# What are your favorite credit cards for earning frequent-flyer miles?



## rickandcindy23

Rick and I fly Southwest and are hoping they add Hawaii from Denver soon.  If they did a NS flight to Hawaii from Denver, and then came back to Denver NS, it would be ideal.

We have the Southwest card and love it, and we use it to buy our Southwest seats.  As far as I know, the only 2X earnings is through Southwest itself.  Disappointing!

Recently, we got the Chase Ink Bold card because the signup bonus was 60K miles, which transfer to Southwest at no charge, and the transfer is instantaneous. 

5X points for internet, cable/ satellite television, phone service, and also cell phone service.  We spend around $400 per month for those expenses, so $400 X 4 = 2,000 points per month X 12 months = 24K miles to Southwest, which is worth about $480 in free travel, just for paying our bills with a credit card automatically every month.  

What I have noticed over the last two building statements (YAY!) is that all of our timeshare maintenance fees are worth 2X.  This is a revelation!  I can pay our Marriott and even our Wyndham points with that card and get 2X for travel.  So $20K in MF's = 40,000 points. 

We won't have to pay for a flight for a while, because we have the initial bonus miles for signup, plus these incredible 2X and 5X we are earning.  

Before, we were using the Capital One Venture card.  That card was earning 2X for every purchase, but a Southwest $200 ticket required $10K in purchases.

That same $10K, if I am paying MF's, even at my ordinary, crappy resorts, is worth double points with Chase Ink Bold, which is 20K points.  20K pts are worth more like $400 with Southwest.  

What cards earn 2X, 3X, 4X or 5X on groceries/ gas purchases, which will transfer to Southwest?  I wish I could buy grocery store gift cards from the office supply stores at 5X with my Chase Ink Bold.


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## artringwald

I prefer the Fidelity American Express card because it pays 2% on everything and automatically deposits the cash into my checking account. It doesn't get easier than that.

For a frequent flyer card we like Alaska Visa because you get a bunch of miles for signing up and get a $99 companion certificate within 3 weeks that's good any trip, including Hawaii and multi-city destinations.

Since we live in a Delta hub, we also have a Delta American Express. It's $100/year, but with one round trip for two people with luggage, the free luggage pays for the card.


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## slip

Art

Have you used the Alaska card for Hawaii? I'm in Wisconsin and the last time I 
Looked at it, I couldn't make it work. 

I use the United MilagePlus. I got 50,000 at sign up and get 2x for United ticket
Purchases. Only one mile for most other purchases. It's $95 a year but my free
Baggage more than pays for that.


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## rickandcindy23

We also have Alaska and get the companion seat.  The flights are inconvenient out of Denver, unless we spend the night in Seattle both coming and going, but that is exactly what we do.


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## Timeshare Von

Generally speaking, we get whatever credit cards provide the best opportunity for bonuses tied to the airlines.  We churn a lot of cards doing that, and it hasn't adversely affected our credit ratings.

A few examples . . .

I got the British Airways card in 2009 specifically to get their huge bonus for a trip I was planning to Kenya.  Two cards earned 100k in bonus (50k each), enough with a small purchase of more miles plus cash towards the ticket, to fly WT+ to Kenya and first class home for around $2,000 total.  The ticket would have cost nearly $10,000 to have bought outright.

In planning for our trip to Ireland, we needed to buy three tickets.  We picked up two American Airlines cards for that. We were able to fly R/T coach with 35k miles left over.  (There were fees involved since it was international travel, but the total price of the tickets was small in comparison to the price had we paid for them w/o miles.)

Most recently, we picked up the Delta AmExp (again) to get the bonus to fly to Alaska next summer.  With DL's FF structure, I expected to need 40k miles per coach ticket.  I was right.  With two AmExp cards we were able to get those coach tickets for $10 each.

Before our Ireland trip, we picked up a no-fee Capital One MC World Card specifically for the car rental insurance program.  The waiver of the mandatory CDW on a two week rental saved us about $500.

I also have an Amtrak MC World Card which we're using at Sam's Club for purchases.  We used to just pay for our Sam's purchases with our Sam's card.  Once they started accepting MC however, it was better to get "something" rather than "nothing" for our Sam's purchases.

When we're not working to meet the minimum initial spend required to earn a bonus with a new card, all of our other household expenses go on the Capital One card that has the travel eraser program on.  Our regular spending results in being able to "erase" our TS maintenance fee with Wyndham every three or four months. While it may not be "the best" . . . we're pretty happy with that arrangement.

p.s.  I should have said we only get cards with a no fee intro offer . . . and only keep them beyond the first nine months if there is no annual fee after the intro period.  The only exception is that we will keep one of the two DL AmExp cards for the free checked baggage for next summer's Alaska trip.


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## lizap

Is this a business card?  Looks like the sign-up bonus has been reduced to 50000 points.  Link to 60000 sign-up?




rickandcindy23 said:


> Rick and I fly Southwest and are hoping they add Hawaii from Denver soon.  If they did a NS flight to Hawaii from Denver, and then came back to Denver NS, it would be ideal.
> 
> We have the Southwest card and love it, and we use it to buy our Southwest seats.  As far as I know, the only 2X earnings is through Southwest itself.  Disappointing!
> 
> Recently, we got the Chase Ink Bold card because the signup bonus was 60K miles, which transfer to Southwest at no charge, and the transfer is instantaneous.
> 
> 5X points for internet, cable/ satellite television, phone service, and also cell phone service.  We spend around $400 per month for those expenses, so $400 X 4 = 2,000 points per month X 12 months = 24K miles to Southwest, which is worth about $480 in free travel, just for paying our bills with a credit card automatically every month.
> 
> What I have noticed over the last two building statements (YAY!) is that all of our timeshare maintenance fees are worth 2X.  This is a revelation!  I can pay our Marriott and even our Wyndham points with that card and get 2X for travel.  So $20K in MF's = 40,000 points.
> 
> We won't have to pay for a flight for a while, because we have the initial bonus miles for signup, plus these incredible 2X and 5X we are earning.
> 
> Before, we were using the Capital One Venture card.  That card was earning 2X for every purchase, but a Southwest $200 ticket required $10K in purchases.
> 
> That same $10K, if I am paying MF's, even at my ordinary, crappy resorts, is worth double points with Chase Ink Bold, which is 20K points.  20K pts are worth more like $400 with Southwest.
> 
> What cards earn 2X, 3X, 4X or 5X on groceries/ gas purchases, which will transfer to Southwest?  I wish I could buy grocery store gift cards from the office supply stores at 5X with my Chase Ink Bold.


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## LisaRex

I, too, routinely hunt around on Flyertalk for the best sign-on bonus, as that is the quickest way to accumulate a lot of miles.

For instance, I got 100,000+ CapOne miles when they offered their airline mile match + bonus.  That was a great bonus, one that I doubt they'll repeat.  For less than $300 in total annual fees, I flew my daughter to Korea and back, a savings of $1900, with the miles I accumulated over three years.  (I canceled the card recently because they no longer participate in online banking.)

I signed up for the British Air card a few years ago because I had visions of flying to Europe.  I found out after I pocketed the 100k miles that using them to fly to Europe was pretty expensive, several hundred bucks in taxes and surcharges, but I was able to use the Avios to book some really great hotels instead.  

I recently signed my husband up for the SPG AMEX because they offered a 30k sign-up bonus.  That's at least 35k airline miles, though I'll probably use them for hotels.


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## Timeshare Von

LisaRex said:


> I signed up for the British Air card a few years ago because I had visions of flying to Europe.  I found out after I pocketed the 100k miles that using them to fly to Europe was pretty expensive, several hundred bucks in taxes and surcharges, but I was able to use the Avios to book some really great hotels instead.



That is the toughest thing about using miles for travel to/through Europe.  I'm happy that our FF tickets here in the US are generally much more affordable in terms of the cash for fees/taxes.

Good that you could use the BA miles for lodging.


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## rickandcindy23

lizap said:


> Is this a business card?  Looks like the sign-up bonus has been reduced to 50000 points.  Link to 60000 sign-up?



That was an offer back in June for the 60K, but according to Millionmilesecrets.com, this is an occasional offering.  

I plan to sign up for the Ink Bold next time they offer it.  I signed Rick up for it this time.  Those are business cards.  

Daraius has info for those who think they don't own a business on his above website.  I love Daraius's information.  He is very adept at building miles and churning cards.  I think I would feel guilty churning cards that often.


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## rickandcindy23

I really see no reason to keep the Capital One Venture card next time it renews.  I want to cancel it because I have done the math, and I am better off buying all airfare with the Southwest card, all MF's and our home office expenses with the Chase Ink Bold.  

We also have the AMEX card for Starwood.  Love that card for paying SBP fees.

Looking for the perfect card for groceries and dining 2X points.


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## scootr5

rickandcindy23 said:


> I really see no reason to keep the Capital One Venture card next time it renews.  I want to cancel it because I have done the math, and I am better off buying all airfare with the Southwest card, all MF's and our home office expenses with the Chase Ink Bold, and
> 
> We also have the AMEX card for Starwood.  Love that card for paying SBP fees.



I have the Southwest card, but have moved most all our spend to the Chase Sapphire preferred. It offers double points on dining and travel, no foreign transaction fees, transfer partners on a 1:1 basis (Southwest Continental, United, Hyatt, etc.), reasonable annual fee of $95, access to the Ultimate Rewards shopping mall for earning bonus points or applying rewards points to purchases, and a 7% annual points dividend (7% bonus of all points earned in the calendar year).

I'll probably be cancelling out the SW card before the next annual renewal.


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## rickandcindy23

I wish the Chase cards transferred points to Alaska Airlines.  

I am thinking of the Carlson card for cheap/ free stays at the Radisson near Seattle airport.


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## Dori

We would love to have the Southwest card, but as Canadians with no SSN, we are ineligible.   The next best thing for us is the MBNA Choice Privileges Mastercard. The points we earn can be transferred into RR points. I also earn RR points through surveys such as E-miles and E-rewards.

We love Southwest and use them almost exclusively, except when travelling in Canada or internationally. We regularly do the 3-hour drive to Buffalo so we can feel the LUV. 

Dori


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## artringwald

slip said:


> Art
> 
> Have you used the Alaska card for Hawaii? I'm in Wisconsin and the last time I
> Looked at it, I couldn't make it work.



We use the Alaska card for Hawaii, but out of MSP there are some crazy layovers. Last year we had a 13 hour layover going over and 5 hour coming back. We booked an airport hotel going over since the layover was overnight. It was worth it because back then you could use the $99 companion coupon with first class tickets. 

This year we're doing a Seattle sleepover going over and coming back. Even paying for the two hotel nights we saved a bunch because Alaska first class tickets are cheaper than anyone else. We get to Kauai at 2 PM, well rested and ready for mai tais.


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## slip

Thanks Art. I'm right with you on the Mai Tai's. 

I've been watching United's award flights and they are really all over for 
Layovers. I may have to look more into churning cards.


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## SMHarman

Timeshare Von said:


> That is the toughest thing about using miles for travel to/through Europe.  I'm happy that our FF tickets here in the US are generally much more affordable in terms of the cash for fees/taxes.
> 
> Good that you could use the BA miles for lodging.



BA Avios are ok for Europe you need to use them on AA and Iberia flights. 

They are even better for short AA flights (JFK/CUN) as that only requires 7500 miles each way 

My next use for Avios is to WSJ. 

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


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## rickandcindy23

Really? NYC> Cancun only 7,500 miles?  

Our daughter booked BA Avios to London for March, and the cost for taxes was $4,000 for the four of them.  It's First Class, but huge cost for tax and fuel.


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## x3 skier

Short haul flights using BA Avios for positioning is a great use. 

I am flying DAY - ORD on AA using Avios to connect with a 1st Class AA flight ORD - LHR using AAdvantage. 

Likewise using Avios on LAN Lima - Cuzco after flyin DL Biz class DAY - LIM using Sky Bonus. 

Both Avios trips were about 10K Avios, IIRC.

I may re-up the BA Card when they offer a good bonus again. 

Cheers


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## Bucky

When we got the Chase Sapphire card we cancelled our SW card. There was really no need to keep it. These are the things we enjoy the most about it:

7% ANNUAL POINTS DIVIDEND*
Chase Sapphire Preferred® will automatically award you a 7% Annual Points Dividend on all new points earned on purchases throughout the year – even points you have redeemed.

20% OFF TRAVEL
Get 20% off airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises when you redeem through Ultimate Rewards. For example, a $500 flight requires just 40,000 points.

1 ADDITIONAL POINT ON TRAVEL*
Earn 1 additional point (total of 3 points) per $1 spent when you book airfare or hotel accommodations through Ultimate Rewards.*

1:1 POINT TRANSFER WITH NO TRANSFER FEES
Transfer points to participating frequent travel programs with no transfer fees and at full 1:1 value - that means 1,000 Ultimate Rewards points equal 1,000 partner miles/points. Travel programs include British Airways Executive Club, Korean Air SKYPASS, Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards®, United MileagePlus®, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, Amtrak Guest Rewards®, Hyatt Gold Passport®, Priority Club® Rewards, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®. Transfers made show up almost instantaneously. When I transferred points to SW they were in my SW account within five minutes of requesting the transfer!

There are many more perks with the card but these are the ones that attracted us the most. The 20% off on travel really comes in handy considering how much air fare has risen lately.


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## MichaelColey

We jump around from card to card for signup bonuses, spending in some categories, and spending to get special perks at certain spending levels, but our "go to card" that we spend most of our money on and that we keep coming back to is our Starwood AmEx.

You earn 1 Starpoint per $1 spent.  You can transfer 20k Starpoints to get 25k miles on many different airlines (including our favorite, AA).  And the hotel redemptions are a great deal (especially compared to most hotel loyalty programs that have seen massive devaluation the last couple years), if you find yourself needing a hotel that you don't want to pay cash for.

Last month, we spent a night at the Westin Hilton Head (10k points) and two nights at the Westin New Orleans (10k points/night).  Those are a steal at $100/night (which is what I would have earned with a 1% cash back card).


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## heathpack

MichaelColey said:


> We jump around from card to card for signup bonuses, spending in some categories, and spending to get special perks at certain spending levels, but our "go to card" that we spend most of our money on and that we keep coming back to is our Starwood AmEx.
> 
> You earn 1 Starpoint per $1 spent.  You can transfer 20k Starpoints to get 25k miles on many different airlines (including our favorite, AA).  And the hotel redemptions are a great deal (especially compared to most hotel loyalty programs that have seen massive devaluation the last couple years), if you find yourself needing a hotel that you don't want to pay cash for.
> 
> Last month, we spent a night at the Westin Hilton Head (10k points) and two nights at the Westin New Orleans (10k points/night).  Those are a steal at $100/night (which is what I would have earned with a 1% cash back card).



+1 TOTALLY agree with this.  We sign up for credit cards all the time, but mostly spend on the SPG Amex.  Does not transfer to Southwest, though.

We love having Starpoints because of their incredible usefulness.  Starwood has such a vast network of hotels that no matter where you are going, you can pick up a night or two.  Business conference in Seattle?  Easy to make a vacation of it by adding a few nights in Starwood hotels in Vancouver and Seattle.  Going to a Crete TS via Athens?  Easy to add a few nights in Athens to see the Parthenon.  It's really amazing how comprehensive Starwoods hotel network is.  Incredibly useful to add a free night here and there when you're trying to pair up FF tix and TS stays, especially when the best FF availability might be on Thurs but your TS check in is Sat.

It's also great to be able to top off your frequent flier accounts with your Starpoints when necessary.

So even though there is no category spend bonus, we mostly stick with the SPG card.  

H


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## Elli

Here is another satisfied SPG Amex user, only had it for a couple of years, and this year got upgraded to Gold (spent 30,000 per year) for additional perks.


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## MuranoJo

The SPG card sounds interesting.  Are there still limitations in where you can use Amex?  Seems I recall from years ago it wasn't as widely accepted as say Visa, especially internationally.


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## heathpack

muranojo said:


> The SPG card sounds interesting.  Are there still limitations in where you can use Amex?  Seems I recall from years ago it wasn't as widely accepted as say Visa, especially internationally.



Yes there are some limitations.  Visa charges less fees to merchants, so more merchants accept it.  Maybe 10% of the time in the US I need to use a visa or MasterCard.

H


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## lizap

We have both the Starwood and Southwest cards.  There are still a few places that don't accept AMEX cards. 





muranojo said:


> The SPG card sounds interesting.  Are there still limitations in where you can use Amex?  Seems I recall from years ago it wasn't as widely accepted as say Visa, especially internationally.


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## MOXJO7282

We use the Amex clear which has the best cash rebate I've seen at 5% for gas, groceries and drug stores after you spend $6500, which for us it adds up to a $1700 per year.

For all purchases other than gas, groceries and drug stores we use a Chase United card because from what I'm seeing they have good FF class seats availability to Maui, which along with going to Europe is the best way to max the value received from your miles.


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## Born2Travel

This thread has me thinking we should be looking for something to transfer and top of some airline miles when needed.   Is Starwood the best for this?  Any others that might work as well?


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## x3 skier

muranojo said:


> The SPG card sounds interesting.  Are there still limitations in where you can use Amex?  Seems I recall from years ago it wasn't as widely accepted as say Visa, especially internationally.



In big cities/stores, Amex is fine. At smaller merchants/towns, not as good. True both in the States and Europe in my experience. I seldom if ever use it in Europe since my Gold Card charges a foreign exchange fee, unless they changed lately. 

Cheers


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## MichaelColey

Yes, you'll definitely want a non-AmEx card as well, because there will be some places you can't use it.

Forgot to mention the free Gold status with $30k/year spend.  Thanks for mentioning that, Elli!  That's a big one for me.  I don't stay enough at Starwood to get status, but I do get it through CC spending.  It doesn't mean much domestically, but I've got some VERY nice upgrades overseas.


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## Jimster

*cards*

This question must have been asked on this forum 20 times in the last few years, but I suppose some things have changed.  One observation I willl make is that all these cash back cards are ok I guess but you really dont get much.  Let me explain.  I just redeemed my ff miles for an asian trip in business class-lots of stop overs.  This ticket would have cost $20K to buy.  I got it for free.  How long at what percent would it take a cash back card to give you $20,000?  Likewise i just booked a trip using cheapo air rather than using Big Crumbs.  Now big crumbs promises a certain percentage back, but the cost of booking it direct saved more because Big Crumbs marked it up before rebating it.  I think the best alternative is still using FF miles.  Rebates are not as valuable and they are often capped so their value is suspect.


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## rickandcindy23

Jimster said:


> This question must have been asked on this forum 20 times in the last few years, but I suppose some things have changed.  One observation I willl make is that all these cash back cards are ok I guess but you really dont get much.  Let me explain.  I just redeemed my ff miles for an asian trip in business class-lots of stop overs.  This ticket would have cost $20K to buy.  I got it for free.  How long at what percent would it take a cash back card to give you $20,000?  Likewise i just booked a trip using cheapo air rather than using Big Crumbs.  Now big crumbs promises a certain percentage back, but the cost of booking it direct saved more because Big Crumbs marked it up before rebating it.  I think the best alternative is still using FF miles.  Rebates are not as valuable and they are often capped so their value is suspect.



I agree! Collecting points and miles is indeed much better than cash-back cards.  I am gleaning more and more about card churning and the benefits of doing it.


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## heathpack

Jimster said:


> This question must have been asked on this forum 20 times in the last few years, but I suppose some things have changed.  One observation I willl make is that all these cash back cards are ok I guess but you really dont get much.  Let me explain.  I just redeemed my ff miles for an asian trip in business class-lots of stop overs.  This ticket would have cost $20K to buy.  I got it for free.  How long at what percent would it take a cash back card to give you $20,000?  Likewise i just booked a trip using cheapo air rather than using Big Crumbs.  Now big crumbs promises a certain percentage back, but the cost of booking it direct saved more because Big Crumbs marked it up before rebating it.  I think the best alternative is still using FF miles.  Rebates are not as valuable and they are often capped so their value is suspect.



The nuance here is that if you found that flight to Asia for a bargain basement price and you purchased it with rebate $, you would *earn* FF miles on the flight.  So using your rebate $, the flight is "free" and you earn more rewards to boot.

Note that I don't have a rebate card, because I think the scenario I describe is uncommon.  But a little-discussed fabulous feature of the SPG Amex is that you can also use your points to buy flights.  Yes, SPG will buy you a plane ticket on any airline you want using your Starpoints.  And you earn FF miles on it.  Best use of this feature is heavily discounted coach seats.  But the point is, for flights it works similarly to a rebate card but you get the advantages of the ability to also leverage points/miles further.  

My problem with rebate cards is that I'm a cheapskate.  If you give me $9000 cash, there is no way I'm ever going to book that business class one-way seat to London.  Give me 50,000 FF miles and heck yeah, I'm in that pricey seat.

H


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## MichaelColey

heathpack said:


> My problem with rebate cards is that I'm a cheapskate.  If you give me $9000 cash, there is no way I'm ever going to book that business class one-way seat to London.  Give me 50,000 FF miles and heck yeah, I'm in that pricey seat.


But when you consider earning those 50,000 miles were earned by spending $50,000 (or $40,000 on an SPG AmEx) on reward credit cards in lieu of spending it on a cash-back credit card (that might earn $400 or perhaps $800 in cash back), those miles only cost $400 or $800.

The problem with points and miles, though, is that many people will redeem them for considerably less valuable options where they SHOULD be paying cash instead.  For instance, someone who doesn't want to pay $200/night for a hotel might have no problem redeeming 20,000 points per night, and look at as a "free" night.  Points and miles are never "free".

I strongly prefer points and miles over cash back, but I see so many people making poor use of them and thinking they're doing great.


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## rickandcindy23

Did I mention Rick's Chase Ink Bold gets 2X on MF's at every resort I have used it, so far?  2X points is awesome.  This includes Twin Rivers, Foxrun, Blue Ridge Village (Festiva), and WorldMark (which I pay monthly).  I am thinking of paying Wyndham with it too.  

I was considering the Marriott card to pay our MF's but cannot justify it with the 2X with Ink Bold already.  

Maybe someone still thinks I should get the Marriott card?  I pay about $4,000 per year in fees to Marriott.  I don't stay in Marriott hotels, but I would consider Marriott for staying near SEA airport.


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## MichaelColey

If you don't stay in Marriott hotels, I don't see any reason to get a Marriott credit card.  Their points are a poor value for anything other than Marriott hotels (and often aren't an especially good value even on hotels <G>).


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## rickandcindy23

Thanks for that advice, Michael.  I won't bother with the Marriott card.  

We do have the Starwood AMEX card to pay our SBP and SDO fees, and I have reached the $30K spending requirement for Gold.  I just don't plan to stay in Starwood hotels, so we just transfer points to Alaska Air.  It's great for that purpose, but I am think of trying another airline for airfares out of Denver to Hawaii now.  I cannot get award seats in First Class with Alaska to Kona for our August trip.  

I am frustrated with Alaska right now.  We have over 250K miles between the two of us and only wanted one award seat.  I am not paying 150K miles for the trip.  Maybe we will pay next time and build the miles instead.  It's awesome miles.  But what if Alaska is reducing the number of FF seats.  I have had luck our last two trips and not this next year's Kona trip. 

I will probably apply for a Chase Ink Bold for me next time they offer 60K points.  We will need more points to book our Orlando flights with the new increases in SW award tickets.


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## x3 skier

One way I "double dip" is to use eBates.com for Internet purchases.

One purchase thus results in miles/points from the credit card and cash back from eBates. 

Cash back is just a bit of extra that happens for "free". 

Cheers


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## Beefnot

How about Platinum or Gold Amex card?  I see something where it is $450 annually for Platinum but comes with $200 in airline fee credits (e.g, luggage charges, et al.).  So if I travel enough to use those credits, then it is $250 for the other perks like airline club access, FF miles with no blackout dates, and some concierge service or something.  The Gold is cheaper at $175 and looks like no blackout dates too, but no airline credits.


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## MuranoJo

I was all set to apply for the SPG card, but discovered the point transfer ratio to UA is 2:1 (2 Starwood points for 1 UA pt).  Almost all others are 1:1. That's a bit disappointing, as we tend to use UA quite a bit.  Also, I'm assuming they do charge foreign transaction fees as I didn't see anything about those being waived.

However, I may still sign up for it, if for no reason other than to save some old SPG points I have from business travel which are about to expire, plus we could fly Delta.

(Also looked at the Marriott card and their offer is enticing, but their annual fee is more @ $95) and we really don't stay at Marriotts often.)


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## MichaelColey

Yeah, that would be a deal killer.  I know there are a few airlines with transfer ratios that aren't great, but the ones we use are good.  AA is my favorite, and one advantage to SPG is that AA isn't even available with Membership Rewards (on standard AmEx cards).


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## mjm1

We recently got the SPG card and I was confused about which airlines provide transfer of SPG points at a ratio of greater than 1:1. So I called SPG this morning. They said Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, AA, Virgin Atlantic and Air France (airlines we have flown) all transfer at 1:1 ratios. As someone else noted, SW doesn't participate.  She doesn't have a list that reflects which airlines are more than 1:1, so you ask for one at a time. Any insights?

I also called Amex and they confirmed that purchases directly from Starwood, including MF's earn 5x points. Definitely like that feature.


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## lily28

I thought maintenance fee for Starwood timeshares only earn 2x using starwood am express card. Have this been changed to 5x? It will be great if this is true with maintenance fees due soon, esp given how expensive the fee is for Harborside.


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## Rent_Share

Here's a a whole Subforun dedicated to the subject

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credit-debit-prepaid-card-programs-390/

Carolinian hangs on that site too, I had not signed in since 2010


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## Rent_Share

MichaelColey said:


> If you don't stay in Marriott hotels, I don't see any reason to get a Marriott credit card. Their points are a poor value for anything other than Marriott hotels (and often aren't an especially good value even on hotels <G>).


 
Because I focused on Hilton, I had my Mariott and other non core hotel and rental car programs set to deposit to Continental, kept me from getting orphan hotel points when I HAD to stay in a Marriott Hotel property


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## Ken555

mjm1 said:


> We recently got the SPG card and I was confused about which airlines provide transfer of SPG points at a ratio of greater than 1:1. So I called SPG this morning. They said Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, AA, Virgin Atlantic and Air France (airlines we have flown) all transfer at 1:1 ratios. As someone else noted, SW doesn't participate.  She doesn't have a list that reflects which airlines are more than 1:1, so you ask for one at a time. Any insights?



Look here for the list: 

https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/starpoints/transfer/airline_partner_list.html


Sent from my iPad


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## Elli

mjm1 said:


> We recently got the SPG card and I was confused about which airlines provide transfer of SPG points at a ratio of greater than 1:1. So I called SPG this morning. They said Alaska, Delta, Hawaiian, AA, Virgin Atlantic and Air France (airlines we have flown) all transfer at 1:1 ratios. As someone else noted, SW doesn't participate.  She doesn't have a list that reflects which airlines are more than 1:1, so you ask for one at a time. Any insights?
> 
> I also called Amex and they confirmed that purchases directly from Starwood, including MF's earn 5x points. Definitely like that feature.


Didn't they tell you that if you transfer 20,000 points (I think), you get 5,000 bonus points?  I'm not at home to check, but I'm pretty sure that's what I got transferring to Alaska Airlines.


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## Newportbeach

I find myself switching between the benefit of using my Starwood card for such obvious things as annual MF, and using my Costco card and getting up to 2% cash back on travel and restaurant purchases.  I like the flexibility of cash back, except I do like to use my StarPoints for deals like Cash and Points.  I just spent a week at the Sheraton ParkLane in London, so I converted one week of StarOptions for enough StarPoints to avoid such an expensive and convenient locations, and received a double upgrade on my room.  No way, I would have
otherwise paid the going rate of $750 a night.  Imagine how long I would have to wait to collect enough cash back on my Costco card to afford that expense.

Bottom line, different cards for different benefits.


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## mjm1

Elli said:


> Didn't they tell you that if you transfer 20,000 points (I think), you get 5,000 bonus points?  I'm not at home to check, but I'm pretty sure that's what I got transferring to Alaska Airlines.



Thank you for pointing that out, as I forgot about it. I just called SPG and confirmed that, yes, for every 20k you transfer you get a bonus of 5k miles. So 40k SPG points would equate to 50k miles. No fees to transfer.


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## mjm1

Ken555 said:


> Look here for the list:
> 
> https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/starpoints/transfer/airline_partner_list.html
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad



Thanks Ken. That link provided all the answers too.


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## am1

I have a few different ones.  The big benefit using the miles is being able to book the multi-city and one way trips with United.  Downside is using miles does not achieve status.  It would be nice if United introduced a card that earns status.  

Chase seems to have the best selection of good cards.  They transfer to united.  I also have the cheap United card which gives a 10 000 point bonus on $25000. I will probably cancel before the renewal date and get the higher fee United card.  Free lounge access and 1.5 (3cents) on all purchases.  

Chase freedom seems like their not renewing their quarterly categories next year.


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## Rent_Share

am1 said:


> It would be nice if United introduced a card that earns status.


 
Status comes with BIS miles {Butt in Seat} (422k on UAL/CO)

With status the miles can rack up at almost 3:1 for miles flown with other bonuses neyond just the status premium


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