It’s our last week of vacation and we’ll be heading home this weekend. In Free Money Friday fashion, here’s a vacation themed money saver for you: airline rewards credit cards!
I’m a big fan of frequent flier miles. We used miles for our honeymoon to Hawaii. What better way to travel, than for free?
As with all the credit cards I highlight, I’ll keep the list updated so you can bookmark it and check back in the future.
Airline Rewards Credit Cards
AeroMexico Visa Signature® Card
- Double miles on gas, groceries and Aeromexico ticket purchases
- 1 mile per $1 spent on everything else
- 20,000 First-Use bonus miles – enough for a round-trip ticket
- Complimentary Companion Certificate
- Complimentary Salon Premier Lounge access
- Complimentary checked bag and Aeromexico ticket discount
- $0* intro annual fee for the first year, thereafter up to $80*
- Renewal bonus miles, plus $99 Complimentary Companion Certificate with credit card renewal
AirTran® Airways A+ Rewards® Credit Card
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER! Get 2 ROUNDTRIP FLIGHTS after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months of opening your account.
- 2 Business Class upgrades after first purchase.
- 2 A+ Rewards Credits every year after your Cardmember Anniversary.
- 2 A+ Rewards Dollars per $1 spent on AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines® purchases made directly with the airlines.
- 1 A+ Rewards Dollar per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Redeem your credits for flights on both AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines to over 90 destinations worldwide!
AirTran® Airways A+ Rewards® Credit Card
- Get a ROUNDTRIP FLIGHT after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months of opening your account.
- 2 Business Class upgrades after first purchase.
- 2 A+ Rewards Credits every year after your Cardmember Anniversary.
- 2 A+ Rewards Dollars per $1 spent on AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines® purchases made directly with the airlines.
- 2 A+ Rewards Dollars per $1 spent on A+ Rewards and Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases.
- 1 A+ Rewards Dollar per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Redeem your credits for flights on both AirTran Airways and Southwest Airlines to over 90 destinations!
British Airways Visa Signature Card®
- You will get 50,000 bonus Avios after your first purchase
- 25,000 bonus Avios after you make $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
- Plus an additional 25,000 bonus Avios after you make an additional $10,000 in purchases within the first year of account opening
- That’s enough Avios for one roundtrip business class reward ticket
- New: Smart Chip Technology allows you to use your card for chip based purchases in Europe & beyond, while still giving you the ability to use your card as you do today at home
- Pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad
- Earn 2.5 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases
- Earn 1.25 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
British Airways Visa Signature® Card
- You will get 50,000 bonus Avios after you make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Plus pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad
- You will also get 2.5 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases and 1.25 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years
- Chip with Signature Technology allows you to use your card for chip based purchases in Europe & beyond, while still giving you the ability to use your card as you do today at home
British Airways Visa Signature® Card
- You will get 50,000 bonus Avios after you make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of account opening
- Plus pay no foreign transaction fees when you travel abroad
- You will also get 2.5 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases and 1.25 Avios for every $1 spent on all other purchases
- Every calendar year you make $30,000 in purchases on your British Airways Visa card, you’ll earn a Travel Together Ticket good for two years
- Chip with Signature Technology allows you to use your card for chip based purchases in Europe & beyond, while still giving you the ability to use your card as you do today at home
Capital One® VentureSM Rewards Credit Card
- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel
Citi® Platinum Select®/AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card
- Earn 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership*
- Your first eligible checked bag is free*
- Priority Boarding* and 25% savings on eligible in-flight purchases*
- Earn a $100 American Airlines Flight Discount every cardmembership year with qualifying purchases and cardmembership renewal*
- Double AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases*
- Earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back – up to 10,000 AAdvantage(R) miles each calendar year*
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card
- Earn 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership*
- Your first eligible checked bag is free*
- Priority Boarding with Group 1 privileges* and 25% savings on eligible in-flight purchases*
- Earn a $100 American Airlines Flight Discount every cardmembership year with qualifying purchases and cardmembership renewal*
- Double AAdvantage® miles on eligible American Airlines purchases*
- Earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back – up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year*
Citi® Platinum Select®/AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card
- Limited time offer: Earn 40,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after $3000 in purchases within the first 3 months of cardmembership*
- Earn an additional 10,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after you spend $10,000 in purchases within first 12 months of cardmembership*
- Your first eligible checked bag is free*
- Priority Boarding* and 25% savings on eligible in-flight purchases*
- Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles per $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases*
- Earn 10% of your redeemed AAdvantage® miles back – up to 10,000 AAdvantage® miles each calendar year*
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Bonus Miles: Earn 30,000 bonus miles toward Award Travel after you spend $500 on the Card within the first three months of Cardmembership.
- Earn As You Spend: Get 2X miles on Delta purchases and 1X miles for all other eligible dollars spent.
- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight – that’s a savings of up to $200 per round trip for a family of four.
- Premium Travel Perks: Settle in sooner with Priority Boarding, and enjoy the skies with 20% in-flight savings to use toward meals, beverages, and movies awarded as a statement credit.
- $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Terms and Restrictions Apply.
LANPASS Visa Signature® Card
- 1 LANPASS Mile for every $1 you spend
- No Cap on Miles Earned
- 20,000 Bonus Miles with your first card use
- 4,000 Bonus Miles with your annual credit card renewal
- Double Miles on LAN ticket purchases
- $0 Introductory Annual Fee for the first year, thereafter $75*
- No annual fee for the first year ($75 thereafter)*
- 20% discount on LAN purchase (up to $1,000) 1 time per year
LifeMiles Visa Signature® Card
- Earn 1 LifeMile for every net $1 you spend
- 20,000 bonus LifeMiles with your first card use
- 6,000 bonus LifeMiles with your annual credit card renewal
- Double LifeMiles on Avianca and TACA Airlines ticket purchases
- 50% Excess Baggage Redemption Discount on TACA Airlines
- $0 Introductory Annual Fee for the first year, thereafter $75*
SKYPASS Visa® Signature Credit Card
- Get up to 15,000 Bonus Miles after your first purchase
- Earn 1 mile for every $1 you spend in net purchases
- Double Miles on Korean Air ticket purchases
- Redeem miles for award travel and upgrades on any SkyTeam partner, including Korean Air and domestic carriers such as Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines
Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Get 2 ROUNDTRIP FLIGHTS after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months of opening your account – that’s over $800 in Wanna Get Away?® Fares!
- Get 6,000 points every year after your Cardmember Anniversary – that’s enough for a $100 Wanna Get Away? Fare!
- 2 points per $1 Spent on Southwest Airlines and AirTran® Airways purchases made directly with the airlines and on Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental purchases.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Redeem points for Gift Cards, Car Rentals, Cruises, Hotel Stays, and International flights to over 800 Destinations on 50+ global carriers.
Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Limited-Time Offer: Get 2 Roundtrip Flights after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months of opening your account. Government fees as low as $10 not included.
- Get 6,000 points every year after your Cardmember Anniversary – that’s enough for a $100 Wanna Get Away? Fare!
- 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines and AirTran® Airways purchases made directly with the airlines and on Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Redeem points for Gift Cards, Car Rentals, Cruises, Hotel Stays, and International flights to over 800 Destinations on 50+ global carriers.
Southwest Airlines® Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card
- Limited-Time Offer: Get 2 Roundtrip Flights after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months of opening your account. Government fees as low as $10 not included.
- Get 6,000 points every year after your Cardmember Anniversary – that’s enough for a $100 Wanna Get Away? Fare!
- 2 points per $1 spent on Southwest Airlines and AirTran® Airways purchases made directly with the airlines and on Rapid Rewards Hotel and Car Rental Partner purchases.
- 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases.
- Redeem points for Gift Cards, Car Rentals, Cruises, Hotel Stays, and International flights to over 800 Destinations on 50+ global carriers.
The Frontier Airlines World MasterCard®
- Earn up to 45,000 miles on qualifying transactions, enough for a round trip flight plus taxes and fees from $5.00.
- Award travel redemptions begins at just 10,000 miles.
- Enjoy 2 miles per $1 on Frontier Airlines purchases
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent everywhere else
- Redeem companion tickets for 5,000 fewer miles – a cardholder exclusive benefit.
- Please see terms and conditions for complete details
The Lufthansa Premier Miles & More World MasterCard®
- Earn 20,000 award miles after your first purchase
- Earn an additional 30,000 award miles when you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 90 days
- Cardholders receive a companion ticket annually.
- Enjoy 2 award miles per $1 on Miles & More integrated airline ticket purchases
- Earn 1 award mile per $1 spent everywhere else
- No mileage expiration with monthly qualifying purchases
- 0% Intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months after account opening, after that a variable APR currently 15.99% to 24.99% depending upon your creditworthiness.
- Please see terms and conditions for complete details
The US Airways Premier World MasterCard®
- Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles on qualifying transactions
- EXCLUSIVE: Redeem flights for 5,000 fewer miles
- Zone 2 boarding on every flight
- Enjoy 2 miles per $1 spent on US Airways purchases
- Earn 1 mile per $1 spent everywhere else
- Annual companion certificate good for round-trip travel for up to 2 companions at $99 each, plus taxes and fees
- First Class check-in
- Please see terms and conditions for complete details
United MileagePlus® Explorer Card
- NEW! No foreign transaction fees!
- Start with 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 in the first 3 months
- Check your first bag for free – save up to $100 per roundtrip
- Earn double miles on tickets purchased from United, and 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases
- Enjoy priority boarding privileges and visit the United Club with two one-time-use passes every year
- Use your miles for any seat, any time, on any United flight
- Your miles don’t expire as long as you’re a Cardmember, with no limit to the number of miles you can earn
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
United MileagePlus® Explorer Card
- Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles & first year free, a $95 value*
- Check your first bag for free on United and Continental-operated flights, up to a $50 value round trip
- Board your flight before general boarding with priority boarding privileges
- Visit the United Club with two complimentary day passes every year, up to a $100 value
- Earn 2 miles for $1 spent on tickets purchased from United and Continental and 1 mile per $1 everywhere else
- Enjoy exclusive access to once-in-a-lifetime events through Inside Access from Chase
- Your miles don’t expire and there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn
Virgin America Visa® Signature Card
- Earn up to 15,000 Bonus Points on qualifying transactions
- Enjoy 3 Points per $1 on Virgin America purchases
- Earn 1 Point per $1 spent everywhere else
- Low Intro rate on balance transfers for the first 15 months after account opening
- $150 off a companion ticket every year
- No blackout dates on any seat, at any time for reward flights
- Please see terms and conditions for complete details
Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard — $89 Annual Fee Card
- Earn 40,000 bonus miles if you make $1,000 or more in purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. 40,000 bonus miles equates to $400 off your next trip!
- 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months after account opening. After that, variable APR, currently 14.99% or 18.99%, based upon your creditworthiness.
- Earn 2X miles on all purchases
- No mileage caps and no foreign transaction fees
- Get 10% miles back when you redeem for travel (i.e. redeem 25,000 miles for travel and get 2,500 miles back)
- Use miles for a statement credit toward any airline purchase to any destination with no seat restrictions and no blackout dates
- Easily redeem your miles for statement credits toward flights, cruises, car rentals, hotels and more
- Complimentary subscription to TripIt Pro mobile travel organizer — a $49 annual value!
Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard — No Annual Fee Card
- Start by earning 20,000 bonus miles when you make $1,000 or more in purchases in the first 90 days from account opening. 20,000 bonus miles equates to $200 off your next trip!
- 0% introductory APR on purchases for the first 12 months after account opening. After that, variable APR, currently 14.99% or 18.99%, based upon your creditworthiness.
- Earn 2X miles on travel and dining purchases and 1X miles on all other purchases
- No mileage caps and no foreign transaction fees
- Get 10% miles back when you redeem for travel (e.g. redeem 25,000 miles for travel and get 2,500 miles back)
- Use miles for a statement credit toward any airline purchase to any destination with no seat restrictions and no blackout dates
- Easily redeem your miles for statement credits toward flights, cruises, car rentals, hotels and more
- Complimentary subscription to TripIt Pro mobile travel organizer — a $49 annual value!
Blue Sky from American Express®
- Welcome Bonus: earn 7,500 points after you spend $1,000 within the first 3 months of Cardmembership – redeemable for a $100 statement credit.
- Flexible Ways to Earn: earn 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend on eligible purchases.
- Unlimited Travel Options: Travel with any airline, hotel, cruise, car rental and travel package – with no blackout dates.
- Flexible Bill Payments: pay your bill all at once or over time.
- No annual membership fee and 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, after that, your APR will be a variable rate, currently 17.24%- 22.24%.
- Terms and Restrictions Apply.
Capital One® VentureSM Rewards Credit Card
- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- As seen in Money® Magazine’s “Best” issue three years in a row. – Money® Magazine May 2010, 2011, 2012
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel
- Redeem your miles for any travel expense
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles don’t expire
- Fly on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that
Capital One® VentureSM Rewards Credit Card
- 2 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day
- As seen in Money® Magazine’s “Best” issue three years in a row. – Money® Magazine May 2010, 2011, 2012
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel
- Redeem your miles for any travel expense
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles don’t expire
- Fly on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
- No foreign transaction fees
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $59 after that
Capital One® VentureOneSM Rewards Credit Card
- 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and no annual fee
- One-time bonus of 10,000 miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel
- Redeem miles for airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, and more
- No limit on the miles you can earn and miles don’t expire
- Fly on any airline, any time with no blackout dates
- 0% intro APR on purchases until June 2014
- No foreign transaction fees
Capital One® VentureOneSM Rewards Credit Card
- 1.25 miles per dollar on every purchase, every day and no annual fee
- One-time bonus of 10,000 miles once you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, equal to $100 in travel
Capital One® Orbitz® Visa® Platinum
- 3 points per dollar spent on eligible Orbitz.com bookings
- Get 1 point per dollar on all other purchases
- Bonus points on eligible Orbitz.com bookings
- No limit on the points you can earn and points don’t expire
- Redeem for travel, merchandise, gift cards, and more
- Earn travel quickly with low redemption minimums
- No annual fee
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
- 40,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months – that’s $500 toward travel rewards!
- 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you redeem through Ultimate RewardsSM
- No foreign transaction fees
- Receive a 7% Annual Points Dividend on all new points earned on purchases – even on points already redeemed
- 1:1 point transfer to leading frequent travel programs – that means 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points equal 1,000 partner miles/points
- Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
- Introductory Annual Fee of $0 the first year, then $95
Chase Sapphire Preferred℠
- Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $2,000 in the first 3 months – that’s $500 toward travel rewards!
- 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you redeem through Ultimate Rewards℠
- No foreign transaction fees
- Receive a 7% Annual Points Dividend on all new points earned on purchases – even on points already redeemed
- 1:1 point transfer to participating frequent travel programs
- Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
- Introductory Annual Fee of $0 the first year, then $95
Chase Sapphire Preferred℠ Card
- Earn 40,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months- that’s $500 toward travel rewards!
- 2 points per dollar spent on travel and at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you book through Ultimate Rewards℠
- No foreign transaction fees
- Receive a 7% annual dividend on all new points earned – even on points already redeemed
- 1:1 point transfer to participating frequent travel programs
- Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
- No Annual Fee for your first year – A $95 value
Chase Sapphire® Card
- 10,000 bonus points after you spend $500 in the first 3 months – that’s $100 toward travel rewards!
- 2 points per dollar spent at restaurants & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
- Points never expire and there are no limits on how many points you can earn
- Redeem points for travel, gift cards, merchandise, cash back and more
- Direct access to expert service advisors anytime
- No annual fee!
Escape by Discover® Card
- Double Miles on every $1 you spend
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months, then the variable purchase APR of 10.99% – 19.99%*
- No restrictions on travel–fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates
- Flexible redemption options like travel credits, merchandise, gift cards or cash
- Travel Insurance benefits, including primary car rental, lost or damaged luggage, travel delay, and trip cancellation when you book with your Escape by Discover card
- Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty–16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report)
- *Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information
Miles by Discover® Card
- 1 Mile on every $1 you spend – Plus flexible redemption options like travel credits, merchandise, gift cards or cash
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months, then the variable purchase APR of 10.99% – 19.99%*
- No restrictions on travel–fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates
- Travel benefits include secondary collision damage insurance when you rent a car with your Miles by Discover card
- Discover is ranked #1 in customer loyalty–16 years in a row! (2012 Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index report)
- Great rewards with no annual fee, no rewards redemption fee, and no additional card fee
- *Click apply to view rates, fees, rewards, limitations and other important information
PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express® Card
- You must be a PenFed member to apply. Not yet a member? It’s easy to join!
- You may be eligible through your employment, association membership, and volunteerism, or by becoming a member of one of our nonprofit partner organizations.
- Earn 5 points on airfare purchases, and 1 point on all other purchases.
- Earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend $650 within the first 3 months of opening the Card account—that’s worth $200 toward your next round-trip airline ticket.
- Free LOUNGE CLUB™ membership which provides worldwide airport lounge access (upon spending $15,000 on the Card within a calendar year).
- Ability to redeem points for a wide-range of rich rewards, including travel, brand-named merchandise, and gift cards at PenFedPremiumRewards.com.
The Carnival™ MasterCard®
- 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 months after account opening (after that a variable APR currently 13.99% – 20.99%)
- Earn 5,000 bonus points when you use your card for the first time
- Earn DOUBLE points on any Carnival™ purchase
- Earn 1 point per $1 spent everywhere else
- Redeem points for cruises on Carnival™ or other eligible World’s Leading Cruise Lines vacations, hotel or flight discounts, onboard gifts and services, merchandise or gift cards
- No Annual Fee
- Please see terms and conditions for complete details
The Priceline Rewards™ Visa® Card
- Earn 5,000 bonus points after your first purchase
- Earn 5X points on Priceline.com purchases
- Earn 1X point on everything else
- Plus, earn an additional 5,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 on qualifying transactions in the first 90 days of account opening
- Your points can act like cash – Redeem points for statement credits against purchases made on your account
- No limit to the number of points you can earn
- Please see terms and conditions for complete details
U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards Visa Signature® card
- Get 17,500 bonus FlexPoints after the first $2,500 in net purchases in the first 150 days
- Award travel starts at just 20,000 FlexPoints (up to a $400 ticket value) on over 150 airlines with no blackout dates or redemption fees
- Earn one FlexPoint for every $1 of eligible net purchases charged to your card
- Earn two FlexPoints for every $1 spent on gas, grocery or airline purchases – whichever you spend most on each monthly billing cycle – and on most cell phone expenses
- Earn Triple FlexPoints for your charitable donations
- $0 Annual Fee* the first year, after that $49*
- Earn 3,500 bonus FlexPoints each year when you spend $24,000 in Net Purchases. You can redeem these FlexPoints for your annual fee or combine them with other FlexPoints for travel
Visa® Black CardTM
- Receive special benefits at over 3,000 hotels, resorts and villas worldwide
- Earn 25,000 bonus points when you spend $1,500 within 90 days of account opening
- 1% cash back as a statement credit
- 100% more value on airfare rewards. It only takes 25,000 points to get a $500 ticket
- 24-Hour Concierge Service
- Unlimited VIP Airport Lounge Visits
- Luxury Gifts
- Excellent Credit Needed
If you're looking for a new credit card, be sure to check out our credit card directory!
- Hot Free Money Deals: Barclaycard $440+ | $3,000+ in Bonuses
You just have to be pretty discipined to use these. If not a few slipup will kill you with late fees and interest
Well I am a student and cannot get any of these credit cards. I have however applied for a student credit card with a max of $300. So I am excited to receive that shortly
@ Ryan: I’ll work on putting together a list just for student cards in the future.
So far, Starwood Amex worked best for me, since points can be transferred to any air mile program. I have also had an airline card on the side for bonus miles, which I change every year to get a new bonus. Have you found a good alternative to this? Anything like a free or a low cost card that would be offering you for example anniversary bonus miles instead but you would not have to bother replacing every year?
Thx.
I try to use my credit card on all purchases as much as possible and pay my other bills with it too. This is the way I accumulate points.