year from credit card use. It takes about 50K miles to book my most-traveled route from IAD to FRA/MUC, so I get a "free" round-trip to Europe about every 18 months or so. Consider that such tickets are worth around $1K or more, I see this personally as being more valuable than a cash rewards card alone.
Of course, there are blackout dates. Finding seats in the summer months or around Christmas can be difficult. But I have found that traveling to places outside of these high-traffic times of the year can be more rewarding anyway.
onlyCOpunk
Platinum Member
Probably not relevant to you folks in the States, but I have an American Express Qantas card with no annual fee and $1=1 point, so maybe look at what American Express offers.
Or one of the double cards where you get a Mastercard and an American Express so you can maximise your usage when AMEX isn't accepted.
Or one of the double cards where you get a Mastercard and an American Express so you can maximise your usage when AMEX isn't accepted.
I know you said less than $100 for the annual fee, BUT the Citi Thank You Premier Card is very nice for fliers.
You get one free companion flight every year regardless of how many purchases you make. So when my fiance and I are flying home for Easter, we get one free flight! The annual fee is $125 and at first I was kind of hesitant because of that, but you have to remember that unless you spend a ton of money, it takes a long time to build up enough points after you use your first one (because you usually get a bunch when you open up the card). So I figure $125< flight generally so it was worth it.
And on most of the airline cards, the "miles"/points don't end up redeeming for a whole lot and usually you're better off getting the cash back.
You get one free companion flight every year regardless of how many purchases you make. So when my fiance and I are flying home for Easter, we get one free flight! The annual fee is $125 and at first I was kind of hesitant because of that, but you have to remember that unless you spend a ton of money, it takes a long time to build up enough points after you use your first one (because you usually get a bunch when you open up the card). So I figure $125< flight generally so it was worth it.
And on most of the airline cards, the "miles"/points don't end up redeeming for a whole lot and usually you're better off getting the cash back.
FleshLight
Diamond Member
Chase Southwest Airlines Card
50k miles with first purchase (enough for 2 round trip value seats). Non-waivable annual fee of $99 billed on your first statement.
50k miles with first purchase (enough for 2 round trip value seats). Non-waivable annual fee of $99 billed on your first statement.
Fingolfin269
Lifer
I like the Cap One Venture card... granted I got in on the 100k match +10k bonus just to get started but 2% back good on anything travel related is still a great deal. I think the annual fee is only ~$60.
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