topic Re: Best miles rewards card? in Credit Cards

Best miles rewards card?

creditninja9000 — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 02:27:12 GMT

Hey everyone. Looking for so,e objective opinions on this. I'd expect to fly at least about 5 times a year or so possible more.

I'd be looking to open a new card possibly or talk to Amex about switching my current card or chase about switching my freedom card.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

red259 — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 02:44:04 GMT

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Information-to-think-about-when-deciding-which-cards-to-apply/m-p/2462355/highlight/true#M700419

Need more information in order to make appropriate suggestions. Take a look at the questions. The more info you can provide (especially about loyalty programs or maybe particular hubs you fly from) the easier it will be to make recommendations.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

creditninja9000 — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 03:06:10 GMT

I'd likely fly between San Francisco and Chicago most often but to NY and Miami occasionally.

I likely won't need hotels when going to these places. And if I percent a car it's likely with enterprise or hertz.

Otherwise I'm not a part of any loyolaty programs or favor any particular airline.

,y credit is in very good shape at 730

Re: Best miles rewards card?

Walt_K — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 03:55:06 GMT

If you're looking for domestic coach travel, just get a 2% cash back card or something like it. Fidelity Amex, Travelocity Amex, Barclay Arrival, something like that.

if you want to participate in FF programs for more premium travle, and you only want one card, Chase Sapphire Preferred. If you want to leverage multiple programs, take advantage of sign up bonuses, etc., don't settle for one card. Start reading boardingarea.com blogs, flyertalk, thepointsguy.com, millionmilesecrets.com, etc.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

09Lexie — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 04:09:46 GMT

Since you don't need a hotel card and aren't interested in a FF or loyalty program -Barclays Arrival. Although if you are planning to rent cars and fly you might want some sort of loyalty program.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 04:27:17 GMT

I will offer an obscure solution that other's might not.

Amex PRG

Transfer to BA during a bonus transfer time, then book with AA through BA.

SFO to ORD 10K Avios each way.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

SuperKirby — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:51:54 GMT

@mekmek86 wrote:
I'd likely fly between San Francisco and Chicago most often but to NY and Miami occasionally.

I likely won't need hotels when going to these places. And if I percent a car it's likely with enterprise or hertz.

Otherwise I'm not a part of any loyolaty programs or favor any particular airline.

,y credit is in very good shape at 730

Mostly SFO and Chi-Town (ORD)? That is UA heaven! Two UA hubs no doubt. NYC is mainy a UA hub as well (mainly EWR, and LGA has a good presence), but MIA is an AA hub. Theres no doubt you should earn miles on UA and earn UA points on the Chase Sapphire Preferred with Freedom combo, mixed with the UA Explorer for free bags & other perks (if you want to splurge).

Flying both UA and earning on CCs will give you an agglomeration of miles in a second!

I'm Gold on UA this year, maybe will hit Platinum by Dec. Your routes are begging u to choose UA and their credit cards!

ETA: Dustink's example is great as well from purely a points-only perspective. Avios (what they call their points) for short hauls are great for only 10K pts for SFO to ORD routes! UA will cost 12.5K. However SFO to NYC and SFO to MIA will cost 12.5K Avios pts just like UA. As for the Avios transfer bonuses, you'll be on their schedule when they throw those bonuses (which is a caveat for me).

In addition, reason I don't suggest the PRG is because you can't "double dip" on points by both flying on UA and earning miles with UA card(s) (CSP/Freedom/Explorer, etc).

Now if you were to fly mainly AA, the PRG would be a great card as per Dustink's example. The Amex SPG card might be great as well since you can earn AA miles at a 1.25x rate on every purchase!

But, your routes tell you UA will be the cheapest anyway, and Avios are only good on American Airlines which you won't really be flying unless you're going to Miami a lot.

If you go with the PRG, you'll have a chunk of UA miles from flying, and a chunk on Avios points from CCs (PRG), which will take longer to redeem. (also depends on how much you plan to spend on your CCs of course). Why not just consolidate to one program if you're choosing a miles card.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 06:25:46 GMT

I think earning 3x points with the PRG plus the frequent BA transfer bonus is a good value. Then, those points are worth a lot; 10k each way. Creates an even better value. The card also has the 2x categories as well.

The united card only offers 2x points on United flights and 1 point elsewhere. The PRG will offer 3x on all flights (4x if booked through amex plus xfer bonus) + 2x in some categories and 1 in all others.

But...

As another poster pointed out. You really need a mix of cards. Just load up on sign up bonus offers.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

SuperKirby — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:33:30 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I think earning 3x points with the PRG plus the frequent BA transfer bonus is a good value. Then, those points are worth a lot; 10k each way. Creates an even better value. The card also has the 2x categories as well.

The united card only offers 2x points on United flights and 1 point elsewhere. The PRG will offer 3x on all flights (4x if booked through amex plus xfer bonus) + 2x in some categories and 1 in all others.

But...
As another poster pointed out. You really need a mix of cards. Just load up on sign up bonus offers.

The 3x points with the PRG and transfer bonuses are great too. But the CSP and Freedom has 2x (4x on UR site) on travel and dining and 5x on rotating categories, respectively. If OP can get his hand on the Ink (No AF), that's 2x on gas and 5x on TV, internet, cable, and office supplies, leaving almost no room for 1x purchases

So here's the breakdown:

PRG ($175 AF):

4x on flights (booked on amex site)

2x on groceries

2x on gas

-transfer bonuses

CSP/Freedom/Ink Combo ($95 AF total):

4.28x on flights (booked thru travelocity on UR)

2.14x on all travel (rental cars - OP will rent cars, hotel, taxis, trains, cruises, even tolls!)

2.14x on dining

5x on rotating categories

2x on gas

5x on office supplies / Internet bills /Cable bills / Cellphone bills

-OP will fly UA, more potential to earn UA miles this way.

It's really up to the OP how he wants to see it. I like to double dip on earning miles (in the same program) through both flying and CC spend.

Churning is a different story, if he has the profile to do so, get as many cards as possible for sign up bonuses. But for long term mile earning cards, OP should stick to a program if he doesn't want to dilute his points across multiple programs.

ETA: I added the 7% dividend bonus points to the CSP multiplier... 4.28x on airfare, 2.14x on dining, and 2.14x on traveling.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

Networth — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 06:47:42 GMT

Thats the combo I am probably going to get just picked up the CSP. On topic, I would do the CSP/Freedom/Ink but obvisouly I am biased because thats what I want/suits my needs. I also like AMEX cards though as well. Yet with the UR you can transfer points to Southwest Rapid Rewards for those short and cheap domestic flights.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

SuperKirby — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 06:59:00 GMT

@Networth wrote:
Thats the combo I am probably going to get just picked up the CSP. On topic, I would do the CSP/Freedom/Ink but obvisouly I am biased because thats what I want/suits my needs. I also like AMEX cards though as well. Yet with the UR you can transfer points to Southwest Rapid Rewards for those short and cheap domestic flights.

I'm biased too because for my routes I fly, UA is always the cheapest, might as well earn extra miles with UA thru CC spend.

And according to OPs routes, looks like UA will be the cheapest for him, might as well be loyal...

Theres nothing wrong with diluting points across multiple programs as a lot of frequent travelers do that - As long as they recognize it will take twice as long to redeem for a trip. And in the miles world we try to redeem as fast as possible because miles and points are getting devalued at the speed of light.

I'm mainly UA/UR but Membership Rewards is also my secondary program (mainly earning MR points through a few business expenses and Costco only accepting Amex )

Re: Best miles rewards card?

Networth — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:04:59 GMT

Devaluation at the speed of light is so true, Southwest's RR very recent point devaluation really aggravated me grrr. I usually use SW for domestic flights and United for International or Transcontinental trips. Wish explains my love for UR points lol.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

SuperKirby — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:08:06 GMT

@Networth wrote:
Devaluation at the speed of light is so true, Southwest's RR very recent point devaluation really aggravated me grrr. I usually use SW for domestic flights and United for International or Transcontinental trips. Wish explains my love for UR points lol.

Exactly, that has been one of the best combo's since the birth of UR. UA has arguably the cheapest INTL awards and Southwest having the cheapest Domestic awards. Southwest however slightly devauled their points, it's not so bad.

Good news is you can transfer UR points to BA and redeem for 10K Avios pt domestic trips!

Re: Best miles rewards card?

Networth — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:11:09 GMT

Geez why have I never thought of that thanks ha

Re: Best miles rewards card?

SuperKirby — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:17:20 GMT

@Networth wrote:
Geez why have I never thought of that thanks ha

Lol its a new thing in the FT world. Since the slight devaluation of Southwest, people are now better off just xferring to BA (using AA) for cheap domestic flights.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

Anonymous — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:17:40 GMT

Each program has its pros and cons, which is ultimately dependent on which airlines / hotel chain the customer is going to use.

If you are going to fly the same route constantly, sticking yourself with the same airline can has its perks. Same for using an airline co-branded card.

Everyone has been talking about rewards but there's other benefits that are being overlooked as well.

For instance, users that have status with the airlines / hotels may be able to have some fees waived, which can be somewhat significant over time. For example, a 50 fee waived on a $1000 flight ticket means a savings of 5%, which sometimes is worth more than whatever rewards one can get on a credit card. The fees are sometimes higher (such as 20-30/night for Internet), so the savings can be more significant as well. Obviously, some airlines do not charge any fees for certain routes, or all of their routes, so YMMV.

Another thing people are forgetting about is lounge access and free upgrades. Some cards have lounge access benefits included, which general travel cards usually do not have.

And there are many other perks that some cards may have as well, such as primary auto insurance coverage, etc.

The perks I have listed can be obtained via many ways. The easiest way is to acquire the co-branded cards, while the traditional way is to accumulate lots of loyalty miles with the airline / hotel to gain status.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

SuperKirby — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:46:45 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Each program has its pros and cons, which is ultimately dependent on which airlines / hotel chain the customer is going to use.

If you are going to fly the same route constantly, sticking yourself with the same airline can has its perks. Same for using an airline co-branded card.

Everyone has been talking about rewards but there's other benefits that are being overlooked as well.

For instance, users that have status with the airlines / hotels may be able to have some fees waived, which can be somewhat significant over time. For example, a 50 fee waived on a $1000 flight ticket means a savings of 5%, which sometimes is worth more than whatever rewards one can get on a credit card. The fees are sometimes higher (such as 20-30/night for Internet), so the savings can be more significant as well. Obviously, some airlines do not charge any fees for certain routes, or all of their routes, so YMMV.

Another thing people are forgetting about is lounge access and free upgrades. Some cards have lounge access benefits included, which general travel cards usually do not have.

And there are many other perks that some cards may have as well, such as primary auto insurance coverage, etc.

The perks I have listed can be obtained via many ways. The easiest way is to acquire the co-branded cards, while the traditional way is to accumulate lots of loyalty miles with the airline / hotel to gain status.

Which leads me to think the CSP/Freedom/Ink/ and United Explorer might be the best combo for OP.

The CSP/Freedom/Ink combo for reasons I already stated and the Explorer because OP will be flying a lot, however, not enough to reach Silver Status - in which gives free baggage check, priority boarding, the perks as @Anonymous stated.

With the Explorer, you get free bags, priority boarding, upgrades on award tickets, Two Club passes, and another important feature for the OP - Primary insurance on car rentals. It is very hard to find a CC with that benefit nowdays.

Another great perk for the Explorer card is the extra 10K miles when $25K is spent, thus making every purchase at 1.4x, and if combined with the CSP/Freedom/Ink combo, that means there is no purchase under a 1.4x value, pretty amazing..

Re: Best miles rewards card?

SuperKirby — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 07:58:33 GMT

We also forgot to ask probably the most important question of all, does OP want to use his points for award travel on his usual routes? i.e. SFO to ORD? Or does he want to use his points for something else? Like an INTL trip?

I guess whatever the answer OP gives us, I still believe the combo I suggested is still the best one for his situation since he will be flying UA routes anyway. Good news is that if OP does want INTL award trips, then UA has arguably the best one out there.

Re: Best miles rewards card?

creditninja9000 — Sun, 29 Sep 2013 17:53:16 GMT

I actually realized I don't want to open another card.

I don't understand anything about frequent flyer programs or miles cards. Up until this past year I have only been on a plan a few times in live. I'm moving away from home so will likely fly back several times a year or to visit my friends at opposite ends of the country now that I can afford.

With that being said, I have a card with Chase Freedom, USBank, Amex Zync, and BOA. I have a few other CC's with credit unions and cap1 but those likely can't be changed or converted.

With that being said it sounds like you can sign up with frequent flyer programs and dump your points into those? I'm not sure how all this works but I will most likely use my Amex and change it to a Gold in combination with another Visa (so I could convert my Chase Freedom to a UA card?).

So basically what I'm looking for is the right combination. Using a card on a regular basis to earn the points and saving on checking a bag or take care of a meal will most likely be more rewarding.....

Re: Best miles rewards card?

creditninja9000 — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 18:52:38 GMT

No other input? it's kind of hard to find this information without actually having the card sometimes.