Looking for ways to rack up a considerable amount of airline miles with little to no effort? There are many credit card companies out there who offer some sort of airline rewards credit card. Airline frequent flier rewards cards generally give you the best return on your money spent depending on how you choose to redeem your miles
Here are ten quick tips on how to choose a card that will benefit you the most based on your spending habits and what you want out of the card.
1. Find out which airline you travel on the most. Most if not all airline rewards cards offer you two or even three points per dollar spent on airline purchases. If you plan on putting your airfare on that particular card you will earn the most bonus miles.
2. After you find your favorite airline look for some bonus sign up offers for that airline credit card. Most companies offer huge mileage bonuses when you apply for one of their cards. These offers can range anywhere from 10,000 miles up to 100,000 bonus miles depending on the offer. A few examples are Citibanks 100,000 American Airlines bonus, Chase Continental & United 50,000 bonus miles. There has also been a Chase British Airways 100,000 bonus floating around. American Express also runs Delta promos which offer 45,000-50,000 bonus Delta miles.
3. Does the card have an annual fee? Most of the good airline rewards cards have annual fees. Is it worth the annual fee to you? Find a card that has the annual fee waived for the first year. That allows you to try the card out for a year and rack up as many miles as you can then cancel if you need to and still keep your miles. Try to call the credit card company before your first year is up and threaten to cancel. They will often offer you great bonuses to retain your business and even waive the annual fee!
4. Does your card offer any special perks for having the card? A few examples are free checked baggage fees. The American Express Delta cards let you check your first bag on Delta flights for free for you up and to seven of your travel companions. Some cards offer you free or highly discounted rates on airline lounge access.
5. Can you earn elite status with your card? A few cards give you the ability to earn elite status on the airline based on how much you spend on the card. Elite status can get you many free perks like free baggage, priority boarding, extra bonus miles when you fly, and the ability to redeem your miles on other things like hotel stays and gift certificates.
6. Does the card offer any mileage bonus opportunities when you purchase at certain stores? Gas, grocery, and department store purchases can often net you two or three extra points per dollar spent.
7. Can you redeem your miles for other things? Depending on which credit card you have they may let you redeem your miles for other things besides plane tickets. For example, if you have the Delta American Express you can redeem for American Express gift cards, hotel stays, car rentals and other things. The Chase United Airlines card also offers similar benefits.
8. Do you currently have a business relationship with the bank who services the card? Having all of your accounts with one bank can make it easier to pay the card and other bills each month.
9. What kind of rates will the card have? If you plan to pay off the balance every month you might not be concerned too much with the APR, but you should be more careful when selecting a card if you plan on carrying a balance on it. Rewards cards often have higher APR’s than regular credit cards because the bank must recoup some of the money they spend dishing out all those miles.
10. Does the airline frequent flyer program have good award ticket availability? Certain programs are so “watered” down it is nearly impossible to get an award ticket using your miles without looking a year or more in advance. Other programs charge you an arm and a leg in mileage because the “standard” tickets are never available.
We hope this article helps you find the best airlines rewards credit card. Check out our bonus card offers for the most up to date incentives for new cards.
