Earn Airline Miles Without Flying
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Do you want to travel more? Well, guess what? There's an airline miles trick that airlines do not want you to know about.
You can earn airline miles WITHOUT flying. And it doesn't even require you to use the airline's co-branded credit card.
A one-airline strategy works for some people. For instance, if you live in a rural area with limited airline choices.
But for the vast majority, it's not ideal.
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Instead, with the right credit card, you can earn points with your everyday spending and convert them to miles to fly on the airline that works for you. We'll explain why this is the better route for most people.
Plus, you can skyrocket your mileage balance by taking advantage of the right credit card promotion.
Travel Transfer Partners
Some credit cards, like Chase Sapphire Preferred allow you to transfer points to a participating airline's frequent flyer program.
- American Airlines: American Airlines Credit Card
- Delta Air Lines: American Express Gold Card
- Southwest Airlines: Chase Sapphire Preferred
- United Airlines: Chase Sapphire Preferred
- JetBlue: JetBlue Credit Card
- Alaska Airlines: Alaska Airlines Credit Card
- Hawaiian Airlines: AMEX Platinum
$95 Annual Fee, But Here's Why It Is Worth Considering
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Our favorite travel-friendly credit card is Chase Sapphire Preferred. It has a huge bonus point offer and premium travel benefits.
Chase Sapphire Preferred lets you earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $1,000 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. This card lets you earn 2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide, eligible delivery services, takeout and dining out & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
Points can be transferred 1:1 to leading frequent travel programs including airline transfer partners. The card has no foreign transaction fees. The card also comes with premium travel and purchase protection benefits (including trip cancellation/trip interruption insurance and auto rental collision damage waiver). There is a $95 annual fee.
Chase Sapphire Preferred's hotel transfer partners include Marriott, Hyatt, IHG, and The Ritz-Carlton. Marriott operates 30 brands including Renaissance, Residence Inn, and Courtyard.
If you want to fly American, you can use British Airways to book a partner flight on American Airlines (and other oneworld alliance partners).
If you want to fly Delta, you can use Air France to book a partner flight on Delta Airlines (and other SkyTeam alliance partners).
This card is not for everyone. Because the rewards and benefits are so great, the application process is very selective. You'll need excellent/good credit to qualify.
AMEX Membership Rewards
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Do you spend over $334 per month on your credit card?
If you use your credit card daily, consider the Amex EveryDay credit card from American Express, a CreditDonkey partner.
Amex EveryDay offers 10,000 Membership Rewards® points if you spend $1,000 on purchases within the first three months of opening your new card account. Enjoy a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases, then a variable rate, currently 12.99% to 23.99%.
This card earns 2x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $6,000/year in purchases, then 1x) and 1x points on other purchases. If you use your card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period, you will earn 20% more points on those purchases (less returns and credits). There is no annual fee. Terms apply.
If an annual fee does not scare you, look at the Platinum Card (See Rates & Fees) and the American Express Gold Card (See Rates & Fees).
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Fees | ||
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| Annual Fee | ||
| Terms Apply. | Terms Apply. | |
Benefits and Features | ||
| Introductory Bonus Offer | Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months. | Earn 35,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 3 months. |
| Airline Status | $200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline. Access to 5 airport lounge networks including The Centurion® lounge network, The International American Express lounges, Delta Sky Club® lounges, Priority Pass(TM) Select, and Airspace Lounge. Enrollment required for Priority Pass Select. | $100 Airline Fee Credit: up to $100 in statement credits per calendar year for incidental fees at one selected qualifying airline. |
| Hotel Status | Enroll for complimentary Marriott Bonvoy Gold Status. Enroll for complimentary Hilton Honors Gold Status. Receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts® program at over 1,000 properties. | |
| Airline Rewards | 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel. | 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. |
| Point Rewards | 1 point for virtually every dollar spent. | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points on Restaurants worldwide, including takeout and delivery. Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X). Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com. |
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Bottom Line
The trick to traveling more is to be smart about how you earn airline miles.
Don't restrict yourself to earning miles just by flying or using the airline's co-branded credit card.
Take advantage of credit card airline transfer partners to rack up more miles toward free flights and upgrades.
Of course, airline miles are not for everybody.
- If you have credit card debt, consider a low interest credit card instead. Most rewards credit cards have high interest rates, which is fine if you pay off your balance in full each month. But if you are in debt, the last thing you should think about is traveling and taking vacations while incurring high interest rates.
- If you don't have good credit, consider a credit card for people with fair credit or no credit. While they do not usually offer travel rewards or perks, they can help build your credit history if you use them responsibly - which really helps you out in the long run.
- If you don't want to use airline miles but still want to travel, take a look at general travel rewards credit cards such as Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card, which earns 2x miles on all purchases. Think of the "miles" more like points that you can redeem them for travel statement credits toward eligible travel purchases.
Credit card offers, redemption options and values can change at any time. If you have great credit, now is the time to apply.
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Keep in mind: taxes, fees and surcharges may apply. Terms and limitations apply.
Charles Tran is the founder of CreditDonkey, a credit card comparison and reviews website. Write to Charles Tran at charles@creditdonkey.com
Editorial Note: Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author's alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. This site may be compensated through the Advertiser's affiliate programs.
For rates and fees of the American Express Platinum card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the American Express Gold card, please click here.
Disclaimer: The information for the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card and Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express has been collected independently by CreditDonkey. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
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