One quick note re transferring miles: It might not be obvious, but some programs (Citi/AA, Chase/United, etc.) are designed so that you earn 1 (or sometimes more) airline mile per dollar your spend. But other programs, like the Chase Sapphire Ultimate Rewards, or American Express Membership Rewards, are designed so that you earn 1 (or sometimes more) "point" in their specific program per dollar you spend. What some of the prior posters are saying is that, if you get the Chase Sapphire Card, you'll have 50,000 Chase UR points, and you have to transfer them from Chase to Continental. (You can see how to do this on the Chase UR website.) One additional quirk is that, because of the CO-UA merger, CO OnePass is going to be folded into United's Mileage Plus. You'll have the same miles, just with a different name.