Debit Cards
 

I have read with great interest the threads on Debit cards and how to use them for miles. While I am not inclined to join in the fun in this I do use my credit cards to the max. in getting miles from them. Over 150,000 miles per year. My company just opened a bulk mail account at the U.S.P.S and I find that we cannot use credit cards with bulk mail. We can use debit cards. We will be mailing out about $20,000.00 worth of mailing next month and I hate to lose out on these miles. Is there a debit card you can buy using a credit card? It does not have to be one that we need cash back like the Charter one cars. I only want to use it for the post office. Thanks you in advance for the information and I am sorry if I missed it in another thread. Only my second post.

Try a prepaid one at your local bank. Or setting up an account and then getting the debit card for the account

You can do a AAA visa debit card, but only for $1,500

Citibank offers an AA debit card at 1/2 mile per $.
There is another Texas bank with a similar deal for AA.
I believe that BofA offers a US debit card at the same earn rate.

Citibank also offers a "1 mile for 1 $ spent" debit card if you pay a higher annual fee - $65 (as opposed to $25 for the "1/2 mile for 1 $" card) & you also get a 4,000 mile sign-up bonus (as opposed to 2000 miles with the basic debit card).

Note though that with Citibank's AA debit card you only earn miles on "signature-based purchases" (when you use the card "as" a credit card), any purchases you make using your PIN number will garner you no miles. This is the only debit card with a one-for-one ratio (However I believe Chase will give you a "one-for-one" debit card earning Continental miles if you keep a humongeous average daily balance in your account - about $20,000 or $25,000 I think).

Obviously, if the Citibank "one-for-one" debit card will work for you, that is really the best option.

My $0.02

-MJ

OK I am calling from memory here so if I am wrong, dont flame me...

As I recall, for those that do bulk mailing, the USPS has given a maximum discount where the price is based on a cash sale, no credit cards, debit cards allowed.

Again, I am calling from memory I could be totally wrong, but check it out.

Ric

They did only take checks and cash, but now allow debit cards. Thanks for akk the great info.

Yes
 

Bank of America has two cards at the moment as someone was saying earlier. The only decent carrier (if you want to say it) Is American West.

If you activated a PIN on your credit card for cash withdrawls and paid as if it were a debit card, wouldn't that work?

Going the opposite direction, Blockbuster says they only accept credit cards, not debit, but I used a debit card to register and it worked just fine.

US Bank/NW Miles
 

If I recall correctly, US Bank has a deal with NW for their debit card. They also offer two types of credit cards, each with a signup bonus (I believe).

Oh, and Hi to everyone. I've enjoyed lurking.

Debit cards have been discussed an aweful lot here. The banks carriers that offer them are:

US Bank - Northwest
Citibank - American
Chase & Keybank - Continental
Bank1 - United
Bank of America - Alaska, America West, US Airways

As mentioned earlier Citi and Chase have $1:1mile cards and all have $2:1mile cards. You will need to check the T&C's but from memory BofA is the only one that ever gave miles for PIN based purchases and I am not sure if they still do that - all the others only give miles for signature based purchases using the "credit" not "debit" button of the terminal so you may be out of luck.

Another option would be to put the mailing budget into a Guarantee Bank or BankDirect mileage earning (American) checking account - you would earn 1 mile per $10 of the minimum monthly balance so would only be useful if you kept money in the account ahead of time but this may be the only way to get any miles from this transaction.

(Links to each bank are on the relevant airline other partners page).

Bof A no longer gives miles for PIN trans at the Post Office. Stopped in Jan 2004.

Ken in Phx

Our local banks in my very small town offers debit cards with the local banks. None of the banks here are well know name brand ones. You just go in and tell them what you want and they will fix you up with the debit card. Visa or mastercard.