Best Mile 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 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. Top three reasons to choose 1. Compatible with most airline mile programs . You can transfer your Starwood points almost always at 1:1 to over 30 top airline miles programs (United and Continental are diluted 2:1), making it the most flexible card. Click here to learn more about airline transfer and to see a list of participating airlines. 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.  Click here for a link to the application  at American Express for the personal 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.  Click here for a link to the application  at American Express for the personal card. 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. Click here for a link to the application at American Express for the personal card. 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. Top three reasons to choose 1. Compatible with most airline mile programs . You can transfer your Starwood points almost always at 1:1 to over 30 top airline miles programs (United and Continental are diluted 2:1), making it the most flexible card. Click here to learn more about airline transfer and to see a list of participating airlines. 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.  Click here for a link to the application at American Express for the personal 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.  Click here for a link to the application at American Express for the personal card. 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