Mile Credit Card Deals - Frequent Flyer Tips - MileCards.com Captain's Blog

US Airways Elite Mileage Bonuses Return

2008-11-29T19:36:00.002-05:00

US Airways is reversing its decision to remove elite mileage bonuses.

Last summer US Airways angered its frequent flyers by removing the bonuses its 'elite' flyers receive for each mile they fly. Typically, people who fly 25,000 miles or more per year earn a bonus ranging from 25-125% on the miles they earn for being loyal to the airline.

Due to the outcry and the resulting loss of high value customers, US Airways is reinstating elite bonuses and making them retroactive. That is a nice gesture, but one that comes after a lot of damage was done to its most valuable customers.

http://www.usairways.com/awa/content/FAQs/preferredmileage.aspx.

Mile Credit Card with Instant Miles Transfer

2008-10-30T20:48:00.002-04:00

Several mile credit cards offer you the flexibility to transfer the points you earn directly into your favorite airline programs. However many people are hesitant to do this because of the delay it may incur transfering from the credit card company to the airline.

Well, with American Express' premium credit cards this is not an issue. With the Gold Rewards Amex and Platinum Card from American Express you can transfer your points to Continental and Delta Airlines 1 for 1 instantly. No waiting several days and risking losing your reward seats. In fact Continental will hold your reward reservation as a courtesy until your Amex miles enter your account.

It's a great hidden feature that makes people keep paying the annual fee on these mile credit cards each year.

You can learn about these great mile credit cards at this link.

Air mile credit card lets you waive baggage fees

2008-10-22T22:05:00.002-04:00

Most airlines now charge you money to check in even just one bag when you fly unless you are one of their 'elite' frequent flyers.

Well, one airline is changing that with a unique solution.

Continental Airlines will soon allow anyone who holds a Continetal Airlines credit or debit card to waive the fee for the first checked bag. In addition anyone traveling in the same reservation as the card holder will also be able to waive the fee. At $15 per first bag, that can add up for a family and make this a big savings.

Learn more about the soon to be announced benefit here:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=879922

Double Amex Membership Rewards mile credit card points

2008-10-20T23:10:00.003-04:00

This is not available for the general public, but select American Express credit card holders are eligible to receive double Membership Rewards points during November and December. Amex is good about periodically offering generous promotions like this to its credit card members. Credit cards eligible for this point bonus include the Green and Gold Rewards cards, Platinum Card, and Centurion card.

Keep an eye on your mail to see if you were included in this bonus points offer, or call Amex customer service.

Earn Delta Elite Miles without flying

2008-10-19T13:05:00.003-04:00

It will cost you $450, but you can earn 10,000 Delta elite qualifying miles without taking a flight. The new Delta Reserve credit card from American Express offers this bonus when you sign up for the card and make your first purchase. In addition, if you spend $30,000 on the card in a year you will receive an additional 15,000 elite qualifying miles which you can use for yourself or anyone you designate. You can also earn another 15,000 qualifying miles by spending $60,000 annually.

To give some perspective, 10,000 elite miles is like flying two roundtrips from New York to Los Angeles, so this feature can be a big time and money saver if you were planning on taking a couple extra flights to hit your Silver, Gold, or Platinum tier.

Although some people might find the $450 annual fee worth it to get them to the next elite status tier, that's not the only benefit of the card.

It offers you full Delta Crown Room Club access for you and two guests -- which normally costs over $400 per year by itself. You are also prioritized ahead of other elite members within your tier who are standing by for first class upgrades.

You can learn more about the card and apply at American Express' secure site using this link.

Here are some more features:

Annual First-Class Companion Certificate, Which Can Be Used for a First-Class or Coach-Class Ticket!

Earn Up to 10,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) After Your First Purchase

Built-In Miles Boost(SM) - Earn Up to 30,000 MQMs and 30,000 Bonus Miles

Complimentary Crown Room Club® Access for You and Two Guests

Access to American Express® Concierge Services

Pay with Miles - Pay for All or Part of Any Delta Flight with Your Miles

The strangest reward credit card of all time

2008-10-18T15:00:00.005-04:00

Here's a new reward credit card -- that offers you what amounts to one lottery entry with every dollar you purchase. The more you spend -- the more entries you receive. "Pooled Rewards" is the name for this sweepstakes and the card is the 'AmericanDreamCard Platinum MasterCard.'

So how much could you win...typically one person per month has won $10,000-$30,000. See here for a list of winners:

http://www.americandreamcard.com/winners.asp

There is no fee for the card, so not much to lose as long as you pay your bill off every month. You can apply for the card by clicking on this link.

Here are some more details:

American DreamCard™ Platinum MasterCard®

American DreamCard™ - The first and only "POOLED REWARDS™" Credit Card

You don't need to be a big spender to win big with this credit card

The American DreamCard™ is the credit card program that can make people rich!

Large monthly cash jackpots!

Earn entries from everyday shopping!

Every $1 in net retail purchases = 1 entry to win (up to 1,000 entries per purchase)

No Annual Fee*

Get 1,000 entries just for applying!

How I lost several thousand American Airlines miles

2008-10-17T18:18:00.003-04:00

Several airlines have introduced expiration dates for miles in accounts that remain dormant. In American Airlines' case, if you earn miles and have no activity in your account for 18 miles afterward, your miles will be removed from your account.

This just happened to me.

Fortunately I have so many miles in other places that it's not a major deal -- but it's something you should be aware of.

How can you avoid it?

Pretty easily actually...

All you have to do is earn or redeem miles in some form to keep your account active. You don't have to fly to do this.

Ways to do it include signing up for a credit card like the Citi AAdvantage Master Card (which gets a nice 25,000 bonus) -- or using a few miles for a cheap magazine subscription.

Or, transfer miles from another program. The Starwood hotels program lets you do this one for one so you don't dilute anything. You can learn more about it and its Starwood Preferred Guest American Express credit card here -- my favorite points reward card.

So check through your accounts if you have major balances to make sure they aren't dormant!

American Express Platinum and Centurion lose free companion tickets

2008-10-16T21:33:00.002-04:00

A great feature of the premium American Express Platinum and Centurion cards -- with annual fees in the hundreds and thousands of dollars -- was the ability to buy one domestic airplane ticket, and receive a second one free. The only catch was you had to buy at a minimum fare level, and sometimes that ended up being more expensive than buying two of the cheapest available tickets. Despite that, many cardmembers thought this was a valuable benefit.

Apparently it was too valuable, as American Express is discontinuing the benefit effective November 15. Many frequent flyers are irate, as seen by the posts on this board:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=873621

However, if you want a card that still has a 2 for 1 travel benefit, you may want to consider the Citi PremierPass Elite MasterCard. It carries only a $75 annual fee, but still has a relatively generous free domestic companion ticket program, among other features.

You can learn about it by clicking here.

A $300 hotel room for $90 with the Starwood Amex

2008-10-13T22:40:00.002-04:00

One of the great features of the Starwood hotel points program is the ability to use 'cash and points' at select hotels for great bargains.

For example, the Diplomat Golf Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale runs about $300 per night. However, with Starwood points, you can pay just $90 per night + 4800 points. That's about $200 in extra value just for 4800 points -- or over a 4% cash return on your credit card spending.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1401

Cash and points redemption is one of my favorite hidden features of the Starwood Preferred Guest program -- and only the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express lets you earn points in the program with your credit card spending.

You can learn more about the credit card by clicking on this link.

A free honeymoon with Starwood credit card intro point bonuses

2008-10-11T20:15:00.004-04:00

Was speaking to a friend who is trying to plan his honeymoon. Given a tight budget, I suggested a 'free' honeymoon with points. He doesn't travel much, so was skeptical, but I think this may work out well.

First, five nights at the Le Meridien Cancun -- for all intents and purposes a five star resort -- is 40,000 points. Many other luxurious hotels and resorts have similar point requirements.

http://www.starwoodhotels.com/lemeridien/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1877

How do you get 40,000 points?

With the intro bonus from a credit card. No travel required to earn points.

The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express, which earns points you can use at Sheraton, W, Westin, Le Meridien, and other hotels, gives you 10,000 points just for making one first purchase. Then, if you spend $15,000 on the card within 6 months, you will earn 15,000 bonus points. That's on top of the $15,000 points you earn from spending on the card.

- First purchase bonus: 15,000
- $15,000 in 6 months bonus: 15,000
- Points from spending: 15,000
- Total earned: 40,000

Even better -- there are no restrictions on when you can use the points. If a standard room is available in one of the hotels for purchases, you can use points. There are also no fees to change dates or cancel prior to the day or two before you arrive. This is much more flexible and generous than frequent flyer mile plane tickets.

So how much is this worth? The hotel rates on the nights he is staying are $350/night. So for $15,000 in credit card spending he would otherwise do, he earns $1750 in free value. That's like getting 12% cash back! And no annual fee for the credit card in the first year.

Powerful travel rewards without a single trip.

You can learn more about the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express by clicking here.

How I turned a delay into a win

2008-10-07T19:30:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I had a transcontinental journey ahead of me which involved a short 1 hour connection in the Midwest. I was concerned weather could jeopardize it, and as feared the morning of my flight a nasty storm was pounding the area. To my surprise, my flight was scheduled on time. In the pouring rain, and as the plane shook at the gate from the wind, we loaded up to depart. To my surprise we departed on time.

That came to an end a few minutes later as we taxied to a stop before reaching the runway. My first thought was the airport had shut due to weather. After a few minutes, I heard planes landing and taking off, so that wasn't the case. At this point, the captain came on to say we had a mechanical issue and would have to return to the gate.

Immediately -- I pulled out my phone and started checking flights.

Key tip 1: Call and check flights while you're still on the plane or waiting in line.

This is the first critical step to making a potential delay into a better situation. If you're at the gate and the agent is busy, use your phone to call reservations. They can rebook you.

I knew I would miss my connection, and the next flight out of my connecting city would have led to a 12 hour+ delay so I immediately looked for alternatives using my phone's browser. If you don't have a mobile phone browser just call the airline.

I quickly found a flight that departed a bit later on the same airlines, but went to an alternate airport that was actually closer to my intended destination.

Key tip 2: Conisder nearby alternate airports

When we reached the gate, the crew opened the door but didn't inform passengers. The only reason I knew this was because I was at the front of the plane. So, I informed the flight attendant I had a connection, and fortunately the gate agent was at the door.

Key tip 3: Ask to get off the plane if you have a connection you may miss and an alternate flight is available

The agent went up to research the flight I requested, and came back a few minutes later with a boarding pass. I was set, and went to the lounge to work while the other passengers waited out what ended up a 2 hour delay on the ground.

But there's more...

Due to the storm, I later double checked the status of the inbound plane of my new flight. You can do this by asking the agent as this isn't always on the monitors.

Key tip 4: Check the status of the flight that is delivering the plane for your flight

Turns out that flight was late, and I would have missed a connection again. There weren't many options out of my present airport, so we got creative with the agent and checked flights out of a nearby airport. Sure enough, one was available that saved a stop on another airline. The aircraft for that flight was already on the ground, so no concern of a late arriving plane. We booked it, and the agent reserved a taxi paid for by the airline to take me to the other airport. Why? My delay originally started with a mechanical delay.

Key tip 5: Mechanical delays mean the airline has more responsibility to get you out on time

With a mechanical delay, airlines are forced to accomodate you quickly not just on their own flight, but of that of any major carrier (unless you are on a low cost airline like JetBlue or Southwest, which does not have such arrangements). In addition, they must provide overnight lodging if you have to wait a day, and in some cases will furnish ground transportation.

Always double check whether your delay is due to mechanical issues or not. If any one of your flights is delayed due to that, you can ask for these special provisions.

So, I got in the taxi, we fought traffic and I got on the new flight which departed on time. With the one less connection I ended up at my destination just a couple hours late.

Not bad for what could have been a terrible travel fiasco. Oh, and they even booked me into first class.

The secret to pain free air travel delays

2008-10-06T22:55:00.003-04:00

One of the biggest unknown things about travel is what to expect from an airline when there is a delay.

There are two primary delays: mechanical, when the airline's plane has an issue that needs to be fixed, and weather/ATC, when weather or air traffic conditions delay your flight, crew, or inbound plane. Airlines have little liability for ATC/weather, so at best you can try to get rebooked on another flight with the airline. You are not entitled to a free hotel room if you are stuck overnight, so beware.

However, if you have a mechanical delay, you can start insisting...

If you think you'll be delayed 2 hours or more, either directly or by missing a connection, you can be asked to be put on any other flight -- even with another airline. When a delay is mechanical -- it becomes the airline's responsibility as it is a caused by an issue within their control. They even must provide lodging if your delay forces you to stay overnight.

Stay tuned later to hear about how I effectively handled a delay with Northwest Airlines on a recent trip.

Even more flight flexibility for our favorite reward credit card

2008-10-05T11:57:00.003-04:00

The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card now lets you redeem points for 'any airline / anytime' flights. This is in addition to the ability to transfer your points to over 30 airline miles programs.

While the value for your points for this new option may not always be quite as generous as when you transfer to miles, it is still more generous than most 'any airline / anytime' rewards, at better than 1% return across the board.

As a reminder Starwood is the point program for Sheraton, Westin, W, and Le Meridien hotels. We like it because you can use points for much more than hotel rewards, and you don't dilute your value in the process. Learn more about this, our favorite rewards credit card, here.

Here's a list of point requirements and flight values. It's like using your points as cash to buy plane tickets.

Ticket Price* Starpoints
up to $150 10,000
$150-$215 15,000
$215-$280 20,000
$280-$345 25,000
$345-$410 30,000
$410-$475 35,000
$475-$540 40,000
$540-$605 45,000
$605-$670 50,000
$670-$735 55,000
$735-$800 60,000
$800-$865 65,000
$865-$930 70,000
$930-$995 75,000
$995-$1060 80,000
Higher prices (examples)
$2,880-$3,140 235,000
$4,960-$5,220 395,000
$9,900-$10,160 775,000

Just made another redemption

2008-09-22T00:03:00.003-04:00

I've been using the Citi PremierPass Elite Mastercard for a lot of spending lately. I had earned over 12,000 flight points from a couple trips -- and needed to match them with $12,000 in spending to 'release' them.

Well, I'm done spending, and with $12,000 in spending I got 24,000 points. I used 20,000 of them to buy a roundtrip across the country to California, which would have cost $375 on its own. I got to choose the exact airline and times I wanted. The only restriction was it had to price out at $400 or less.

So for $12,000 in spending I got $375 in value, or about a 3% return. Not bad when you consider most cash back cards give you only 1% back.

Click here to learn about this unique credit card. Right now they're offering 20,000 points just for signing up and spending $600 on the card within 3 months -- enough for a free domestic ticket up to $400.

Airliner Mergers:What do they mean for your miles? What credit card is best?

2008-04-19T21:43:00.002-04:00

Click here for our special report on airline mergers and what they could mean for your miles. In addition, we show you the credit card that lets you earn points in the 'Swiss bank account' of points programs so you don't have to worry about airlines going out of businesses.

Earn a free vacation without flying and with minimal spending

2008-03-23T22:54:00.002-04:00

You can earn a roundtrip airline ticket on American Airlines and free nights at premium Starwood (Sheraton, Westin, W, Four Points) hotel properties just with the introductory bonus points from two miles credit cards. That's without any flying to earn points, and with a very small spending requirement.

If your travel companion also applies separately, you can end up with 2 roundtrip tickets and enough hotel points for 2-5 free nights at a Starwood property. That's enough for a nice long weekend vacation for two. Click here to see the details of these offers and how to maximize your benefits.

New cash and miles flexibility with the Delta American Express

2008-03-14T22:04:00.002-04:00

American Express recently announced a new redemption option **exclusively** for holders of the Delta Gold SkyMiles American Express and Delta Platinum SkyMiles American Express cards.

You can now use your miles for dollars off flights, with no restriction on the flight you want to choose for the discount. Every 10,000 miles = $100 off the cost of your flight. This is in addition to the usual way of redeeming 25,000 or more miles for a free flight.

While this new cash and miles option isn't always the most efficient use of your points, it's helpful in two ways: 1) you don't need to spend as much to reach a useful award, and 2) you can use 'orphaned' miles quickly and easily with no inventory restrictions.

We like the added flexibility and the Delta Gold SkyMiles American Express continues to be our favorite traditional airline credit card. You can learn more about its other features like special double miles categories here.

Loophole for more miles with the Citi PremierPass Elite MasterCard

2008-02-24T13:44:00.008-05:00

The Citi PremierPass Elite MasterCard is unique because it earns you points for every mile you fly when you use the card to purchase airline tickets. For example, when you use the card to buy a ticket from New York to Los Angeles for $300, you will receive 300 points for the cost of the ticket, plus 5,000 points for the roundtrip mileage. In addition, you will receive 5,000 miles in the frequent flyer program of the airline you choose to fly.

Now, here's the story on the little loophole...

Citi uses any transaction associated with an airline ticket number to track whether you should get points for the miles flown on a flight purchase.

That automatically shows up when you first buy the ticket. However, whenever you make other purchases associated with the ticket, the ticket number will tag to those additional transaction.

So for example, I paid $35 using the credit card to upgrade a ticket from San Franicsco to Las Vegas on Virgin America airlines recently. I had already purchased the ticket with the card a few weeks earlier.

When my statement posted, I got points equal to the miles flown **twice** because there were two purchases associated with that ticket number. So, I got miles twice from Citi, and miles from Virgin America -- or triple points on one trip.

Generally, you're only going to have multiple transactions associated with one ticket when you change flights and incur a fee or pay an upgrade or premium seat charge to the airline. But it's nice to know you might get points even faster with this little loophole.

Learn more about the card and where you can apply for it at this link.

Double miles with Delta Airlines SkyMiles Gold American Express credit card

2007-11-27T21:05:00.000-05:00

We recently received a promotional mailer from American Express highlighting double miles on every purchase for the month of December with the Delta Airlines SkyMiles Gold American Express credit card. It's an offer for select existing cardholders, and one reason why the SkyMiles Gold credit card is one of the better airline-only mile cards. Remember, this offer is only for *existing* cardholders. However these offers become available from time to time when you hold the card and do a nice job of helping your earning power. You can learn more about the card at this link on MileCards.com.

Why the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express credit card is special

2007-11-25T17:23:00.001-05:00

While it's not immediately clear from the advertising copy, the most unique feature of the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express is the ability to transfer the points you earn to over 30 major airlines, most at 1 for 1 or better.

This gives you the ability to redeem your miles in the most efficient way, with the home airline, giving you maximum flexibility.

In addition, it also lets you redeem your points for free nights at Starwood hotels (Sheraton, Westin, W, Four Points, Le Meridien, St. Regis) with no blackouts. The only catch is it has to be a 'standard' room (sorry, suites are extra!), but as long as one is available for sale, you can book it for free with points.

Not many cards offer that kind of flexibility for both air and hotel awards with minimal dilution. To learn more about the card, click here.

Do I need to fly the airline or stay at the hotel chain to join a miles or points program?

2007-11-25T12:55:00.000-05:00

One question we often see is whether you need to actually fly an airilne or stay at a hotel to become a member of their point programs. The answer is almost always 'no.' Frequent flyer and frequent stay programs are free to join, and when you sign up for the program's credit card you are automatically enrolled. You can also enroll yourself at each airline or hotel's website for free.

It's very easy to earn free flights or hotel nights without ever paying for a flight or stay in the point program's host. While the fastest way to earn miles or points is often by actually flying or staying in a hotel, many people earn valuable awards just through their credit card spending.

For example, with the Starwood Hotels American Express credit card, you can get a free night at many of their hotels with as little as $3,000 in spending. The only catch is you do need to use your points within a year, or they will expire unless you choose to stay in one of their hotels.

Use 'partner' awards to get better availability of mileage tickets

2007-11-23T19:46:00.000-05:00

One of the most frustrating things about using miles from your credit card is finding flights at the days and times you want to travel. Unfortunately, many times travelers will quit their search in frustration without exploring one very important, and easy to use angle: using your miles for flights on partner airlines.

Partner airlines are airlines that have agreed to allow members of another frequent flyer program to earn and use miles on their flights. They are also called 'alliances.' For example, your United Airlines miles can be used for flights on United, as well as their partners US Airways, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and many more.

Let's say you want to travel from Chicago to Phoenix for a winter vacation with United miles. Many times, travelers and agents will only look at the nonstop flights United offers. However, US Airways, a United partner, offers several nonstop flights a day to Phoenix. So, even though you may not see space on United flights, there could be space on convenient US Airways flights.

What makes this tricky is sometimes partner award options do not show when you do an online search, or immediately show on a telephone agent's screen. A reliable way to check is to separately ask for specific partner airlines when an agent does your search. You can find a list of many major airlines' partners on our Airline Cards pages under 'redemption opportunities.'