Why The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card?

For those that don’t live their life dreaming about what travel credit cards make sense, the choices can be bewildering at best and absolutely frustrating at worst. You need a combination of a better travel experience, baseline benefits, and a points currency that you can actually use. The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card includes all of those things and provides an upfront value proposition without jumping through a lot of hoops.

K.I.S.S.

To keep things simple, you have to ask yourself: will getting this (or any) premium credit card improve my travel and airport experience, and will I be able to use (redeem) the bonus points?

80k Miles – Miles You Can Use

The Citi AAdvantage Executive Card currently has an 80k point bonus after spending $5500 within three months of opening the account. Airline Redemptions are tough, but there are many savvy ways to redeem Advantage Miles. The very short story is that even without stellar aspirational redemptions, you can still redeem for everyday flights at decent redemption levels.

Totally random; I chose a midweek date in November to poke around a few flight options from Philadelphia to Vegas and NYC to Miami. Perhaps, I should buy a lottery ticket since the date I chose randomly, November 16th, yielded some amazing offers. Yes, you can redeem flights (economy class) for as low as 9.5k miles, and there are even desirable nonstop options for 12.5k miles.

The thing with American Airlines is you don’t have to win the lottery to find decent awards for a quick getaway. Advantage Miles are still valuable for all types of redemptions.

Another great point that should not be forgotten is that American miles are tough to obtain. There are no major points currencies such as Chase Ultimate Rewards or Amex Membership Awards that transfer to American Airlines.

Final redemption thought: remember, you can use those miles to upgrade long-haul flights!

Pair the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card with Bilt Rewards

If you pay rent, you need to have the Bilt Rewards Mastercard. Not only do you earn no-cost points for your monthly rent payments, but Bilt also provides an envious selection of transfer partners that include American Airlines and Hyatt.

If you are not “chasing” American Airlines Status, use your Bilt Card when the bonuses make sense (such as dining), and you have a fabulous way to further add to your American Advantage Miles balance.

If You Want AA Status – Focus on the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card

Loyalty Points are what counts if you want AA Status, but AA has given folks multiple paths to earning Loyalty Points. If you do not buy expensive fares, moving up the status ladder on AA will be tough without a boost, and this Citi Card can provide that boost. In addition, this card provides 10,000 additional Loyalty Points after spending $40k during the qualifying year.

You will focus (most spend) on this card to earn Loyalty Points if status is a priority. Just be aware of the different levels and thresholds. You often can’t tweak it perfectly, but once you feel you have enough Loyalty Points to qualify for the status level you desire, but sure to consider your other cards for bonus category spending.

Lots of focus here on “if” you want AA status since the most compelling factors of this card allow you to have a better travel experience without status. This means that you do not need to “stress” over status and just take things naturally.

Lounge Benefit Is Huge – Admirals Club Access

Status or no status, things will go wrong when you fly. It is going to happen with all airlines, and you just hope that it doesn’t happen to you on any given day.

Having access to a lounge is great, but sipping a martini in a lounge and getting an alert that your flight has operational issues, or worse, is canceled, doesn’t provide a lot of value if you can not jump from your seat and get rebooking assistance.

If you have at least two family members (one authorized user), this benefit is amazing and of great value. More (free) authorized users, and the value-prop is “off the charts.”

Primary Cardholder versus Authorized Users

The primary cardholder gets full Admirals Club Access, so they don’t even have to show their card to access the Admirals Club. The primary cardholder also gets access to all the partner lounges, such as Alaska and British Airways Lounges.

The authorized user benefit is also pretty solid, but you must show the card to access the lounges. Authorized users also can bring immediate family or up to two guests. The main difference between authorized users and the primary cardholder is that authorized users cannot access partner lounges.

Don’t forget about JetBlue

Not just for redeeming miles, JetBlue is positive with regard to lounge access. You can be traveling on AA, a OneWorld partner airline, or JetBlue, on the same day to access the Admirals Club Lounges.

Not a Lounge – A Travel Support Team

If you fly these days, you need a support team, seriously. The most valuable benefit of American Airlines Admirals Club access is the ability to have reservation and booking assistance. I am always assisted professionally when things go wrong with my flights, and I am in an Admirals Club Lounge. Sure, elite members have access to phone support, but that can also be a drain during busy periods. Here you have access to awesome support for your travels without even having elite access.

So, yeah, food and beverage are nice, but the best benefit of any lounge and your number one priority is assistance getting you from point A to point B. Isn’t that the reason you go to the airport? OK, sure, the guacamole ain’t bad.

$450 – Are You Insane?

I refuse to bang you over the head with “voodoo math.” Ya know, like my friend Michael will tell you that his Wynn Black Status only cost him $25k, but he has enjoyed more than that in caviar, iced espresso, Champagne, and free rooms to make it worthwhile.

Simple maths: 80k Advantage Miles are easily worth $800 (truthfully, much more), and an Admirals Club membership costs $650 (no status). But, you can add authorized users “for free,” so in most situations, you would probably have a significant other and at least one other person as your AU who also gets access to the Admirals Club.

For the first year, you do not even have to think about it that much. The 80k bonus totally covers the annual fee. If you fly and your authorized users fly AA more than a few times a year, the benefits are going to exceed the cost of the annual fee.

This is especially true since there are additional benefits that add to the value proposition.

What Else? – Citi AAdvantage Executive Card

You will currently earn a total of 4 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases through December 31, 2022. After that, the base earning is 2 miles for every $1 spent on AA. Important note, these are redeemable miles you earn in addition to Loyalty Points.

In addition to Admirals Club access, you will get automatic priority (Group 4) boarding and priority security screening in certain airports. You get a free checked bag for the primary cardholder and up to 8 companions on the same reservation. This benefit does not even require the primary cardholder to use the card for the purchase; the card just needs to be linked to their AA account.

Global Entry or TSA precheck credit for $100 to use for yourself or a friend once every five years. The card has no foreign transaction fees, which should always be a top requirement for any travel credit card.

In addition, the primary cardholder gets some expanded lounge access, but truthfully the lounge access benefit is extremely solid for the additional cardholders.

Is It Worth It?

If you never plan to fly American and if you never plan to accumulate AAdvantage Miles, stop reading. This is not the card for you. But, if you have a few members in your family that fly several times a year on AA, the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card is an absolute no-brainer.

The post 80k Miles And A Better Airport Experience – Citi AAdvantage Executive Card appeared first on God Save The Points.

Delta just revamped and re-launched their American Express card portfolio, and while there are definitely winners and losers with the new card changes, there are some major wins to be had.

One instantly wowing card perk: up to 100,000 Delta SkyMiles for new card sign-ups, and not just on the highest annual fee card. If you’ve been eyeing an exciting getaway far or near and want to turn your daily coffee expenses into nearly free travel, this is one of the best opportunities of the year…

Delta 100,000 Point Welcome Bonuses

Delta is offering up to 100,000 points on the Delta SkyMiles Reserve, and Delta SkyMiles Platinum credit cards, with 80,000 points after $3,000 in spending an additional 20,000 after your first card anniversary. Hey, it might be better than what some people get on their anniversary!

The cards each offer their own set of benefits which can be helpful to Delta loyalists, and in the case of the Delta SkyMiles Platinum Card, you can also earn a companion ticket certificate, which works a lot like a 2 for 1. You’ll need to learn more about the benefits to decide for yourself if the cards make sense, but the bonus alone is really superb.

100,000 points can be used for award tickets, or spent like cash with Delta at a value of $1000 toward a ticket. That kind of flexibility can be quite handy, since it benefits those who have flexibility and can book award tickets but also those who don’t have flexibility and just want to save on travel on specific dates.

SkyMiles Flash Sales Make These Bonuses Huge

We recently wrote about the “one thing” SkyMiles fans need to do, and that one thing is to pay attention to Delta’s regular SkyMiles flash sales. These flash sales offer a rotating array of destinations and cabins which require far fewer miles than usual, with some offering round trip business class to Europe under 100,000 SkyMiles, or round trip economy to Asia for a mere 30,000 SkyMiles.

That means one of these bonuses could take three people to Asia in economy, or if two people got the cards, they could each fly business class to Europe, or perhaps even Asia for next to nothing.

These card bonuses are far higher than usual and won’t be around for very long. To put them into perspective, these cards typically offer bonuses between 35,000-70,000 points at the highest end, so scoring 100,000 miles out of just one card is superb. It’s also worth noting that the Delta SkyMiles Gold Amex is also offering 70,000 SkyMiles at the moment too.

Learn more about Delta Reserve Amex here, Delta SkyMiles Platinum here and Delta Gold Amex here.

The post Delta’s Massive 100,000 Point Credit Card Bonuses… appeared first on God Save The Points.

What would you do with 125,000 United miles?

If you’re going to get a new credit card, you might as well get one when the sign-up bonus can bring you a ton of miles. That’s why this might be the right time for you to get the United Business Explorer Card since Chase just launched a massive sign-up bonus offer. Now, off the bat, I’ll just say the minimum spend requirement but it could still fit what you need and get you a ton of miles to book some fun flights across the world.

Let’s take a look at the bonus details and the ongoing perks offered by this card.

Sign-Up Bonus: 100,000 United Miles

Chase has been offering tiered sign-up bonuses more and more in the last year or so. Currently, Chase has split the bonus that comes with the United Business Explorer Card into two tiers. Here’s how the sign-up bonus works:

• Earn 50,000 United miles when you spend $5,000 within the first 3 months
• Earn 50,000 United miles when you spend an additional $20,000 within the first 6 months

So, that means if you spend $25,000 during your first 6 months with the card, you’ll earn 100,000 United miles as the sign-up bonus. If you have a lot of spend that doesn’t fall under bonus categories (more on that below), you’ll end up with 125,000 United miles after hitting the minimum spend. Remember, you’ll earn 1X mile on each dollar of that $25,000 in spend too.

Think about it like this. If you’re using the United Business Explorer on purchases that would typically earn 1X, you’ll be earning 5X miles per dollar if you hit meet the full minimum spend of $25,000. It’s a tall order for many, but very useful if your business is going to spend the money anyway.

Previously, we’ve seen offers for 75,000 United miles with a smaller minimum spend requirement. While I’d probably prefer that, I don’t know if that offer will be back soon (if at all). Still, 125,000 United miles is a massive haul that at least deserves a look.

Bonus Categories

Now, the bonus categories that come with the United Business Explorer Card won’t blow you out of the water but they might fill a gap that your other cards don’t cover right now. The bonus categories are as follows:

• 2X gas stations, office supply stores and restaurants
• 2X on purchases with United including flights,  inflight food and drink, WiFi and Economy Plus seats
• 1X on all other purchases

What Can You Do With 125,000 United Miles?

I like to say points are pointless if you don’t know how to use them, so let’s take a look at how you can use 125,000 United miles. Whether you’re looking to book business class or economy award tickets, you’ll have some options.

For economy flyers, that 125,000 miles is enough for two round-trip tickets between the USA and Europe at 60,000 miles each. If you only need one-way flights, that’s four flights at 30,000 miles apiece. For business class flyers, you could book one round-trip business class award ticket to/from Europe for 120,000 if you fly on United.

A quick note on the United MileagePlus program: Award flights on United will no longer be governed by an award chart. Instead, United will start using dynamic award pricing for flights on/after November 15, 2019. This will not impact the rates required to fly partners.

If you want to fly a partner airline, you’d need 140,000 miles for the round-trip but you can get the remaining 15,000 miles by transferring Ultimate Rewards points to your United account. Considering how many cards earn Ultimate Rewards points, that should be pretty easy.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how you can use United miles. Make sure you check out some of our favorite ways to redeem United miles for more inspiration.

United Explorer Business Card Benefits

Beyond earning United miles for award flights, the United Business Explorer Card has several benefits that might make it a keeper for you. Let’s take a look at some of the important ones.

Expanded Award Availability

If you need an economy award ticket on a United flight, this perk can really come through for you. With a United cardholder, you get access to more award space and the difference can be massive. The expanded saver level award space (the cheapest award possible) is classified as XN fare class.

You also get access to more Everyday level award space in both economy and business class — YN and JN, respectively. Of course, Everyday level awards require a TON of miles and won’t be worth it for the vast majority of people.

Perks On United Flights

As a cardholder, you and a travel companion who is on your reservation each get a free checked bag on United flights. You’ll even get a free checked bag — and carry-on bag — when you book basic economy tickets. As annoying as those tickets can be, at least you won’t have to worry about bag fees. Finally, you’ll get priority boarding — in basic economy too — so you can grab that precious overhead space for your bag.

Spend Waiver For Elite Status

If you find yourself regularly flying United on cheap cash tickets, it can be tough to reach the spend requirements to earn elite status because of the Premier Qualifying Dollar (PQD) requirement. With the United Business Explorer Card, you can get a spend waiver if you spend $25,000 on the card in a calendar year. You might have realized that’s the same amount you must spend to get the full 100,000-mile sign-up bonus. Kind of like a 2-for-1 special.

Upgrades On Award Tickets If You Have Elite Status

Speaking of elite status stuff, there’s one more perk you should know. If you have elite status AND this card, you are eligible for upgrades on economy award tickets. While these upgrades get prioritized below cash tickets, it’s nice to have the chance at a little more comfort on your flight at no extra cost.

2 United Club Passes

I won’t claim that United Clubs are particularly special but they can be a nice respite from the hustle and bustle of the airport. If nothing else, they offer a place to grab a snack and a drink then grab a seat and charge your phone or laptop. With the United Business Explorer Card, you’ll get 2 United Club passes each year you have the card.

If you don’t have a use for them, they can make great gifts for your friends who don’t travel much. While regular travelers might not be wowed by a United Club, it really can be a special treat for someone who doesn’t get to travel very often.

Final Thoughts

While I wouldn’t prioritize this card over earning Ultimate Rewards points with the Ink Business Preferred credit card, the United Business Explorer Card could provide a huge boost to your United balance. Just make sure your eligible for the card as it is restricted by the Chase 5/24 rule.

Fortunately, it pairs nicely with Ultimate Rewards cards as United is a Chase partner. Throw in the perks that come with this card and you might find that it’s a keeper for you if you fly United regularly. As always, it all comes down to your particular travel needs.

The post United Explorer Business Card: 125K Miles Up For Grabs With New Bonus appeared first on God Save The Points.

Continuing our mission to stop people from using debit cards on purchases that could earn tons of points, we’re going to talk about paying for flights. Too many credit cards let you earn bonus points on airfare to pass up such an easy opportunity. We’re talking 3X, 4X or even 5X on flights!

You’ll even get access to some travel protections when paying the taxes/fees on award tickets with some credit cards. Not to mention some come with access to tons of airport lounges.

If you’re already set and have your system in place for purchasing tickets, maybe this isn’t for you. Hopefully, maximizing your points when you pay for tickets already. If you’re worried, feel free to skim the list below. However, if you’re new to earning miles and points with credit cards, pay attention.

It’s time to set yourself up for success.

Now, let’s get into it!

Best Overall Card For Airfare – King Of The Hill

If you’re looking for the total package, look no further than the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It earns 3X Ultimate Rewards points on travel purchases which means you can book flights directly with an airline or via an online travel agency (OTA). This gives you the freedom to book the cheapest fare you can find and still earn bonus points on the purchase.

However, what helps set the Sapphire Reserve from the pack is its travel benefits — specifically, trip delay protection. While other cards don’t even offer trip delay coverage and others offer it for flights delayed 12+ hours (or overnight), it kicks in after delays of only 6 hours. Once your delay exceeds 6 hours, you can cover reasonable expenses — up to $500 — such as food, local transportation and even a hotel room.

Perhaps the best part is that it covers you even if its a weather delay so you don’t have to rely on an airline’s mercy to get a meal during a storm. You’ll even be covered if you book an award ticket with miles and just pay the taxes/fees with your Chase Sapphire Reserve.

Keep in mind that all Chase cards are restricted by the Chase 5/24 rule which you’ll want to consider before making a decision on which credit card to get.

Best Cards For Earning Points On Airfare

Now, if you’re not worried about travel protections and simply want to earn as many points as possible on your booking, you can easily earn 5X transferable points.

The Platinum Card From American Express

The Amex Platinum is a great card when paying for flights if you’re trying to earn max points as it earns 5X on airfare booked directly through airlines. Yes, this restricts you to booking direct but you’ll still often find the cheapest price that way so 5X is a great return on the purchase.

The biggest downside to using the Amex Platinum for flights is that it doesn’t come with travel protections that the Sapphire Reserve provides. That means you won’t be covered during a weather delay and will have to foot the bill yourself. Still, earning 5X Membership Rewards so it might be worth it if you’re not worried about delays and cancellations.

Of course, the Amex Platinum comes with access to a ton of airport lounges including Centurion Lounges, Priority Pass lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta) and more. It’s a give and take, but there are a lot of upsides here.

Check out some of the fun ways you can redeem Amex Membership Rewards points for max value.

Citi Prestige

If you’re a fan of Citi ThankYou Points, it’s tough to beat earning 5X points on flights with the Citi Prestige. Unlike the Amex Platinum, you can purchase your flights via an OTA such as Expedia or Orbitz and earn 5X so you aren’t restricted to working directly with the airline.

The ease of earning the bonus points is certainly a point in favor of the Citi Prestige, but sadly this card closed for new applications. When you do earn, there are so many great ways to redeem ThankYou Points.

Personally, I’ll be moving to the Chase Sapphire Reserve to ensure I’m covered during delays. I’ve had too many delays (and one massive baggage issue) in the past year or so to pass on trip protections.

Honorable Mention – American Express Gold Card

If you don’t want the perks the Amex Platinum offers or perhaps prefer a lower annual fee, look to the Amex Gold if you want to earn a bunch of Membership Rewards points. This card earns 3X on all flights booked directly with an airline or via Amex Travel.

Best Business Cards For Airfare

If you’re looking for a small business card, you have a couple of great options to earn 3-4X on these purchases. There are some restrictions and limits on these options but many of you won’t even come close to hitting them. If you do, you’ll be earning some serious points in return for those business trips.

American Express Business Gold Card

The Amex Business Gold earns 4X Membership Rewards points on flights purchased directly with an airline. With this card, you have your choice of 8 possible 4X bonus categories but you’ll only earn 4X on the two categories you use most during any given billing cycle.

Basically, pick 2 of these categories and stick with them during a billing cycle. If that includes airfare, this card will really come through for you. Additionally, keep in mind that you are limited to earning 4X on $150,000 in spend per calendar year across all bonus categories. As I said earlier, this won’t affect most people.

If you’re under 5/24 and still thinking about getting Chase cards, know that Amex business cards do not add to your count of five as they don’t show on your personal credit report.

Ink Business Preferred Credit Card

Similar to the Amex Business Gold, the Chase Ink Preferred caps its 3X bonus categories at $150,000 per cardmember year across all bonus categories. However, it’s a little easier to use as you can earn 3X on all bonus categories during any given billing cycle. The Ink Preferred also has the advantage of being part of the Ultimate Rewards program which partners with World of Hyatt which is the best hotel partnership of any transferable points program.

Best Credit Card To Earn Airline Miles On Airfare

We’ll preface this section by saying we generally recommend using one of the cards above for airfare purchase. You won’t beat earning 3-5X and earning transferable points gives you more options when you want to book an award ticket. However, there’s one case in which it might make sense to use a co-branded that earns airline miles.

Bank Of America Alaska Airlines Cards

While there are some amazing ways to use Alaska Mileage Plan miles, they aren’t easiest to earn as Alaska Airlines doesn’t partner with any transferable points programs.

However, you can earn 3X on flights operated by Alaska Airlines when you pay with either the Alaska Airlines Visa Credit Card or the Alaska Airlines Business Credit Card — both issued by Bank of America.

These cards also come with an excellent companion fare benefit which allows you to book a ticket on Alaska Airlines and get a second one for $99 plus taxes/fees — can be as little as $121 total.

Best Card To Earn Hotel Points On Airfare

Similar to earning airline miles on flights, we generally suggest skipping hotel points for transferable points on these purchases. If you happen to be working on earning the points for a stay at a Hilton property, it might be worth earning some Hilton Honors points.

Hilton Honors Aspire Card From American Express

You can often buy Hilton Honors points with an 80-100% bonus but, if you need a few more, you can earn 7X on flights with the Hilton Aspire Amex.

It’s not our first choice, but it’s probably the best hotel card choice if you want to top off your account. Alternatively, you could earn 6X Hilton points with The Hilton Honors American Express Business Card.

Best Credit Card To Earn Cash Back On Airfare

While we’re clearly big fans of earning points and miles for flights and hotel stays, we understand that you might have enough for your current travel needs and just want to earn a little cashback. It doesn’t have the flash of points and miles, but it might be useful for you.

Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi

With the Citi Costco Card, you can earn 3% cashback on all travel purchases including airfare. Simple as that. You can redeem you Costco Cash Rewards for cash or items at Costco location in the U.S.

Alternatively, you will receive cash back as an annual reward certificate when your February statement closes each year. Keep in mind that you must be a member of Costco to have the card but there isn’t an additional annual fee.

Best Cards For Perks When Flying

Now that we’ve covered the best ways to earn points and miles when buying your flights, let’s take a look at some of the perks that stand out. Specifically, we’ll touch on lounge access and travel protections that could be important when deciding whether to get a card.

Best Cards For Airport Lounge Access

The Amex Platinum and Amex Business Platinum are pretty much the champs of airport lounge access. As a cardmember, you’ll receive a Priority Pass Select membership that provides access to over 1,000 airport lounges across the globe. While Amex cards will no longer have access to Priority Pass partner restaurants as of August 1, 2019, this can still be a useful perk.

Additionally, Amex has its own Centurion Lounge offering that can be found at several major U.S. airports as well as Hong Kong and it continues to expand. If you’re flying Delta, you can also visit the SkyClub regardless of whether you’re flying economy or business. You also have access to Airspace lounges at some regional U.S. airports and Escape lounges in the U.K.

You can even visit select Lufthansa business class and Senator lounges in Frankfurt (FRA) and Munich (MUC) when flying Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa or SWISS.

The Chase Sapphire Reserve also provides lounge access via a Priority Pass Select membership.

Best Card For Travel Protections

As we mentioned up top, the Chase Sapphire Reserve is the best card overall when booking flights thanks to its 1-2 punch of 3X Ultimate Rewards points and travel protections. The 6-hour mark is not only the point at which trip delay coverage kicks but also baggage delay. It’s certainly nice to be able to get a change of clothes after a long flight knowing you can get reimbursed.

These are the perks we find people need most often but you also get lost bag coverage and trip cancellation and interruption coverage. As with any credit card benefit, it’s always a good idea to read through the fine print of the benefit so you know exactly what is covered.

Best Card For Airline Lounge Access

While American, Delta and United all have co-branded credit cards that provide lounge access, the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is a cut above the rest. With the Citi AAdvantage Executive Card, you’ll have access to any Admirals Club location — as of November 1, 2019, you’ll need a same-day boarding pass on American or a partner airline.

Additionally, you will also have access to Alaska Airlines lounges when you fly on a ticket marketed and operated by American or Alaska. If you’re visiting Australia and flying Qantas from city to city, you’ll have access to Qantas Clubs as well. You can also access Qantas Clubs when flying American out of Sydney, Australia or Auckland, New Zealand.

Finally, you can add 10 authorized users at no extra cost and each member will receive the same lounge access. Your friends and family will love you for your generosity.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re booking a crazy business class flight deal or a $200 economy deal to Europe or Asia, you might as well earn a bunch of points on top of it. If you can get some peace of mind from the travel protections, even better.

Throw in airport lounge access and a hectic airport experience can quickly become a much more enjoyable preflight routine. All that’s left for you is to decide what combo of points and perks you want when booking your cash flights.

The post The Best Credit Cards For Flights + Perks (2021 Update) appeared first on God Save The Points.

At the best of times- points are about fun, and unlocking the experiences that make travel memorable. One great way to do that? By turning those 50,000, 60,000 and even 70,000 point airline credit card bonuses found in the US, into a bed in the sky. Thanks to a few innovative airlines, there’s a very fun strategy to spice up your next international trip, making the absolute most of your airline credit card sign up bonus.

Business One Way, Super Discount Economy Ticket The Other Way…

Most airlines charge truly extortionate amounts for a one way international ticket. Thankfully, a few airlines like Norwegian, TAP Portugal, WOW Air and others have dropped the one way restrictions, offering one way tickets at half the price of a round trip, or less. That means it’s not at all unreasonable to grab a $150 one way ticket between the US and Europe, or $300 ticket between the US and Asia. This allows you to then maximize your sign up bonus, using it towards a blissful business class experience going in the other direction, while still minimizing out of pocket costs…

Here’s An Example Idea…

Norwegian Airlines offered $192 round trip flights to Scandinavia this year from US gateways. In the deal, (don’t worry, similar deals happen frequently) you could grab a one way ticket to or from Europe for roughly $100. You could then use your credit card sign up bonus to grab a luxurious one way business class seat, on a top carrier, which partners with your airline credit card. For example, using your United credit card, you could book SAS, Swiss or Lufthansa, which each offer a fantastic experience. Your total out of pocket costs will be less than $250 for an international plane ticket, with one way up front!

Of Course You Could Take Things Further By Getting Two Cards In Tandem…

People always ask “what’s the quickest way to make 100,000 miles”?  Well, if you combined an airline credit card, with either the business version of that same credit card (even running a household is a business),  or grabbing another card, which has points that can be transferred to that same airline, you can easily create 100,000 points. Using the United example above, the Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve’s points can be transferred instantly to United. Therefore if you grabbed a United card, and a Chase Sapphire Preferred card, you’d have more than 100,000 United miles in no time. The same would work for the Delta Amex Card, and another Amex card like the Preferred Rewards Gold- which can transfer its points into Delta points.

And This Should Work To And from Asia As Well…

There are a few innovative airlines competing for business in the Asian airline market, with AirAsia, Hainan and others dropping prices to extreme lows and beginning to reach more US cities. In the next couple years, we’ll see more and more discount airlines offering service from the US to Asia. Using your points for the opportunity to fly Cathay Pacific, Singapore, Japan Airlines and other stunning, award winning carriers is a pretty cool way to turn a single credit card into memorable travel. Enjoy.

The post A Great Strategy To Maximize Airline Credit Card Sign Up Bonuses… appeared first on God Save The Points.

Flying Blue: Air France, KLM

Whatever continent I’m on, I never book anything without considering the Flying Blue program by Air France and KLM first for one simple reason: promo awards. Promo awards offer discounts in miles needed for a ticket between 25-50% off, requiring less of your amex points. The promotional offers change every month, but they are a magical trick to consider every time. In general, a round trip business class ticket from US to Europe (vice versa) requires 125,000 miles, but in these sales, you can often find them for 50% off, requiring just 62,500 points per person round trip, creating a two for one. Check monthly HERE.

British Airways

British Airways is the obscure, must consider for virtually every flight, especially shorter ones, worldwide. There is simply no other airline who charges less miles for short flights, and this is partly because British Airways system for calculating miles in based on the distance you are flying, not just the region of the world. You can use British Airways miles for flights on American, Iberia, TAM, Cathay Pacific, Qatar, Finnair and more, allowing you to find great value, especially on short flights all around the world. A round trip from New York to Miami is only 15,000 miles, a savings of 10,000 miles versus any other US carrier. Same goes for short flights everywhere you can think of…

Singapore Airlines

The only thing better than first class is a private suite and grabbing one is much more possible than you think. You can experience world class luxury from LA to Tokyo for 74,345 miles or New York to Frankfurt for only 57,375 miles each way! The suites, also referred to as R class, were designed by a luxury yacht company and feature a full enclosed cabin. If traveling as a pair, you can grab the two middle seats and adjoin your cabins! Sweet. Similarly, if an award winning business class will do the trick for you, you can fly for as little as 43,750 miles one way. The picture above is your actual airline seat in suites class…

Delta Skymiles

Delta, though a massive pain in the a** to search, can be a great redemption, especially to destinations outside the US. Using Delta Skymiles is the only way to grab a reward flight on partner Virgin Atlantic without the major fuel surcharges. If you used Virgin Atlantic’s own miles for a business class flight from the US to UK (vice versa), you would spend 80,000 miles and $1,200 in taxes and surcharges round trip. Instead, using Delta miles, you can fly the same flights for 62,500 miles each way (one ways are ok) and leaving the US the taxes can be as low as $5.80. That means you can fly business class for $5.60 out of pocket.Similarly you can use miles for flights on Korean Airlines, Air France, Alitalia, KLM and Virgin Australia. Whatever your preference, using them on anything but Delta is usually the right answer.

As Always, Get In Touch: GodSaveThePoints@gmail.com

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The question of which card really lies in how much you travel, how many of you are traveling and your preferred style of travel. Both cards carry annual fees of $175 (£140) for Gold and $450 (£450) for Platinum, which are easily justifiable given proper usage of their respective benefits. Which fee will suit you better is entirely dependent on travel habits. The more you travel, the further the scales tip towards the Platinum. The main thing to remember is that both cards offer points earning in the same program and both cards have the same transfer partners. Whichever card you go for, it’s essential to check for targeted offers to ensure that you don’t potentially miss out on hundreds of thousands of extra points. I’d go for the card with the best targeted offer.

The Case For Platinum: 

$200 Annual Airline Credit: This is huge because it resets by calendar year. If you got a card in November, you could use your $200 fee credit and receive a brand new one in January, long before your next annual fee. Essentially you got $400 back towards your $450 fee in two months. You can’t use it on airfare itself but you can use it on baggage fees, ticket changes, upgrades and more…

Lounge Access with Priority Pass: Virtually every airport I’ve ever been in has lounge access via Priority Pass. Not all lounges are created equal, but there are many great offerings. If you are traveling with more than one person, additional cards each count as their own Priority Pass membership so if you travel frequently, you can save a lot on guest fees by grabbing an additional card for your companion/spouse/partner. I was able to cancel my pre existing lounge membership and no longer have to only use lounges in my Sky Team Elite network, allowing me greater flight flexibility.

Starwood Gold Status (US): Starwood is a top notch hotel brand with offerings ranging from five star glamazons to roadside stopovers. Having gold status isn’t a crazy benefit, but it helps with free wifi, a room upgrade when available, early check in, late check out and a few other things.

Hilton Gold Status (US): Those little expenses while traveling can seriously add up. Though the benefits won’t knock your socks off, you will receive nice things like complimentary wifi, enhanced rooms and all the other benefits surrounding Hilton HHonors Gold status.

Fine Hotels & Resorts: If you like nice hotels, this is the single most awesome benefit. Only Platinum card members have access to Fine Hotels and Resorts, which is a curated collection of top notch properties with which American Express has relationships. At each FHR booking you receive early check in, late check out, room upgrade (when available) and a food and beverage or spa credit, regardless of how long you stay. Additionally, many hotels will offer the third or fourth night of the stay for free. We personally LOVE the food and beverage credit which helps us majorly cut down on expenses whenever we are traveling. Sure, we may have paid $20 more for the hotel through Amex, but we got a bigger room, a late check out and usually $100 to spend at the restaurant or bar (sometimes even more). If you are planning a big trip this is major.

Travel Insurance / Emergency Service: Platinum Card offers incredible travel coverage. You receive insurance when using the card for trip cancellation, baggage delays, travel delay,s medical and more. After only four hours of baggage delay you can receive up to $500 per person to cover costs of any necessary items to keep your trip alive. Additionally, the card covers all transportation and evacuation costs for an injured cardmember or spouse when traveling. The actual cost of medical coverage is not complimentary, but getting you to the best doctor or hospital whether it takes a plane, a helicopter or an ambulance is. They will even fly your spouse out for free to help care for you. Fantastic.

Platinum Dining: Though your initial results may vary, if you push the Concierge rep to actually call the restaurant and inquire, you can secure some impossible bookings with this service. I have had many occasions where OpenTable, or calling the restaurant turn up no options. After calling Platinum dining and asking them to call the restaurant, usually a table magically appears. A great service.

The Case For Gold:

Better Points Earning: Though the travel benefits aren’t nearly as comprehensive, the ability to earn points is amazing, with 3x points on airfare booked through airlines (US) or 3x points on travel booked on Amex Travel (UK). 

$100 Annual Airline Credit: Just like the Platinum card, the Gold has recently stepped up by offering a $100 annual airline fee credit (starting June 1st). The credit is good towards anything like baggage fees, seat assignments, changes etc and is an excellent way to make back $100 of the $175 instantly. 

The Hotels Collection: Though not as rewarding as the Fine Hotels and Resorts program from the Platinum card, the Hotels Collection is an awesome benefit offering $75 food and beverage or spa credit on all stays over two nights as well as a room upgrade when available. A very nice perk.

Lounge Club (UK): This is a great additional benefit for UK card holders, where you get two free lounge passes per year. For the occasional traveler this is an excellent case for sticking with the Gold and avoiding the higher Platinum fee. You could always run any additional lounge visits through the LoungeBuddy app.

Amex Pre Sales / Amex Invites: Though there is a US and UK version, each essentially help you gain access to early ticket pre sales and score insider access to certain curated events. It’s not a major deal, but it can be really helpful with concerts. The Platinum definitely offers better access, but this is still something to be happy about.

In the end it comes down to math. Laura and I are virtually always traveling together and we value lounge visits at roughly $50 per person per visit. Between the lounge visits, Fine Hotels and Resort savings and $200 annual airline fee credit, we come out well ahead of the $450 every year, in fact I would say it makes us money. Laura has the Premier Rewards Gold, because it offers us an extra point on flight bookings and came with a targeted 50,000 point bonus after only $1,000 in spending. If you can find offers like that, why not get both?! Either way, I highly recommend each card and you can’t go wrong. 

Questions? Happy to Help: GodSaveThePoints@gmail.com

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As I have eluded, earning points and miles is the easy part these days. Finding value and longevity in your points and miles is an entirely different proposition. Aside from the 50,000 mile sign up bonus, the British Airways card offers one spending incentive which can unlock exceptional value for couples. If you spend more than $30,000 per year on the card you receive a 2 for 1 certificate valid for any award flight redemptions. English? If you wanted to use your 50,000 miles from your sign up bonus to fly round trip first class from New York to San Francisco for a wine country vacation, you and a companion could both fly for 50,000 miles instead of the 100,000 (50,000 p/p)  you would generally need for two tickets.  Another amazing value is in short distance flights, you can use British Airways miles to fly New York to Florida for only 15,000 miles round trip per person making 50,000 miles go a long way!

Rinse and repeat. If money isn’t an issue I would suggest having both people get the card at the same time and sign up for a British Airways family account (you can pool your miles). At the end of the year you will have more than 100,000 miles between you to redeem and each of you get to take the other as their companion in spending their half the miles! Nice! If money is an issue, I would suggest having person A get the card this year and meet the spending incentive and then have person B get the card the following year to meet the incentive. Whichever method you choose, you will have four flights for the price of two. 

If you want to take things to a whole different level and you are both looking to get two cards, I would each also grab an American Express or Chase Card that is eligible to transfer points to partners. British Airways is a transfer partner of both Chase and American Express. If one of you got an American Express Gold Card with a 50,000 point bonus and the other got a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card with a 50,000 point bonus you would have 200,000 miles.  With those miles and your two, two for one certificates you could book four business class round trip flights to Europe or South America just using your 200,000 miles. WOW!

Questions or ideas? godsavethepoints@gmail.com

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Many airlines and card companies are regularly throwing out sign up bonuses of 50,000 points and sometimes even up to 100,000 points. As you may or may not know 50,000 miles can take you far. Really far. I have mentioned a few uses and depending on the airline it can be enough for:

1) Round trip US to Europe, South America or Asia in Coach.

2) 2 or more round trip Coach tickets in the US. 

3) Round trip US First Class.

4) One Way Business Class from the US to Asia, Europe or South America. 

These bonuses are generally in exchange for using the card. A common scenario is “Receive 50,000 Bonus MIles after spending $2,000 in 3 months”. If you read the blog you know that this sounds much worse than it is. You can use your new card to pay your car insurance, cable bill, cell phone and many other useful items. By using the card to pay for these items you are not over spending and you are receiving a huge bonus. 

A free flight for spending money you already need to is great but what does a card do for you after that? Depending on the card you may receive tons of additional benefits each time you travel like: 

1) A free checked bag for everyone in your group.

2) Lounge Passes up to 4 times annually. 

3) Trip cancellation coverage.

4) Priority check in and Airport security. 

5) Even more!

SO…. what cards are out there and which one should I get? 

First, where you live matters. There is no point in having a card from an airline that doesn’t fly to your local airport. Find that out first. Next it really helps if you know where you might want to go. If you do, look at the airlines individual charts to see how many miles you need to go. With that in mind here are a few that are crushing it right now. 

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select: Waived annual fee 1st year, $95 after that. 

Main Benefits:  50,000 Point bonus, Free Checked Bag on every AA flight, Zone 1 Boarding each time. 2 Lounge Passes.

British Airways Visa Signature: Waived annual fee 1st year, $95 after that. 

Main Benefits: 50,000 Point bonus (Can be used on American, US Airways and many partners at amazing rates), Companion pass. 

American Express Platinum: 450 Annual Fee.

Main Benefits: 40,000 Amex point bonus transferrable to most airlines, Lounge access, Dining Concierge, $200 airline credit annually and so much more. It is my go to card. 

Chase Sapphire Preferred: Waived Annual fee 1st year, $95 after that.

Main Benefits: 40,000 point bonus +5,000 for additional user transferrable to many great airlines, primary rental car coverage, Visa Signature concierge services. 

Bottom line: Any of these cards are going to net you roughly 50,000 points which will get you well on your way to a really nice flight or dream vacation. Need more help on how to use your points? THE POINTS & MILES BEGINNERS GUIDE!

Do you carry any of these? Are you thinking about one? Email me! godsavethepoints@gmail.com

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