These relationships, often called transfer partnerships, vary across credit cards. Here's a closer look at the most popular general travel credit cards, their rewards programs and their transfer partners:. AmEx Membership Rewards. Bank of America Travel Rewards. Citi ThankYou Points. Airlines, hotels and rental car companies often collaborate to allow you to earn awards with one program while spending with another brand.
For example, auto rental company Enterprise gives you opportunities to earn miles at JetBlue , Turkish Airlines , Lufthansa or Virgin Atlantic with every paid rental. Another way to earn miles is through airline dining and shopping programs.
With dining programs, you can earn miles when you eat at any participating restaurant and pay with a linked credit or debit card. These virtual malls allow you to earn bonus miles for shopping with partner retailers. Spending airline miles is often called redeeming, and the easiest method for finding ways to redeem miles with your airline of choice is to log in to your airline account. Many people primarily opt to redeem airline miles for nearly free air travel.
Whether you want to hop across the state to visit family or jet across the world on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, airline miles can help you get there. You'll want to get in the habit of doing the math:. Divide the cash price by the number of points needed for an award flight. Multiply that value by Then, you'll know the value per point in cents.
In addition to booking flights on the airline where you have your mileage account, you might consider redeeming miles for flights with partner airlines. These relationships are sometimes known as airline alliances. These far-reaching airline partnerships open up virtually the entire world to U. Through these arrangements, you can redeem airline miles as "partner awards," and the process is usually just as easy as redeeming a flight on your own airline.
Some airline miles programs will let you cash in miles with hotel partners. American Airlines, for example, lets you use AAdvantage miles to pay for stays at more than , properties worldwide. Some airlines let rewards members redeem miles for rental cars and cruises, too.
Others let you cash in miles for whole vacation packages, airline lounge memberships, live events or charitable donations. It's possible to redeem your airline miles for merchandise, gift cards or magazine subscriptions with some programs. These options usually give you the worst value per point, so they should be your absolute last choice for redeeming airline miles.
Remember that these are averages, not fixed amounts. The cent-per-mile value you get will depend on the flight and cabin you book. For example, you may be able to get much more value when booking international flights in business or first class.
If you're ready to start earning airline miles for every purchase, consider adding one of these cards to your wallet. Even bad credit doesn't have to keep you from earning travel rewards. Top choices for credit cards for airline miles include:. Many or all of the products here are from our partners. We may earn a commission from offers on this page.
Terms may apply to offers listed on this page. We'd all love to travel for free, but most of us don't fly frequently enough to earn a large number of airline miles.
Credit card miles mean you don't have to travel at all to earn free flights. So, how do credit card miles work?
Credit card miles have gotten a lot of attention thanks to generous sign-up bonuses offered by some of the best travel rewards credit cards. It's not as simple as signing up and scoring free travel, but once you understand how credit card miles work, it's fairly easy to earn yourself a free flight.
Credit card miles reward customers for spending money with specific travel companies usually airlines. The reward points are often called "miles," but the term "miles" doesn't correspond to distance traveled -- instead, it reflects the amount a customer spends. Miles can be redeemed for free flights. Each time you make a purchase with an airline credit card, you'll earn a certain number of credit card miles based on the amount of money spent.
Some credit card miles are worth more, while others are worth less. Each airline and credit card rewards program has different redemption methods for credit card miles.
This means the miles you earn from airline rewards programs differ in value. The value of your credit card miles depends on the program: Flights could cost anywhere between 20, and 80, miles or more, or less. For example, you might encounter either of the following situations when redeeming your miles, based on the card and airline:. International round-trip flights to Europe often start at 60, miles.
A round-trip flight to Asia usually starts at 70, miles but more often costs 80, or more. If you're planning a trip out of the country, be sure to check out our best credit cards for international travel. There are two types of cards that earn miles: co-branded airline credit cards and generic travel cards. These cards are offered by a credit card company, such as Chase or American Express, in conjunction with an airline company, such as Delta, Southwest, or United.
Co-branded credit cards earn extra credit card miles on purchases made with that airline. The miles earned can typically only be used on that airline. They may also come with travel perks, such as a free checked bag or priority seating. On American Express' Secure Website. Falling within this credit range does not guarantee approval by the issuer.
An application must be submitted to the issuer for a potential approval decision. There are different types of credit scores and creditors use a variety of credit scores to make lending decisions.
Good Info Icon Circle with letter I in it. Earn 2 miles per dollar on United purchases, at restaurants, and on hotel stays booked with the hotel. Earn 1 point per dollar on all else. Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Earn 2X Miles on Delta purchases, at restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery and at U.
Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases. Terms Apply. Highlights: Our best points offer ever! Earn up to , bonus points. Now enjoy more benefits and more ways to earn. Earn 2X points on local transit and commuting, including rideshare. Earn 2X points on internet, cable, phone services, and select streaming.
A travel card earns points or miles that can be used for a wide variety of travel purchases. These include flights, hotels, and often transportation and tours.
Some have transfer partners that include a number of airlines, so you can convert your points into airline miles. On Chase's Secure Website. On Citi's Secure Website. Take classes using a phone, tablet, or TV. No fitness equipment is required. Plus, earn 10x points on eligible purchases on the Card at restaurants worldwide and when you Shop Small in the U. Enrollment required. The basic premise of earning points and airline miles with a great credit card is this: the more you spend, the more you earn.
In reality, there are lots of different ways to earn airline miles through your airline credit card, and they don't always require you to spend money. Understanding how do credit cards work means you can maximize your points.
Get the right airline credit card for you. The most important step is getting an airline credit card that best fits your spending habits. If you spend a lot of money on one particular airline, it's probably wise to get that airline's credit card. If you split your spending between multiple different airlines or don't travel by air often, it might be a better idea to get a generic travel credit card. You'll also have to decide if you're willing to pay an annual fee.
You might be hesitant to get a credit card with an annual fee, but keep in mind that annual fee credit cards earn bonus miles at a higher rate. Next, the hotel industry entered the game. Initially, they merely participated as "partners" in the airline programs. However, considering their costs as an airline partner, most hotel chains initiated their own frequent-stay programs. Today, although most hotels do have their own frequent-stay programs, they remain partners with all the major airlines because it leads to increased sales.
The rental car industry initially participated by becoming a partner with the airlines. As the costs of the relationships with the airlines rose, Hertz, the early leader, withdrew from the FF relationship. However, when their market share dropped drastically, they rejoined.
Hertz now collaborates in more than 60 FF programs domestic and international partners combined. In today's market in addition to the many airline partner programs, there are several airline alliances more about these alliances a little later. Another perk in today's frequent flyer market is that you can also earn "miles" or "points" points can be redeemed later as miles for other travel and non-travel transactions.
Travel transactions can include hotel stays, rental cars, and more. Non-travel-related awards include credit card purchases you earn at least one mile, if not more for every dollar charged , long-distance telephone services , even mortgages and stock trades! Finally, shopping at certain stores, both brick-and-mortar and online, also provides an opportunity to "rack up" those miles. Your frequent flyer miles reside in your account -- much like your dollars in the bank.
They accumulate as you travel, although unfortunately they don't earn interest. At this time, most of the larger domestic airlines use a fairly uniform policy: mileage does not expire, but there must be some activity in your account once every three years. The airlines may change their mileage expiration policies, so you should read their most current guidelines.
When the mileage total reaches a certain amount, you can "redeem" them for an award, usually air travel. Frequent flyer programs are the beginning of a relationship -- hopefully long and loyal -- between you the consumer and the airline. If you choose to apply online using a Web site such as WebFlyer , your information will reside in several airline databases in a short amount of time. You can call the airlines on their toll-free telephone numbers during which you'll instantly get a member number , sign up while at the airport not advisable if you are in a rush , or send in the registration form using the old standby -- U.
There are several things to consider when deciding which frequent flyer program to join. First and foremost, look at the overall quality ratings of the program that you are considering. One way to obtain information about the quality of frequent flyer programs is to read a survey, such as InsideFlyer's Freddie Awards. If you truly are a frequent flyer, join the program that will allow you to consolidate your miles. This would usually be with the dominant airline in your region i. The chosen airline should be convenient for you and the one that has the most flights to the places that you frequent.
This is your number one consideration, because when you rapidly accrue miles and reach the critical "25," mark, you can qualify for elite status. However, if you are an infrequent flyer, compare the programs and choose the one that allows you the greatest opportunities to earn miles or points for all your non-flight activities. Consider your patterns of purchasing hotel rooms, renting cars, and general shopping.
Look at the airline's partner roster and decide whether that particular frequent flyer program is for you. If you are in this last group, you should compare the total rewards package offered for both flight and non-flight activities before choosing your primary frequent flyer program. And, finally, you want to pay attention to the little things - the tiny print at the bottom or on the back of the enrollment form.
Therein expect to find quite a few key terms and conditions, such as:. Although the programs started with U. Foreign carriers initially resisted using frequent flyer programs; they theorized that it "reduced" the value of their service. However, their resistance resulted in a significant loss of market share to the U. In the end, they formed their own programs. When selecting a frequent flyer program, airline alliances are something else to consider.
The ability to schedule seamless travel is important -- airline alliances help make it possible. An alliance is a business relationship, often between U. Its purpose is to allow foreign carriers access to the U.
The goal of alliance growth is twofold:. Airlines code share so that travel can be organized to flow from one carrier to the other. Code sharing is the industry practice in which an airline puts its code on a flight operated by another carrier. The airline then sells and issues tickets for the flight. For example, American may place its code on a flight that British Airways operates and then sell it to the customer.
This is how air carriers get around restrictions to expand their market presence. In today's global economy, this truly benefits the frequent traveler. When you travel using alliance carriers, the miles are credited and can be used interchangeably.
This allows rapid accrual of miles so you can reach elite status quickly and receive the extra awards at that level. Elite status is a division of the awards programs that separates the frequent traveler from everyone else.
In order to achieve this status, a customer must clock 25, frequent flyer miles.
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