Since its merger with Continental, United Airlines has become one of the largest carriers in the world. In addition to the services it operates under its own brand, customers can easily connect to flights on one of the 27 other airline partners within the Star Alliance. The result is an airline alliance with a truly global reach.

The United/Continental merger has created a circumstance where miles in United’s MileagePlus program have become increasingly valuable. Fortunately, there are many different credit cards that allow customers to earn these miles. The challenge is to find the credit card that provides the best rewards earning potential.

The obvious choice for earning MileagePlus Miles would be the United Explorer credit card from Chase. Continue Reading »

Choosing a credit card affiliated with an airline used to be a simple matter. Banks offered a product that earned frequent flier miles, and perhaps a slightly more expensive version that offered additional  perks. Today, Delta and American Express have taken airline affiliated credit cards to their logical extreme, offering five different versions to consumers, and three different products for businesses. At the entry level, Delta and American Express offer their classic SkyMiles and SkyMiles Options cards to customers who want to earn some rewards while paying the least amount of annual fees.

How These Delta SkyMiles Credit Cards Work

To earn a single mile in Delta’s SkyMiles program, holders of the Delta SkyMiles Options card must spend two dollars.  With the Options card, only one mile is earned per dollar spent on Delta purchases. Customers of the classic Delta SkyMiles card will normally earn one mile per dollar, with two miles per dollar being granted for spending on Delta purchases.  A very small 1,000 mile sign up bonus is awarded for the Options card and an equally lackluster 5,000 miles are awarded to classic SkyMiles card applicants. Continue Reading »

Smart credit card users know how to cash in on frequent flier miles, cash back and loyalty points. But as cardholders have grow smarter about credit card rewards, credit card issuers have been forced to steadily increase the amount of points and miles their customers are earning for spending and as sign up bonuses. In many instances, account holders have become disillusioned with points and miles that, at times, can be difficult to redeem.

In response, credit card issuers have begun to add more perks to their hotel and airline reward credit card products that go far beyond mere points and miles. However, consumers often have multiple options with big travel branded credit cards and the most expensive options are not always the best.

Airline Credit Cards Offering More than Just Miles

Delta is leading the field of airline cards by offering the most non-mileage perks. For example, their Delta SkyMiles Reserve card from American Express grants cardholders priority access at check in, security, and during boarding, as well as checked bag fee waivers. Furthermore, it offers customers upgrade priority over others at the same status levels that do not hold this card. However, this card carries a hefty $450 annual fee. For those who want miles and free checked bags, the lower fee Gold Delta SkyMiles card is a much better option. Continue Reading »

United and Continental are the latest airlines to succumb to merger fever. While the aviation divisions continue the work of merging their operations, similar efforts are well underway for those who manage the Continental OnePass and United Mileage Plus loyalty point programs. Their job was made considerably easier by the fact that both carriers had been offering co-branded cards through the same bank, Chase.

In recent months, United and Continental have pared down their credit card offerings to three products, and it is reasonable to expect that only two of them will survive the sunset of Continental’s OnePass program at the end of 2011.

Continental and United Credit Card Offerings

In anticipation of the merger of their loyalty programs, United and Continental have all but unified their entry level credit cards. The Continental OnePass Plus credit card comes with a $95 annual fee that is waived the first year. It offers a 25,000 mile sign up bonus, 5,000 miles if a second cardholder is added and an additional 10,000 miles when the cardholder spends $25,000 in a calendar year. Subsequently, cardholders will receive the standard two miles per dollar spent on purchases from United and Continental and a single mile per dollar for all other transactions. Continue Reading »

Since completing their acquisition of Northwest Airlines, Delta has become one of the largest carriers in the world. Behind the scenes, Delta has also developed a unique relationship with their credit card partner, American Express. Through their close ties with one of the world’s largest credit card issuers, Delta offers no fewer than five different SkyMiles credit cards targeted at consumers. Determining which card represents the best deal for Delta travelers takes some analysis.

Features of Delta Skymiles Credit Cards

At the bottom of their list is the Delta SkyMiles Options card. This entry level offering has no annual fee, but returns a single SkyMile per dollar spent on Delta purchases, and an inferior one mile for every two dollars spent on other charges. It offers customers a 20% savings on in-flight food, beverages, and entertainment charges, but no other non-mileage benefits. Continue Reading »

While some hotel credit cards offer top tier rewards, many fail to offer all but the savviest of reward program users competitive value. A key problem with hotel credit cards stems from the fact that it often takes a combination of substantial spending and frequent visits to earn reward stays. This issue is extenuated by the fact that once enough rewards are earned, one might need to pass on good hotel bargains just to use the rewards earned with a hotel credit card.

Two Hotel Credit Cards Worth Considering

The Starwood Preferred Guest credit card from American Express is a perennial favorite among frequent travelers. This card starts new members out with a generous sign-up bonus that, depending on the hotel selected, can be worth up to 6 free nights at some of their less expensive properties. However, as one moves up the food chain from Sheraton to Westin or St. Regis hotels, the Starwood points needed for an award stay increase substantially. Consequently, the Starwood hotel card is a good choice for heavy travelers who are familiar with the Starwood rewards system, but not so great an option for consumers who want easy to access rewards. Continue Reading »

While airline credit cards have historically been one of the most popular types of reward credit cards, finding the best airline credit card is not an easy task. Sizable 25,000 to 40,000 mile bonuses and free flights are offered on most cards to lure in new consumers. However, the benefits of these incentives can be short lived given the fact that most airline credit cards charge annual fees. This is not an issue for heavy travelers and high spenders, but should be a concern for casual travelers that tend to fly infrequently or on different airlines.

Recent improvements to certain cards that include features like free checked bags and priority boarding make some cards profitable for casual flyers, but before commiting to an airline credit card, it is important to ask oneself the following questions:

1.)  How often do I fly the same airline? If the answer to this question is regularly, then choosing a credit card offered by the particular airline flied regularly will provide good value. Consumers who live near airline hubs will benefit the most. For example, consumers who live in Atlanta will often find themselves flying Delta. In this instance, getting the Delta Skymiles credit card would help save on baggage fees and boost frequent flyer balances. The same is true for those who live near hubs for other major airlines like United, Continental, and Southwest. All of these airline credit cards offer substantive sign-up bonuses and value adding features like checked bag fee waivers or priority boarding. Continue Reading »