Your Mileage May Vary – A Survey of Airline Reward Credit Card Programs

Not so long ago there were only a few options for getting an airline reward credit card. The Citi AAdvantage MasterCard was the first kid on the block and still remains a favorite of frequent flyers looking to earn extra rewards with their credit card. A United Airlines Credit Card soon followed suit with the United Airlines Mileage Plus card and then Continental Airlines with the Continental Airlines World MasterCard® Credit Card.

Now there are as many airline reward credit card options as there are airlines, even more if you count the generic miles credit cards offered by many of the major credit card issuers which allow earned miles to be used on any airline. While most airline frequent flyer programs are pretty similar their airline reward credit card programs, offered in partnership with credit card issuers, can be somewhat different.

Generic airline miles reward cards are now issued by major credit card banks and allow miles to be applied toward the purchase of a ticket on any airline. Miles are earned at a standard rate of 1 mile per dollar spent on the card, as with the major airline-specific credit cards. These programs vary in their requirements but some offer the ability to purchase a one-way or discount ticket after accumulating as few as 14,000 miles. Cards such as the Chase Travel Rewards Visa allow you to apply your earned miles toward tickets on over 250 airlines as well as hotel stays, cruises, vacation packages car rentals.

As a consumer another point to watch is the sign up bonus offered by most airline reward credit cards – many offer 5,000 miles for the first use of the card but others offer 7,500, and even 10,000 miles in the case of the Gold Delta Skymiles Credit Card offer by American Express Credit Cards. With deals like that you can be well on your way to a free ticket the minute you first use your card!