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 Conclusion
First, for most people the choice of a mileage-earning card should be made only after they've chosen a frequent flyer program in which to participate. So before making any final card decisions, read the "How to Choose a Program" section, whether you're a mileage newbie or a seasoned traveler needing a sanity check on your current mileage strategy.
For the sake of simplicity, we divide the world into 3 categories of consumer: frequent travelers whose travel patterns allow them to earn most of their miles in a single airline program; frequent travelers whose travel patterns force them to spread their miles fairly equally among several programs; and non-frequent travelers who nevertheless wish to be rewarded for their purchases with free tickets. For each of the 3 types of consumer, there is a corresponding card type which best fits their needs, as follows:
- If you can concentrate your miles in a single program--as we never cease suggesting you do--the most appropriate card will most likely be the one associated with your airline program.
- If by necessity you're a multi-program user, you will likely be better served by an American Express or Diners Club card, both of which allow transfer of earned points into a variety of airline programs.
- If you're not a frequent flyer, but rather a frequent buyer looking to earn travel awards, the bank cards allow you to earn points redeemable for free tickets, and feature low fees and APR's.
We have attempted to summarize the strengths and weaknesses of the competing card categories below.
| |
Airline/Hotel |
Amex/Diners |
Bank |
| Rates |
Medium |
High |
Low |
| Strengths |
Miles combinable with miles from other program partners (airlines, hotels, etc.) to quickly reach award thresholds |
Flexibility to convert points to miles in selected airline programs |
Low costs; no blackout dates on award travel; wide choice of airlines for award travel |
| Weaknesses |
Earning & redemption limited to a single program; blackout dates & capacity controls limit award availability |
Limited merchant acceptance; pricey; Amex points cannot be converted to American or United miles |
Cannot be combined with airline miles; award tickets require 21-day advance booking and cannot exceed a set dollar value |
| Best For... |
Frequent travelers who can focus the bulk of their earning & redemption within a single program |
Travelers who earn & redeem miles in several airline programs |
Frequent buyers who have little or no opportunity to earn miles in airline programs |
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