It’s is undeniable that traveling – especially air travel – has been quite slow in the last two years. However, with the future appearing brighter and planes becoming fuller, nowadays, the best time to begin accumulating frequent flyer miles to return in the air, whether or not you don’t plan to travel until later on this year or maybe the following one.
You might be wondering which of the several bank cards that earn airline points and also miles is the best choice for you. Actually, we have taken a look at each of the cards as well as picked our favorites so that you can see which ones are suitable not just for gaining factors, but likewise for getting accessibility to some super services when taking a flight.
Chase Sapphire Preferred (best option for newbies)
You might be surprised to see a credit card on this list without the specific airline name, but that’s exactly what really makes this card so unique. When it comes to flights, the Chase Sapphire Preferred gains Chase Ultimate Incentives factors, which we can redeem it in 2 ways.
First of all, you can use the Chase travel portal to redeem your Chase factors. Moreover, it allows you to book any kind of flight by doing this without being worried about the award schedule or blackout dates: if you are able to pay for it with cash, you can then spend it with factors.
When you are using the Chase Sapphire Preferred to redeem your benefits, you will earn 1.25 cents per factor as well as make airline miles for the travel due to the fact that airlines will treat these tickets like regular tickets rather than award redemptions.
Chase Sapphire Reserve
The Chase Sapphire Reserve is similar to the Chase Sapphire Preferred concerning redeeming credit card rewards for air travel, but with some differences.
Since both cards allow you to earn Ultimate Rewards points, you can use them in the same way: at a fixed rate through the Chase travel portal or by transferring them to Chase partners at a 1:1 ratio.
The key distinction is that with the Chase Sapphire Reserve card , your points are actually worth 1.5 cents per point when redeemed through the Chase portal, whereas they’re worth 1.25 cents per point with the Sapphire Preferred.
The American Express Platinum Card (ideal for deluxe traveling)
The American Express Platinum card is also not tied to a specific airline but instead rewards points that can be instantly redeemed for any travel or transferred to a variety of airlines and hotels, though with a different selection of members than the Chase credit cards.
The Amex Platinum card has the highest earning percentage of any credit card on our list when it comes to collecting points on flights. When you check-in directly with the airline, you’ll get 5 points per dollar spent.
This is more than the 3 points per dollar on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, but the Chase card also earns points bonuses on many other travel charges, whereas the Amex Platinum only earns boosted points on airline hotels, tickets and flights that are booked via American Express Travel.
Delta SkyMiles Gold
Delta credit card is for everyone, with three business options and four personal. However, if you only fly on an occasion, the Delta SkyMiles Gold American Express card would be the best option to choose.
The Delta Gold Amex provides no fees for the first year, then a $99 fee, which allows you to evaluate the card for a year to decide if it’s suitable for you.
Delta SkyMiles Gold has an interesting plan for new cardmembers which is: Welcome bonus that let you earn 75,000 bonus miles after $3,000 in spending in the first three months of card membership. TPG values this bonus at $1,057.
The United Explorer Card(For regular United flyers)
The United Explorer card is the best choice for travelers who are looking to rack up United miles quickly even if they don’t fly the airline much.
You don’t have to be a United frequent flyer to take full advantage of this card, especially because the first year’s introductory annual fee is $0 before it rises to $95. Carrying it means you can enjoy money-saving benefits when Flying United, including a free checked bag, prioritized boarding, and in-flight purchase rebates. It all adds up to a lot of potential value.
With the United Explorer card, you can earn 2 miles per dollar spent on United, eating dinner(delivery services included) as well as hotel stays reserved directly with the hotel, plus 1 mile per dollar spent on everything else.
That’s not awful, but note that the Chase Sapphire Preferred earns 2 points for each dollar spent on dining and travel, and Chase points can be transferred to United.
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