Award Cards

[swift]

Have you found one that you like over another or do you think they are all pretty much the same in regards to airline tickets?

[Icarus]

Theresa,

Assuming you are asking about credit cards that offer either frequent flyer miles or free tickets, they are all different. One that works well for me, certainly might be different for you even if you didn't live in Canada.

-David

[swift]

I guess that is why I am asking. What works for you and why?

In this case CA= California not Canada

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

I like the Starwood Preferred Am Ex, which I got many years ago because I was going to regular meetings held at Starwood hotels. It gives you 1 for 1 and 2 for 1 in Starwood system. You can redeem them as miles for many different programs (that's what's taking me to Hawaii in a couple weeks) and when you redeem 20,000 points they donate an additional 5,000.
Liz

[linsj]

Since I'm a UA flyer, I like the UA platinum card that gives me one elite mile for every $ spent on united.com. The annual fee is higher, but it's paid off since I've needed those extra elite miles some years to keep premier executive status.

[Jimster]

Do some people have no shame?

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by swift

In this case CA= California not Canada

I thought there was a Windsor, Ontario. All this time I thought you lived in Canada.

-David

[pjrose]

Definitely Citibank Aadvantage. They usually offer 20-25K miles and no fee for the first year. We have 2 - one for me and one for DH. Every few years we get new ones.

[CMF]

I love the Marriott Premiere Signature Visa card for the free hotel stay every year. And I love my Amex Gold card for ease of use when booking travel through their site. And, Amex gave me 50K points just for signing up.

Charles

[LisaRex]

If you don't care which airline you fly, then I recommend the Starwood Amex as you can transfer points to most airlines at a 1:1 basis or better (with the 5k bonus for 20k transfer).

If you want to concentrate your spending on one airline for whatever reason (e.g. I target Delta because I live in a Delta hub city and have the best chance of getting an award ticket), I love my gold Delta SkyMiles AMEX because it gives me double miles on Delta, gasoline (ha!), USPS, grocery stores, etc. which really adds up. Starwood Amex does not give you double points. It also gives me a $99 companion certificate that I've saved a couple hundred dollars on using each year.

And then there's the Marriott Premier Visa, which gives me double miles on dining. I've gotten some excellent rewards using my Marriott card, including the one night free certificate each anniversary date. I've stayed for free (and gotten free spa services) at several Marriotts (e.g. Residence Inns) using the free certificates. With points, I've had free stays at the Marriott Camelback Inn and more recently at the Marriott Del Mar.

[talkamotta]

The last couple of years, Ive gone for the cc w/largest sign up bonus. Needless to say I have 4 airline cards with enough miles each for trips.

I got US Airways because I was going to Hawaii - they are my last choice. 1:1 pts and hard to get flights.

United 1:1 but easy to get flights to where I want to go.

Delta Amex - very easy to use. Only card Costco accepts. 2:1 $ spent on many purchases, points add up very fast. Flights are hard to get on super saver. Need to be very flexible and they can fly you all over the country.

I wouldnt do the cc jump around like I did. It gets to be a big hassle. It might even have a little bit of neg impact on my credit rating. Not so far but it could.

[Liz Wolf-Spada]

We got a Alaska Airlines card and it gives us one companion trip per year for only $50 more. I think that's really helpful.
Liz

[ownsherown]

Alaska also, personal and business. Companion passes and no problem booking last min flights, such as 1 ways to Dallas same day for 10K in points. Partnered with just about all the majors.

[DanM]

Actually, I have a Starwood Amex, too, which I use for hotel stays...seems to be easier to book through the Starwood reservations web site than figuring out how many points to transfer for airline points and then figuring out the airline points system. I am a simple guy.

That's why I like Miles One for air travel. Every dollar spent earns points that are good for any airline, any flight. You book tickets at the best price you can find, charge them on your card, and then Capital One credits points for cash, i.e. it will apply 35,000 points and wipe out the charge for a ticket up to $350.

The best thing is that if you book travel through their website, they search flights and offer ticket prices in points rather than dollars...so you can see how many points you have on account and how many points the ticket will cost without having to think about it (I am a simple guy). You purchase the ticket with points, and the airline gets paid dollars. Again, any flight, any time, if you have enough point value...no blackout dates or times.

The only downside is that if you buy, say, a $300 ticket, they take the same 35,000 points as for a $350 ticket. They do it in tiers of 150, 350 and 600 I believe. Above $600 though, every point is worth something.

[easyrider]

We like Alaska Airlines signature card. We have two accounts and get two $50.00 companion tickets. When you sign up and are approved you get 20,000 miles per account and an additional 1000 miles every year plus 2 passes into the Alaska Airlines airport lounge.

The points can be a challenge to use for award flights but are always usable through the different award programs. Points equal 1 per $1.00 except on some items on the Alaska Air website.

We also have MBNA for no blackout and American Airlines Platinum but don't use these anymore. The awards for MBNA were the cheapest flight they could put you on and this didn't work out for us.

[andrea t]

I like my Delta Amex. Double miles on groceries, drugstores and home improvement stores. 5000 bonus miles after you reach a certain spending level and 5000 more at the next.The dollar amount escapes me, but I reached the first level last month. Right now theres a promo on double miles for everything June - November. Best of all...I've been consistently successful redeeming the miles for business class tickets to Europe.