Airline Cards

When you think of earning miles-for-purchases, you probably think first and foremost of the cards associated with the airlines' frequent flyer programs.

Sometimes referred to as affinity cards or co-branded cards, these are the cards linked to specific airline frequent flyer programs. American, for example, has its Citibank AAdvantage card. For every dollar charged, the cardholder earns one AAdvantage mile. United counters with its Mileage Plus Visa card, US Airways with the World MasterCard, etc. With the exception of Delta, JetBlue, and American (which offers an American Express-issued card in addition to its Citibank card), most airline cards are Visa, MasterCard, or a choice thereof. Annual fees for these cards tend to be somewhat higher than for comparable non-mileage cards--in the $25 - $125 range, depending on whether you opt for the regular, gold or platinum versions. And APRs (annual percentage rates) are also higher than those of their non-mileage-earning counterparts, typically falling into a fairly narrow (and high) 15% - 18% range.

For a head-to-head comparison of the major airlines' affinity cards, go here.

Because most frequent flyers' primary relationship is with their preferred airline and its associated frequent flyer program, they often think first of signing up for the card linked specifically (and uniquely) with that program. Example: American Airlines customers tend to be members of AAdvantage and, naturally, tend to opt for cards linked to AAdvantage.

And indeed, if you conscientiously focus your mileage-earning in a single program (as we recommend you do--see "How to Choose a Program"), it makes perfect sense to make that program's card your everyday plastic of choice.

Because Visa and MasterCard are the world's most widely accepted cards, you will be able to use those cards, and hence earn miles, at pretty much any retailer or service that accepts credit cards for payment.

In order to add value to the cards, airlines and their card partners routinely offer special promotions, allowing cardholders to earn bonus miles for various transactions.

This is the simplest solution: one card, accepted practically everywhere; one statement; one monthly payment. (It's not the best choice for everyone, however. Read on. )

Airline Cards Compared