Best miles credit cards

MileCards.com presents the best Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover credit cards for earning miles and rewards.

Starwood American Express, Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express, Chase Freedom Visa among top picks

Our panel has selected these cards as among the best of the year, with stronger mile earning power than many of their peers and great flexibility, with easy to redeem rewards. Mark Kahler Budget Travel about.com. Ed Perkins.
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Compare and Apply for Mile and Reward Credit Cards
Welcome to the most complete source of mile credit card information to find the best airline credit cards, hotel credit cards, no annual fee credit cards, business miles credit cards and travel reward credit cards. We have direct links to each bank’s application site so you don't have to search further. We take no personal information , and simply link to the right bank application site for the card you want. Please remember to read terms and conditions when you apply, and ask the banks questions, as offers and fees change. We do not recommend using mile or reward credit cards unless you plan to pay your balance in full each month.

6 Top Mile Credit Cards for 2008
See our 2008 EDITORS CHOICE winners below, 6 top credit cards chosen by select frequent travelers as the best in each class. While no card is perfect for everyone, we've selected our favorite in each category with special attention to convenience and point earning power for both casual and frequent flyers using our unique
PurchasePower rating. Our rating factors in both the earning power of the card, as well as the number of points each program requires for redemption . Click the 'read our review' links to learn why we like each EDITORS CHOICE winner.

2008 EDITORS CHOICE Award Winners
Start here for top cards selected by our frequent flyer editors
Best Overall Card Best Major Airline Card Best No Annual Fee Card
Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Delta SkyMiles®  American Express Chase Freedom (SM)Credit Card (Visa®)
Delta SkyMiles® Gold Credit Card Chase Freedom<sup>SM</sup> Cash Visa® Card
Read our review Read our review Read our review
Apply now
  • 10,000 point first purchase bonus -- worth up to 3 free hotel nights or a $100 gift card at many merchants
  • Also an airilne card. Earn up to 1.25 miles per dollar and transfer points directly to over 30 airline miles programs .
  • Easy hotel awards: if a standard room is available for sale you can use points -- no blackouts
  • 20,000 points = roundtrip US ticket
  • Free hotel nights start at just 3,000 points
  • No annual fee first year -- $45 afterward 
Apply now
  • 15,000 point first purchase bonus
  • Double miles on 'everyday' gas, grocery, home improvement and select other purchases
  • 5,000 additional point bonus when you spend $15,000 each year -- another 5,000 when you spend $25,000
  • $99 companion fare certificate each year -- no minimum fare requirement 
  • No annual fee for first year
  • 25,000 miles = roundtrip US ticket 
  • Also use miles as dollars off with no blackouts -- 10,000 miles  = $100 off
Apply now
  • $50 cash back with first purchase
  • 3% cash back or 3 points per dollar on everyday spending
  • 1% cash back or 1 point per dollar spent on everything else
  • No annual fee
  • Receive an Extra $50 Each Time You Save and Redeem $200 in Rewards
  • No blackout any airline, anytime flight awards
  • Also transfer points into Continental and United miles (6,000 points = 5,000 miles) 
  • 25,000 points = roundtrip US ticket
Best Introductory Offer Best Any Airline/Anytime Card -- Premium Best Business Card
Citi® Platinum Select ® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®  Citi® PremierPass(SM) Card - Elite Level American Express Business Gold Rewards
 American Airlines Credit Card Citi PremierPass Master Card
Read our review Read our review Read our review
Apply now
  • Earn 25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within 4 months of becoming a cardmember - enough for a free ticket!
  • No annual fee for the first 12 months.
  • No blackout dates for AAdvantage® award travel on American Airlines, American Eagle & AmericanConnection carriers
  • Redeem AAdvantage® miles with over 25 of the world's top airlines (including American, British Air, Alaska, Cathay Pacific, Hawaiian), major car rental companies and hundreds of luxurious hotels worldwide
Apply now
  • 20,000 bonus points after $600 in purchases made within 3 months of account opening  (enough for a  $200 gift card or free flight up to $400 ).
  • 2 Points for Every $1 Spent at Gas Stations, Supermarkets and Drugstores - Plus Earn 1 Point for Every $1 Spent on all Other Purchases
  • 1 Point for Every Mile You Fly on Any Airline - or Anyone Else Whose Tickets You Buy With the Card.
  • Complimentary Companion Travel (Minimum Fare Requirements Apply)
  • Redeem your points for travel on any airline, with no blackout dates, and for rewards-from merchandise to statement credits.
 
Apply now
  • Up to 40,000 bonus points in first year
  • No preset spending limit
  • Transfer points to several top airlines, or use any flight/any time awards
  • Discounts incluing 3% off all Delta and JetBlue flights
  • 25,000 points = roundtrip US ticket 
Free flight & 2+ hotel nights with intro bonuses
The aggressive introductory bonus point offers for the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express and Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard® are enough to get you a free plane ticket and 2-5 nights free hotel in many destinations.
Click here to see how to quickly earn a free vacation without flying first  .

Best Credit Card Pairs
While any one of our EDITORS CHOICE picks is a good choice, often a pair of reward cards will help you maximize benefits or give you flexibility if you want more than one brand of card in your wallet. Click here to learn more about good pairs for your wallet.

Best No Annual Fee Cash Back pair
American Express Blue Cash + Chase Freedom Visa
Among the stronger cash back returns.
Click here to learn more .

Best No Annual Fee Any Flight, Any Time Airline Award pair
American Express Blue Sky + Chase Freedom Visa
Stronger than typical earning power for any flight, any time airline awards. Click here to learn more.

Best Maximum Flexibility pair
Starwood Preferred Guest American Express + Citi® PremierPass(SM) Card - Elite Level
Transfer points to most airlines, use points for valuable hotel rewards, and earn miles for flight tickets you purchase. Click here to learn more .

Free flight with the Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
Click here to learn about the details of this special offer.

 


Blog: Captain's Blog Updates You on Miles and Cards
Read our MileCards.com Captain's Blog to keep up to date on the latest mile and credit card developments and strategies.

Best Overall Card: Starwood Preferred Guest American Express  
Free $200+ hotel night with your first purchase and points transferable to most airline programs

The
Starwood Preferred Guest American Express (click to learn more ) is our top reward credit card choice. Starwood is the brand of hotels that include Sheraton, Westin, W, St. Regis, and Le Meridien properties. You earn 1 point for every dollar you spend on the card and it offers 10,000 points with your first purchase that can be either transferred to your favorite airline or used for free nights at Westin, Sheraton, W, Le Meridien and other hotels . 10,000 points are enough for a night at the Westin St. Francis in San Francisco, or the Walt Disney World Dolphin resort, among others, or 3 nights at lower-point hotels like the Sheraton Orlando. Most of all, we like the flexibility with three great ways to use points:

1) Use points for free nights at great Sheraton, Westin, W, Le Meridien, St. Regis, and Four Points hotels with no blackout dates. If a standard room is available for sale, you can book it with points. No blackouts.

2) Transfer your points to over 30 top airline mileage programs...most at one point per mile, so you don't orphan your hard earned miles. Plus, get a 5,000 point bonus for every 20,000 you transfer. That makes a 25,000 mile domestic roundtrip ticket cost only 20,000 points! It's like earning 1.25 points for every dollar you spend versus the one point per dollar of most cards.

3) Redeem points for gift cards at your favorite retailers.


How it works
You don't have to stay at Starwood hotels to earn points. Just use you card for normal purchases and you'll earn one point per dollar spent. Don’t worry about whether you want to use points for airlines or hotels. Decide when you plan your trip. You earn 1 Starwood point for every dollar spent...and can transfer those points online to your account with nearly every major airline ...most 1 for 1...(Continental Airlines and United Airilnes require 2 Starwood points per mile) with quick turnaround. Moreover, you get a bonus for transfering points to airline miles, effecitvely earning 1.25 miles per dollars spent. Click here to learn more about airline transfer options and a list of participating airlines .




Points are also good at all Sheraton, Westin, W, Sheraton, St. Regis, Le Meridien, and Four Points hotels with no capacity controls. If there's a room to buy, you can book it with points. For many travelers, hotel stays are a better use of points than domestic airline tickets in any program. See our PurchasePower rankings to learn why. Hotel rooms are also a lot easier to book for a family than 4 or more free plane tickets on the same flight.

3,000 points = 1 free night at "Category 1" hotels (midpriced, suburban locations)
4,000 points = 1 free night at "Category 2" hotels (metropolitan and many resorts)
7,000 points = 1 free night at "Category 3" hotels (large cities, premium resorts)
10,000 points = 1 free night at "Category 4" hotels (high demand areas, luxury resorts)

20,000 points = free roundtrip U.S. plane ticket when transferred to an airline mile program for redemption

And many other redemption options. 9,500 points = a $100 gift card from Amazon.com, Nordstrom, Starbucks and others.

Apply for the card now to start earning free nights and flights

You can apply for the card here at American Express .



 



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Starwood
American Express


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Hilton Hotels American Express

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Chase Freedom (SM)  Credit Card
Chase Freedom<sup>SM</sup> Cash Visa® Card
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American Express Blue Cash

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Miles by Discover® Card

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Delta Air Lines American Express
Delta Credit Card

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Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®

American Airlines Credit Card
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Starwood
American Express
Starwood American Expresss
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Hilton American Express

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Marriott Visa

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JetBlue American Express
Jet Blue Credit Card

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US Airways Visa

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