Frequent Flyer cards
 

I'm thinking about getting a credit card that offers frequent flyer miles. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of getting a credit card that offers free tickets on different airlines (such as the Go Miles Visa card)?
Also, do you have any tips on how to accrue a lot of miles without taking a lot of trips?

You can pay for almost anything with your mastercard. My daughter's college lets me put her tuition payments on MC.

Most utilities, cell phone plans, newspaper subscriptions, etc. will allow you to pay with a cc, either month-by-month (make payments online or by phone) or by an automatic deduction. Of course, use the card for ALL your usual expenses -- groceries, gasoline, etc. When you go out to eat with a group, volunteer to collect the cash and put the bill on your cc.

Just be sure to pay it off every month, since even a modest interest rate will eat up any benefits.

Here's my two cents: The pros are pretty obvious, free flights. However the down side is the yearly fee (usually $75 or so). So, unless you can rack up enough pts to fly every somewhere free every 1-3 years, it's hardly worth the cost. I charge everything possible on my card (groceries, bills, etc) and am able to justify the annual fee.

There are cards without fees.

yes, but the cards without fees accrue mileage credit much slower. Not usually dollar for mile. Another tip on accruing miles is charging medical and pharmacy bills. Also, if you book travel on line, you will usually get bonus miles. I'm usually able to fly my family of 4 free every other year on credit card miles. Even to hawaii!

Visa, Amex and Discover all have cards that give you 1 to 2% cash back...and no annual fees. Buy a ticket on the airline of your choice- No seat limits, blackout periods and no fears of the airline going bancrupt.

When you buy the tickets, you'll get airline miles; Save those miles for free tickets or to upgrade your economy seats.

Charge everything to the card- postage, medical bills, cell phone bills, group meals, business expenses, your neighbor's new refrigerator.

I used mine on a new car...they wouldn't let me charge the whole thing, but let me put down a deposit of $3,000 and also pay for the separate upgrades on the card. It can add up quite fast.

another benefit with these is that you'll hit platinum status really fast, and get the travel insurance, and other card benefits.

Just pay off the bill each month!! Like said above, the benefits of anycard disappear if you are paying interest or late fees.

I just got a Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card (Starwood owns hotel chains like the Westin and the Sheraton). This card lets you accrue points, not miles, but unlike some other "points" cards you can convert your points to miles into your existing FF account 1:1 (except for United Airlines). And lately, they've had specials where they'll convert 20,000 points to 25,000 miles.

The card is free for the first year and $30/year afterward. You get 4,000 points to sign up plus other incentives with hotel stays. I have yet to find the drawbacks of this card, but if there are some I'll cancel it in a year. A few places won't take American Express but many will.

One advantage of air miles vs. buying the tickets yourself is flying first class. For an average of about 45,000 miles you can fly first class on a frequent flyer ticket. You can also use miles to get first class upgrades.

Andrew

Lcuy,

If someone can rack up lot of miles they can use their miles for upgrades or first/business class. Those tickets are worth a lot more than the 1 or 2% cash back.

In addtion to cars and tuition, it is important to watch for special promotions. I've gotten miles form opening up discount brokerage account,and by using some special "double miles" checks.

I've said it before, and maybe my case isn't possible any more. But after paying a fee for my AA Citibank card about 16 or so years ago, I called them when renewal came up and said I wouldn't renew unless they removed the fee. They did and I've never paid one since.

I consider myself at expert at collecting non-flying miles. I stick with American Airlines on one card because I feel the end results are better and I'm comfortable with American as my principle airline. I buy flowers through their website (special FTD website) and get tons of miles including bonuses. I seek out the deals with hotels that will offer bonus miles. I use my credit card for everything I can, including the maximum deposit allowed to buy a new car. I joined AA I-Dine, and get tons of miles for eating at their member restaurants, without having to keep track of the system -- it happens automatically. About once a year I change my long distance to ATT or whatever carrier AA is using, and gain an extra 5000 or 7500 miles -- then switch back when the required period is over, to redo it again the next year. Some people call people like me "FF mile whores". I guess so.

Cashing in the miles depends on what you want to do with them. I save mine only for European trips and only use them for flying business class. Some disagree with that policy, but I carefully use them to do two extra stopovers and use them for long trips that would cost a small fortune even for the lowest coach fare -- but come included on the award tickets with American. Compared to what those tickets would cost if purchased, I get a whole lot of dollars worth of trip per mile cashed in. Recently I even saw where someone mentioned you can't do open jaw flights with Capital One awards. That's terrible. I like what I can get with my miles, I just have to play the "games" to cash them in, including planning far enough ahead to get the flights and dates I want.

Dick, free first class seats may be worth more than cash back, but if you can't ever get the free seats the miles are worthless.

We gave up on milage cards because
1)we fly from a very popular route for FF tickets (Hawaii),
2) We did lots of last minute (3-4 months is "last minute" using FF miles)trips,
3)usually flew during the blackout periods, and
4) trips to Europe or Australia involved spending double miles.

Now that I get the cash back, I can use it anywhere...including on the bargain tickets of all airlines.

We still earn miles on all trips since we pay for the tickets- enough to always get first class upgrades.

Of course, everyone has different needs, but it works well for us.

lcuy,

Based upon your situation, I don't blame you for going for the cash.

UsAirs filing for a second time got me nervous. On Monday I booked two tickets on UAL (using UsAir miles) to Naples.

I figure my odds of going are better with UAL (code share with Lufthansa) tix.