Off-topic--tell me if this belongs elsewhere--credit card question...

We are moving into a phase of our lives where we expect to be flying much more than we did before the kids moved on to their adult lives.

As such, we're looking into switching to credit cards that accumulate air miles. Are we better to choose a card like Barclay or Capital One that are not airline-specific, or will be get more bang for the buck by choosing a card linked to a specific carrier.

Again, if this thread is out of place, please choose to ignore!! Thanks

For years I had a Delta Amex as they were the airline we flew the most based on our home airport. When I started getting really frustrated with DL (too many last minute cancellations of international flights, ridiculous amounts of miles required for frequent flyer seats, poor customer service) we branched out to other carriers and I decided to research cards.

I ended up with a Platinum Amex. It is pricey so not for everyone but for us, it is the perfect card. We are frequent travelers and can move miles from AMEX to any airline we want to in minutes. We have Global Entry, which was covered by the card. We get into airline clubs at no charge for one person and a lower cost for the second. I get wifi passes at no charge. Many times we area upgraded at check in when we present our card. And recently we scored amazing prices on business class flights using their international air program.

I have been an AMEX card member since 1989 but this is my first Platinum experience and for us, it is the perfect card for our lifestyle.

If you have a strong affiliation with one of the airline alliances, and thus have a FF card that you tend to use more than others, you can look for a card that will allow you to feed miles into that account. Can't help you with details, since I'm Canadian, but I'm sure you have choices. My card in Canada for major purchases is an Amex Gold that collects Rewards, but allows me to transfer them to my Aeroplan account, which is my Star Alliance affiliation. Unfortunately for me, I also have SkyMiles and OneWorld alliances, which is a pain in the neck, but necessary given our travel habits.

We are moving into a phase of our lives where we expect to be flying much more than we did before the kids moved on to their adult lives.

 

 

 

As such, we're looking into switching to credit cards that accumulate air miles. Are we better to choose a card like Barclay or Capital One that are not airline-specific, or will be get more bang for the buck by choosing a card linked to a specific carrier.

 

 

 

Again, if this thread is out of place, please choose to ignore!! Thanks

Capital One is good because they don't charge extra fees when charging in a different currency. I never have good luck sticking with one carrier. Personally I like cash back cards. Cash is king for me

I've read from a quite a number of sources that the SPG card from AMEX is the best general-purpose card. You can transfer into many airlines' FF programs, and there are bonuses (i.e., if you transfer 20,000 miles into AA, you'll get an additional 5,000 miles bonus). If you google The Points Guy and/or View From A Wing, those two bloggers have various analyses of the different cards.

Always 50,000 miles to join their credit card. Many good airlines.

For years I had a Delta Amex as they were the airline we flew the most based on our home airport. When I started getting really frustrated with DL (too many last minute cancellations of international flights, ridiculous amounts of miles required for frequent flyer seats, poor customer service) we branched out to other carriers and I decided to research cards.

 

I ended up with a Platinum Amex. It is pricey so not for everyone but for us, it is the perfect card. We are frequent travelers and can move miles from AMEX to any airline we want to in minutes. We have Global Entry, which was covered by the card. We get into airline clubs at no charge for one person and a lower cost for the second. I get wifi passes at no charge. Many times we area upgraded at check in when we present our card. And recently we scored amazing prices on business class flights using their international air program.

 

I have been an AMEX card member since 1989 but this is my first Platinum experience and for us, it is the perfect card for our lifestyle.

Just curious, do you find that your AMEX card is accepted everywhere? We used to have one but it seemed at the time that more places took Visa than AMEX. We have had a platinum UAL card for many years because United flies to most places we travel, but we're less than happy with their rules around redeeming miles. It's the only card we use for 90% of our purchases. I'd be very happy to switch to AMEX platinum if it's widely accepted.

Thanks!

Always 50,000 miles to join their credit card. Many good airlines.

We've had a UAL card forever but have had mixed luck using points on any of the Star Alliance airlines. We flew Lufthansa to Germany and were able to use points + cash to upgrade to first class but couldn't use towards the price of the ticket. We flew Air Canada to Paris and couldn't use points for anything.

One change United has made is to count each leg of a trip as a single flight. So if you need to make a connection, a round-trip flight counts as 4 flights. That's a lot of miles! It used to count a round-trip flight as 2 flights. Not sure when that changed. I wonder if other FF programs are now doing the same..

Amex is not accepted everywhere, and the lesser Amex cards charge foreign transaction fees [which seems odd for a company the caters to travelers!]. But I agree with caviargal that the Platinum Amex is worth having if you use all the benefits. The first year it's easy to recoup your cost if you get Global Entry, book a cruise ($300 OBC), and have some airline extra fees ($200). You also get automatic Gold status with Hilton, which leads to nice room upgrades. But you will need a backup card from Visa or MasterCard [and you should always have a couple of backup cards when you travel in case you lose one]. The CapitalOne Quicksilver card is good [no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee, 1% cash back], but the Barclay Arrival Plus card is even better [the annual fee is quickly recouped by 2.1% cash back, no foreign transaction fee, CHIP and Pin].

Amex is not accepted everywhere, and the lesser Amex cards charge foreign transaction fees [which seems odd for a company the caters to travelers!]. But I agree with caviargal that the Platinum Amex is worth having if you use all the benefits. The first year it's easy to recoup your cost if you get Global Entry, book a cruise ($300 OBC), and have some airline extra fees ($200). You also get automatic Gold status with Hilton, which leads to nice room upgrades. But you will need a backup card from Visa or MasterCard [and you should always have a couple of backup cards when you travel in case you lose one]. The CapitalOne Quicksilver card is good [no annual fee, no foreign transaction fee, 1% cash back], but the Barclay Arrival Plus card is even better [the annual fee is quickly recouped by 2.1% cash back, no foreign transaction fee, CHIP and Pin].

Thanks for the info! I'll have to look into whether it makes sense for us.

I have a Barclay's LLBean card and I have to say their customer service is excellent. OTOH, I use my Cap One for travel because I get points that I can use for anything I use my card for; there's no annual fee; and there's no foreign transaction fee and when I ran into a dishonest vendor they went right to bat for me and credited the purchase back to my account. I don't like individual airline or hotel cards because you can only use them one place and they're subject to changes at the whim of the airline/hotel. Amex is great and I don't leave home without it but it's not welcome in many places. However when I had a problem getting cash from my bank the Amex office in Cairo took care of everything and within 30 minutes I was back up and charging. If I were to get any airline affinity card I would go for the Star Alliance because they have so many members.

The other thing to arrange is a Debit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction or ATM fees. The one we use is from Charles Schwab Bank. You can set up an account with a minimal deposit and you automatically get the debit card for your checking account -- it was worked everywhere in the world we needed cash, and all fees were automatically refunded to our account before I even checked.

The other thing to arrange is a Debit card that doesn't charge foreign transaction or ATM fees. The one we use is from Charles Schwab Bank. You can set up an account with a minimal deposit and you automatically get the debit card for your checking account -- it was worked everywhere in the world we needed cash, and all fees were automatically refunded to our account before I even checked.

Good to know; thanks. We have B of A and have been able to find affiliated banks (Deutsche Bank in Germany) in Germany and France that charged no fees, but not in Budapest. Might be worth looking into on our next trip to Europe if we're going to smaller countries.

Just curious, do you find that your AMEX card is accepted everywhere? We used to have one but it seemed at the time that more places took Visa than AMEX. We have had a platinum UAL card for many years because United flies to most places we travel, but we're less than happy with their rules around redeeming miles. It's the only card we use for 90% of our purchases. I'd be very happy to switch to AMEX platinum if it's widely accepted.

Thanks!

It is accepted at most all hotels, many stores and also at upscale restaurants. I also used it for train tickets at the kiosks in Italy last month with no issues. This trip I noticed that I was able to use it more than ever before.

We use AMEX everywhere we can, and cash for most everything else. We have a Chase VISA as our back up.

Would some of you Canadians please add your CC choices as well? Please? We're also thinking of changing out of our AirMiles MC and would like to know what others are using. Amex I find is not as widely accepted as MC or Visa.

Thanks, RB

LOTS of great info--I knew the CC river cruise board would come through--thanks to all!!

You might also try this thread...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2324420

flyertalk boards also discuss the best travel cards to use and tricks of the trade.

Would some of you Canadians please add your CC choices as well? Please? We're also thinking of changing out of our AirMiles MC and would like to know what others are using. Amex I find is not as widely accepted as MC or Visa.

Thanks, RB

You're right. My Amex Gold card gives me double points for groceries, but isn't accepted at many major supermarkets, for instance. Small stores, forget it. I use that card for major purchases, like travel or appliances and online shopping. My everyday card is a fee-free VISA Platinum from RBC. No points at all, but has some benefits that I like.

Good to know; thanks. We have B of A and have been able to find affiliated banks (Deutsche Bank in Germany) in Germany and France that charged no fees, but not in Budapest. Might be worth looking into on our next trip to Europe if we're going to smaller countries.

Used our Charles Schwab debit card in Budapest and other European cities without charges. Eliminates having to search for a specific ATM affiliation.

I have used my Capital One card in many countries as there is no foreign transaction fee. I also charge everything I can to it as I use the points for flights. I just booked a flight to Paris. I researched the flights I wanted and called Capital One to book the flight I preferred. No black out dates. Works great for me!!!!

rahrah50--- a couple of questions, as I'm leaning toward a Capital One card:

I assume your card is chip-and-sign: no problems in Europe, which uses mainly chip-and-PIN?

You cashed in your points for airfare through Capital One. Capital One describes a process whereby one buys their airfare directly from the airline (using the card), then uses their points to "erase" the purchase--is this a different process (or a different Capital One card)?

Thanks for the info

Have used Capital one for a decade because of no foreign exchange fee. Since they are free cards, you should have one. I have a couple of Hotel cards, Marriott and Hyatt. Both give you a bunch of points when you initially get them, that can easily pay for a couple of nights in a really nice hotel while on vacation. Hyatt offered two free nights anywhere, we stayed at the Park Hyatt Vienna which would have cost us about $1200. The card costs $85 a year, but you get a free hotel stay in lower category hotels each year. We have had the Marriott card a lot longer, we get a free stay every year. This year we are going to a Cirgue du Soleil show in Tulsa, and we are staying in an $200 a night room for the annual fee of $85.

We fly American a lot, their card gives you a free checked bag, so that pretty much means if you fly a couple of times a year it pays for itself. Initially got 50,000 miles, Have cancelled and started over again a couple of times and they again gave the bonus miles.

That said, my favorite card is my Amex Platinum. It with my Capital One Visa make the perfect travel cards. We used TSA pre check. As we don't live near a Global Entry airport. That said, when my 5 years expires, may try to do Global Entry next time. Love love love the Centurion Lounges. Try to fly through airports with one. Last year with Platinum card, I had $140 left over of unused American Airlines credits, so I ordered a couple of electronic gift cards that don't expire and will apply them to future travel.

I think they have a Platinum cruise credit, but unless you book with Amex Travel (hit or miss) you don't get the $300 credit. I like my TA, so I hate to book cruises that way. I have booked a few hotels with Amex travel, mostly to redeem points. So, we have stayed free at least a half dozen times using the card, and I currently have about 150,000 points.

JC

rahrah50--- a couple of questions, as I'm leaning toward a Capital One card:

 

I assume your card is chip-and-sign: no problems in Europe, which uses mainly chip-and-PIN?

 

You cashed in your points for airfare through Capital One. Capital One describes a process whereby one buys their airfare directly from the airline (using the card), then uses their points to "erase" the purchase--is this a different process (or a different Capital One card)?

 

Thanks for the info

No problem, mostly, using Chip and Sign in Europe with Capital one or any other chip and sign. I would recommend a chip and sign card, as we couldn't use any chip and sign card on the toll roads in France last November, had to back out of the credit card line to get in the cash line. Tried 8 cards including a debit card with a chip and a pin.

JC

I think they have a Platinum cruise credit, but unless you book with Amex Travel (hit or miss) you don't get the $300 credit. I like my TA, so I hate to book cruises that way.JC

You don't have to book through the Amex website to get the Platinum cruise credit, but you do have to book through a travel agency that is affiliated with Amex. At least one of the Cruise Critic Advertisers has such an affiliation and they have no trouble getting me the Platinum benefits.