Cc for frequent flier miles

Kt75

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 17, 2017
we have Amex for 5% savings and discover cc which we used for BJs Disney gift cards now looking for a good cc to pay for our airline tickets. We don't carry a balance on our cards so wouldn't only use for purchases to get enough miles. Looking to pay for 4 adult, 1 child airfare from CT.
 
We use the Barclaycard Arrival Plus. It has an $89 annual fee but they usually have a generous sign up bonus (we got 50,000 miles ($500). I like them because you can use them with any airline. i think they also have a no annual fee version if you'd rather go that route, but you'll earn less miles.

I've also hear great things about the Southwest Visa and the Delta Amex. I don't know much about them, though.
 
We have Chase Sapphire Preferred right now, and also a JetBlue Mastercard Plus. Thinking of changing to the Sapphire card from Preferred to Reserve (and having my boyfriend get a card of his own) because it earns faster and comes with a travel credit every year. The annual fee is hefty, but thinking it would pay for itself.
 
I think you are better off getting one of the 2% cash back credit cards to pay for your airfare. Many of the airlines have devalued the miles so they are only worth 1 - 1.5%. The only flights I saw where you could get good value for your miles was cashing them in on international first class tickets.
 


Take a look at what airline you might want to use. If SWA is a possibility, seriously consider the SW cards. A card like the Chase Sapphire preffered also gives you a lot of options including a portal to use the points to buy airfare. The Barclay card and the Capital one venture card earn points to erase the charges for your airfare.

Join us on the I love credit card thread! So much to learn!
 
If you have loyalty to a certain airline, getting a card for that certain airline would be a good idea. (ie free bags, lounge access, better status for upgrades etc)

if there is no true loyalty, then there are general travel cards. I would also pick a general card based of your nearby airport. So say ur airport is a Southwest hub, a Chase Sapphire Reserve/Preferred may be a good idea. Airport is American Airline, maybe a Citi premier/prestige is a better fit.
 
I second checking the "I love credit cards" thread! Best CC resource on the DIS. As above poster said, do you have a specific airline in mind? If so you could go to their website and plug in the dates and say pay with miles to see how many miles a potential trip might cost you and then google up their current credit card offer. (Legacy carriers like AA, United offer "saver space" at great discounts but be very careful about depending on those being available when you need them- they can be quite scarce!) If you tend to follow whatever deal is best airline wise you might better off with a general travel card like something from the Chase Sapphire family, or Barclaycard.

The sign-up bonus/es are what will make this work for you. (Trying to do it accumulating x% cash with each charge would take you forever unless you have extremely high charges.) Find the sign-up bonus that you think will work best and go for that card. Also, a spouse could get the same card if they apply separately allowing you to double that bonus.

What you need to watch out for is the minimum spends. (Double bonus = awesome... but requires double the spend) Don't bite off more than you can chew in this area! You have to employ the self-disciple to only charge what you would normally charge on your new card as you work to meet the spending requirement for the bonus. "Oh, I should buy that, I have a minimum spend to meet anyway!" is the path to losing the savings your card is supposed to provide :)
 



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