Originally Posted by
shimps1
However, the M+ card is no AF, and is a very easy redemption of $1,000 worth of flights.
Wrong!
You didn't answer my $250 fare question before, and I looked up, and I can see why you didn't answer, because my question showed the big flaw in the M+ card:
where DoC writes:
Anytime, Anywhere Air Rewards
This is how you can get up to 2¢ per point for airfare.
- You must redeem a minimum of 25,000 points for $500 in airfare (including taxes & fees). If your airfare exceeds $500 then you will pay an additional 1 point per 1¢.
- Points cannot be used for misc costs imposed by the airline (e.g baggage fees)
- Anybody can be desginated as the user of your Air Reward
So M+ signup does not get you $1000 worth of flights
if your average flight cost is $250 or $300 or even $350. You have to pay the same 25000 for a $250 flight as for a $500 flight. What's the value in that???
Oh, and if I read that correctly (and it's correct), then there's even a problem with $750 flights. You only get 2c for the first $500, but then 1c for the next $250? Yuck!
So it's because you settle for coach international flights at or slightly above $1000 that it works for you. But for those of us who either buy cheap domestic tickets, or use miles for business class for longer flights, the M+ card looks pretty useless.
Meanwhile, on an ongoing basis, the M+ card is (the equivalent of) only 1% cashback unless you use it exclusively on airfares, and then it's
up to 2% cashback (
much less if you never do anything close to $500 flights). But the Citi Double Cash card is 2% cashback
no matter what you use it for.
So IMHO the Citi Double Cash card beats the M+ card on everything except the signup bonus, and the M+ signup bonus is as little as $500 if you only fly $250ish airfares paid (in which case there's little to no advantage in using it just for airfares).