Best Credit Card for Airline Miles

Best Credit Card for Airline Miles

What are Airline Miles Credit Cards?

Many airlines offer the airline miles credit cards in the partnership with the credit card companies or banks. When you use one of them to make purchases, you can earn air miles on your airline's rewards program. Each dollar you spend with the card usually gives you one air mile, but you can earn air miles at the higher rate when you purchase flights or other items from the airline. You can also earn air miles in different ways, including flying with the airline.

Once you have earned enough the air miles, you can redeem them for the flights with the airline or within an "alliance" of the partner airlines. Today, many airlines apply what is known as dynamic reward pricing, where the number of the air miles you need for the flight depends on the dollar price you have to pay for that ticket. You might need anything from the few thousand air miles for the quick domestic hop to well over the 100,000 miles for some international flights.

Choosing the best airline miles credit card

First, choosing the best airline mileage credit card depends on the factors such as how often you can travel, how and where you go, and what perks are most important to you. Here are the following five tips:

1. Choose an airline and an alliance to fly wherever you want

• When choosing an airline miles credit card, it is essential to consider where you want to go because, generally, you can only use air miles for flights with the one airline or its partners. Also, consider which airlines serve the nearest airport to your home and their routes. Airlines may get you to your domestic or international destinations faster and more conveniently than competitors.
  
  

2. Consider baggage fees

• A significant benefit of the many airline miles credit cards is that you can also check one bag for free, which helps you avoid baggage fees that cost you $30 or more. In addition, this feature can offset the annual credit card fee if you check bags often. For example, if you're traveling as a family of four, booking the flight with your credit card can save you $240 in baggage fees for one round trip (assuming that one checked bag per person, each way: 4 x 2 x $30 ). But free baggage benefits only sometimes include all party members, so check with your card issuer. Also, if you usually take short trips and only bring a handbag, this credit card feature may save you little money.
  
  

3. Take advantage of registration bonuses

• Some airline miles credit cards offer check-in rewards of the 30,000 air miles or more if you meet the spending requirements within a specified period. In some cases, that could be enough air miles for an international flight - helping you realize your dream of traveling to Paris or Cancun. Experts estimate that some rewards can be worth up to $1,000 or more.1 However; rewards can vary widely, even for the same credit card - so keep an eye out for promotions.
  
  

4. Analyze which credit card category offers the best deal

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  Once you've decided which airline credit cards ia also best suit your needs, it's time to look at the credit card categories. Airlines may offer several levels of credit cards with varying annual fees and bonuses. When choosing between them, it's essential to consider how well each credit card's yearly benefits and costs align with your travel and spending goals. For example, virtual credit cards with no annual fee accrue air miles but may offer only some of the other vital benefits of higher-tier cards.
  
  

Low-level airline miles cards usually offer benefits such as:

• FREE registered bag
• Priority boarding
• No foreign transaction fees
• Travel Delay or Cancellation Insurance
• Car rental insurance
• Discounts or charge credits on in-flight purchases
  

Airline miles cards at higher levels may offer additional benefits, including:

• An annual companion ticket that allows you to travel with a family member or the friend, although taxes and fees are usually additional
• Credits to the fee for the US Global Entry program, which simplifies entry to the US from abroad, and also the TSA PreCheck program, which includes the priority security screening
• Complimentary or reduced access to select airport lounges, including the food and beverages
  

5. Consider alternative types of the travel credit card

• While branded airline miles credit cards may work for you if you want regularly fly with the same airline, they may not be well suited if you use a variety of airlines or if you are looking for other types of rewards, such as stays in Hotels.
• Alternatives include the general-purpose travel credit cards, which earn points you can redeem for flights on participating airlines, usually without restrictions such as layover dates. Some general-purpose travel cards also offer points earning rates of two to five points per dollar for certain types of spending. However, these credit cards may need to include some of the perks of airline miles credit cards.