So here's my ideal travel card.. what's the closest I can get?
- Great bonus miles on sign-up
-Annual free miles on anniversary
-10% or more back on redeemed miles, PLUS new miles earned at normal rate
-5x Miles earned on airfaire, hotel, and travel expenses (hey, I said ideal.. I think Penfed has a 5x back on airfare card)
Also, who has the CITI AA card? It has 50k bonus with 3k spend, and anniversary miles.
The death knell appears when you want 5x miles for airfare, hotel and travel expenses. And the annual miles.
If you find a card earning 5x miles, it most likely has a devalued miles value.
You forgot to say whether you mind an AF. Those can range from $95 to $450 and are a wet blanket on your 5x miles plans, sorry to say.
Yeah annual fee is expected.. 5x I know was pushing that's why I said what's the closest. 3x? 2x seems average.
Edit: Penfed does give 5x on airfare alone.. but it's not that attractive otherwise.
https://www.penfed.org/PenFed-Premium-Travel-Rewards-American-Express-Card/
I was just approved for the Barclay's Arrival card which has no annual fee +20,000 miles sign up bonus , 2x miles on travel and dining and 1x Miles for everything else. With a wonderful 10% return of ANY miles redeemed.
Example 10,000 miles redeemed for 100$ travel statement credit would net you the 100$+1,000 miles returned.
If you wanted, you could opt for the Arrival+ card which has all the same perks plus 40,000 miles sign up bonus + 2x miles on all purchases. The only caveat being this card comes with an 89$ annual fee (waived for the first year, so technically you could reap all the benefits for the sign up and first year of 2x miles them cancel or downgrade).
Good luck
Example 10,000 miles redeemed for 100$ travel statement credit would net you the 100$+1,000 miles returned.
If you wanted, you could opt for the Arrival+ card which has all the same perks plus 40,000 miles sign up bonus + 2x miles on all purchases. The only caveat being this card comes with an 89$ annual fee (waived for the first year, so technically you could reap all the benefits for the sign up and first year of 2x miles them cancel or downgrade).
Good luck
@Anonymous wrote:I just got the Citi AA card which is my first card with thrm. I think it's going g to be a keeper. Gave me $16,500 CL and then bumped it to $25K a couple days after activation. I definitely will use this one moreso than the Barclays card.
Which Penfed card are you talking about? The AMEX?
Yeah the Amex: https://www.penfed.org/PenFed-Premium-Travel-Rewards-American-Express-Card/
That's what I mean, I want a keeper travel card, and so many just seem to be churner cards or cancel before fee cards.
An important aspect of the Travel Cards is, knowing where those "miles" accumulate. With the Arrival+, and Venture, the "miles" gather only on that card and you only use them for credit on travel. When buying airline tickets, you will also earn miles directly in the airline frequent flyer program, but Venture, Arrival+ and several others, will not be able to transfer in to combine with those FF miles.
So it is important to also decide if you will be using one airline only, and that can influence the miles realized.
Even the Citi Prestige does not transfer directly to AA miles, but due to the redemption bonus, 1.6 value, it works out well enough.
@Anonymous wrote:The best travel cards are probably the Freedom + CSP combo. They can be used to essentially remove the airfare cost from travel.
I don't recommend cards used for a specific airline or hotel (despite having two myself). They're too restrictive.
But the Freedom/CSP probably requires a higher annual spend than I want to make. My main goal is WHEN I travel (which is probably 1 or 2x per year airfare wise), to recoup some nice points and miles on those trips. I already get good cash rewards on my daily expenses, so I don't want to move daily spend to a travel card. I just want to put travel on it at highest return.
Travel for me is vacation only: Mexico, Hawaii, Europe, lots of stateside shorter trips - Natl Parks, State Parks etc.