Best Credit Cards - Rewards (Airmile & Points)
If you're looking for the best credit cards to earn airmiles or points for your purchases you've come to the right place. MoneyRates.com has assembled some of the top rewards credit cards available.
Take your purchases farther with a rewards credit card that gives you miles or points for your preferred airlines and travel partners. Don't miss out on introductory offers and the best rewards credit card deals that literally go the extra mile. From airline tickets and car rentals to hotel rooms and vacation packages, a rewards credit card can give you something back for your spending.
- 25,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend $1,000 during your first three months of Card membership
- GLOBAL Travel benefits: Priority Pass select airport club access, No Foreign Transaction Fees, Global Entry expedited U.S. immigration pass
- Up to $200 in Airline Fee Credits annually to cover incidental charges on your airline of choice, including checked-baggage fee
- 24/7 Platinum Card® Concierge service for assistance with reservations, travel, gifts, and more
- FINE HOTELS & RESORTS Program: exclusive upgrades and amenities at over 700 boutique, resort, and luxury hotels worldwide
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1 point/$1
Bonus
Earn 25,000 bonus points
When you spend $1000 in the first 3 months
Excellent
Annual Fee$450
- Earn 10,000 Bonus Points When You Spend $500 Within the Fist 3 Month of Card Membership
- Points don't expire, and there's no limit to how many points you can earn
- Up to 10X points when you shop Earn Hub at www.membershiprewards.com/earn
- 2X points for booking with American Express Travel
- 1 point for virtually every dollar you spend
- Charge Card with no pre-set spending limit
- No interest because you pay in full monthly
- Introductory annual fee of $0 for the first year, then $95
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1 point/$1
Bonus
Earn 10,000 bonus points
When you spend $500 within the first 3 months of Cardmembership
Excellent
Annual Fee$95
- Earn up to 20,000 bonus miles with first purchase; Earn 5,000 bonus miles when you sign up for two additional cards
- Get a free checked bag for up to nine people in your reservation
- Receive a 20% savings on eligible in-flight purchases of food, beverages, movies, television shows, video games and audio headsets
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1-2 miles/$1
Bonus
Earn Up To 25,000 bonus miles
Earn Up To 20,000 bonus miles with your first purchase; Earn 5,000 bonus miles when you sign up for two additional cards
Excellent
Annual Fee$450
- Earn 30,000 bonus miles toward Award Travel when you spend $500 on the Card in the first three months from account opening
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95
- Check your first bag FREE - for up to 9 people on your reservation - on every Delta flight
- Receive double miles on Delta purchases and 1 mile for all other eligible dollars spent
- Priority Boarding and 20% In-Flight Savings
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1-2 points/$1
Bonus
Earn 30,000 bonus miles
after first $500 purchase within first 3 months
Excellent
Annual Fee$95
- Earn 10K Membership Rewards® points, redeemable for select gift cards valued at $100, when you spend $1,000 in your first 3 months of Card membership
- Exclusive access to Gold Card Events - select concerts, shows, major sporting events, and more
- Purchase Protection covers loss, theft, and damage of eligible items within 90 days of purchase
- Redeem Membership Rewards® points for an exclusive array of travel, shopping, dining and entertainment rewards
- Get a decision in as little as 60 seconds
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1 point/$1
Bonus
Earn 10,000 bonus points
When you spend $1000 in the first 3 months
Excellent
Annual Fee$125
- Membership Rewards® bonus: 15K points, redeemable for select gift cards valued at $150, when you spend $1,000 in your first three months of card membership
- Membership Rewards® points multiply fast! Earn 3X points on airfare, 2X points on gas and groceries, 1X points on everything else
- Exclusive access to Gold Card Destinations and events - Enjoy special travel packages and amenities at hotels worldwide, as well as select concerts, shows, major sporting events, and more, nationwide
- $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $175
- Get a decision in as little as 60 seconds
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1-3 points/$1
Bonus
Earn 15,000 bonus points
When you spend $1000 in the first 3 months of cardmembership
Excellent
Annual Fee$175
- Earn a Welcome Bonus of 10,000 bonus points after your first purchase
- Earn 10% more points the first year, Earn 20% more points the second year, Earn 30% more points every year after
- Get an introductory APR of 0% for up to 12 months
- No annual fee and no fee for Additional Cards for Employees
- Save 3% - 10% automatically on business expenses from FedEx, Hertz®, and more with OPEN Savings® discounts
- Enjoy the option to pay over time
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1 point/$1
Bonus
Welcome Bonus of 10,000 points
after your first purchase
Excellent
- Limited Time Offer! - Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months- that's $625 toward travel!
- 2 points per dollar spent on travel and dining & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases
- Use 20% fewer points when you redeem for travel. Just book your flight, cruise, or other travel through Ultimate RewardsSM
- No foreign transaction fees
- Earn a 7% annual points dividend - even on points already redeemed
- Transfer points you've earned to participating frequent traveler programs at a 1:1 value
- 24/7 direct access to expert service advisers (No voice recording)
- No Annual Fee for your first year - A $95 value
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Points or Miles
1-2 points/$1
Bonus
Limited Time Offer! - Earn 50,000 bonus points
after you spend $3,000 in the first 3 months
Excellent
Annual Fee$95
These quotes are from credit card issuers which have paid for a link to their website. Offers are subject to change without notice and may not be the same for all consumers.
Best credit cards - Airmile and points
With the wide variety of reward options available now, it's no wonder that credit cards offering miles and points are a popular choice. After all, who doesn't like free trips, food and other goodies?
Earning your rewards
With rewards cards, you earn points or frequent-flyer miles when you make purchases. In most cases, you don't earn points or miles with cash advances, balance transfers and payments.
With most of these cards, you earn between one and two points or miles for each dollar you charge on the card, depending upon your card's terms. Some card issuers will award multiple points for each dollar you spend on purchases at certain locations such as gas stations with your 2012 gas credit card, grocery stores, drugstores and car rental agencies. You might also receive a bonus, such as 30,000 miles or 60,000 points (again, it depends on your specific card) for signing up or for reaching a spending amount within a given time period. Some even offer a free flight after your initial purchase when certain conditions are met. The more miles or points you accumulate, the greater your reward.
Because of the array of options, it's often easy to find a rewards card that suits your lifestyle and spending habits. For example, if you enjoy frequent travel, a card offering frequent-flyer miles would be a better fit than one offering points to be redeemed at one or more retail stores. Conversely, a big shopper might prefer the points card.
Redeeming your rewards
Some cards require you to accrue a certain number of points or miles before redeeming them while others allow redemption anytime. What you can redeem the miles or points for depends on your specific credit card's program. Typical redemption rewards include airfare, hotel stays, rental cars, vacation packages, cruises, airport parking, as well as other goods, services and gift certificates. You may be limited to redeeming your frequent-flyer miles with certain airlines. In some cases, when cashing in your miles, you may only fly on low-volume travel days and when seats are available.
When the time comes for redemption, keep in mind the average monetary value of one frequent flyer mile or one point is 2 cents. Most frequent-flyer programs let you use both miles and cash to purchase airfare or other rewards, which means that if you don't have enough miles for a flight, you can use the miles you have and pay the balance with cash.
With some of these credits cards, your miles or points will expire if you don't use them within a certain period. With others, such as those offered by many larger airlines, the miles don't expire as long as there's some activity on the account every three years. However, airlines can change their expiration policies at any time. In addition, you could forfeit any accumulated rewards if you close your account.
Other fine print
Some credit cards that earn points have a cap on the number of points you can collect. With others, you can earn 'til your heart's content.
Because rewards credit cards are more expensive for the issuers to manage than typical account, they tend to have higher APRs, often in addition to an annual fee. And while most airlines offer free enrollment, you'll likely encounter fees down the line for things such as processing your miles or having an inactive account.
And as with any credit card, paying your account balance monthly ensures you get the maximum benefits.
