If you find yourself doing a lot of traveling, having a travel rewards credit card is a must. When that travel means flying a particular airline, then an airline miles credit card is the way to go. Airline miles credit cards can offer unique benefits for frequent flyers that most travel rewards credit cards cannot and as the movie “Up In The Air” has shown, the miles can be racked up in the millions.
Make no mistake, choosing an airline miles credit card should be done only if you enjoy flying a particular airline. Too often, consumers find themselves tied to an airline they have poor experiences with simply because they earn a few additional miles. Whether your airline of choice is American, Continental, Delta or a few others, we’ve got a co-branded credit card that can make your flying experience much more enjoyable.
United MileagePlus® Explorer Card- The merger of United and Continental spawned a new airlines reward card with some great features. First, you can Earn up to 40,000 bonus miles. You earn 25,000 bonus miles after you first use the card and 5,000 additional bonus miles after your first card use and for adding an authorized user within two months of opening your account. You also earn 10,000 bonus miles when you spend $25,000 or more on your Card each calendar year. And the $95 annual fee is waived the first year. Your first checked bag is free on United and Continental-operated flights, and you enjoy priority boarding privileges. You can visit the United Club with two complimentary day passes every year, up to a $100 value. The card earns you 2 miles for $1 spent on tickets purchased from United and Continental and 1 mile per $1 everywhere else. Your miles don’t expire and there is no limit to the number of miles you can earn.
Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card – The Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card is perfect for the frequent Southwest Airlines traveler, offering a free flight after your first purchase and 3,000 bonus points every year you renew your card. Those additional bonus points can be redeemed for $50 in Wanna Get Away travel and two rewards points are earned for every dollar spent on Southwest flights, hotels and car rentals. One rewards point is earned on all other purchases and the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card does have a $69 annual fee.
Continental Airlines OnePass® Plus Card – Continental is my particular airline of choice and the Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Card offers new cardholders the opportunity to earn 40,000 bonus miles the first year. 25,000 miles when you make your first purchase, 5,000 miles when you add a second authorized user to the card and 10,000 miles (annually) if you spend at least $25,000 on your card. The annual fee of $95 is waived during the first year of card ownership.
Moving beyond the basic rewards, you will also receive rewards specific to Continental Airlines. Your first bag is always checked for free, saving you $25 right away. You’ll also be given two annual Presidents Club Day passes, meaning you can wait for your flight in style and two discount travel certificates each year. With travel insurance and extensive purchase protection, the Continental Airlines OnePass Plus Card is a must have for any frequent flyer of Continental.
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express – The Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express is similar in rewards to our favorite airline miles credit card in that you’ll receive a nice bonus after your first purchase, the annual fee ($95) is waived during the first year AND your first bag is always checked for free when you fly Delta. 30,000 bonus miles are earned after you make $500 in purchases in the first three months. 2 rewards points are earned on every dollar spent on Delta purchases and 1 reward point is earned on everything else.
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard® – At the top of the bonus miles list is the Citi Platinum Select / AAdvantage World MasterCard where a $100 statement credit is earned for the first eligible American Airlines purchase made within the first 12 months of membership, 30,000 miles are earned after spending at least $750 within the first four months of card ownership and an additional 10,000 bonus miles are earned after spending $5,000 in the first six months. Like others on this list, the annual fee ($85) is waived during the first year and the standard APR on purchases is 15.24%. For those looking to make international purchases, you will be charged a 3% foreign transaction fee.
Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by American Express. Opinions expressed here are authors alone, not those of American Express, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by American Express. This site may be compensated through American Express Affiliate Program.
Published or updated December 18, 2011.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I would strongly recommend against CitiCards. We recently signed up for one of their cards based on a promotion with Expedia. We had one problem after another. After talking with Citi and asking for help with our problems, we got basically nowhere. The customer service was simply horrible. We’ve had great success with CapitalOne. They have various rewards cards that you can find one that meets your situation and needs the best.
I have NEVER before bothered to post a comment on a story but reading the initial comment basically demanded I do so.
I have carried a Citi AAdvantage Gold card for a dozen years. While credit card companies are never going to be warm and fuzzy, Citi has been consistently reasonable and responsible.
In contrast, I used to carry TWO CapitalOne cards (from before I had the Citi card) and had one for 10+ years and the other 5+ years (from memory). Every little thing with the CapitalOne cards turned into a massive hassle. After completing a significant European vacation using one of my CapitalOne cards almost exclusively I found one overcharge on my bill (out of probably 100+ charges) and filed all of the proper work to contest the overcharge. CapitalOne did nothing to support my claim against the vendor and kept piling on interest/penalty fees (I had paid everything BUT the contested charge) and fought with me for ca. a FULL YEAR before dropping the interest/penalty charges and accepting my version of the bill–which, from memory, was about 85% of the posted billing.
After I dropped that card in disgust, years later CapitalOne closed my other card for non-use (which was true, since I was still angry about the massive hassles)–no problem.
But here’s the kicker–years later CapitalOne sent me a targeted, individually identified offering for another card. The benefits seemed to make it a worthwhile deal so I said yes. THEN THEY REFUSED ME, citing poor credit (and the only problems I’d ever had was with them) and, in the process, screwing with my existing credit rating.
First THEY solicit ME, and then they screw with my credit rating!
Best advice I can offer is NEVER deal with CapitalOne–if you do, sooner or later, you’re going to be very sorry.
HI-sailor,
I agree with you 100 %. Credit Card companies are not warm and fuzzy, they are money making enterprises. But, as you stated, Citi has never done me wrong. I asked them to waive annual fee this year because I hadn’t used it in a few months. The employee said to make 5 purchases in 30 days at any price (a dollar 5 times) and they would reimburse me for the 85 dollar fee. I stayed with them and will keep their cards. If you have a bad experience with any card you need to pursue the issue until it is resolved. They don’t want to lose you.
Well even if I don’t use these credit cards, it’s always good to know everything about it.