<p>Can’t believe I’m asking for credit card recommendations when we get multiple requests in the mail each week!</p>
<p>I’m looking to replace the LLBean VISA I have - used to be great for me because it allowed me free shipping and reward points to be used towards shopping there but now I don’t buy much ther and they offer free shipping for everyone!</p>
<p>We will be flying out west for a wedding next summer so thought I might look into a card what might give airfare credits/points. A Delta card might be best cause that seems to be what we end up flying lately and it’s the main hub at Detroit where we fly out of.</p>
<p>Already have a Costco AE card so would rather not get another AE. Any recommendations on a card for me??? Also, out of curiosity, how many Miles must be earned to “pay” for a flight???</p>
<p>A few months ago, I decided to go with a Chase Freedom card, which offers 1% cash back on everything, and 5% on categories that rotate each quarter. Here is a site that lists cards and their rewards. I used this link to narrow down my choices:</p>
<p>I was told that if you wish to get miles, an airline CC is the best choice. However, I have a Chase Sapphire credit card. I can use my points to buy tickets on any airline…and I don’t believe there are black out dates.</p>
<p>If I were getting a new one, I’d go with Southwest because that’s what we fly most.</p>
<p>I recently got a Southwest Visa because they offered 2round trip tickets if I spent 1000 within 3 months. I have done delta credit cards when they offer the equivalent of 2 round trip tickets also. Te card I’ve used for many ears is associated with American airlines.</p>
<p>If you get an airline mile card, it should be for an airline that you will actually use, and whose flights are not always blacked out or sold out for award mileage tickets.</p>
<p>But the payback on airline miles beyond any initial bonuses may not be all that good compared to the % cash back cards, especially if you are using the airline miles on domestic economy class tickets.</p>
<p>I soured on mileage cards when I had Capital One, and every time I turned around they changed the terms to give less miles per dollar, and require more miles to get a ticket.</p>
<p>I use a card that gives me 1.5% cash back on everything, don’t deal with miles any more.</p>
<p>I have found it so dratted difficult to use airline miles that I have given up intentionally collecting them via credit card or flights. If they accumulate, and can be conveniently used, so be it. But I won’t go out of my way one inch to acquire more.</p>
<p>A lot of the airline cards have an annual fee, so watch for that. I now have a Choice Hotels Visa where I get hotel points that can be used at any hotel in the chain. I have had it for several years, and find it fairly painless to cash in the points when I want to use them. It has been a great help when college visiting to get a lot of free hotel rooms!</p>
<p>My S is a devotee of miles, and has gotten amazing deals on flights as he follows which card. It is too complicated to follow this minutae for me, but that being said, I usually have FF mile card, and use it every chance I get. The two I’ve had are United and Delta. Delta is an Amex, which makes it unusable far too often. </p>
<p>However, it requires fewer dollars spent to get all the miles, and I’ve really come to appreciate the early boarding, free luggage, and companion certificate. I take maybe 3 trips per year, and the luggage fees alone would be $150, so the card pays for itself, and certainly did during the initial free year. My S says the miles are harder to claim on Delta than some others, but they have good connections out of my city. Supposedly a free domestic ticket is 25,000 miles, but I’ve ended up using more at times. </p>
<p>The United card does the same thing, is a Visa, and has added the free luggage as well as perhaps some of the other benefits to their paid card. For years I’ve had a free United card that gives me a mile per $2 spent. Over the years, I’ve gathered sufficient miles for a free trip. My S says their miles are easier to use, and you can get one way tickets with miles, unlike other airlines.</p>
<p>Hmmm. So sounds like there can be limitations on what flights you can use with points? Didn’t know that. And I really prefer to not have a card with annual fees. Our flying is very limited. I usually only fly once a year and usually that is for business .</p>
<p>If I have member award points with my AE card fom Costco, I am unaware of it!!!</p>
<p>Usually, the number of award seats on any given flight is limited for the “cheaper” award levels (e.g. 25,000 for a domestic economy ticket). You may have to use more miles to buy an award ticket if the “cheaper” award seats are sold out on the flight you want. If your flying is limited, and not very flexible (due to business requirements), you may have a much more difficult time using the miles for award tickets than if you flew frequently with some flights being flexible in scheduling.</p>
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So sounds like there can be limitations on what flights you can use with points? Didn’t know that.
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I’ve read numerous geeky analysis of these programs and they all recommend not going the miles on credit card route. The value of the miles (after considering all fees like annual fees) is typically about the same or less than a straight cash back card … and the miles have much more limited use and some with restrictions on flights. Bottom line was in perfect conditions the mileage credit cards might be a slightly better deal but life often takes folks away from those perfect conditions.</p>
<p>Question about the Delta Amex - we have that one and use it, but I didn’t know there was a free companion ticket with it. Is that yearly and how do we access that? I recently purchased 3 tickets without knowing we had a free companion ticket available to us.</p>
<p>RTR, I just looked on the Delta Amex website, and see no mention of the companion ticket. It was not free, rather $99. I did have occasion to travel with my D and use it a year ago. Otherwise, I travel alone, so have not looked for it. The other benefit to the free luggage, is that your companions also get a free checked piece.</p>
<p>edit: just signed into my account, and yes, the benefit is still there, though something is about “with card renewal”. Delta flights only, economy only, and taxes are applied. </p>
<p>The other benefit I use is the car insurance you sign up for. It is an additional flat fee per rental, and it saved me a bundle on insurance when renting in France a few years back. </p>
<p>Also, add a card for a family member when signing up, and you get an extra 5000 miles.</p>
<p>I have two different mileage cards. The USBank Rewards card gives you credits that are actually usable to purchase flights through Travelocity. That means you’re not restricted in what we buy, but the price decides how many points it takes. The points also can be used for car rentals, hotels, etc. Very useful for flights in coach class, where they are a bargain.</p>
<p>We also have an Alaska mileage card for our business expenses. Somewhat less useful for most flights, since it only works for Alaska’s route system (which is extensive for the west coast), but great for getting business class tickets to Europe…</p>
<p>I have a Delta Skymiles credit card through AmEx. We got it when our D decided to go to Boston for college and there was a direct Delta flight from our airport to Boston. The first year there was no membership fee and we got enough free miles for signing up (it was a promotion) that we able to get a free roundtrip ticket. </p>
<p>After that year, we have paid a $95 membership fee for each year, but the membership brings with it a $99 companion ticket voucher. Whenever my H and I flew to Boston, we paid full fare for one ticket and $99 for the other. The full fare tickets were always well over $200 (the cost of membership and the $99 companion ticket), so we felt we were getting a bargain. Now our daughter is living in CA and we have used our $99 voucher to fly in/out of LAX - an even more expensive ticket. </p>
<p>We use our AmEx almost exclusively (rerouting expenses we would have before put on a VISA or MC), building up the miles on the account to get even more free flights. In four years, we were always able to bring our D home for the holidays with a free Skymile ticket. She is coming home for Thanksgiving this year with a ticket paid with Skymiles.</p>
<p>And - When you book your Delta ticket with the Skymiles AmEx, you (and your traveling companions booked on the same AmEx card at the same time) do not pay for the first checked bag, saving us another $25/person, each way.</p>
<p>We have found this program easy to work with and a big savings in our pocket.</p>
<p>I did not read through the whole thread, but I heard an ad today from Southwest. It is offering two free tickets in the U.S. if you sign up for tis card and spend $2000 in the next two months. I am thinking about getting one.</p>
<p>You probably live near Atlanta or Cincinnati, or perhaps Detroit, Minneapolis, or Memphis, if non-stop flights on Delta to Boston or Los Angeles are conveniently findable for you.</p>