I can't argue with the value of Canadian dollar, and while it still is generally a better deal to earn FF points for making Canadian purchases, there are some US cards worth having (and some that can get you a free flight for far less than 25K US). The Starwood Amex give you 1 point per $1 (US) spent. But, if you redeem 20,000 points you get 5000 point bonus, giving you your free ticket. The cool about Starwood Amex is that Starwood points can be converted into FF miles on about 20 different airlines including AC, Delta, AA, Northwest, United and Continental (just to name a few). This makes it a valuable card to top up stray points balances. It also gives free Starwood Gold Status which has some bonuses when staying at a hotel in the chain. To my knowledge, there is no Canadian that has this kind of flexibility, and it is free for year 1 and $30/year after that which is quite reasonable. Aside from this card, it seems like Delta Amex is offering Double and Triple miles every time you open the paper, this gives you opportunity to fly for far less than 25K. In the end, it's all relative though, you spend the money where you earn it.