Choosing The Right Airline Credit Card Mile Offer

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

If you travel by air frequently, considering an airline mile card credit offer can be a good financial option because airline mile credit cards allow you to earn frequent flyer miles, which can save you a lot of money in the long run. The type of airline mile credit card depends on individual choice, needs, and loyalties, so take your time to conduct a little in-depth research and seek recommendations based on these factors.

Airline-Sponsored/Specific Airline Credit Cards

Airline-sponsored airline credit cards can be a good option if you fly with one airline constantly, or if you hold a strong brand loyalty to a particular airline.

Airline-sponsored airline credit cards are usually co-branded credit cards issued in collaboration by the airline with a bank/credit card issuer. And if that airline has a hub in your city or region, it becomes more convenient and economical since it may serve major flights to potential destinations. Every major airline company have airline-sponsored airline credit card offers, with which you can earn frequent flyer miles, and flight-related perks such as free airline tickets and first class upgrades.

However, since interest rates are liable to be comparatively high with this type of airline credit card mile offers, they are not recommended for those who carry a balance. And remember, most co-branded airline-sponsored airline credit cards carry an annual fee.

Examples of airline-sponsored airline credit card offers include United Airlines Mileage Signature Visa Card, Delta American Express SkyMiles, British Airways Visa Card, and Citi Platinum Select American Airlines AAdvantage World MasterCard.

Bank-Sponsored and Generic Airline Credit Cards

Bank-sponsored airline credit cards are more practical for those who do not have a major airline in their region, and consistently change carriers, since they allow you to earn miles that can be used on several airlines and not just one.

Bank-sponsored airline credit cards may also offer lower minimum mileage required for travel, in comparison to airline-sponsored airline credit cards. Generic airline credit card offers generally do not carry an annual fee, and are ideal for people who looking for lowest priced discount ticket before flying, and do not have preference for any particular airline.

With generic airline credit cards, the miles you earn for card purchases can not be combined with miles in a specific airline's frequent flyer program, so they are different from frequent flyer miles.

However, generic airline credit cards allow you to redeem these miles for perks such as free tickets on any important airline. So, generic airline credit card miles are, in fact, similar to dedicated cash-back earnings, which can only be employed to buy an airline ticket.

Examples of generic airline credit card offers include Chase Travel Plus Platinum Visa Card, Citi PremierPass Card, Discover Miles Card, and Blue Sky from American Express.