Get Miles With An Airline Credit Card

The strawberry cards are designed to accumulate points which translate into frequent flier mileage for flights with a specific airline - Northwest Airlines World Perk Visa or the Gold Delta Skymiles card for example.  Vanilla cards, like the Blue Sky from American Express, allow you to redeem your points toward ANY airline (my favorite flavor).   Blue Sky From American Express 0% Intro APR for up to 12 months on  purchases Low Balance Transfer APR - 2.99% for 12 months Earn 1 point for every dollar spent Points good on ANY airline, hotel, car rental and more No blackout dates or travel restrictions Express Approval - decision in less than 60 seconds Usually when using an airline specific credit card, hotel and car rental partners will also participate in the program, so to speed up your acquisition of the frequent flier mileage, it is a good idea to use the credit card with airline miles to pay for your hotel and car (as long as they are partners).  Remember to charge all your "paid for" tickets on the credit card with airline miles also.  This will rack up your points very quickly, especially if you travel a lot or take a nice cruise!

If you are good with credit cards and pay them off every month, or are at least disciplined to deal with your charges, you could charge all your monthly expenses, even groceries, to gather up points quickly. 

How you acquire frequent flier miles towards your credit card with mileage credit varies.  Some will be awarded on a point per dollar basis while others give you a penny or two for every mile you travel.  

How You Get Airline Miles On Your Credit Card
Before filling out the application for a credit card offering air miles, you will want to be aware of these points.  Then take a look below at some examples of popular cards.

• Is there an annual fee?  Some have no charges while others are as much as $85.00.

• Is there an introductory offer with a lower rate? If so, for how long?

• Is balance transfer offered?

• What kind of credit history is required?

• What is the APR after the introductory?

• How are credits earned - how many dollars for a point or mile?

• How many frequent flier mileage points do you need to earn a ticket? Some will issue tickets with as few as 14,000 points while others require 25,000.

• When do the credits expire?

• Which credit card with airline miles serves your needs better - vanilla or strawberry?  If you fly on a specific airline frequently, you may be better off with an airline specific credit card, but if you use different airlines, a general card may serve you better.

EXAMPLES OF A AIRLINE SPECIFIC CREDIT CARDS

Northwest Airlines World Perks Visa Earn 1 mile for every dollar spend plus you may choose 10,000 bonus miles on a Visa Signature card or 7500 bonus miles  on the Visa Platinum
card, which can be redeemed for NW flights or SkyTeam Globa Alliance partner (KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Continental, Delta, Alaska Airlines and others).  APR is 18.00 variable and annual fee $90.
Delta Skymiles Earn up to 25,000 bonus miles -- enough for a total of $250 off Delta flights Use miles to pay for any Delta seat, anytime - - no black out dates and no seat restrictions 25,000 miles may also be redeemed for a domestic economy award ticket * Earn SkyMiles for every eligible dollar you spend No annual fee for the first year, then $95: $45 if you are a qualified American Express Cardmember Express Approval. Get a decision in less than 60 seconds.
Chase Travel Rewards Credit Card There is no annual fee and for every dollar you spend, you will get 1 point.  For the first 12 months, you have 0% APR and you can redeem your points for flights, hotels, car rentals, vacation packages and cruises.   Use on ANY airline.  Sweet.
Continental Airlines World MasterCard® f $85.00 is somewhat offset with a bonus 10,000 mileage points and at certain retail locations you will earn double points. The introductory offer is a 7.99% APR

US Air
With Juniper Bank:  earn 1.5 miles for every dollar you spend in the first year, then 1 mile per dollar.  You can redeem you miles of flight with US Air and Star Alliance partner airlines.  APR is 18.24 or 20.24 variable with a 0% balance transfer for 6 months.

With Bank of America:  earn 1 miles for every dollar.  You can redeem you miles of flight with US Air and Star Alliance partner airlines. APR is 18.24 variable rate with 0% introductory for 6 months and 0% on balance transfers for 6 months.  Annual fee is $90 per year. 

Alaska Air
With Bank of America: earn one mile for every purchase dollar you spend. Good for free travel to over 700 destinations on Alaska Airlines, or any of its partners, including American Airlines®¹, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Horizon Air, Lan Chile, Northwest Airlines or QANTAS. Also available in Canada. APR is 15.24 and annual fee is $75.

Aloha Airlines
Earn 1.5 miles for every dollar spent and redeem on Aloha or certain United Airlines routes.  APR is 15% variable for Gold accounts.  Annual fee is $55 per year.

Now, go get some free flights!