The Best Frequent Flyer Credit Cards of 2012

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I recently changed jobs. With my new job, I’ll be traveling a lot more, and that’s prompted me to spend some time researching everything from frequent flyer programs to hotel rewards to rental car promotional offers. It’s also going to result in a few changes to the credit cards I carry. So I spent some time researching the best frequent flyer credit cards.

Here are the results of my research:

• Standard Frequent Flyer Bonus: The standard bonus for getting a new frequent flyer card is enough miles for one free domestic round trip ticket.
• Some Cards Offer More: A few cards offer bonus miles for new cardholders sufficient for two free domestic round trip tickets. These offers are typically for a limited time, and often require you to use the card in certain ways (e.g., for a balance transfer).
• Annual Fees are Standard: Annual fees are common on miles credit cards, although most cards waive the fee the first year.
• You earn free flights faster: As compared to a generic travel card, you will earn free flights faster with a miles card. A standard award ticket is 25,000 miles, which you can earn after spending $25,000 on the card. With a generic travel card paying a 1% reward, this would result in a credit of $250. While some domestic round trip tickets can be purchased for $250 or less, many cannot.
• Free checked bags: Most frequent flyer cards offer a free checked bag. This can save you a bundle if you travel a lot and like to check your bags. I almost always check bags, so this is a big bonus for me.
• Every frequent flyer program has a card: Regardless of which airlines you fly, they all have frequent flyer programs and at least one airline branded credit card to help you earn miles. Some airlines have multiple cards.

My Favorites

When it comes to picking the top frequent flyer card, there are several things to consider:

• Where you fly: If you frequently fly to the same place, you’ll likely spend your time on the same airline. There’s really no point in getting a card associated with a frequent flyer program you rarely use (other than perhaps for the bonus rewards).
• Bonus rewards: This is an obvious consideration. Many folks I talk to apply for multiple cards just for the free travel.
• Your favorite airline: I’m a big fan of Southwest, perhaps because of its commercials that poke fun at the other airlines for charging you to check your bags. Because I fly on Southwest every chance I get, the RapidRewards card is one of my favorites.
• The extra perks: It’s worth looking at the extra perks these cards offer. The two biggest perks are free checked bags and access to airport lounges.

With all of that said, here are my picks for the best overall frequent flyer credit cards:

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*
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed N/A* N/A* 15.24%* (Variable) $95, waived for first 12 months* N/A* Excellent Credit

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.
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed None None 15.24%-19.24% (Variable) $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95 No Excellent Credit

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! (2011 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
Intro APR Intro APR Period Regular APR Annual Fee Balance Transfer Credit Needed 0%* 6 months* 10.99%-19.99%* (Variable) $0* 0%* Excellent Credit

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.

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Rob Berger

Rob founded the Dough Roller in 2007. A litigation attorney in the securities industry, he lives in Northern Virginia with his wife, their two teenagers, and the family mascot, a shih tzu named Sophie.

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