mikekoba

So I'm still a noob and I've only made one redemption so far using my UR points. But I'm going to be moving to France in mid September for a temporary job for about half a year, and during that time, I want to get some European travels since I'm so much closer (thinking Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Italy, England... pretty much anywhere I can get to). The question is, what credit card should I get next that can get me some additional bonus miles/points to take full advantage of my move to France?

Here's my current line up of points and miles:
Chase UR: 165K
Delta SkyMiles: 65K (silver medallion)
SPG: 30K
AA: 5K
UA: 7K
Hilton HHonors: 7K + 2 free weekend vouchers
Hyatt: 2K + 2 free nights

I current own the following cards:
Chase CSP VS
Chase Freedom MC
Chase Hyatt Visa
Amex SPG
Amex Platinum Delta
Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve

I really like Delta since I fly from LAX-JFK from time to time and I've never had issues with them, but within France, it leads to high fuel surcharges on skyteam partners like Air France. I was thinking of maybe an Amex MR card, but there doesn't seem to be any spectacular promos at this time. I saw there's a Lufthansa 50K offer, but I'm not too familiar with their program. Is it worth it? Would getting an Amex Gold Delta card to just get some miles be a waste?

I will be able to spend $3K easily on the new card in the next three months, but once I move to France, I might not be able to spend as much money. Credit scores are mid to upper 700s. What card would the experts at FlyerTalk recommend for me?

drminn

For most of the destinations you mention it will be far better to take the train and/or one of the low cost airlines (EasyJet, RyanAir, etc). You can get to most destinations you mention for less than $200 R/T. Save your miles for the longer hauls across the Atlantic.

smilinganddialing

+1

Intra-Europe travel is far cheaper on LLCs like EasyJet and RyanAir or on trains. There are lots of reasonably priced hotels in most of the countries you mentioned that you can book directly or via Hotwire/Priceline. That being said, you may consider the US Bank Club Carlson card (85,000 point signup + spend bonus) for certain places that may be very expensive (e.g. Oslo, London, etc.) and use the free night deal (pay one night with points and get one night free).

Alcibiades

For purchases while in Europe, any Capital One CC that earns 1.5% or 2%

Alcibiades

If OP is young and adventurous, he might consider avoiding traditional hotels

mikekoba

Right, when I searched for redemption on UA and DL, it looks like booking the flight straight up costs less than using miles anyways. I'll be in the middle of France so I'd have to use the rail networks to get to a major airport anyways.

I'm thinking of either amping up my UR points, or signing up for an Amex MR card to get some more transferrable points.

I am still young and single, so cheap hostels are what I'm probably going to end up with. I may use my free nights for something fancier down the line before they expire.

mia

I suggest you spend some time in Flyertalk's France forum to investigate how widely credit cards are accepted outside of Paris. American Express, in particular, may be of little value.

I suggest you also learn about cards with EMV chips, as discussed in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...signature.html

mikekoba

I'll definitely check out the section. I'm pretty new to this forum so very helpful with the link! Thanks!

I do have two cards that have 0% forex fees and EMV (chip + sig). I'm a bit concerned that the EMVs may still not work since it's not PIN-based (like at an automated kiosk), but it seems like a lot of cards in the US don't come with chip+PIN... I may need to get some form of a card while I'm in France, but I might not be getting good points/miles with it. I'm hoping the three months I have left will be enough time to gather some points before I leave since I don't think I will be able to sign up for more cards while I'm abroad.