Credit card for airline miles/ cash back?

[mcveigh]

If my employer wants me to buy plane tickets and hotel rooms as needed then reimburses me, what is the best way to do this?
Just pick a credit card that does airline miles or a certain percentage cash back?

Is there a better way to do it?

 

[virtuamike]

http://thepointsguy.com/

I like Chase Sapphire Preferred. 40k signup bonus + 2x points on travel + 1:1 free points transfer to partner programs

 

[mcveigh]

http://thepointsguy.com/

I like Chase Sapphire Preferred. 40k signup bonus + 2x points on travel + 1:1 free points transfer to partner programs

:thumbsup: Thank you!

 

[AznAnarchy99]

Amex Gold is good for solely plane tickets with 3x the points. CSP is good for all around travel. Starwood Preferred is amazing if you tend to stay at their properties.

 

[gorcorps]

Don't forget about the hotel rewards program either. Hilton Honors (or w/e it's called) is great if you're in Hilton hotels often. So you'll get points on your CC as well as progress towards free hotels. Makes vacations a lot cheaper.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

:thumbsup: Thank you!

Totally depends man -

1. How willing are YOU to jump between cards? As in, use different cards?
2. How willing is YOUR EMPLOYER willing to re-imburse you if you use different cards?

If you and your employer are willing, there are plenty of cards that benefit depending on what you are doing.
Citi Dividend rewards is a rotating 5% Category account... currently their category for July - September? Airlines - Perfect for you Also has Hilton Hotels as well.

Again, if you are willing - Discover and Chase Freedom are also 5% rotating categories. Plenty of times during the year, they will switch to useful things like Restaurants - which is also ideal for maximizing cash-back. In the meantime, a 2% one like Chase Sapphire is ok when the rotating ones aren't at Restaurants.


Sadly, my employer will only let me do expenses with the employee card It sucks

 

[Exterous]

If my employer wants me to buy plane tickets and hotel rooms as needed then reimburses me, what is the best way to do this?
Just pick a credit card that does airline miles or a certain percentage cash back?

Is there a better way to do it?

The recommendations you get SHOULD be dependent on your situation and what you want. Do you want to travel? If so then CCs that give miles or points should give you much more value than a 2% cash back when used for travel if you use even a tiny bit of intelligence when planning. If travel doesn't interest you then cash back may be easier.

What airport you fly out of and into will influence the types of frequent flyer points you can get and what credit card would be best for those airlines or the hotel options where you are staying. This should also be combined with what your goals are for your personal travel. For example if you live in Detroit and always fly to LAX a Delta card would likely be better than United as Delta runs something like 6x daily Nonstop flights to LAX vs United which only has connections. Delta points will be easier to use out of DTW compared to United as well. But what works well for DTW won't work for other airports. Dallas\Ft Worth fliers would be better served with American Airlines related cards and travel.

Same with hotels. Want to travel the English countryside on vacation? IHG would likely be the best brand to use there. Australia though? Hilton might be better as they have more properties in OZ

 

[Xonim]

If you're ok splitting cards and mainly want travel rewards, I'd get a separate card for airfare and a separate one for hotels. For the airfare card, if you're in a major hub city I'd go with whatever airline that is. If you're not in a hub, I'd go with your preferred airline's card for free checked bags, otherwise the AmEx Premier Rewards Gold for flexible point transfers. For hotels, I'd also get whatever card is branded with your preferred hotel chain, unless that chain is IHG or Club Carlson. Then use the Sapphire Preferred.

If you want one card with travel rewards for both airfare and hotels so you don't have to split, just get the Chase Sapphire Preferred. If you just want a flat 2% back on all purchases, get the Citi Double Cash.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

If my employer wants me to buy plane tickets and hotel rooms as needed then reimburses me, what is the best way to do this?
Just pick a credit card that does airline miles or a certain percentage cash back?

Is there a better way to do it?

When an employer is too cheap that they are unwilling to do the needs of their business and offset such needs by forcing employees to use personal means then it is time to charge the employer for such use.

Start by becoming a travel agent and selling yourself tickets and accommodations at a nice price hike.

 

[rh71]

Do all these miles and hotel stays work out better in savings than a straight up 2% cash back (citi double cash card)? Can you state that with certainty? We only travel twice a year max and don't like to be stuck with certain airlines or hotel chains.

 

[Dulanic]

Chase sapphire is good. I primarily use BofA travel rewards though.

I have a Vanguard IRA I rolled over to Merrill and that gives me platinum preferred rewards. That gets me 1.5% + 75% for 2.625% rewards. Don't think I can get any better than that.

 

[Exterous]

Do all these miles and hotel stays work out better in savings than a straight up 2% cash back (citi double cash card)? Can you state that with certainty? We only travel twice a year max and don't like to be stuck with certain airlines or hotel chains.

Can I say that with certainty? No you could end up not traveling and letting the points expire or use them on products instead of travel getting far less than the points are worth but its pretty hard to not do better than a cash back card if you want to travel. If you don't want to be tied to a specific airline then there are cards out there that can still help you like the Barclays Arrival card which you can use points to reimburse you for any travel related expenses.

So lets say you put $5k on your card over 4 months. With a 2% cash back card you get $100. With the Arrival signup bonus you get 40,000 miles for the bonus + 10,000 miles for the spending. You also get a 5% bonus when redeeming for travel so thats another 2500 points. Total is $525 towards any plane ticket, hotel/B&B you want. Even without the bonus you are slightly ahead as the points are 2.1% cash back on travel reimbursements

Other cards like the Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex membership rewards can be transferred to an array of airlines and hotels but those may or may not fit your travel plans.

And those aren't even considering the good values you can find or that can happen. We got 4 nights in the Fairmont Maui Deluxe Ocean view room ($1000/night) and $300 food and drink credits for $4k CC spending and $60 in paid taxes and fees. A cash back card can't match that with 2% on that same $4k spending. Two nights at the Paris Hyatt Vendome ($700/night) for $1k spend on the credit card. Granted it took 3 years of slowly hoarding points but I got two business class tickets to Australia for $300. The average non-miles price is around $10-12k for those tickets. Do you know how long that would take to save up on a 2% cash back card? If you can figure out where you want to go you can probably find a card that can help you fly there or stay there

Chase sapphire is good.

Yeah they have been chipping away at the benefits lately though. No more 3x dining on first friday, no more 7% bonus and no more 2x earnings when booking through their portal.

 

[rh71]

^ thx for the explanation - I never took the time to do the math because we don't travel that much, but it looks like it's well worth it if you do.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Chase sapphire is good. I primarily use BofA travel rewards though.

I have a Vanguard IRA I rolled over to Merrill and that gives me platinum preferred rewards. That gets me 1.5% + 75% for 2.625% rewards. Don't think I can get any better than that.

So wait, can you explain that in point terms? What is that getting you? Miles?

I'm intrigued. I did have a Merrill Lynch 401k previously, but I rolled it over to my new Vanguard 401k due to higher fee's and better choices.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Can I say that with certainty? No you could end up not traveling and letting the points expire or use them on products instead of travel getting far less than the points are worth but its pretty hard to not do better than a cash back card if you want to travel. If you don't want to be tied to a specific airline then there are cards out there that can still help you like the Barclays Arrival card which you can use points to reimburse you for any travel related expenses.

So lets say you put $5k on your card over 4 months. With a 2% cash back card you get $100. With the Arrival signup bonus you get 40,000 miles for the bonus + 10,000 miles for the spending. You also get a 5% bonus when redeeming for travel so thats another 2500 points. Total is $525 towards any plane ticket, hotel/B&B you want. Even without the bonus you are slightly ahead as the points are 2.1% cash back on travel reimbursements

Other cards like the Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex membership rewards can be transferred to an array of airlines and hotels but those may or may not fit your travel plans.

And those aren't even considering the good values you can find or that can happen. We got 4 nights in the Fairmont Maui Deluxe Ocean view room ($1000/night) and $300 food and drink credits for $4k CC spending and $60 in paid taxes and fees. A cash back card can't match that with 2% on that same $4k spending. Two nights at the Paris Hyatt Vendome ($700/night) for $1k spend on the credit card. Granted it took 3 years of slowly hoarding points but I got two business class tickets to Australia for $300. The average non-miles price is around $10-12k for those tickets. Do you know how long that would take to save up on a 2% cash back card? If you can figure out where you want to go you can probably find a card that can help you fly there or stay there

I think that miles are simply harder to keep track of. Theres just much more checks you have to make each time such as:
1) Which accounts have which points?
2) Which account do I need to make sure I fly / use soon or they will expire?
3) Can I fly with points? Do I have enough? Does the airline I have points with go to X where I want to go? Are my points restricted?

It's impossible to stick with just 1 miles/points account because many times they wont cater to what you need. That is what I hate the most about miles cards. It's also a pain in the ass to track them all. I have a spreadsheet every month where I update the expiration date and amount of miles I have for each account (American Airlines, Delta, Marriott, Southwest, United, Hyatt, SPG)

I also don't quite get why you think most miles cards are better - the most they ever do 99% of the time is 1pt for all purchases, 2pts for purchases with that particular airline. As he said, why not stick with Citi Double and get 2% at ALL times? Last I checked, the cost of a ticket (flights) coincides with the price via miles. As in, if the price for X trip at Y time goes up 20%, the price in miles goes up 20%. The airlines stopped flat rates as far as I can tell?

Or mix it up, have the Chase Freedom and get 5% cashback on all airlines for this quarter.

Not saying I know whats better, just curious... and strategizing for what cards I should carry. I'm new to the miles/points cards and have been getting them recently, but moreso for the sign-on bonus and then cancelling them due to the Annual fees

 

[Exterous]

I also don't quite get why you think most miles cards are better - the most they ever do 99% of the time is 1pt for all purchases, 2pts for purchases with that particular airline. As he said, why not stick with Citi Double and get 2% at ALL times? Last I checked, the cost of a ticket (flights) coincides with the price via miles. As in, if the price for X trip at Y time goes up 20%, the price in miles goes up 20%. The airlines stopped flat rates as far as I can tell?

First you are ignoring the Barclays arrival card i pointed out and is a straight up advertised 2.1% cash back when used for any travel redemption on any airline, hotel, rental car, train fare etc. It is unequivocally better than a 2% cash back card for travel because 2.1% > 2% regardless of what ticket prices are doing.

Then there is the Citi Premier card which is good for 3x on gas and worth 1.25 cents per point reimbursements for travel. So $1k in gas equals $20 on a 2% cash back card or $37.50 on any airline with the Citi card. There are several other cards in similar categories but I am not going to do all of the math for you

I am also suspicious of how much you actually checked airline redemptions given your misinformation. United, AA/US, British Airways, Alaskan, Jet Blue, Korean, Singapore, Hawaiian, Qantas, Iceland Air, Aer Lingus, Aeroplan, Lufthansa and many more do NOT coincide with the price of the ticket. They depend on the departure and arrival region and availability of fare buckets (ie saver awards vs standard awards). That is going to be the vast majority of flights world wide and domestically. So a price increase of 20% on a specific fare bucket has absolutely no affect on the number of miles required for a ticket. Delta is a bit of a complicated hybrid at the moment. Really the only major airline that is completely fare based is Southwest. Basically this means is that there will be flights that would be better to be purchased with the 2.1% travel cash back barclays card or citi card and some flights where it would make more sense to use miles. If you don't have something better than a 2% cash back card to use on an airline purchase you are doing something wrong or travel so infrequently the majority of this entire discussion is a waste of your time

I would also suggest you do the math on hotel cards esp Hilton given a common valuation of 0.5 centers per point and their strong earning categories like 6x supermarkets and gas stations

That is completely ignoring working on signup bonuses which, if you have good credit, you can get numerous cards a year and absolutely demolish anything a cash back card could ever do

 

[Exterous]

^ thx for the explanation - I never took the time to do the math because we don't travel that much, but it looks like it's well worth it if you do.

You're welcome. It can get pretty complicated but there are some amazing values to be had and the Barclays Arrival is pretty straight forward card to get started with

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

First you are ignoring the Barclays arrival card i pointed out and is a straight up advertised 2.1% cash back when used for any travel redemption on any airline, hotel, rental car, train fare etc. It is unequivocally better than a 2% cash back card for travel because 2.1% > 2% regardless of what ticket prices are doing.

Then there is the Citi Premier card which is good for 3x on gas and worth 1.25 cents per point reimbursements for travel. So $1k in gas equals $20 on a 2% cash back card or $37.50 on any airline with the Citi card. There are several other cards in similar categories but I am not going to do all of the math for you

I am also suspicious of how much you actually checked airline redemptions given your misinformation. United, AA/US, British Airways, Alaskan, Jet Blue, Korean, Singapore, Hawaiian, Qantas, Iceland Air, Aer Lingus, Aeroplan, Lufthansa and many more do NOT coincide with the price of the ticket. They depend on the departure and arrival region and availability of fare buckets (ie saver awards vs standard awards). That is going to be the vast majority of flights world wide and domestically. So a price increase of 20% on a specific fare bucket has absolutely no affect on the number of miles required for a ticket. Delta is a bit of a complicated hybrid at the moment. Really the only major airline that is completely fare based is Southwest. Basically this means is that there will be flights that would be better to be purchased with the 2.1% travel cash back barclays card or citi card and some flights where it would make more sense to use miles. If you don't have something better than a 2% cash back card to use on an airline purchase you are doing something wrong or travel so infrequently the majority of this entire discussion is a waste of your time

I would also suggest you do the math on hotel cards esp Hilton given a common valuation of 0.5 centers per point and their strong earning categories like 6x supermarkets and gas stations

That is completely ignoring working on signup bonuses which, if you have good credit, you can get numerous cards a year and absolutely demolish anything a cash back card could ever do

Don't take offense, broseph - I was legitimately asking for advice myself D: I appreciate it - and please give me a recommendation on what I should go for next with my below info:

I'm rather new to travel/miles cards. So far I have achievement sign-on bonus unlocked for: Marriott, Southwest Premier, Southwest Premier Business, Chase Sapphire, and now I'm working on AMEX Delta. I plan to quit most of them when the annual fee comes due. The only exception might be Marriott, since every year you get a free night. Pretty much pays for itself assuming I need a hotel at some point during every year.

Sadly, travel cards would be a lot more useful to me if my work would let us charge to our own cards

 

[Dulanic]

So wait, can you explain that in point terms? What is that getting you? Miles?

I'm intrigued. I did have a Merrill Lynch 401k previously, but I rolled it over to my new Vanguard 401k due to higher fee's and better choices.

It's same point scale as others. Just they credit you same as sapphire etc. 10,000 = $100 credit. Mine earns at 2.65 / $1.

As long as I'm not actively trading the fees are the same. I just moved my vanguard fund over to Merrill but it's still same vanguard fund.

 

[Exterous]

Don't take offense, broseph - I was legitimately asking for advice myself D: I appreciate it - and please give me a recommendation on what I should go for next with my below info:

I'm rather new to travel/miles cards. So far I have achievement sign-on bonus unlocked for: Marriott, Southwest Premier, Southwest Premier Business, Chase Sapphire, and now I'm working on AMEX Delta. I plan to quit most of them when the annual fee comes due. The only exception might be Marriott, since every year you get a free night. Pretty much pays for itself assuming I need a hotel at some point during every year.

Sadly, travel cards would be a lot more useful to me if my work would let us charge to our own cards

I'm not offended I just don't think you are doing a lot of legwork before talking about award charts, baggage fees etc

From there I would do this:
Figure out several places you want to go and what airlines you can fly there on. Then work on getting those miles. Once you have the miles and the schedule becomes available book which ever option is available. Then figure out which hotels are in the area and get the points for those hotels.