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NYC - Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly

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gen-specific
Frequent Contributor

NYC - Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly

Hello, forgive my ignorance on this matter, in advance.

 

I have Chase Sapphire Preferred and I hear for flights it is better to earn on CSP and transfer them to airline point systems. Do these airline point system require applying for that airline's credit card? Are some frequent flyer miles or whatever separate from the airline's credit card system?

 

Secondly I heard that choosing a airline program is related to what part of the country you are in. I think for NYC Jet Blue treats us well, but maybe United is better with points???

 

FICO FORUM, ASSEMBLE!

Message 1 of 8
7 REPLIES 7
enharu
Super Contributor

Re: Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly


@gen-specific wrote:

Hello, forgive my ignorance on this matter, in advance.

 

I have Chase Sapphire Preferred and I hear for flights it is better to earn on CSP and transfer them to airline point systems. Do these airline point system require applying for that airline's credit card? Nope Are some frequent flyer miles or whatever separate from the airline's credit card system? They are separate

 

Secondly I heard that choosing a airline program is related to what part of the country you are in. I think for NYC Jet Blue treats us well, but maybe United is better with points??? Not sure what you mean

 

FICO FORUM, ASSEMBLE!


 

JPMorgan Palladium (100k), AmEx Platinum (NPSL), AmEx SPG (46k), AmEx BCP (42k), Chase Sapphire Preferred (47k), Citi Prestige (31k), Citi Thank You Preferred (27k), Citi Executive AAdvantage (25k), JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton (21k), Merrill+ (15k), US Bank Cash+ (22.5k), Wells Fargo (12k), Bloomingdale’s (12.4k), Chase Freedom (5k), Discover IT (5k).
Message 2 of 8
longtimelurker
Epic Contributor

Re: Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly

You basically transfer the points directly to the airline/hotel frequent flier/loyalty program.  You do need to be a member of those programs, but you can usually sign up instantly at no charge.  You certainly don't need a credit card from those programs.  So you move X UR points to Y points in the other program, often it's 1:1 so Y is the same as X.

 

If you plan to use (nearly) exclusively a particular airline, it can be better to get that airline's card, for things like free baggage etc.   But if you fly enough, your airline status will give you many of those things, and in some cases the airline cards are not as good as CSP or some of the Amex alternatives.

Message 3 of 8
gen-specific
Frequent Contributor

Re: Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly

this was helpful thanks!

Message 4 of 8
CreditScholar
Valued Contributor

Re: Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly


@gen-specific wrote:

Hello, forgive my ignorance on this matter, in advance.

 

I have Chase Sapphire Preferred and I hear for flights it is better to earn on CSP and transfer them to airline point systems. Do these airline point system require applying for that airline's credit card? Are some frequent flyer miles or whatever separate from the airline's credit card system?

 

Secondly I heard that choosing a airline program is related to what part of the country you are in. I think for NYC Jet Blue treats us well, but maybe United is better with points???

 

FICO FORUM, ASSEMBLE!


You've asked quite a few questions, so I'll at least try to get you started.

 

You'll need to be a member of an airline's FF program, so in United's case you'll want to signup for Mileage Plus. Once you do this, you'll receive a membership number. This is what you'll need to give when you transfer points from your CSP to your United account.

 

UR points earned from your CSP remain as UR points until you transfer them. The benefit is that you can choose what to convert them into on an as-needed basis. If you decide that you need hotel points instead of miles, you can transfer them into Hyatt, Marriott, etc.

 

Miles earned by flying are deposited into your frequent flier account, and can only be used for redemptions on that airline or their partners. The same is true for miles earned through a co-branded CC. So for example if you flew 1,000 miles on a United flight, you'd receive 1,000 miles in your account. If you charged $1,000 to fix your car on a United credit card, you'd receive 1,000 miles into your United account as well.

 

The difference between a co-branded card that is specific to one airline (like the United Explorer card), whereas transferrable point cards (like the CSP) has flexibility. With a United card you only earn United miles and they won't ever become something else (save rare exceptions). Points earned through the CSP can be converted at will, but only once. Once you convert points from your CSP into United miles, they'll forever be United miles so don't transfer until you need them.

 

Regarding airlines: You'll need to do some research as to what airline best fits your needs. I'm a UA flier, although others may prefer American, Delta, etc. JetBlue is fine if you do a lot of transcon flights (JFK-SFO for example), but if you're looking for international (especially premium redemptions) I'd look towards one of the legacy carriers instead. They'll have more partners through airline alliances, which allow for greater redemption options. The saving grace is NYC is large enough where you'll have several options for carriers. Smaller cities not so much.

EX 798, EQ 789, TU 784
American Express Platinum (NPSL) || Bank of America Privileges with Travel Rewards Visa Signature - $23,200 CL
Barclays American Airlines Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard - $20,000 CL || Chase IHG Rewards World Mastercard - $25,000 CL
Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature - $12,700 CL || Chase United MileagePlus Club World Elite MasterCard - $26,500 CL
Citibank Hilton Reserve Visa Signature - $20,000 CL || J.P. Morgan Ritz Carlton Visa Signature - $23,500 CL
Message 5 of 8
gen-specific
Frequent Contributor

Re: Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly


@CreditScholar wrote:

@gen-specific wrote:

Hello, forgive my ignorance on this matter, in advance.

 

I have Chase Sapphire Preferred and I hear for flights it is better to earn on CSP and transfer them to airline point systems. Do these airline point system require applying for that airline's credit card? Are some frequent flyer miles or whatever separate from the airline's credit card system?

 

Secondly I heard that choosing a airline program is related to what part of the country you are in. I think for NYC Jet Blue treats us well, but maybe United is better with points???

 

FICO FORUM, ASSEMBLE!


You've asked quite a few questions, so I'll at least try to get you started.

 

You'll need to be a member of an airline's FF program, so in United's case you'll want to signup for Mileage Plus. Once you do this, you'll receive a membership number. This is what you'll need to give when you transfer points from your CSP to your United account.

 

UR points earned from your CSP remain as UR points until you transfer them. The benefit is that you can choose what to convert them into on an as-needed basis. If you decide that you need hotel points instead of miles, you can transfer them into Hyatt, Marriott, etc.

 

Miles earned by flying are deposited into your frequent flier account, and can only be used for redemptions on that airline or their partners. The same is true for miles earned through a co-branded CC. So for example if you flew 1,000 miles on a United flight, you'd receive 1,000 miles in your account. If you charged $1,000 to fix your car on a United credit card, you'd receive 1,000 miles into your United account as well.

 

The difference between a co-branded card that is specific to one airline (like the United Explorer card), whereas transferrable point cards (like the CSP) has flexibility. With a United card you only earn United miles and they won't ever become something else (save rare exceptions). Points earned through the CSP can be converted at will, but only once. Once you convert points from your CSP into United miles, they'll forever be United miles so don't transfer until you need them.

 

Regarding airlines: You'll need to do some research as to what airline best fits your needs. I'm a UA flier, although others may prefer American, Delta, etc. JetBlue is fine if you do a lot of transcon flights (JFK-SFO for example), but if you're looking for international (especially premium redemptions) I'd look towards one of the legacy carriers instead. They'll have more partners through airline alliances, which allow for greater redemption options. The saving grace is NYC is large enough where you'll have several options for carriers. Smaller cities not so much.


Thanks for breaking it down for me. Yes NYC has many options!

 

So it stands to reason that I should sign up to a bunch of free loyalty programs of the big names, and just go from there?

Message 6 of 8
vish1
Valued Contributor

Re: NYC - Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly


@gen-specific wrote:

Hello, forgive my ignorance on this matter, in advance.

 

I have Chase Sapphire Preferred and I hear for flights it is better to earn on CSP and transfer them to airline point systems. Do these airline point system require applying for that airline's credit card? Are some frequent flyer miles or whatever separate from the airline's credit card system?

 

Secondly I heard that choosing a airline program is related to what part of the country you are in. I think for NYC Jet Blue treats us well, but maybe United is better with points???

 

FICO FORUM, ASSEMBLE!


I will suggest visiting the forums on flyertalk.com also to get some hang of what airlines work best for you.

Citi Hilton Reserve 22.3K | Citi Thank You 8.2K | CSP 15.5K | Chase Freedom 10K | Chase BA 15K | Chase United 8.5K | Chase Marriott 5K | Discover IT 9K | Club Carlson 13K | Amex SPG 20K | BofA Cash Rewards 11K | BofA Cash Rewards 50K
Message 7 of 8
CreditScholar
Valued Contributor

Re: NYC - Which airline card/points program best for flying out of NYC mainly


@vish1 wrote:

@gen-specific wrote:

Hello, forgive my ignorance on this matter, in advance.

 

I have Chase Sapphire Preferred and I hear for flights it is better to earn on CSP and transfer them to airline point systems. Do these airline point system require applying for that airline's credit card? Are some frequent flyer miles or whatever separate from the airline's credit card system?

 

Secondly I heard that choosing a airline program is related to what part of the country you are in. I think for NYC Jet Blue treats us well, but maybe United is better with points???

 

FICO FORUM, ASSEMBLE!


I will suggest visiting the forums on flyertalk.com also to get some hang of what airlines work best for you.


+1, although I'd do more reading rather than posting. The people at flyertalk are predominately road-warriors and have little patience for questions from "noobs".

 

If you're going to ask novice-level questions, milepoint.com might be a better place for that.

EX 798, EQ 789, TU 784
American Express Platinum (NPSL) || Bank of America Privileges with Travel Rewards Visa Signature - $23,200 CL
Barclays American Airlines Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard - $20,000 CL || Chase IHG Rewards World Mastercard - $25,000 CL
Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Signature - $12,700 CL || Chase United MileagePlus Club World Elite MasterCard - $26,500 CL
Citibank Hilton Reserve Visa Signature - $20,000 CL || J.P. Morgan Ritz Carlton Visa Signature - $23,500 CL
Message 8 of 8
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