Collecting credit card issued complimentary airline miles is a serious science. Here are three important things to know to help you choose the best airline mileage credit card for your needs:
01 – Be patient and wait for an offer that may be unadvertised and offered on a Frequent Flyer Blog or through the mail. Look for 75,000 miles to sign up. That is an A-rated offer. American Express has made 100,000 point offers on certain of its higher echelon cards. You will not find these offers on airline web sites. They are sent to specific individuals who meet specific income and travel criteria.
02 – Once or twice a year, apply for several of the best cards at the same time. You do that so one credit card issuer won’t know you are applying for multiple cards. Choose the cards that offer the most miles to new applicants. Never choose any card offering less than 50,000 miles at sign-up.
03 – Most mileage card issuers have both a business and a consumer mileage card version. Apply for both, accruing the free miles that come with both. If they are both issued by the same bank, you can apply them to one Frequent Flyer account.
If you want to really get into the nuts and bolts of mileage awards, follow the chatter on www.thepointsguy.com or www.frequentflyer.com But be warned. Once you pass through these doors, your head will be forever spinning as new strategies are revealed.
