The Citi ThankYou Preferred card may not have all the perks that the other ThankYou cards offer, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have one. With no annual fee, it essentially gives you free access to the ThankYou Rewards program and many of its benefits.
Anyone who enjoys traveling will appreciate the multiple options the Citi Premier® Card offers for redeeming points, as well as its generous earning potential.
Anyone who flies regularly between the United States and Mexico or South America, will benefit from this credit card. Aeromexico has a strong network in those regions, but it is also a SkyTeam member and has some partners of its own. Its global network and partnerships make the airline’s Club Premier kilometers very valuable, especially since its award chart is quite reasonable and generally offers a better value than partner Delta Air Lines.
The Frontier Airlines World MasterCard is the perfect way to earn more miles and enhance your flying and booking experience on the Denver-based carrier. Frontier’s loyalty program, EarlyReturns, offers some good deals, and the card comes with some essential benefits for cardholders. So if you’re a member of the program, or thinking of becoming one, having the co-branded MasterCard is a no-brainer.
The Asiana Airlines card appeals to anyone who regularly travels to Asia and appreciates Asiana’s impeccable service. Asiana miles can also be very valuable. Premium class award seats on Asiana flights and some Star Alliance partner flights are notably cheaper when bought with Asiana miles rather than United MileagePlus miles.
Capital One has made a name for itself among consumers with splashy, celebrity-filled ads, but marketing isn’t the only way the company pushes the envelope. Capital One is constantly creating new credit card offers and reward programs, each with more perks than the last.
Virgin America previously had a partnership with Barclays for its reward credit cards, but in 2014 it changed to a lesser-known bank partner, Comenity. They now issue a card that is even more rewarding than before.
If you have any Canadian connections, you have a lot more options for Aeroplan credit cards. In the U.S., the Air Canada Aeroplan partnership is primarily limited to TD Bank, though you can transfer points from Starwood Preferred Guest or American Express Membership Rewards to Aeroplan.
It’s a running joke with a kernel of truth that while all the other domestic carriers were going bankrupt and restructuring, United Airlines had to continue because its credit card was so profitable.
Though Southwest Airlines has grown through its acquisition of AirTran into one of the major U.S. carriers, its frequent flyer program and co-branded credit card are not for everyone.
There are two types of people who will benefit from flying Spirit and having the Spirit credit card: those who want rock-bottom prices and aren’t interested in perks, and those who don’t mind paying a little extra for a comfortable seat.
Delta has gotten its share of groans in recent years from points and miles enthusiasts for the difficulty involved in redeeming Delta miles, but now the airline has cleaned up the long-standing issues with its website and pledged to make more award seats available even at the lowest redemption level.
First and foremost, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite MasterCard is for people who travel a lot. If you’re a business traveler on the road several times a month, the hefty $450 annual fee might not phase you, especially considering the benefits that come with it.
If you want to go to Hawaii with miles, signing up for the Hawaiian Airlines World MasterCard is a good way to get yourself and a companion there quickly. The card not only automatically gives you
The Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card is an interesting little card from a bank that doesn’t issue a lot of travel reward credit cards: Bank of America.
Though American Express has recently introduced a line of EveryDay cards, aimed at the more run-of-the-mill credit-card-holding public, it was previously known for its premium cards, which conferred lavish benefits on big spenders. And the Platinum Card from American Express is one of the most popular holdovers from this heyday, particularly for people looking for
Delta is a polarizing airline for many travelers. It is known for its limited saver award availability and an award booking website that is not always accurate, so many frequent flyers scorn the airline on principle.
If you watch television, you are no doubt familiar with the Capital One travel credit cards, which offer rewards with “no blackout dates for “any seat. In reality, Capital Ones program does not convert your spend to
Ink Plus is a line of
If you’re looking for a co-branded American Airlines card that’s relatively low on fees and high on perks, the Platinum Select card is probably a great fit for you.
For just $99 a year, you’ll receive a decent sign-up bonus of at least 50,000 miles, earn a $125 American Airlines Flight Discount and save up to 7,500 miles on select flights with American’s Reduced Mileage awards. You’ll also get a free checked bag, preferred boarding and in-flight discounts on American flights.
If you often fly on American, this could be the right card for you.
| AIRLINE TRANSFER PARTNER | American Airlines |
| ANNUAL FEE | $99 (waived for the first 12 months) |
| RECOMMENDED CREDIT SCORE | 750+ |
| TYPE OF CARD | Mastercard |
| ISSUER | Citi |
This card’s standard bonus is for 30,000 miles, but a 50,000-mile offer usually comes up more than once a year for several months at a time. Occasionally American will throw in a couple Admirals Club passes, too.
The spend required to earn the bonus miles can vary significantly, with the 30,000-mile offer typically requiring only a $1,000 spend and the 50,000-mile offer between $2,000 and $3,000. You usually have three months to reach the minimum spend.
American Airlines miles can easily be redeemed online for flights on American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Finnair, Hawaiian Airlines, Qantas Airways and other oneworld alliance members and partner airlines.
Though American charges a late booking fee and relatively hefty change fees, it has pretty reliable availability booking in advance or close-in (except for big holiday seasons like Christmas) and incredibly low off-peak award rates internationally, so your American Airlines miles can be more valuable than those of other domestic carriers.
When you use off-peak awards to destinations in Eastern Asia, such as Japan, you’ll pay starting from 70,000 miles roundtrip. If you bought that same flight in cash, you’d pay somewhere from $1,328.
You can get even better value if you use miles for high-end cabins on award-winning partner airlines, such as Cathay Pacific which regularly comes in right behind Singapore Airlines’ famous suites in lists of the top first class cabins. For just 160,000 miles roundtrip, you can get nearly 40 hours in the lap of luxury on a flight that typically costs $18,835 roundtrip. That’s a 14 cents per mile value for your AAdvantage miles.
With monthly special awards at 7,500 miles off per roundtrip you can get to select U.S. destinations for 17,500 miles rather than 25,000. At that rate, a $425 round-trip flight from Detroit to San Francisco would get you a 2.4 cents per mile value.
