Hello everyone, I'm new to the site in the last few minutes. Since my last credit card, which included miles, was a victim of the banking collapse (so long, Wamu) I have been looking for a new credit card which will reward me for my purchases. I was 99% through the Delta Sky Miles application when the fine print stated that the cost of a card was $450 a year! I can't justify spending the cost of a domestic flight each year just to have a card. Certainly there is a better deal out there... any ideas? sugestions?
Your question is sort of like asking how big is a brown suit?
You should give some more info. Where are you located? What type of award are you after? How much will you spend on the card? The more info you provide, the more informed an useful the answer.
I have been flying to DC to lobby for airline passengers rights now for two years. Although I have every card tied to every airline, the Virgin America Card seems to have the best points rewards system...should you be so lucky to have Virgin America in your area.
They offer over 3 points per dollar spent and an upfront bonus. Their structure for fulfillment for a flight is much lower than other airlines so in some cases you can get a round trip ticket for aroun 5000 points.
There are some issues to be aware of however. If you already have an elevate account and are assigned a number, and then you apply for the VISA account through Barclays you will want to make sure they don't populate a new Elevate number for you. I've been dealing with this for 4 months and I wish I had known up front that they handled their elevate this way so I could have avoided this hassle. Still all in all it appears to be the best bet for your dollar out there. Soon we will have info on frequent flyer programs on FlyersRights site.
that said what each person has to do is decide what is it that they are after, 1-% back 2-miles 3-hotel stays 4-merchandise
lets say its either 2 or 3 then you have to decide where is it you want to use the miles or hotel pts to be used.
eg a person decides they want free Hotel stays and in Belfast, well then its either Hilton or Radisson as there arent SPG or Marriotts, if its to fly for free to Belfast then only CO flys non-stop from the US and the only US Carrier that flys there period, next would be to see what if any of a US Carriers Alliance partners go in
or a person wants UA miles and reads that Amex SPG is great since they give a bonus of 5k in miles for every lot of 20k you transfer, only that UA and CO are 2 SPG for every 1 miles very bad Deal
so IMO there is no 1 answer to this question and each person must decide 1st what it is they are looking for before being able to determine which road to go down
lastly I have a Cap1 since they dont charge Forex fees, but if a person doesnt plan on going outside the US they dont need that card and I use it usually when Overseas only
I suggest that you take half an hour to study the Credit Card pages of my website below. Consider getting more than one card. There are many free really good bonuses out there. For example, Citibank will give you a ticket to Europe with its three cards.
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 29,590
Quote:
Originally Posted by KateHanni
I have been flying to DC to lobby for airline passengers rights now for two years. Although I have every card tied to every airline, the Virgin America Card seems to have the best points rewards system...should you be so lucky to have Virgin America in your area.
They offer over 3 points per dollar spent and an upfront bonus. Their structure for fulfillment for a flight is much lower than other airlines so in some cases you can get a round trip ticket for aroun 5000 points.
The card is a decent one if you are tied to their program, but the program is so bad that I could not imagine committing to it with all the other options out there.
Programs: UA 1K, AA Exec Plat, Starwood Gold, Hilton Diamond, Hyatt Gold, Marriott Silver, IC Ambassador
Posts: 2,133
There's no consensus, but a lot of folks (including me!) would agree that the best card is the Starwood American Express. 10,000 points for joining, which is good for a free night in many locations. Free the first year, then a relatively modest $45/year afterwards. Through your spending you build up points that you can cash in at a variety of hotel chains (W, Westin, Sheraton, Le Meridien, etc.) that are all part of the Starwood company any time there is a room available (and if you have enough points, of course)--in other words, no black-out dates when rooms are available to folks paying cash but not those using points.
Plus other nice options like, sometimes, being able to get a room for a modest amount of cash and a modest amount of points. Plus you can exchange your points at the rate of 20,000 points for 25,000 miles with several major airlines. Plus if you spend $30,000 per year it gets you Gold status with Starwood, which is nice.
Having said all that, I agree with other posters that much depends on your spending and travel patterns and what you'd want to use the points or miles you accumulate via a credit card for. So you might want to post more info about that here. But I'd definitely suggest you consider Starwood.
Hi, I'm new to this site too and I kind of wanted some help choosing a mileage card and/or rewards card of some kind. I am thinking one of each so that I have some options in case one doesn't work or something, you know, as a backup...
The main thing I'm looking for is airline miles, in either miles form or cash back form or something, depending on which is the better deal...(interest and annual fees included)...
I live in socal and would be flying out of LAX most of the time and my favorite travel destinations are HNL, Maui (OGG) and sometimes southern Mexico (pvr). I don't travel as much as I used to when I lived with my parents, haha... now I only travel several times a year for a summer getaway, spring break, maybe an off-season vacation or winter get away...
I am thinking of getting the two Hawaiian air visa cards with the 20,000 miles on each card, but I'm not sure if I can use it for everyday purchases like food, gas and clothing to get extra miles. Does anyone know if they offer a mile per $1 for every charge in the US? or do I only get points for buying stuff at their approved retailers and Xtra miles retailers in Hawaii? (and the online mall)
I tried reading the rules but some of the wording is sort of hard to understand, and I wasn't sure if they offered points for regular purchases or if it was only for tickets and approved retailers. If they don't offer this...what would be a good card to get for miles per dollar? There are so many out there. I know my dad likes to use his Amex whenever he can, but I'm not exactly a big business owner with serious buying power like he is, so I don't think I'd qualify for whatever he has.
I've also heard good things about the AA cards, and the Starwood American Express (which I'm thinking of getting as a backup if they approve me) because I like the Maui Westin hotel so much.
anyway...I would appreciate any help. and feel free to ask me any questions you may have!
Most people don't earn the bulk of their airline miles from credit cards. Flying is a bigger contributor. (If you don't fly a lot, frequent flyer programs and their associated cards may not be best for you. Consider a card with cash rebates.) So, figure out what airline you want your miles to go to. Then, limit your search to cards that work with that airline.
That said, for several airlines the SPG AmEx is an excellent choice. Downside is that, in many parts of the world, AmEx isn't accepted as widely as Visa/MC, so carry one of those in addition. Most of those are tied to specific airlines.
And do follow the advice posted here earlier to check out FT's credit card forums as well as the other resources mentioned.
If you don't fly a lot, frequent flyer programs and their associated cards may not be best for you. Consider a card with cash rebates.)
I'm not sure i agree with this. I saved my miles for years from my credit card. Then, when i took a trip I got first class from SFO to Prague (with a 7 hour layover in Paris and met a friend for lunch and did some sight seeing), Prague to Istanbul, Antalya (on the Turkish Rivera), back to SFO via a 18 hour layover in Moscow (got to see sites).
This would have been a $10,000 ticket and it cost me 90k miles. I think I flew 30k or 40k, the rest was credit cards over a few years.
Programs: UAL, AA, AS, DL, SPG-Gold, HH-Diamond, Marriott-Silver, PC-Plat, U.S. Mint (still hanging in there)
Posts: 231
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachgirl02
The main thing I'm looking for is airline miles,
I am thinking of getting the two Hawaiian air visa cards with the 20,000 miles on each card, but I'm not sure if I can use it for everyday purchases like food, gas and clothing to get extra miles. Does anyone know if they offer a mile per $1 for every charge in the US? or do I only get points for buying stuff at their approved retailers and Xtra miles retailers in Hawaii? (and the online mall)
think I'd qualify for whatever he has.
I've also heard good things about the AA cards, and the Starwood American Express (which I'm thinking of getting as a backup if they approve me) because I like the Maui Westin hotel so much.
Two words.....Starwood Amex.
Points transfer to most airlines, including Hawaiian, and you get 5,000 bonus miles when you transfer 20,000.
For me, the best use is for Starwood awards and the points and cash option.
For a 2nd (and 3rd and 4th) card, check out the Flyertalk links for Citi AA cards (and their churning ability). It's truly amazing, but works!
Programs: AA 2MM Perpetual Platinum; HH Gold, SPG Gold; All Major Credit Cards
Posts: 5,175
Quote:
Originally Posted by beachgirl02
...which is the better deal...(interest and annual fees included)...
Welcome to Flyertalk. If you pay the card balance in full each and every month the interest rate is irrelevant. If you carry a balance the interest rate should be your first consideration in choosing a card, and rewards should only be the tie breaker. Finance charges on most reward cards will more than negate the redemption value.
