Best miles credit cards

Confused about what airliner mergers mean for your miles? Read on as we fill you in on what you can expect if your favorite airline merges with another. We will also let you know about the credit card that helps you earn points in the safe 'Swiss bank account' of points programs.

1. Miles survive airline mergers
When two airlines merge, one of the top priorities is keeping you on board as a valued customer. History is full of airlines buying other airlines, and in every case we have looked at, the miles of every flyer involved remained intact. The only cases we have found when miles did not remain intact were when airlines went beyond bankruptcy -- and into liquidation. That is rare, and usually only happens to smaller airlines like Aloha or ATA.  

If you've used your miles to reserve a ticket on airline that is being acquired, don't worry, it will most likely be honored. You usually can't buy mileage tickets more than about a year ahead of time, which is less time than it takes to complete a typical merger. Besides that, when airlines merge, the frequent flyer programs are combined, so your mileage destination opportunities may increase.








































2. Who should be concerned?
While miles stay intact during mergers, there are a few small areas of concern for frequent flyers. For example, if you have purchased a 'lifetime' membership to an airline's VIP lounge, 'lifetime' is usually defined as for the life of the original airline.

When American Airlines purchased TWA in 2001, lifetime members of TWA's Ambassador's Club lounges were only allowed free access for a fixed period after the merger. Beyond that, they had to purchase new American Airlines Admirals' Club memberships if they wished to continue using the lounge. However, most travelers don't belong to a VIP lounge, let alone have a lifetime membership, so this is a small issue.

If you live in a city that is a hub for an airline being acquired, you might find yourself with less convenient opportunities to use miles after the merger. Hubs are sometimes consolidated, so some nonstop flights may go away from your home airport. But, you will still usually be able to reach most destinations with one stop. The merger between Northwest Airlines and Delta Airlines claims it will not involve closing any hubs, so you will likely not see as much impact in this regard.

3. I am a Delta or Northwest flyer. What credit card should I use?
Feel free to continue using your home airline credit card. In the case of Northwest/Delta, your miles will eventually be consolidated into one program on a one for one basis. In fact, if you are a member of both programs, your miles will be put together into one bigger account, which may be a benefit. 

Northwest and Delta are already frequent flyer partners, so the miles you earn on each can be used for flights on either airline, regardless of which program you belong to. However, if you plan to use miles to upgrade a paid ticket, stick with the arline you want to upgrade on. Miles are not interchangeable for upgrade awards until the merger is completed.

If you're starting from scratch, we recommend theDelta SkyMiles American Express with its generous double miles offers. We also recommend the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express, which is a hotel program that lets you transfer points at one for one with no charge to both Delta and Northwest, along with nearly 30 other airlines.

4. How can I protect myself going forward?
With all the uncertainty surrounding the airline industry these days, you may be worried that your airline may go out of business. While we can't predict that, and history says most often your miles will be fine, there is one credit card and points program that will give you the best possible insurance without sacrifice.

The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express lets you earn points that can then be transfered for free to your miles account at any of over 30 airlines, almost always without dilution. So, even if an airline goes out of business, your points are safe and you still have many to choose from to redeem awards.

Starwood is the hotel chain that includes Sheraton, Westin, W, and Four Points hotels. Hotel chains tend to be much more stable than airlines, and Starwood's generous ability to transfer points into airline miles accounts makes it a great place to store your points until you're ready to book a trip. Think of Starwood as your Swiss bank account for airline miles . It's our top rated credit card for earning frequent flyer miles and points. Click here to learn more about it. There are many other features that make this card a favorite of savvy frequent travelers.



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®)
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 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 Hotel Card	Best Any Airline/Anytime Card -- Premium	Best Business Card
Starwood Preferred Guest American Express	Citi® PremierPass(SM) Card - Elite Level	American Express Business Gold Rewards
Read our review	Read our review	Read our review
Apply now 10,000 point first purchase bonus -- worth up to 3 free hotel nights Also an airline card. Earn up to 1.25 miles per dollar when and transfer points to over 30 airline miles programs . Easy hotel awards: if a standard room is available for sale you can use points 20,000 points = roundtrip US ticket Free hotel nights start at 3,000 points	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.

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 .