Airline Credit Cards

Choosing the Best Airline Credit Card

When deciding which is the best of the airline credit cards, you need to consider several things first. Items such as annual fee, frequent flyer miles earnings rate, introductory interest rates, on-going interest rates, the airline in which the miles can be used, and any restrictions for redeeming. Many of the airline specific cards do charge annual fees, but there are several frequent flyer cards that are available that don’t charge an annual fee. Many of those cards offer miles that can also be used on several airlines as opposed to being used on one specific. The credit card issuers have been aggressively working to improve their selection of travel cards and have created some very appealing offers. It used to be pretty rare to see a card offering more than 1 mile per dollar spent, but that has changed. Some of cards that we rated as the top in the category offer the ability to earn at a higher rate. There are also some cards offering bonus miles for using getting approved and using their card, but these cards tend to be airline specific. We took all of these factors into account when we formed our rankings.

Earning the Most Frequent Flyer Miles

When you get an airline miles credit card you want to make sure you are earning the most frequent flyer miles possible. The key is to start using it for your everyday purchases. the things that you would have normally paid for by cash such as lunch, just use your card instead. When the bill comes, pay it off using the cash that you would have used. These smaller purchases can add up in a big way. There are larger purchases such as insurance premiums that in many instances don’t charge an additional fee for using a credit card to pay the bill. In those instances use the card and earn miles. We do stress that you should try and pay your bill off whenever possible. This is because the interest charged may end up outweighing the miles you will earn. If your monthly spending is what you would consider more than most consumers, it may be worth paying an annual fee for a credit card that earns at a higher rate. For a small annual fee, you could have the ability to earn miles up to twice as fast as you would with a card that doesn’t have an annual fee.

Airline Miles Credit Cards vs. Specific Airline Cards

Not all airline credit card offers are the same. There are two different types. The first is the more traditional airline specific cards. These cards let you earn miles on one specific airline such as Southwest, Delta, or American. The other type of frequent flyer credit card are the cards that let you earn miles that can be used on any airline, such as the Capital One Venture Card. So how do you choose which is right for you? If you are extremely loyal to one airline, it could be best for you to choose that card. You generally can receive bonus miles for getting the card and earn special airline perks. If you don’t have an airline that you fly most of the time, a more general airline rewards card will be best for you. You will be able to use those miles on any airline and most of these cards don’t have blackout dates. These cards tend to let you earn at a much faster rate in general. Even if you do fly a specific airline most of the time, the earnings rate and flexibility of a more general airline miles card could be the better option. These are all things that you will need to consider.