In my opinion these programs are inferior to the straigt mileage cards from Citibank, Chase or MBNA. Mileage earned for example in the US Airways program do not require 21 day advance booking, Saturday night stay and can be used for upgrades and Business/First Class tickets. Of course, in my opinion the best card by far is the AmEx Optima Sheraton/Srarwood card. It has no annual fee, earns Starwood points which can be use at their hotels or converted into most airline programs and earn a 25% bonus when converted 20,000 points at a time.