35K FIRST PURCHASE LINK
Yes it's just US Air and yes it's Barclays. But for those of us frozen out by Citi AA and maxed at Chase and AmEx, Barclays is another company to get a relationship with. Also for some of us (like DCA) US is the primary carrier.
US Air now has an waived-fee Dividend Miles card. That's extremely unusual for Barclays. The initial bonus after 1st use is 35K miles. Each anniversary 10K more miles is given ($89 annual fee).
There is also an very attractive balance transfer offer: Up to 10,000 miles for a $10K balance transfer with 0% interest for 6 months and a maximum BT fee of $100.
My credit line was extended on the telephone to $11K so I could take full advantage of the $10K BT with one time $100 fee. The BT was transacted and my other account balance paid off within 3 days.
Holders of this credit card get 5K discounts on reward redemptions.
I believe the card also helps restore expired miles.
US is a *Alliance member.
In addition:
*Earn 10,000 miles towards Dividend Miles Preferred status
*Up to two $99 companion tickets annually
*Preferred check-In
*Preferred Zone 2 boarding
*One complimentary US Airways Club day pass annually
*Discount on annual US Airways Club membership
Barclays is good to get a relationship with as they have many travel cards. I've been surprised at how pleasant they are on the telephone and how good their online account is.
There is also a no-fee US Air card which one can downgrade to after the first year to avoid the annual fee if the benefits of the regular card aren't useful.
I have no idea whether churning or coins are possible.
There is a biz version of this card but it has a 25K bonus and the $79 fee must be paid.
Updates:
1. Many people are getting approved for only the lower level Platinum card with just a 10K bonus. Nasty bait-and-switch since this is not the offer they applied under.
2. Barclays seems to be pulling TransUnion almost everyplace in US which is a big + (unless they are pulling all 3 which would be a big - !)