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Browse credit cards from a variety of issuers to see if there's a better card for you.
Chase Southwest Card - Gives 6000 bonus points on anniversary which is worth $100. Annual Fee is $99.
Amex Delta Gold - I think gives 10,000 bonus points on anniversary which is worth$100. Annual fee is $95.
The list goes on and on for different airlines, hotels etc.
The bonus points almost always cover the AF. My question is, why do people seem to be bothered all the time about the AF for credit cards?
my guess is that not all AF cc's have benefits that outweight the fee itself.
1. Because there are dozen's of no AF card that gives you a fat bonus. For example, Barclay's NFL $300 opening bonus.
So people become picky.
2. If people's spending pattern has changed and the AF no longer justifies itself, people sometimes have to cancel the card, which hurts, emotionally and FICOly. And this doesn't apply to no AF card.
@cowboyguy wrote:Chase Southwest Card - Gives 6000 bonus points on anniversary which is worth $100. Annual Fee is $99.
Amex Delta Gold - I think gives 10,000 bonus points on anniversary which is worth$100. Annual fee is $95.
The list goes on and on for different airlines, hotels etc.
The bonus points almost always cover the AF. My question is, why do people seem to be bothered all the time about the AF for credit cards?
I guarantee you, you are not looking at a representative sample of credit cards that charge annual fees. Most cards of this type do not offer anniversary rewards, but rather require you to make a significant level of spending to make enough rewards to offset the annual fee.
And BTW, the Delta Gold does NOT give you annual bonus points.
Problem is that airline miles card earn only "1" mile per dollar spent for non airline purchases. Other cards are more valuable for non-bonus spending.
At bonus spending, CSP (and others) earn 2X for all travel with points that can transfer to SW, UA and others. So, aside from buying 6,000 miles for $99, there is *NO* rational reason to ever use the SW or Delta card, since a plethora of other travel cards all earn superior rewards.
Only reason for a airline card are the premium high annual fee ones with special privileges, e.g. UA Club, Delta Reserve, Citi Exec AA. And, only if you have brand loyalty and fly the ariline almost exclusively.
On the surface it appears to be a good deal, but it really isn't if you have other options.
I would gladly take an airline card whose annual reward outweighs the annual fee, because the card often comes with pretty good perks, such as 20% discount on in-flight purchases, priority boarding, free checked bags, and eternal duration of loyalty miles. Only useful if you fly with the airline company, of course. Why would you get the card otherwise?
@HiLine wrote:I would gladly take an airline card whose annual reward outweighs the annual fee, because the card often comes with pretty good perks, such as 20% discount on in-flight purchases, priority boarding, free checked bags, and eternal duration of loyalty miles. Only useful if you fly with the airline company, of course. Why would you get the card otherwise?
Sign-up bonus.