Compare and Choose: Best Airline Credit Cards for March 2024

When you make a purchase using an airline-branded credit card, you will accumulate rewards points known as “miles.” These miles will be added to your account in the airline’s loyalty program, allowing you to redeem them for complimentary flights. Additionally, airline credit cards often offer additional benefits like free checked bags, priority boarding, discounts on in-flight purchases, or access to exclusive airport lounges.

Typically, there is no cap on the number of miles you can accumulate with an airline credit card. The greater your spending, the greater your rewards.

– Earn a minimum of 1 mile for every dollar spent on most airline cards.
– Get additional miles when making purchases directly with the airline, usually 2 or more miles per dollar.
– Certain cards offer bonus miles for specific categories, such as booking with airline partners or spending at hotels and restaurants.

 Moreover, the majority of credit cards offered by airlines provide new cardholders with a special bonus to encourage them to use the card. By spending a specific amount of money, let’s say $2,000, within the initial months, you will receive a substantial number of miles added to your account.

 Airline miles do not have a fixed value, but it’s a good idea to consider them as roughly equivalent to 1 cent each. The worth you actually receive varies based on the amount of money you save when using them for a complimentary flight. This, in turn, is influenced by factors such as the airline you choose, the specific route you’re taking, how early you book your flight, and the type of ticket you purchase (economy, business, first class).

There are two main factors to consider when it comes to getting a ticket: the price of the ticket and the number of miles you need to use in order to get that ticket. Let’s say you use 20,000 miles to get a ticket that would have originally cost you $300. In this case, you’re getting a value of 1.5 cents per mile ($300 divided by 20,000 equals $0.015).

Being part of the elite status in a frequent flyer program comes with exclusive perks that are usually not accessible to regular travelers, including complimentary seat upgrades, priority boarding, increased rewards rates, waived fees, and various other advantages. Airlines typically reserve this prestigious status for their most loyal customers, making elite qualification primarily dependent on the amount of business you conduct with the airline – the total expenditure on tickets and the number of flights taken. It’s important to note that miles accumulated from credit card spending usually do not contribute towards achieving elite status.

However, there are certain airline credit cards that provide an extra perk of boosting your elite status. For instance, the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card offers a way to achieve Southwest’s prestigious “A-List” status by earning 35,000 “tier qualifying points” within a year. It’s important to note that these qualifying points are typically earned by purchasing tickets directly from Southwest, and not through spending on the credit card. Nevertheless, the credit card issuer sweetens the deal by offering a bonus of 1,500 tier qualifying points for every $10,000 spent on the card, with a maximum of 15,000 points per year.

Also, keep in mind that airline credit cards offer some of the perks of elite status, such as free checked bags and preferred boarding.