The Best Airline Rewards Credit Cards
Posted by on July 18th, 2008
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
Delta Reserve Credit Card
- Annual First-Class companion certificate, which can be used for a First-Class or Coach-Class ticket!
- Earn up to 10,000 Medallion(R) Qualification Miles (MQMs) after your first purchase
- Built-in Miles BoostSM – earn up to 30,000 MQMs and 30,000 bonus miles
- Complimentary Crown Room Club(R) access for you and two guests
- Access to American Express(R) Concierge Services
- Pay with Miles – pay for all or part of any Delta flight with your miles
- Check your first bag for free on every Delta flight
Platinum Delta SkyMiles(R) Credit Card from American Express
- Earn 20,000 bonus SkyMiles(R) (including 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles) after first purchase and another 2,500 for adding an Additional Cardmember
- Earn one companion Coach Class ticket each year upon renewal
- Earn at least 1 mile for every eligible dollar spent
- Miles never expire and there is no cap on the miles you can earn
- Pay with Miles: Pay for all or part of your flight with miles – and put the rest on your Card
- Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
- Check your first bag free on every Delta flight
Continental Airlines OnePass® Plus Card
- Pay No Annual Fee the first year. That’s a savings of $85.
- Earn 25,000 bonus miles after your first purchase. That’s enough for a round-trip reward within the United States (excluding Hawaii).
- Earn an additional 5,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and when you add an authorized user within 2 months of your account opening.
- Earn 10,000 bonus miles annually when you spend $25,000 on your Card
First Checked Bag Free – With the OnePass(R) Plus Card, you and your companions on the same reservation don’t pay for your first checked bag when flying on Continental-operated flights. That can save a family of four up to $200 per round trip. - Earn two miles for every $1 spent when you purchase tickets from Continental Airlines on your Card.
- Earn one mile for every $1 in purchases charged on your Card.
- Redeem Miles for Car and Hotel Rewards exclusively as a Cardmember.
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express
- Earn up to 25,000 bonus miles — enough for a total of $250 off Delta flights
- Use miles to pay for any Delta seat, anytime – - no black out dates and no seat restrictions
- 25,000 miles may also be redeemed for a domestic economy award ticket
- Earn SkyMiles for every eligible dollar you spend
- No annual fee for the first year, then $95.
- Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
- Check your first bag for free on every Delta flight.
Chase Sapphire℠
- Earn $100 in Rewards – that’s 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase!
- Redeem Points for Travel, Gift Cards, Merchandise, Cash Back and More
- 2X Points Earned on Airfare Booked through Ultimate Rewards & 1 point for Every Dollar Spent on All Other Purchases
- Points Never Expire and There Are No Limits on How Many Points You Can Earn
- 24/7 Dedicated Service Advisor (No Voice Recording)
- Premier Travel Protection Benefits
- All of this for No Annual Fee!
Chase Sapphire℠ Preferred Card
- Earn a FREE FLIGHT – that’s 25,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months!
- 2X points earned on all airfare booked through Ultimate Rewards & 1 point for every dollar spent on all other purchases
- Fly on leading airlines anytime. There are no travel restrictions or blackout dates and points never expire.
- Points are worth 25% more when you redeem for travel through Ultimate Rewards
- 7% annual points dividend – earn bonus points on your points
- 1:1 points transfer to leading airline and hotel programs
- 24/7 Dedicated expert service advisors (No voice recording)
- No Annual Fee for your first year – An $85 value
Escape by Discover® Card
- 25,000 Bonus Miles – Earn 1,000 Miles each month you make a purchase for the first 25 months
- 2 Miles per $1 on all purchases
- No limit on the Miles you earn and Miles dont expire*
- Fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates
- Use Miles for travel, merchandise, gift cards or cash
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months then the regular APR
- Industry Leading Customer Service
- Enhanced travel benefits like Travel Delay Insurance and Trip Cancellation Insurance
Miles by Discover® Card
- 12,000 Bonus Miles Earn 1,000 Miles each month you make a purchase for your 1st year
- 1 Mile per $1 on every purchase
- Plus, 2 Miles on travel and restaurant purchases on your first $3,000 each year
- No limit on the Miles you earn and Miles dont expire*
- Fly on any airline, book any hotel or car, with no blackout dates
- Use Miles for travel, merchandise, gift cards or cash
- 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 6 months then the regular APR
- No Annual Fee, No Overlimit Fee, No Redemption Fee
Simmons First Visa® Platinum Rewards Card
- Excellent Credit Required – Applicants who do not have excellent credit will not be approved
- Low 9.25% variable standard purchase APR and platinum benefits
- No balance transfer fee for balances transferred in response to this online offer
- Travel Rewards – cardholders who enroll in the program receive one point per net dollar spent
- Choose any U.S. based airline or ticket class. No blackout dates or seating restrictions
- Other travel related options are hotels, cruises, vacation packages, car rental, and restaurants
- No Annual Fee
Blue Sky from American Express(R)
- 0% Intro APR on purchases for 6 months and no annual fee.
- Flexibility to pay over time.
- Turn purchases into free travel: Enjoy travel rewards with no travel restrictions or blackout dates – get points for flights on any airline, stays at any hotel, and car rentals with any company.
Starwood Preferred Guest(R) Credit Card from American Express
- Earn up to 25,000 Starpoints (R) – enough for up to 6 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel.
- Use Starpoints(R) for free nights and upgrades at participating Starwood hotels and resorts in 95 countries including Sheraton, W Hotels, Westin and more with no blackout dates
- No annual fee for the first year and $45 thereafter
- Transfer Starpoints(R) – almost always on a 1:1 basis – to the frequent flyer programs of over 30 major airlines
- Earn one Starpoint(R) for every dollar you spend and double Starpoints(R) at participating Starwood properties and retail partners
- Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
- Smarter Travel Editor’s Choice Award for Best Travel Awards Card for Domestic Use
- Hot Free Money Deals: Chase Sapphire $100 | Chase Freedom $100
- Investing Bonuses: optionsXpress $100 | Lending Club $25
- Make your money work harder.
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.