Frequent Flyer and Airline Credit Cards

Airline Credit Cards

Airline credit cards allow you to earn miles faster for a free airline ticket. There are several types of airline cards, each offering different types of benefits.

Frequent flyer cards allow you to earn frequent flyer miles on your favorite airline and their partners. The vast majority of frequent flyer cards come with free miles upon sign up, in some cases offering up to twenty thousand bonus miles when you make your first purchase. That isn't enough for a free round trip ticket, but it's close. If you are looking to add miles to a specific frequent flyer account, a frequent flyer credit card is probably the right card for you.

If you don’t want to be limited to one particular airline, airline credit cards let you earn points that can be used to get free tickets on over 250 major airlines. Instead of being limited to just one airline, you have your choice of any major airline to use your mile points. Often times the points you earn can also be redeemed for cash back, free hotel stays, car rentals, cruises, and so on. Airline cards give you many options for what kind of rewards you want.

You typically get one point for each dollar spent, but some airline miles cards give double miles or extra points for certain types of purchases, such as supermarkets, gas stations and drugstores. You can even get points on the miles you fly when you purchase your ticket with your certain airline cards. Many air miles credit cards also offer sign-up bonus points, like with the frequent flyer cards. Points are typically awarded after your first purchase with your airline card after sign up.

You should take the time to compare credit cards to find the one that will maximize mile points for you. You should look for how many miles or points are needed to get a free flight, whether there is a limit to points you can accumulate per year, and whether the points or miles have an expiration date.

Many airline credit cards also offer a 0% apr intro period, giving you the best of both worlds. These cards come for both personal use and business.

Of course, as with any card, there is a finance charge on balances that aren't paid in full every month. If this is the case, a low interest rate card is probably better suited for your credit card needs. You may also be looking for cards that offer different types of rewards, like cash back credit cards.