Essentially, like the Amazon credit card gives you a $100 Amazon card when you sign up. Is there an airline version of this where I can sign up and then immediately use my reward? I’m flying from the USA to Southeast Asia sometime this year and don’t have a rewards card.
The Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red gives 60k points after your first purchase with it. There might be others out there like that, but that’s the only one I’ve found in my research. Check Frequent Miler—they’re a good source.
@Noor
This card is decent. We got a 75k mile bonus, I think, and only had to pay the yearly fee and make one purchase. I think I bought a pizza, lol.
Go to Nerd Wallet—you’ll find all the information in one place.
Noah said:
Go to Nerd Wallet—you’ll find all the information in one place.
True. Most cards offer bonuses, but you’ll need to determine if it’s a good deal compared to typical offers.
Be aware that sometimes there’s a delay between getting your card and receiving the bonus. For example, you might need to spend $3000 in the first three months to qualify. Some cards also require you to have the card both when you purchase the flight and when you take it, meaning you might need to pay the card fee for two years if your flight is scheduled far in advance. Read the rules closely.
You should target the specific airline you’ll be flying to Asia and look up their credit cards.
Both Amex and Capital One travel cards transfer points to Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, and Air Canada. Capital One transfers to EVA but it’s not a 1:1 ratio and may not provide great value.
Hawaiian definitely offers a reward.
If it helps, I have a code that can give you an extra 5k miles with an approved Mileage Plus Explorer Card after qualifying purchases. You can PM me if you’re interested.
Consider focusing on the airline you’ll be flying. Otherwise, a general cashback card might work better. We flew to the Maldives a few years ago without knowing the airline, so we used a card that offered 3-5x rewards on every dollar spent. You could only redeem it as cash or statement credit, which worked well for us when buying our tickets.
Hawaiian offers 70k miles after your first purchase with a $99 annual fee. Look for a code that waives the standard $3000 minimum purchase requirement in 3 months.
Of course! Just Google ‘best travel card’ to find comparison sites.
Most travel cards do. For example, United’s club card currently offers 90k bonus miles for signing up.
Casey said:
Most travel cards do. For example, United’s club card currently offers 90k bonus miles for signing up.
Wow, a $525 annual fee? I understand why frequent fliers might appreciate the other benefits, but the fee almost negates the value of those 90k miles.
@Raven
You don’t have to keep the card for life. You can cancel it if the fee isn’t worth it to you and still enjoy the one-time bonus.
I like Chase Sapphire Reserve—it has a $550 fee but includes a $300 annual travel credit, which can be broadly applied (hotels, rental cars, and airline fees) and doesn’t require booking through Chase.
@Raven
Lounges are busy enough that the price should be higher.
@Raven
90k miles is worth much more than $525—think more like $2700.
Noor said:
@Raven
90k miles is worth much more than $525—think more like $2700.
Check your calculations. The cash value of United miles is about $0.012 per mile.
If you’re talking about buying miles, that starts around $0.03/mile, but that’s not what I meant—I’m referring to the value when using the miles.
@Raven
That’s just the base cash value. You can get over 3¢ per point if you redeem them properly. And no, I’m not referring to buying miles.