I would rather see
a higher airline bonus on any airline charge.
Not exact matches
Heftier
bonuses and increased pay has been offered to counter what Air Force officials see as the draw from commercial
airlines, which can offer
higher compensation.
However, by the time consumers place into the
highest spending tier, they will likely be earning all available credit card
bonuses and perks, which makes the value of those
airline cards significantly
higher.
While not as expensive as an
airline ticket, an overnight stay at a hotel can be quite costly and ultimately result in a
high bonus value.
For frequent travelers looking for a generous rewards rate — 5x points per $ 1 spent on airfare purchased directly from
airlines or booked through American Express Travel and on hotels booked on amextravel.com — as well as
high - end perks like $ 200 a year in credit to offset
airline incidental expenses, a 60,000 point welcome
bonus, and Gold status at Hilton and Starwood hotels, the Platinum Card ® from American Express is a card that should definitely be on your radar.
The following credit cards offer the best the
highest valued
bonuses for
airline miles, perks, and credits.
We value the 75,000 Avios that can be earned with both
bonuses at $ 1,125, one of the
highest among
airline cards.
Typically, the only
bonuses that will give
higher returns are those tied to a specific
airline.
Reward cards offer enticing
bonuses (
airline points, gas discounts, retail perks) but they can also carry
higher interest rates and fees.
You also can get free seat upgrades — hello, extra legroom — and a
higher rewards rate, including a
bonus when you buy the flight with the
airline rewards card.
The JetBlue Plus Card is another excellent
airline card worth highlighting for its great sign - up
bonus, free checked baggage benefits and
high rewards rate.
You may even be surprised to find out that you're willing to pay the annual fee on more than one
high - end card, as the signup
bonuses,
airline credits, lounge memberships and other travel benefits often pay for themselves!
If you're accepted for the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold * credit card, and spend # 2,000 within the first three months, you'll get a
bonus 20,000 reward points, equal to # 100 in
high street vouchers or 20,000
airline frequent flyer points (see need - to - knows below for exactly where you can redeem them).
While this is pretty average for an
airline card, many general travel rewards cards offer
higher overall rewards rates, as well as greater opportunities for earning extra points by providing more comprehensive
bonus categories, such as double points on entertainment, dining and gas purchases.
For that annual fee you'll get a bigger sign - up
bonus, a
higher max on category
bonuses, the ability to transfer points to
airline and hotel partners, and a discount on travel purchased through the Ultimate Rewards website.
Earn a
higher cabin
bonus of 25 % for flying business or first class with specific
airlines.
One of my favourite ways to get a lot of
airline miles and rewards points all at once is to sign up for multiple credit cards based on
high sign - up
bonuses.
The Citi ® Hilton Honors ™ Reserve Card is a very
high - earning points card, earning 3x points for all purchases, 5x points for
airlines and car rentals, and 10x
bonus points at Hilton Hotels.
In the same way, a sufficiently
high transfer
bonus should make even award tickets with
high taxes and fees cheaper than an award ticket booked on a more consumer - friendly
airline.
As you can see, Asiana
Airlines requires a
higher spend threshold — $ 3,000 — to receive the 30,000 - point sign - up
bonus.
As domestic carriers like United
Airlines and American
Airlines raise the cost of their award flights — particularly when partners are priced much
higher than the domestic carrier — I've been... [Read more...] about How You Can Fly to Europe with One Credit Card
Bonus
If you are loyal to a particular
airline or hotel, it might be better to consider to a brand - specific credit card (i.e. Chase IHG Rewards Club credit card) that offers perks like anniversary nights and
higher reward point payouts as the Sapphire Preferred loses a lot of its luster after earning the 50,000
bonus points if you don't need the reward point redemption flexibility.
Both the American
Airlines AAdvantage Platinum Select and Alaska
Airlines Visa Signature cards come with slightly
higher sign - up
bonuses than either the SPG card or the Amex Premier Rewards Gold card.
That same $ 1,000 of spending earns a 30,000 - mile sign - up
bonus, making the card a perfect choice for Alaska
Airlines travelers who don't have
high annual credit card spending.
United
Airlines is running a targeted promotion to purchase miles, with a
bonus offer as
high as 100 %.
On the
high end,
airline flight /
bonus promos, which include offers for flight, cabin class and mile - buying
bonuses, were worth an average of about 25,000 miles each.
The United MileagePlus Explorer Card is one of the best
airline credit cards when it comes with its
high sign - up
bonus of 60,000 or even 70,000 miles.
If the pricing for flights or rooms is
higher through the portal versus booking directly with the
airline or hotel, that shrinks the value you get from earning a rewards
bonus.
With the
highest annual fee of all the cards, you might expect more, such as a healthy sign - up
bonus or a larger annual
airline credit.
While many co-branded
airline cards lure potential customers in with
high - mileage sign - up
bonuses, the Club card relies on its perks to charm customers who are looking more for quality than quantity.
Starpoints carry around a 1.8 - 4.3 cents per Starpoint value when used for
airlines (the
higher value is on upper - class cabins) and receive a 25 percent
bonus when transferred in increments of 20,000.
You may even be surprised to find out that you're willing to pay the annual fee on more than one
high - end card, as the signup
bonuses,
airline credits, lounge memberships and other travel benefits often pay for themselves!
The Southwest
Airlines Rapid Rewards Premier Card has a
highest ever
bonus available with 50,000 points after making $ 2,000 in purchases in 3 months and a $ 100 statement credit after your first purchase.
United
Airlines has launched new MileagePlus buy miles promotion and is offering up to 60 %
bonus for purchases made through January 22, 2018 (there could be
higher targeted offers).
All major
airlines seem to have their own miles for dining programs and while they all offer
bonuses when you first sign up, Delta currently offers the
highest bonus of 1,200 SkyMiles.
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus card offers a fairly large sign - up
bonus of 40,000 points for new cardholders who spend $ 1,000 within the first three months, which is on the
high side for an
airline rewards card.
If you frequently fly Southwest, it's worth upgrading to this
high value
airline card, despite its $ 99 annual fee: It offers one of the best sign - up
bonuses on the market and its rewards points are worth substantially more than the average credit card rewards point.
That being said, these
bonuses are much
higher than what most co-branded
airline cards award to their accountholders.
At 60,000 and 70,000 miles, the sign - up
bonuses for the Gold Delta SkyMiles card and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles card are among the
highest currently available for an
airline rewards credit card.
The card offers a fairly large sign - up
bonus of 40,000 miles for spending $ 1,000 in the first three months, which is on the
high side for an
airline card.
Typically, the only
bonuses that will give
higher returns are those tied to a specific
airline.
Why it's worth it: While the personal Starwood Amex isn't currently offering an elevated
bonus, it's still a great card, especially since Starpoints are my
highest - rated loyalty currency and there are so many ways to redeem them, from transferring to
airline partners to SPG Moments to Starwood and Marriott award stays.
If you were thinking of applying for the Hawaiian
Airlines credit card make sure to either make a dummy booking or use a referral link for the
higher 50,000 sign up
bonus rather than the official 35,000 sign up
bonus.
The study found that most
airline cards «only earn a basic one mile per dollar spent with few
bonus categories like dining or groceries,» and «excluding Southwest, the average price of a domestic award in miles is a
high 37,332 miles round trip.»
That's among the
highest mileage
bonuses Alaska offers on any partner
airlines»
Between the free checked baggage benefits,
airline credit, and anniversary
bonus, the JetBlue Plus Card is well worth, despite the
high $ 99 annual fee.