Best travel rewards credit card

Citi has an american airlines card. You get 30K miles if you spend and pay off at least 750.00 in the first 4 months. Then you get 1 mile for every dollar spent. Just got an email today - now you get priority boarding and 1 free bag when you use the card to book travel on American. You can get to the offer via the AA website aa.com

I use Amex, as you do pay it off every month, so no interest, however, there is a yearly fee depending on which card you get. Also, usually a sign up bonus of points, and you can transfer and use them on any airline. I put everything on it....utilities, insurance, food, all my travel, etc.

If you go with one of the airline specific cards, I'd suggest that you choose the airline that offers the most options from your local airport. For example, I live by a United hub and thus a United card gives me the most options. Also, while not good for flights, hotel reward cards are another option to earn travel rewards. I've been very happy with my Priority Club Visa (Intercontinental/Holiday Inns). There is a $49 annual fee BUT they give you a certificate on your anniversary date for a free hotel night which can be worth far more than the fee. I'm using my free night at a Holiday Inn in London. They also charge no foreign transaction fees. One advantage of hotel points is that I find it far easier to redeem the points than with the airline cards. In the last two years, I've used free nights in London, San Francisco, Paris, and I've got an upcoming night in Warsaw.

Do an internet search. There has been several evaluations and comparisons of cards. A couple of year ago Consumer Report did one and, I think, their conclusion was that the cash back cards were a better deal. This is a constantly changing area so it is hard to know which is the best at the moment.

So far Capital One's Venture Rewards card is looking like a good deal. 2 miles for every dollar purchased. All the reviews say its easy to redeem the points. $0 fee first year, $59 after that and no foreign transaction fees. Not meaning for this to sound like an advertisement. Any first hand experience with Capital One? I'd like to stay away from a card connected to a specific airline so when it comes time to buy my ticket in October I will have more flight options.

For me it is important to stay airline specific. I live 15 minutes from Newsrk and am loyal to United/ Continental who's hub is there. Also, I save for super saver first class exclusively so Capital One doesn't work. With them your miles are used to defray travel costs. Save 100,000 miles and earn a $1000 airline credit. I save for a 100,000 business / first ticket which is worth about $2500+. That said, look at Chase Sapphire as it works both ways and I just got a offer which earned me 50,000 bonus miles.

I speak for all small businesses. Please do them all a favor and pay cash for small purchases when you can. Merchants pay fees for your credit card use, and those fees are higher with enhanced points cards. A single transaction can run a merchant approx .75-1.00. Do you really want them to pay that for your $2.00 coffee?

Check out www.flyertalk.com Many people ask the same question as you and there are lots of tricks people have used to get the best mileage for your credit card. I know that the US Airways cards come with the typical sign up bonus miles and when you book your mileage rewards trip, they take 5,000 miles off your booking. So the typical 25,000 domestic trip, just became 20,000. Always do your homework and research about each cards terms and conditions. Especially, with interest rates. Evan

My husband and I both have AA citicards. At different times of the year they send you the opportunity to sign up for an extra 20% in miles. Last fall they offered me 50% more in miles on all my purchases for 3 months. It's definitely worth it if you fly AA.

I use the cash back cards. Capital One has the best return at the moment on its annual fee card (2 cents for every dollar spent - they call it 2 miles, but it is treated as a monetary credit against travel expenses you put on the charge). I think you may get more credit with an airline specific card, but I, too, don't want to get locked into a specific airline. Karen, I am sympathetic with your concern for the transaction fees imposed on merchants. Small dollar purchases I pay in cash simply because it is easier. To some degree, I recognize that we all pay for the cash back bonuses because the costs are passed through to us by merchants - at least to the extent that the merchants can pass on the costs. For that reason, those who don't use a cash-back card are subsidizing those who do because they are paying the higher price.

I have two cards for collecting points. My corporate card is an AMEX Hilton card. On business travels, I stay at Hilton Properties. I've been a Diamond member for several years. For personal, I have a Chase/United card. When we travel to Europe, we always travel on our United points and once or twice during our trips, we'll stay at Hilton's on points. It really reduces the costs. During our trip in France last year, we stayed for 6 days at the Hilton Arc' d' Triomphe in Paris on points. As Diamond members we ate breakfast and a light dinner each day in the Executive Club. All free. Boy did that save money on food while in Paris.

Do you want to use it for international flights? I highly recommend the Alaska Airlines Visa. Alaska/Horizon serves your airport, so you could use it from there. But more importantly, Alaska miles can be used on American, Delta, KLM, British, Quantas, and others, all good for international travel. In the past 10 years we have been to Australia plus 2 business-class trips to Europe on British thanks to our Alaska miles. This summer we are actually going to Alaska and used them for that too.

I have had the Capital One Venture card for over a year. I use it for all of my purchases and make weekly payments. The points add up fast (especially if you love to shop!). The points are super easy to redeem, you can do it all online. It's as easy as a click or two of the button. You typically have to purchase your travel first before redeeming your points. All of your travel is kept track of (hotel stays, flights, car rentals, etc). Once Cap One varifies your purchases you redeem points and the eligible amount of money is credited to your account. We saved up our points for one year and had enough for one free RT ticket from SF to London, and the flights from London to Italy. There are no foreign transaction fees nor currency exchange fees. It's a great card to have for the varied traveler. No need to stick with a certain airline or travel during certain periods. It really is "no hassle". If you aren't loyal to a specific airline, this card is a great option.

Great suggestions. Lola, that is good to know that you can use the American points for a variety of airlines. I would be wanting to redeem the points for an international flight. Karen- don't worry. Any small purchases on the credit card will be at Starbucks. I agree with you that people should try to pay cash when possible with small businesses. That's how they keep their prices lower than the corporations!

If you use a miles card associated with an airline, choose the most airline that you would be most likely to use for personal/business travel. We use a United card for most purchases and pay in full monthly. We also now have a Capital one that we used in Costa Rica and didn't pay a dime in transaction fees (and again paid off in full). Unfortunately United Mileage card charges a 3% transaction fee for foreign purchases avoid using overseas.

We use American airlines miles for all our travel. Our son uses the Citibank Mastercard for his business and gives us the points. With international travel, American can put you on their partner airlines, if they don't fly to a particular area you wwant to go to. For example, we have flown both American and British Airways going to/from London. We used our American Airlines points for the trips. In a few weeks we are flying to Ireland and London. We are using business class points for the round trip. Unfortunately within Ireland, American doesn't have a partner airline. We had to buy two tickets using Air Lingus instead.

Check around for the best deals. About a year ago, I heard about a special deal British Airways (Chase) was running to promote their cards. They gave me 50K miles for my first purchase and another 50K miles for spending $2500 in the first 3 months. Supposedly, 50K was enough for a free trip to London. HOWEVER, I soon discovered that a "free trip" cost $531 in fees! No kidding! But even my Delta Airlines card played dirty tricks; I guess you have to expect that these days. Still, I decided to check to see how much it would cost to fly Business Class on an award ticket; it was $830 + 100K points. That was still quite reasonable even for a coach seat, but paying cash for a Business Class seat normally costs over $4000! Now THAT seemed like a good deal to me, so I booked it last fall for my trip next month. Well, I just logged in to check out the seating on the plane, and was astonished to see that this plane appears to be a Business Class plane and that the seats are specially designed to go all the way back and with more privacy than you would expect on a plane. Also, I have access to the BA lounge at both airports. It is true that it will take me FOREVER to get enough points to be able to do this again without a special promotion, but for this retired teacher on a fixed income, being treated like a queen (or a one-percenter) once in my life is nothing to complain about. But you need to be aware that the terms for these cards change all the time. When I first got my Delta card, I was saving for a free trip to Europe, which was 50K points. Before I got that far, the price doubled to $100K, and that's when I decided to give up on the free trip to Europe and started using my points for domestic trips. I've been put in First Class for award trips--nothing like this one, though--and even now get a free checked suitcase.

Oh, I wanted to add that I also recently acquired an American Airways card that gives you 30K miles if you spend something like $2000 in the first three months. American is a partner of British Airways and besides, American is the only airline currently running out of Toledo Express Airport (except for Allegiant, and that only goes to FL or Vegas). So I can use it toward award tickets on British Airways flights too. Somehow, spending $2000 isn't all that difficult for me. I plan to use it a lot while on my 14-day tour next month. :-)

I have an AA Citibank card and rack up miles on the e Advantage Shopping Mall website. You have to sign up on the website using your desired credit card. Then when you order online you must first go to the e Advantage Shopping Mall site>then to the retailer you are shopping with. You get about 3-5 miles per dollar spent on most purchases. I shop Nordstrom,
Macy's. Best Buy, etc. and get miles by e-shopping.

Hi Melissa! I have had the Capital One Venture Visa Card for almost five years now. I use it for every purchase I can and pay it off in full each month. It has earned me a free flight (plus other costs) to Europe three times now. I earn 2 points (or airmiles) for every dollar spent. There are no restrictions on when or where I use my miles. I can save them for as long as I want and they don't expire. Best of all, this is the only card I have personally found that does NOT charge a transaction fee every time you use it overseas. If you use this card, plus earn points with an airline club, you would get a double benefit. I don't travel enough with one airline for that to matter. Anyway, I have been very happy with the card and the customer service provided. You can also use the points to pay for lodging, tours, dining, etc... when traveling. I do not work for this company, by the way. Just happy with them! Good luck and happy travels to you!

My husband and I have flown to London three years in a row now. We are going again next month. We have used American Airlines frequent flyer points for all the trips. Sometimes we have gone American and sometimes we have been booked on British Airways. Usually we have gone business, but once we went first class. Last summer we flew one direction going on first class British Airways (American Airlines partner) and it cost us $1,000 each for the taxes. British Aiways charges more in taxes than a straight American Airlines flight. We liked British Airwways better than American even with the higher taxes This time we are flying business class, non-stop from LAX to London. Then we had to buy two flights each within Ireland. American doesn't have a partner in Ireland. When we return from London, we will be going business class from London to Chicago. Then after a few days in Chicago, we will be in first class going from Chicago to Dallas and first class again from Dallas to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Ca. When you book business class on American, there aren't any business class seats when you are flying within the U.S.,so they put you in first class. They only offer economy or first class within the U.S.

Barbara - what is the breakdown of the fees? I have heard Others say this - 100k miles and then big cost for fees/taxes? I am wondering if this is when you book directly with a foreign airline? I booked through United and my last trip was to/from Germany 100k for Lufthansa Business and fees were $114. My upcoming trip is United Bus/First - 100k and $42. Doesn't sound fair at all having to use 100k miles AND pay $500.

This is pretty specialized, but I have a BECU (Boeing Employees Credit Union) VISA. Of course, its rewards program has other kinds of rewards besides airline miles. The advantage to their airline miles part is that the miles can be used on any airline. At one time anyone could join the CU, but I'm not sure if that was only in WA or states where BECU had operations, i.e. where Boeing is. It might be worth some research to see what their options are now. My interest rate is VERY low. The annual cost is $25. My husband and I used miles earned for a trip in 2009. We flew to Frankfurt via Iceland on Iceland Air and back from Dublin on AA. I've used miles earned for a few domestic trips as well.

Just so you know, every time you sign up for a new credit card your Credit rating takes a hit. So choose carefully.

I've had great experiences with the American Airlines Mastercard, although I don't know if that will change with the financial troubles. I've booked at least a dozen trips using their miles, mostly to Europe but also NYC a few times. I've even been able to get some domestic tickets with short lead times. Only thing I've found is that trying to upgrade using AA miles is expensive; I've never opted to do that. I've never succeeded using United miles, even though they have a major hub near my home. But I also don't have as many miles as American, and I accrue their miles with travel, not with a credit card.
I've also had good luck with Southwest VISA card.

We have had the Capital One card since 2005, which we obtained to use on a trip to Europe. We did that because we found out it only had a 1 - 3% international charge, which it did. We have used it as our main credit card since then and charge everything we possibly can on it. We get 2 reward miles per dollar spent. It does add up quickly and we have also redeemed it for hotel stays, rental cars, airline purchases and have gotten several of our flights for "free" with these miles. We are sold on it and have had a good experience with it for many years. I don't have any experience with any airline credit cards, so can't speak to that. Our car broke down last week (unfortunately, we are with only one vehicle at the moment) and had to get a rental car to have transportation while it was in the shop, so it was nice to use some of our accumulated miles to take care of the rental car charges. Of course, this is just our personal experience, but it has been a very good one. Hope you find one that will work as well for you, Melissa.

I forgot to mention that we do pay this credit card off every month. That is also something that makes it worth having. We have never had to pay any finance charges because of this. And there is no annual fee with this card either.