Every travel hacker knows that the quickest way to a free flight is having the right credit card. Whether it’s a co-branded airline card or a card with transferable points, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve, getting a sign-up bonus will boost your points balance faster than any other strategy. These tips will help you get that big bonus.
American Express is one of the most restrictive card issuers in terms of application rules. Not only does Amex limit how many cards you can have and how often you can apply, but it also has restrictions on who qualifies for
Are you saving up for a dream vacation and
You don’t have to get a personal credit card that’s part of a major rewards program to
Choosing which travel rewards credit card to apply for can be overwhelming, particularly if you’re just getting into the miles game. Even veterans get confused by all the options sometimes. Let’s take a look at some of the best cards to get into the big travel rewards programs.
Typically you’d choose a
Chase Freedom is one of the best, no-annual-fee consumer credit cards. It belongs to the Chase Ultimate Rewards family of cards, which also happens to be one of the best travel reward programs in the market.
The American Express Business Platinum Card is part of the Membership Rewards program and the top premium business card offered by American Express. It carries a high annual fee, but the exclusive benefits are worth the high cost of admission.
Asiana Airlines, a major South Korean carrier, offers two personal Visa cards to residents of the United States: the Asiana Visa Classic and the Asiana Visa Platinum. Anyone who flies to Asia and Korea on a regular basis would benefit from the ability to earn some extra Asiana miles via credit card spending.
Lufthansa, the largest airline in Europe, also has the largest frequent flyer program in Europe, Miles & More. Since its inception in 1993, 13 airlines have joined Miles & More. Lufthansa and most of those airlines are members of the Star Alliance, giving the program a truly global scope.
If you’re planning on some end-of-summer adventures or business trips, there are multiple opportunities to earn bonus Air Canada Aeroplan miles on hotel stays. Most offers are good for bookings made both in Canada and elsewhere. The following deals will bump up your rewards balance by thousands of miles.
Korean Air offers several co-branded credit cards to U.S. residents. The SkyBlue SKYPASS credit card is the only one without an annual fee. As you might expect, the card doesn’t have all the benefits that come with the premium SKYPASS Visa Signature card, which has a $75 annual fee. But the SkyBlue card is a good fee-free choice for collecting Korean Air miles.
You may not be familiar with it, but Malaysia Airlines is one of the largest
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 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.
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.
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.
With its earning potential, perks and redemption possibilities, the Chase Sapphire Preferred card along with super-premium Chase Sapphire Reserve Credit Card is the preeminent travel card on the market.
When the average consumer is shopping around for a credit card, their biggest consideration may be how much it will cost them. What’s the APR? Should I choose a
