Some of the best air miles credit cards are those that are issued by banks in conjunction with a specific airline. There are indeed a lot of great air miles credit cards out there in general but these airline specific cards can not only earn you air miles quickly but special on board perks like preferred seating and fare discounts as well.
How to Choose the Best Airline Company Credit Card for You
Many travelers, especially those who travel for business tend to have a favorite airline they fly most often and for those people it usually makes more sense to choose an air miles credit card offered by that carrier, if one is available.
But if you are a less frequent flyer or you really have no airline preference the choice may be a little harder to make but it does pay to do a little homework before you choose a specific card. When comparing credit card offers do not just look at the air miles rewards though. If you are an occasional traveler, you may want to choose a card that allows you to earn a mile on every dollar charged even if it is not for a travel expense or other “qualifying purchase”. That will mean you can earn miles on your everyday purchases at the grocery store or at the gas station to help you earn that trip a little faster.
If possible you should also pick an offer with a low or no annual fee and make sure your miles won’t expire before you have a chance to use them if you will only be flying once in a while.
Keeping these points in mind here is a little information about some of the best airline company credit cards available at the moment to help you begin your search for a great airline credit card.
United Mileage Plus Signature Visa Card
This credit card is issued in conjunction with Chase Bank and offers all the benefits that other Visa cards do along with great rewards program. The card has a fairly reasonable 14.24% variable interest rate and there is a $60 annual membership fee attached to it as well but that fee is waived for the first year of card membership.
One of the best things about this airline credit card right off the bat is that as soon as you make your first purchase with it your account is credited with 25,000 bonus miles, which is actually sufficient to get you a Supersaver round trip ticket right away. Since these flights are rather limited though you may just want to bank the miles towards a trip you really want to take.
Air miles are then earned at the rate of 1 per every $1 spent, with no limit put on the amount of miles you can earn. You can earn another 5,000 air miles if you add a second authorized card holder and all of the miles earned do not expire, which gives you plenty of time to save up for that dream trip.
Continental Airlines One Pass Plus Card
This is another airline card that is issued in conjunction with Chase bank and offers some great benefits for travelers as well as a convenient and easy way to earn air miles. Like the United card you are awarded 25,000 bonus miles as soon as you make your first purchase with the card as well as 5,000 bonus miles for adding a second authorized user to the account. Miles are then earned at the rate of 1 per every $1 spent.
The reason that this card stands out though are the perks it offers to card holders when they fly Continental anywhere in the world. The first checked bag on any flight is free for card holders and two Presidential passes are issued to cardholders every 12 months which gains them access to airport VIP lounges and upgraded in flight seating. There are also discount and upgrade packages available to cardholders at select resorts and hotels all over the world and every time you purchase a Continental ticket of any kind you automatically receive a $50 discount, wherever in the world you might be heading.
The APR attached to this card is a reasonable 14.24% and the $80 annual membership fee is waived for the first year of card membership.
Bank of America Virgin Atlantic American Express Cards
The reach of Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic has expanded far beyond trips back and forth “across the pond” from the US to the UK, which is how it began. The airline now serves over 100 destinations within in the US and across the world. If you already enjoy the fun friendly service you get with Virgin Atlantic you will be able to get a lot out of a Virgin Atlantic American Express credit card.
There are actually two different cards available – The Virgin Atlantic Black Card and the Virgin Atlantic White Card.
The Virgin Atlantic White Card is the easier to obtain, credit wise, so most people may initially quality for this offering. White card holders are awarded 12,500 miles after they make their first purchase and up to 2,500 miles if they elect to add a second cardholder. Rewards are then earned at a rate of 1 mile for every dollar spent except when the card is used to purchase Virgin tickets when the rate of return increases to 3 miles per dollar spent.
Virgin Atlantic White cardholders also have access to the American Express concierge center for travel booking, access to exclusive concert and sporting tickets and assistance with restaurant and hotel reservations.
Those who qualify for a Virgin Atlantic black card enjoy all of the perks that White cardholders do with of course a few extra ones as well. Miles are awarded at the rate of 1.5 per dollar spent and the initial bonus miles credit is upped to 20,000. Black card holders are also awarded a complimentary Regus Business World gold membership which allows an access to airport lounges all over the world. All cardholders, whether they have the Black or White card also enjoy extra discounts on all kinds of Virgin merchandise and services and if you happen to an expat UK citizen living in the US there are additional bonus offers available exclusively to you, especially on travel back home.