Choosing Airline Credit Cards

It really depends on if you fly much and then on which airlines. I've always used Alaska/Horizon and I use an affiliated credit card for everything I can. If you fly enough, you become an MVP which allows you to use their MVP desk to look for free flights.

Hi Jim. Suggest you consider United card - check their website; sometimes they offer no annual fee the first year and free miles to sign up. They are part of a huge network including Continental, Air Canada, and several airlines in Europe. We flew Air Canada last summer from Montreal to Bologna Italy via Brussels using United FF Miles.

You have to weigh the cost/benefits of airline cards carefully. The issue is that all of the airlines charge an annual fee. For example - United/Chase has two levels $65 and $95. The $95 card gives you 1.5 miles for each dollar charged and the other card is 1 to 1. Since you need about 30,000 miles for a domestic ticket, the question is How long will it take you to spend/flying 30,000 miles? It it is a couple years or more, then you annual fee will about paid for that ticket. In my opinion you need to be charging and flying about $50,000 each year to make it pay. There are some games that can be played to get more miles but it takes some efforts. Or you go to a free card like Capital One which builds miles also and, I have read, is viewed as a top card for airline miles. But I have no experience with Capital One so I don't know how the mileage works.

Choosing the airline that flies where you want to go is the key. I currently have a Continental Mastercard and a Delta AX. Both gave lots of miles as a signup bonus, and miles again when I reached a certain spending level. Neither charged for the first year, and the COL bonuses give me 2 passes a year to the club and 2 domestic discount coupons (never been able to use the discounts). We think we get the 75 $ a year fee in value because we manage to spend enough to get at least 2 free tickets a year. We keep the Delta card as a backup and because DL has the "pay with miles" option which is useful at times. We're a family of four and find it easier to track family spending with the card. There are also bonus miles with shopping thru the airline's "mall", restaurant meals, and more. USAirways is curently rolling out a toolbar where 3 searches earn a mile. That's not much but it keeps your miles from expiring.

I have always had a Chase United Mileage card and rarely pay for air (I've earned lots of miles with college tuition). I did get a Chase British Airways which is the WORST. They add so many taxes and service fees to your free ticket. We paid $750 for two "free" round trip tickets to Paris. Plus we have to pay $30 per flight for a confirmed seat assignment if you don't want to wait until 24 hours before your flight. Also really limited seats as all flights go through London only and horrid customer service.

I have found United and American Airlines to be the easiest ones to redeem miles for free tickets. Delta is the worst. American Airlines is affiliated with Alaska Airlines and British Air, among others. If you have British Airways miles, by the way, I've learned that you should redeem them on an American Airlines flight, to avoid the ridiculous fees. You can usually get 30,000 free miles and no annual fee for a year on an airline credit card. You & your wife might both want to get a separate card, for 30,000 miles each. On our Chase United Visas, we called to cancel the card after a year and they offered us a fee-free card at a reduced earnings rate (1 mile for every 2 dollars) which is still better than nothing. If you charge all of your expenses (insurance, utilities, food) to the card you can accumulate significant miles.

I have the United/Chase card. I pay the lower of the two annual fees mentioned above by Frank. I have always been able to get the rewards flights to Europe that we want. We currently have a rewards flight booked to fly into Barcelona and out of Paris. No probelm booking the flight except that you can't do open-jaw reward flights online. You have to call the United agent to book. The big secret is to book about 333 days out. The flights begin appearing on the website about 333 days out.