Click on the links below to read reviews of the
mile credit cards we have chosen as the best of 2010. We travel over
75,000 miles a year and have chosen these mile credit cards based on strong
mile earning efficiency, flexibility of booking rewards, and unique
privileges and benefits.
Earn up to
25,000 points -- enough for up to 6 free nights at a
category
1 or 2
hotel**
Use Starpoints® for free nights and
upgrades at over 860 participating Starwood hotels and
resorts in 95 countries including Sheraton, W Hotels,
Westin, and more with no blackout
dates
No annual fee for the first year
and $45 thereafter
Transfer
Starpoints® - almost always on a 1:1 basis - to the
frequent flyer programs of over 30 major
airlines
Express approval. Get a decision
in less than 60 seconds.
No annual
fee for the first year and $45
thereafter
**Earn 10,000 Starpoints®
with your first purchase1 - enough for up to
3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel.
Plus - earn an additional 15,000
Starpoints when you spend $15,000 in 6 months.
Best Mile Credit
Card: Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from
American Express
Winner "Best Affinity
Credit Card" at the 19th annual Freddie
Awards -- voted on by frequent flyers, rated best 3 years running.
What is Starwood Preferred
Guest? Starwood
Preferred Guest is the points program from Starwood Hotels,
which includes Sheraton, Westin, W, Four Points, Le Meridien,
and St. Regis hotels. You don't need to stay at one of
their hotels to join or earn points, and you are automatically
enrolled when you sign up for the credit card.
We like the program because it
lets you transfer your points into miles in over 30 top airline
programs, giving you incredible flexibility with one card.
In addition, you can use your points for free nights at their
hotels, for merchandise, or gift cards.
2. Easy hotel rewards. If a standard room
is available for sale, you can book it with your
Starwood points. Hotel rewards
are much easier to use for family vacations than trying to
find flight awards for a family of 4.
3. Generous 10,000 point
signon is worth up to 3 free nights at many Shreaton, Westin, W, St.
Regis, Four Points, and Le Meridien hotels, 10,000 airline
miles, or a $100 gift card.
This is the
best all-around reward card for many
travelers. It's great for people who fly just about
every major airline, light hotel guests, and anyone who
wants to stay at a Starwood hotel (Sheraton, Westin, W,
Four Points, St. Regis, Le Meridien). This card offers better
earning power for airline awards than most airline cards, and
allows direct transfer to your airline accounts for
redemption.
It's also excellent for people who
don't travel frequently but want to earn points toward valuable
hotel nights Hotels are much easier to
redeem for vacations and the dollar value you get for each
point you use is often better than for for airline tickets. You also
need fewer points for free hotel nights than for most
free flights. And, with Starwood If there's a standard room for sale, it's
available for points.
How it works
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...with quick turnaround. Moreover,
you get a bonus of
5,000 miles for every 20,000 points you transfer to airline miles, effecitvely earning 1.25 miles
per dollars spent when you transfer in 20,000 point
increments.
Points are also good at all
Sheraton, Westin, W, Sheraton, St. Regis, Le Meridien, and
Four Points hotels with no capacity restrictions. 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 or see here that theyare great because you don't need many
points for great values:
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,
including a $100 gift card at Amazon, Nordstrom, Starbucks,
and other retailers for
9,500 points.
Convenience
This card lets you earn in
a universal format (Starwood points) and convert the points into the airline
miles of your choice. Just find out which airline has
the availability you want, and transfer points
to your airline account for redemption...usually without
dilution. That way
you can also add to your existing airline mile
balances.
Starwood will enhance your
points by offering 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000
points you transfer to your airline program. You in effect
earn 1.25 miles per dollar spent versus 1 for most airline
cards. Details on how it stacks up versus other cards are in
our
PurchasePower rankings.
Moreover, you can transfer
points online and not deal with telephone operators . Starwood hotel
redemptions also have no capacity controls. If there’s a room
available to purchase at one of their hotels, you can use your
points to buy it online or over the telephone! This
is often the best use of your points.
Annual Fee No fee the first year, only
$45 thereafter. The low fee makes
this road warrior proven card great for even light travelers
looking to earn points just through purchases.
Point bonuses
10,000 points with first purchase.
5,000
mile bonus for every 20,000 points you transfer to an airline.
This makes this card better than most standard airline cards
for earning points on your favorite airline...and is why it’s
the choice of some of the most seasoned travelers.
Dollars spent before your first reward
$1. With a 10,000 point bonus for your
first purchase, you’ve earned two nights at any Category 1 or
2 Starwood hotel...with no restriction.
Click below
for a direct link to the American Express application
site
Best
Major Airline Card
Earn 15,000 bonus miles with
your first purchase - enough for a total of $150 off
Delta flights**
Earn an
additional 5,000 Medallion (elite) qualifying miles with first
purchase
Use miles to pay for any Delta seat,
anytime -- no blackout dates and no seat
restrictions
Earn SkyMiles
for every eligible dollar you pend
$150 annual fee: $95 if you are a qualified
American Express Cardmember.
Express
approval. Get a decision in 60 seconds or
less.
Earn
10,000 Medallion elite qualifying miles after $25,000 in
purchases
Other features
Earn Double Miles when you use your
Card to pay your wireless phone bill and for Delta
purchases.
Earn one mile for every eligible
dollar on virtually every other purchase you make with
the Card.
Use the
Pay with Miles benefit to pay for all or part of your
flight with miles - and put the rest on your Card. Start
redeeming with just 10,000 miles for $100 dollars off
any Delta flight with no blackout dates or seat
restrictions.
Best Major Airline Credit Card: Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit
Card from American Express Earn status qualifying miles without flying
One
of the few occasions we recommend an airline-specific credit
card
We generally dislike credit
cards that are tied only to one airline miles program, as you
lose the flexibility offered by cards like the Starwood Preferred Guest
American Express which lets you transfer points into
several airline miles programs without dilution. Read more
about it here.
However, if you want to earn 'status' or
'elite' qualifying miles on an airline, then some airline
credit cards have a distinct advantage. The Delta Platinum
SkyMiles Credit Card is one of them.
What are elite
qualifying miles?
Elite qualifying miles are miles
generally only earned by flying. If you earn enough in one
calendar year, you are eligible for priority benefits like
preboarding, first class checkin, and free upgrades to first
class when space is available.
This usually requires
25,000 miles or more of actual flying per year, but with
the Delta Platinum SkyMiles card, you can earn up to
20,000 qualifying miles per year with your spending.
However, if you're not a heavy spender or flyer, we
recommend a card like the Starwood Preferred Guest
American Express, which lets you transfer points directly
into over 30 airline miles programs with a much lower annual
fee.
Delta offers the most generous elite mile
earning potential with a credit card
Delta is the
most generous airline for earning elite qualifying miles with
a credit card. You can earn 5,000 qualifying miles when
you make your first purchase, 20% of what you need to reach
Silver Elite status.
Then, when you spend $20,000 in a
year, you can earn 10,000 qualifying miles, and with $50,000
in a year earn another 10,000 miles -- for 20,000 miles total,
80% of what you need for Silver Elite status, which qualifies
you for free upgrades to first class.
This is in
addition to the standard 1 mile per dollar spent you will earn
and can use for free travel.
Other benefits
1. You can use Delta miles for many more
airlines than Delta flights! You'll have
your choice of three
national carriers (Delta, Continental, or Northwest) and some of the world’s finest
international airlines to use your miles (Air
France, KLM, Alitalia, and others).
2. You get
a 15,000 standard mile bonus when you make your first purchase up, enough
for a $200 off any Delta ticket. Roundtrip domestic award tickets start at 25,000 miles. This is
in addition to the 5,000 point elite qualifying mile bonus
.
3. Also
offers one free companion certificate each year you renew -- with
no minimum fare requirement. You buy yourself a domestic
ticket of any value, and your companion travels for
free.
Downsides
Limited options for hotel rewards, which we generally think
are a better option for points with better availability and
better value than many airline awards. See the
Starwood Preferred Guest American
Express
for a
card that lets you earn points for no blackout hotel rewards,
as well as transfer points to over 30 airline
programs at a 1:1 ratio or better.
How it works
Just like any traditional frequent flyer credit card. You
earn 1 mile in your Delta SkyMiles account for every dollar spent,
or 2 miles for every dollar spent on
Delta.
Convenience
Sky Team alliance
flexibility. You can use Delta miles for
many more airlines than Delta flights! You'll have your choice
of some of the world’s finest international airlines
to use your miles (Air France, KLM, Alitalia, and others), in
addition to Delta/Northwest, which is now the
nation's largest airline.
Annual Fee
$150 thereafter
(only $95 if you are a qualified American Express cardmember).
Point bonuses
Up to 25,000 miles:
20,000 with your first
purchase...and 5,000 additional miles if you add 2 cards
to the account.
Click below for a direct link to the
American Express application site
Best
Hotel Credit Card
Earn up to
25,000 points -- enough for up to 6 free nights at a
category
1 or 2
hotel**
Use Starpoints® for free nights and
upgrades at over 860 participating Starwood hotels and
resorts in 95 countries including Sheraton, W Hotels,
Westin, and more with no blackout
dates
No annual fee for the first year
and $45 thereafter
Transfer
Starpoints® - almost always on a 1:1 basis - to the
frequent flyer programs of over 30 major
airlines
Express approval. Get a decision
in less than 60 seconds.
No annual
fee for the first year and $45
thereafter
**Earn 10,000 Starpoints®
with your first purchase1 - enough for up to
3 free nights at a Category 1 or 2 hotel.
Plus - earn an additional
15,000 Starpoints when you spend $15,000 in 6
months.
Best Hotel Credit
Card:
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit
Card from American Express The best all-around
reward card for many casual, frequent, and
family travelers.
What is Starwood Preferred
Guest? Starwood
Preferred Guest is the points program from Starwood Hotels,
which includes Sheraton, Westin, W, Four Points, Le Meridien,
and St. Regis hotels. You don't need to stay at one of
their hotels to join or earn points, and you are automatically
enrolled when you sign up for the credit card.
We like the program because it
lets you transfer your points into miles in over 30 top airline
programs, giving you incredible flexibility with one card.
In addition, you can use your points for free nights at their
hotels, for merchandise, or gift cards.
2. Easy hotel rewards. If a standard room
is available for sale, you can book it with your
Starwood points. Hotel rewards
are much easier to use for family vacations than trying to
find flight awards for a family of 4.
3. Generous 10,000 point
signon is worth up to 3 free nights at many Shreaton, Westin, W, St.
Regis, Four Points, and Le Meridien hotels, 10,000 airline
miles, or a $100 gift card.
This is the
best all-around reward card for many
travelers. It's great for people who fly just about
every major airline, light hotel guests, and anyone who
wants to stay at a Starwood hotel (Sheraton, Westin, W,
Four Points, St. Regis, Le Meridien). This card offers better
earning power for airline awards than most airline cards, and
allows direct transfer to your airline accounts for
redemption.
It's also excellent for people who
don't travel frequently but want to earn points toward valuable
hotel nights Hotels are much easier to
redeem for vacations and the dollar value you get for each
point you use is often better than for for airline tickets. You also
need fewer points for free hotel nights than for most
free flights. And, with Starwood If there's a standard room for sale, it's
available for points.
How it works
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...with quick turnaround. Moreover,
you get a bonus of
5,000 miles for every 20,000 points you transfer to airline miles, effecitvely earning 1.25 miles
per dollars spent when you transfer in 20,000 point
increments.
Points are also good at all
Sheraton, Westin, W, Sheraton, St. Regis, Le Meridien, and
Four Points hotels with no capacity restrictions. 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 or see here that theyare great because you don't need many
points for great values:
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,
including a $100 gift card at Amazon, Nordstrom, Starbucks,
and other retailers for
9,500 points.
Convenience
This card lets you earn in
a universal format (Starwood points) and convert the points into the airline
miles of your choice. Just find out which airline has
the availability you want, and transfer points
to your airline account for redemption...usually without
dilution. That way
you can also add to your existing airline mile
balances.
Starwood will enhance your
points by offering 5,000 bonus miles for every 20,000
points you transfer to your airline program. You in effect
earn 1.25 miles per dollar spent versus 1 for most airline
cards. Details on how it stacks up versus other cards are in
our
PurchasePower rankings.
Moreover, you can transfer
points online and not deal with telephone operators . Starwood hotel
redemptions also have no capacity controls. If there’s a room
available to purchase at one of their hotels, you can use your
points to buy it online or over the telephone! This
is often the best use of your points.
Annual Fee No fee the first year, only
$45 thereafter. The low fee makes
this road warrior proven card great for even light travelers
looking to earn points just through purchases.
Point bonuses
10,000 points with first purchase.
5,000
mile bonus for every 20,000 points you transfer to an airline.
This makes this card better than most standard airline cards
for earning points on your favorite airline...and is why it’s
the choice of some of the most seasoned travelers.
Dollars spent before your first reward
$1. With a 10,000 point bonus for your
first purchase, you’ve earned two nights at any Category 1 or
2 Starwood hotel...with no restriction.
Click below for a direct link to the
American Express application
site