[Cruisen_Chubby]

Hey guys,

For those who know me- they know I'm slowly making the move from Minneapolis out to Las Vegas. Because of this, there will obviously be flights involved for multiple reasons in the beginning stages of the move and there will be more after the move is complete (to visit family, friends, etc.).

I'm very good with credit cards. I use my Amazon card to get 3x rewards on textbooks, supplements, etc. - My Amex to get 3x on Groceries/liquor- and my Bank of America to get 3x on Gasoline.

Each year I make a couple hundred in rewards and never pay any interest (credit card companies hate me, heh).

Basically, what I'm trying to do is to find a credit in which I can earn rewards (either miles or cash back) with when booking flights.

I'm new to the flier mile scene and don't really know how they work. I hear you can get rewards on credit cards but can also get frequent flier miles through the airlines as well.

I was wondering if any of the frequent fliers here would have a credit card or a process that they'd like to recommend. I'm looking for something with no annual fee, decent rewards, and flexibility. It doesn't matter the APR as I never carry a balance.

Much appreciated,

-Chubby

[samsamsam]

I am a big fan of the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex. With SPG you can tranfser 20,000 points to any airline and they will give you 25,000. There are lots of sign up bonuses also.

Check this site for more info on credit cards.

http://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/best-ban...ses-deals/

[Drazen]

I saw this yesterday from "Nomadic Matt" who is a travel blogger. Its an affiliate link but you can do your own due diligence. He's also a fan of SPG Amex, says they have the most valuable miles.

Quote:

The Starwood AMEX super bonus is back for the next week! You get 30,000 points plus the first year fee waived when you sign up. If you haven't taken my advice on getting this card yet, do so now. Starwood points are the most valuable points out there. You even get a 20% bonus when you transfer 20,000 points to an airline (for a total of 25,000 frequent flier miles). I use this card for all my day to day spending. Most travel writers I know live by this card.

If you can switch to this card, do so. Or just sign up for the bonus and enjoy free hotel rooms.

It's a good offer and you shouldn't miss out.

http://nomadicmatt.us/15R7h7X

I'd also check out the Flyertalk mileage card forum, they are obsessive about accumulating miles.

[Hencredible Casanova]

I love the Amazon Rewards card. I've saved a lot of money with it and use it all the time.

For airfare specifically, I recommend the Chase Sapphire card. It's very easy to get and you start out with like 30,000 points just for opening an account. During certain times you get double points for certain purchases.

You can use those points for airline miles with no blackout dates.

My sister put me on and uses it all the time for travel. It's literally made for travelers.

https://creditcards.chase.com/sapphire/c...-benefits/

[Cruisen_Chubby]

Thanks for the recommendations - I will look into both the SPG and the Chase Sapphire.

This is where I get confused - I obviously know how points work in terms of getting cash back...Usually each point = $.01 ; therefore 5,000 points would be $50 cash back. That's what I'm working with now.

What I don't understand is how "miles" work. Meaning, if you had 20,000 miles as a reward...How would you redeem them? And if so, what could something like 20,000 miles get you?

Also, for example: If you booked a flight with AA with your SPG card. Would you get flier miles directly through the airline in addition to the miles/rewards you'd be getting on your card?

[Drazen]

About a year ago, Chase British Airways had some insane deals for initial mileage bonuses. There was a really short period of time they were giving 100k miles for signing up. Plus if you spend a certain threshold you get a free companion ticket every year.

[Drazen]

(08-28-2013 02:31 PM)Cruisen_Chubby Wrote:  

Thanks for the recommendations - I will look into both the SPG and the Chase Sapphire.

This is where I get confused - I obviously know how points work in terms of getting cash back...Usually each point = $.01 ; therefore 5,000 points would be $50 cash back. That's what I'm working with now.

What I don't understand is how "miles" work. Meaning, if you had 20,000 miles as a reward...How would you redeem them? And if so, what could something like 20,000 miles get you?

Also, for example: If you booked a flight with AA with your SPG card. Would you get flier miles directly through the airline in addition to the miles/rewards you'd be getting on your card?

20k miles won't get you much, maybe one way coach segment on a domestic flight. I just booked a RT domestic for 25k miles though.

I usually can book international flights non-peak season for 50-60k miles round trip though, both to Europe and Asia. Depends on the airline, time you're booking and availability.

[Cruisen_Chubby]

(08-28-2013 11:58 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  

I am a big fan of the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex. With SPG you can tranfser 20,000 points to any airline and they will give you 25,000. There are lots of sign up bonuses also.

Check this site for more info on credit cards.

http://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/best-ban...ses-deals/

Do you plan on just cancelling this card the next year then? As in, when the annual fee would be assessed.

To be honest, I don't feel a need to pay a company to use their credit card, unless it's in a serious niche category of mine and I can run the numbers to show a solid investment.

A lot of people get in a lot of trouble with plastic- that just allows the true financial playas to score

[samsamsam]

I pay the annual fee, it works out to my benefit.

In regards to mileage earned if you bought on AA. You get a point for each buck spent on a ticket and AA points for the miles flown.

[Drazen]

(08-28-2013 02:43 PM)Cruisen_Chubby Wrote:  

(08-28-2013 11:58 AM)samsamsam Wrote:  

I am a big fan of the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex. With SPG you can tranfser 20,000 points to any airline and they will give you 25,000. There are lots of sign up bonuses also.

Check this site for more info on credit cards.

http://www.hustlermoneyblog.com/best-ban...ses-deals/

Do you plan on just cancelling this card the next year then? As in, when the annual fee would be assessed.

To be honest, I don't feel a need to pay a company to use their credit card, unless it's in a serious niche category of mine and I can run the numbers to show a solid investment.

A lot of people get in a lot of trouble with plastic- that just allows the true financial playas to score

AMEX platinum is $500 a year but gives you concierge service, late checkouts at hotels you stay at, free upgrades on flights and airport lounge access. The Costco AMEX is supposed to be good too...includes membership and generous cash rewards. Not sure if you get AMEX points though you probably do though.

[MikeCF]

Read Million Mile Secrets.

I've gotten over 250,000 in bonus miles since reading that site.

Not gonna say the advice given so far is bad, but it is very incomplete.

I'd check out million mile secrets, as the guy is an expert.

[Hencredible Casanova]

@MikeCF - Dude recommends the exact same card I mentioned (Chase Sapphire). It's the best credit card in the US for travel hands down.

http://millionmilesecrets.com/credit-cards/ (read the comments).

[MikeCF]

One card is not playing the game right.

That's why I said the advice given wasn't wrong. It wasn't. But it's incomplete.

Guys should be stacking cards when they are 50K bonuses, hitting minimum spends, then getting more cards.

I have more free miles than I know what to do with.

Let's put it this way. Amex Platinum had a 100K bonus mile thing going on. They they had a 33% bonus rollover to British Airways.

So if a guy got an Amex Platinum, he stacked a lot of miles, and since British Airways partners with American Airlines, then the guy is set on short hops.

If a guy travels a lot from the WEst Coast, then get the Southwest Card. Then get the "premier" one. Then get one for your business.

(Yes, you can get 3 separate SOuthwest cards. You just gotta watch out for the bonus sign ups and wait patiently.)

That's another 150K miles.

British Airways just had a 50K bonus sign up thing.

So what if a guy took 100K from an Amex platinum, then rolled those over at 33% bonus, and then got the new 50K card.

Like I said...This thread is very incomplete.

[Hencredible Casanova]

That's where I respectfully beg to differ. I don't endorse opening multiple lines of credit because that negatively impacts your credit score, and creates a headache with having to manage so many accounts. I prefer to use two credit cards max.

But I guess we may look at things differently because you're a business owner (I think) while I'm not. If you own a business you can open a card or two under that as well.

Judging from what the OP is looking for, I think the Sapphire card would meet his needs the best.

[theArbiter]

(08-28-2013 11:22 AM)Cruisen_Chubby Wrote:  

Each year I make a couple hundred in rewards and never pay any interest (credit card companies hate me, heh).

I used to think the same, but that's not quite correct. Credit card companies don't just make money off of interest. They charge a transaction fee to the vendors for any purchases. Off the top of my head, I think this is between 2-3% at least. Most reward cards give 1% cashback, so they're still ahead.

I don't have much to add, but most people stack on points from the initial "bonus" after you open the card and spend a stated minimum after a certain period (I think typically around $500-$1000 after 3 months).

The most beneficial cards tend to be those that charge a $99 annual fee, usually waived for the first year. If you spend enough on the card, then you usually benefit more than a value of $99. However, if you don't, then be careful about opening a bunch of cards just to get rewards.

[theArbiter]

ergh too easy to dupe posts.

[booshala]

Like MikeCF, I hit the credit card bonuses hard and am selective about getting the most amount of miles possible.

That being said, if you don't know which airlines you're going to fly on specifically, I'd focus on the cards that are easily transferable to multiple programs. Focusing on Starwood SPG points, Chase UR points and AMEX MR points is probably the simplest way to go.

You really have to put in quite a bit of work if you want to truly maximize your miles and points though. I have a few million miles/points in 63 different programs, so I use awardwallet.com and my own spreadsheets.

[MikeCF]

Not true bro. Multiple lines of credit increase your credit score if you do not carry a balance (I don't), because your credit utilization component of your score improves.

[renotime]

If you are only going to have one card, I would go with Chase Sapphire. You get a point for every buck you spend and 40k miles if you spend 3k in the first 3 months.

Also, check out this website:

boardingarea.com

[Cruisen_Chubby]

So for those who have multiple miles with multiple different airlines and on different credit cards-

How do you go about consolidating your miles in order to get the flights you want? Is that even possible?

Also, in terms of redemption and knowing how many miles you have- Are the miles you are awarded just shown on your monthly CC statement? How do you go about redeeming them?

I'm not familiar with the Mile game at all- apologies if these questions seem simple. I just don't want to open up a couple cards to fall short.

[paninaro]

What do you want your points for? Free flights, or first class upgrades, or hotels?

For me, most of my flights are paid by my company, and same with hotels, so I just use the points for upgrades. In that case, I know what airline I usually fly on, so I have the card they offer, which gives me the most points (for their airline) and it's the easiest to use. Plus, you usually get 2-3x points when you spend it on their airline -- like booking tickets.

The other poster who wrote that you can get all these different cards, hunt different offers, etc is right -- but for me I simply don't have time to follow all that. I have 2 cards (one each for the airlines I use the most often) and just accrue on those, and spend those on upgrades mostly.

If you were in Minneapolis, it's a no-brainer -- get a Delta Skymiles card because MSP is their hub. LAS used to be a hub for America West (now US Airways) but I'm not sure if it is any more. You'll want to figure out what airlines you're most likely to be on, and that will guide your card decision.

As for annual fees, look at how much you spend and how many miles that will translate to. I was really against annual fees, but then I bit the bullet to upgrade my AmEx to a $99/year option because I'd get double the miles, and I spent a lot on AmEx because I use it for business purposes.

I know people talk about a mile being worth 1 cents or whatever, but ultimately it's the value to you. Look at how you plan to use it, and see how much you'll save.

[cascadecombo]

I'm thinking I need to get myself an airline credit card, anyone know of any solid resources to use when researching which to get?

Currently I'm looking at air alaska as it partners with several other companies that head to destinations I plan on visiting.

[n0000]

I would start with the Chase Sapphire Preferred and Chase Sapphire Reserve. I will never pay for a plane ticket again because of cc churning.

[GlobalMan]

cascadecombo, I recommend reading through Global Entry's thread:
The Frequent Traveller Thread - Perks, points, and deals for beginners and experts.
You'll find a primer for beginners as well the latest discussion of these things over there.

[treypound]

bumping this
I have the Citi American Airlines card but looking to change. Any AMEX users on here?