All about Airline Cards
Frequent-flyer programs have been around for a while. These programs are probably the first ones to come to mind when you think of how you can earn “miles” for your purchases. These frequent flyer programs are cards associated with specific airlines, and so if you have traveled recently, you may have heard the stewardesses or steward talk of the great benefits that you could receive if you were a member of their program. If you have ever wanted to know more about these cards, here is your chance.
These cards are also sometimes referred to as affinity cards or co-branded cards. Each of these cards is linked to a specific airline’s frequent flyer program. American Airlines, for example, has its own Citibank AAdvantage card. For every dollar charged on that card, the cardholder will earn one AAdvantage mile. United Airlines, on the other hand, has its own card called Mileage Plus First Card. For Northwest Airlines, the card is the WorldPerks Visa card. Delta Airlines offers an American Ex press Optima as its card, but most of the airline cards available are either Visa or MasterCard. With some programs, you may even be able to choose between those two.
One thing to keep in mind when considering an airline card is that the annual fees for these cards are usually quite a bit higher than for similar non-mileage cards. These annual fees usually range from $25 - $125. Choosing either the regular, gold or platinum version of each card can affect the actual fee amount. The annual percentage rates, or APRs, are also usually much higher than those of the non-mileage earning cards. You can find a number of search engines on the internet or even at the websites for the different airlines that will give you the details and often even a comparison of programs available from each airline.
If you are someone who travels frequently, you may want to first consider your preferred airline with its associated frequent flyer program. While it is worth considering the card linked specifically to that airline and its frequent flyer program, you may actually want to compare the different options offered by other airlines before making your final decision. While it may make perfect sense to use that program’s card for your everyday credit card purchases, you may find that another airline offers better benefits that may even make you consider changing your future flights.
Keep in mind that once you do decide on a frequent flyer airline card, you should make the effort to focus your mileage-earning into that single program. It will most likely not benefit you to have more than one airline’s frequent flyer card as much as it will to stick with one and use it as often as possible. Whichever card you choose will carry the name of a major credit card company, and so you will be able to use your card, thus earning miles, at any retailer or service provider who accepts credit cards for payment.
As an added bonus to many of these cards, airlines and their card partners will frequently offer special promotions which allow you to earn bonus miles for specific transactions or types of purchases. Clearly, the simplest option is to have one card which is accepted just about everywhere with one statement and one monthly payment. Then you can sit back and watch the miles add up!