Cards Earning Miles or Points

I apply for any card that offers miles up front for just qualifying for it. The only reason not to would be that you are concerned that it might affect your credit rating. I discuss that in the Important Starting Info section. If they are free for only a specified period of time, just close the account just before that time is up, telling them you refuse to pay an annual fee. Do this by a telephone call to the customer service center for the card about 2 months before the fee is due. You may be offered bonus miles for continuing to use the card (then cancel it anyway after earning the bonus miles), an extension of the free time, or another free card that earns miles.

I mention some offers for Canadians, but probably the best resource for miles producing credit cards for Canadians is the Rewards Canada Bonus Mile Promotion Directory.

Caution: Most cards have a limit on the number of miles you can earn in one year. If you plan to charge a lot on a card, be aware of this limit.

• Cards earning Chase Ultimate Rewards points: Chase Sapphire Preferred(SM) Card, Ink Bold® Business Card, and Ink Plus® Business Card. Super bonus points convertible 1:1 to a choice of many airlines (including United), and excellent extra points for spending in certain categories like travel and business, making these my other favorites for actual spending.
• American Airlines Visa Cards and MasterCards. Super up front bonuses if you follow my directions.
• United Airlines Visa credit cards. Sometimes hard to find super bonuses, but I tell you how.
• Delta Airlines American Express cards. Always a worthwhile up front bonus. Sometimes I tell you how to get a larger one.
• American Express offers both free and annual fee credit and charge cards which give Membership Rewards points transferable into miles of some airlines. Some of these offer very good points and cash bonuses for successfully applying and first use, and some of these waive the annual fee for the first year.
• China Air offers both free and annual fee Mastercards for U.S. residents, and a large number of cards, fee unknown, for residents of Asia.
• IcelandAir offers both free and annual fee MasterCards for U.S. residents.
• Korean Airlines offers both free and annual fee credit cards for U.S. residents.
• Marriott credit cards offer both free and annual fee credit cards.

• Apparently you must use the card 5 times each statement period to earn points.
• Earn Up to 5x Bilt Points on Every Lyft Ride
• Bilt Rewards will give you 100 free points for linking each of their transfer partners to your account. They have 11 partners, so that’s 1100 transferable Bilt points.
• Soon You’ll Earn Bilt Rewards For Mortgage Payments
• Bilt Rewards Now Provides Free Point.me Award Search. Point.me is a super valuable tool for finding miles awards tickets.

Here is a list of transfer partners as of September 22, 2020. It appear that we could transfer in such a way that would get us a ticket on a partner of any alliance, which means on most any major airline. You may see the current list of airlines by clicking here, then on the i in the Transfer Your Miles section.

• Aeromexico
• Air Canada (Aeroplan)
• Air France & KLM (Flying Blue)
• Avianca
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Emirates
• Etihad
• Eva Air
• Finnair
• Qantas
• Singapore Airlines
• Turkish Airlines
• Virgin Red

• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
• Choice Hotels
• Accor Live Limitless

Through Thursday, March 30, 2023, you can receive a 30% bonus when you transfer Capital One miles to Virgin Red. Details.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Using my link to obtain this card helps me at no cost to you. This is a bit klutzy, but it works, eventually bringing to Capital One's website. Click on Apply Now on the page you get, then scroll down to the listing of the card (it's the second one), then on Apply Now again. Thanks for making this effort.

• Earn 2 miles per $1 on every purchase, every day.
• Earn 75,000 bonus miles when you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 12 months from account opening
• Receive up to $100 application fee credit for Global Entry or TSA Pre✓®
• Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
• $95 annual fee, not waive the first year.
• There's no limit to the amount of miles you can earn
• No foreign transaction fees.

Capital One Spark Miles for Business credit card

• 50,000 miles once you spend $4,500 on purchases within the first 3 months
• Earn 2 miles per $1 on every purchase, every day.
• Capital One miles are transferable to many airlines, usually at a ratio of 2 Capital One Miles to 1.5 airline miles.
• Receive up to $100 for the TSA Pre✓® application fee or the Global Entry application fee.
• 5X miles on hotel and rental car bookings through Capital One Travel℠
• Miles won't expire for the life of the account, and there are no categories to limit where or what you buy.
• $0 intro annual fee for the first year; $95 after that
• There's no limit to the amount of miles you can earn
• No foreign transaction fees.

EveryDay Credit Card

When you apply, do not say you already have an American Express card. Some say that doing so may give you a lesser offer.

Last I looked the offer included

Last I looked the standard offer is 10,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $1,000 in purchases within the first 3 months.† But I can refer you to a 15,000 points offer. Click here, then go to bottom of page. Click on Reward Points. Find the offer.

Doctor of Credit says that there is a 25,000 points offer, using an incognito mode window, but I and may others are having great difficulty getting this to work.

Earn 20% more points: Make 20 or more purchases with your Card in a billing period and earn 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits. Terms and limitations apply.

2x points at US supermarkets, on up to $6,000 per year

Use your Card 20 or more times on purchases in a billing period and get 20% more points on those purchases less returns and credits.

0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months.

No annual Fee

This card appears to me to be a very easy way to keep your Membership Rewards points alive.

After you get the card, you can refer others to it and earn points for doing so. Visit this link for American Express's refer a friend site. From there enter your card information or your American Express log in and you should see the offer to refer others. Note the possible arrow to the right. Click on it to see other referral offers.

• Caution: I received an IRS form 1099 for the points I earned in 2018 for referrals. It valued the points at 1 cent each. Multiply this by your marginal tax rate to see what the points will cost you.

 

Note: Sometimes the bank will inadvertently open a new Hilton HHonors account for you and put your points there, instead of putting them into your existing account. If your points don't show up, contact Hilton HHonors customer service. They will find the two accounts for you and consolidate them.

For a quick, free infusion of extra Hilton HHonors points, consider acquiring American Express Cards that earn Membership Rewards points. The cards often waive the annual fee for a year, and then become prohibitively expensive. So cancel before the end of the first year.

List Of Hilton Honors 10,000 Point Properties, with interactive map. This means 7 free stays with some leftover if you accept the 75K credit card offer.

On March 27, 2019, Hilton was offering $100 credits for some of its credit cards from links seen when making a dummy reservation. The links appear as banners on the payment page. You do not have to pay for (and therefore do not have to reserve) a stay. I saw different offers using private and non-private windows, and from https://www3.hilton.com/en/index.html and https://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/index.html, one for the free standard offer, one for the $95 Ascend offer, and one for the $95 business card. For the latter, click on the tab on the offer page for the personal card you get. All offered mega points bonuses. I had to first log in to see the offers.

After you acquire a card, log into your account to see may special offers for using the card. You must enroll your card to the offer to receive the bonus points.

Hilton Honors American Express Card

• Earn 100,000 Bonus Points after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Hilton Honors Card in the first 6 months of Card Membership. Ends January 8, 2025.
• Also try this link in a private window for the possibly best offer. Also try this link or this link to find a better offer, again in a private window. Also, try opening the standard links on the Amex and Hilton websites in a private window to see what you get. But it you can't find a better offer, please use my link, as it help me at no cost to you. It takes a few extra clicks, but eventually you get to the official offer page from Amex.
• The above offers contain the language

  Welcome offer not available to applicants who have or have had this Card. We may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your welcome offer eligibility.

  But Points with a Crew says there is a 75k offer that does not have this language. Comments say that it might be available even if you already have this card. But he also says that there is risk to this offer, as Amex is showing sensitivity to this sort of behavior by those of us who are particularly greedy for points an miles. (Hmm. Could that be all of my readers? Nah.)
• Do not check the box requesting additional cards. Instead, after you get the card, check here to see if you are offered 10,000 Hilton HHonors points to add another person to your card. If you are not targeted for this offer, you can still call to add a card later. Full I.D., including Social Security number of the person you add is required, leading me to believe that this might count as a new card for that person, thus counting toward limitations some card issuers have on the number of cards you may have if you want a new card.
• 7 bonus points/$1 spent at Hilton properties
• 5 bonus points/$1 spent at U.S.supermarkets, gas stations, and restaurants.
• 3 bonus points/$1 spent for most everything else.
• No foreign transaction fee
• Complementary Hilton HHonors Silver Status
• No Annual Fee
• Alas, the welcome bonus offer is not available to applicants who have or have had this product. But their computers often forget your old card after 7 years.
• After you get the card, check here to see if you are offered 10,000 Hilton HHonors points to add another person to your card. Full I.D., including Social Security number of the person you add is required, leading me to believe that this might count as a new card for that person, thus counting toward limitations some card issuers have on the number of cards you may have if you want a new card.

Hilton HHonors American Express Business credit card

• 175,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points after you use your new Card to make $8,000 in eligible purchases within the first 3 months of Card Membership.
  • Earn Hilton Honors Bonus Points for each dollar of eligible purchases on your Card: 12X at hotels and resorts in the Hilton portfolio and 5X on all other eligible purchases. Terms & Limitations Apply.
  • Complimentary Gold Status with your Hilton Honors Business Card. This is quite valuable.
  • Earn a Weekend Night Reward from Hilton Honors after you spend $15,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year.
  • Earn another Weekend Night Rewardb> from Hilton Honors after you spend an additional $45,000 in purchases on your Card in the same calendar year.
  • Relax with 10 free airport lounge visits each year once enrolled in complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, which offers access to more than 1,300 lounges across 140 countries and counting.
  • No foreign transaction fees.
  • $195 annual fee, not waived the first year.

Other more expensive Hilton Credit cards with lesser value (in my opinion - other bloggers disagree, especially those who earn commissions from them) with mega bonuses (varies, but up to 165,000 points) are listed here. You might like the Hilton Honors American Express Surpass Card with possibly 165,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $3,000 or more in eligible purchases on your card within your first 3 months of card membership on the card plus other goodies for a $95 annual fee. Since the regular card is free and helps maintain your Hilton points account, I would first try to get the regular card, as the Ascend or Aspire cards will charge a fee annually.

• 70,000 bonus points after spending $1,000 in the first 90 days. No annual fee. Details.
• 100,000 bonus points after spending $3,000 in the first 90 days. $95annual fee, waived the first year. Details.

Choice Privileges is the loyalty points program of Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion and MainStay Suites, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inns, and many others).

Wyndham offers two personal credit cards, one free card with a 45K bonus, and one annual fee card with a 75K bonus.

Business card offer:

• Earn 80,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days and earn 50,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases within the first 12 months
• 8 points per $1 spent on eligible purchases made at Hotels by Wyndham as well as on qualifying gas purchases.
• 5 points per $1 spent on eligible marketing, advertising, and utilities purchases.
• 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases (excluding Wyndham Vacation Club down payments)
• Diamond status
• $95 annual fee.

You can read about the Wyndham Rewards program on my Other Programs I Like page in the Points to Miles, esp. Hotels section.)

• There are now four offers, some free, some not. One offers the opportunity to earn 50,000 points, plus 20,000 more for a required big spend, annual fee waived the first year. Flyertalk wiki here.

• 15,000 Membership Rewards pointa after you spend $3,000 in eligible purchases on the Card within your first 3 months of Card Membership.
• 2X Membership Reward® points on the first $50,000 spent each calendar year on everyday business purchases such as office supplies or client dinners. 1X Membership Reward® points on purchases thereafter.
• 0.0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months.
• No annual fee. But there is a 2.7% foreign transaction fee.

Please distinguish between getting a credit card for its up front bonus and actually using the card after doing any up front spend required for the bonus. Often the cash back is worth more than the miles you would get from purchases on other cards. Personally, 2% or more is worth more to me than a mile, but you may value miles differently. See my Value of Miles section and my explanation of the Opportunity Cost of Miles for help on this.

There are a great many cash back credit card offers. I don't intend to follow these closely or completely, since they don't offer miles. However, I describe my several of favorites below, either for their mega up front cash bonuses, and/or for purpose of comparison of cash back for purchase to the miles you would get from miles cards.

• $750 Bonus Cash Back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
• 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services
• 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases each account anniversary year at gas stations and at restaurants.
• 1% cash back on all other purchases
• You can transfer the points to a Chase card whose points transfer to miles, and thus increase their value.
• No annual fee.

• $200 Bonus Cash Back after you spend $7,500 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
• 3% cash back in your choice from a list of categories.
• 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs.
• 1% cash back at everything else.
• I simply gave my card number to my pharmacy to get 3% cash back. I just tell them to use the card on file. I also use it at grocery stores for the same 2% I get on my regular 2% cash back card, plus a small donation to The Nature Conservancy.
• No annual fee

• $200 offer: Earn $200 Amazon gift card after approval, no spending requirement. (Offer is lower for non Prime users). This is the best ever offer on this card.
• Earn 5% cashback at Amazon and Whole Foods if you are an Amazon Prime member (3% if not), 2% cashback at restaurants, gas stations, and drug stores, 1% cashback on all other purchases. In order to get the 5%, you need to use your own Amazon account. Student Prime membership and trial prime membership counts as well.
• No foreign transaction fee.
• No annual fee.

• 2% cash back on all purchases.
• $200 bonus cash rewards when you spend $3,000 within the first 90 days.
• No annual fee.
• No fee for foreign transactions.
• Doctor of Credit tells us how everyone can get this card for free by first joining the American Consumer Council and entering consumer in the Promo Code box.

• $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 on purchases in the first 3 months
• Unlimited 2% cash rewards on purchases
• 0% intro APR for 15 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers, then a 14.99% to 24.99% variable APR; balance transfers are not recommended due to the high up front fee.
• 3% foreign transaction fee.
• $0 annual fee
• Get up to $600 protection on your cell phone (subject to $25 deductible) against covered damage or theft when you pay your monthly cellular telephone bill with your Wells Fargo Active Cash℠ Card

• 2% cash back on all purchases.
• No foreign transaction fee.
• $0 annual fee

• Special offer. Receive 15,000 Bonus Points, which equals $150 cash back, when deposited into an eligible Fidelity account—after you make at least $1,500 in eligible purchases within the first 90 days of account opening.
• Same offer, but with $100 cash back for a $1,000 spend requirement.
• 2% cash back: For every $2,500 in purchases you make, you earn 5,000 points, which can be automatically redeemed for $50 into your eligible Fidelity account. Note that this means that you must spend at least $2,500 on the card to get a bonus.
• Fidelity Wealth Management clients can earn more than 2% on this card, up to 3%. Details.
• 0% introductory APR† on purchases and balance transfers for the first 12 billing cycles.
• You may deposit the money in most any Fidelity Account, including IRA and 529 plans. You must first have such an account. Before opening one, call 800-544-5315 to inquire about any special offers. Usually they have both free trades and cash bonus offers available.
• No annual fee.
• No fee for foreign transactions.

• 1% cash back when you buy
• Plus 1% cash back as you pay for those purchases, whether you pay in full or over time
• $200 cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening
• No Category Restrictions, No Caps, No Enrollments in Rotating Categories
• No Annual Fee
• 3% foreign transaction fee.
• The card earns ThankYou points rather than cash back. That means you earn one ThankYou point when you make a purchase, and one ThankYou point when you pay for that purchase. You continue to have the option to redeem rewards as cash back at the same rate, but you also have access to other Citi ThankYou redemption options, including for gift cards, for booking flights and hotels, and more.
• It is my understanding that when redeeming cash back you should NOT have it applied as a statement credit but direct-deposited into your bank account. The statement credit does not count as “1% when you pay” so you’d be missing out on the other 1% for the amount you redeem.
• Using my link helps me at no cost to you. Thanks.

PayPal Cashback Mastercard.

• 3% cash back when you check out with PayPal
• 2% cash back on all purchases.
• No annual fee
• 3% foreign transaction fee, so travel with another card.

PayPal Business Cashback Mastercard.

• 2% cash back on all purchases.
• No annual fee
• No foreign transaction fee

   

• 2% cash back on all purchases.
• I am told that unlike most other cash back cards, the cash back is automatically applied as a statement credit each month. There’s nothing you need to do, no button you need to click.

• $100 bonus when you spend $1,500 on the card in the first 90 days.
• 2% cash back on all purchases. (Past or present military service or a PenFed checking account required.)
• No annual fee.
• You qualify for this card via Military service of the primary or joint applicant (active duty, reserve, honorably discharged, or retired) or you have and maintain a PenFed Access America Checking Account.
• Fees are not listed in the usual way, so I am not sure if there a foreign transaction fee. Ask.

• This offer becomes interesting for PenFed Honors Advantage Members (to be eligible for this you must be a military member or holder of PenFed’s Access America checking account) for its offer of 50,000 bonus points when you spend $3,000 on the card in the first 90 days. It appears that those points are worth $425. Also 4x points on all travel purchases for PenFed Honors Advantage Members, 3x Points on on all travel purchases for regular members, and 1.5x Rewards on everything else. You would be better off with a 2% cash back card for those everything else purchases.
• $95 annual fee, waived for honors members
• Doctor of Credit does a good job of describing this card and provides a link to it.

Blispay – 2% Credit Card.

Doctor of Credit describes the Blispay Visa credit card offering 2% cash back on all purchases. The cash is deposited monthly to your account balance. Apparently you need a mobile phone to get this card. Not sure if that means smart phone.

• $150 statement credit after $500 in purchases within 90 days of account opening
• 1% cash back on every purchase, 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs and 3% on gas for the first $2,500 in combined grocery/wholesale club/gas purchases each quarter
• 0% Introductory APR for 12 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. Balance transfer is not recommended due to high fee.
• No annual fee
• 3% fee for foreign transactions.

• A $50 signup bonus after making your first purchase within 3 months
• A special Good Standing reward of $20 (2,000 Ultimate Rewards points) for 5 years at the account anniversary date, as long as the card is open in good standing (no other requirement for this bonus)
• 1% cash back on all purchases

Journey Student Rewards from Capital One

• 1% cash back on all purchases, plus a 25% bonus each month you pay your bill on time has.
• No annual fee
• No foreign currency transaction fee
• Access to your monthly credit score
• An interactive tracking tool to help monitor your credit

• Earn 5% cash back on two categories that you choose, like department stores, restaurants...plus many more. See my complete list below.
• Earn 2% cash back on gas, groceries or restaurants - choose one
• Earn 1% cash back on everything else
• 5% cash back is earned on your first $2,000 in combined net purchases (purchases minus returns or credits) in your chosen 5% categories (purchases over $2,000 earn 1% cash back). 2% cash back is unlimited. All other net purchases earn 1% cash back.
• No Annual Fee

To see all of the 5% and 2% categories from which you may (must) choose two each quarter, go to the usbank.com/cashplus page and click on "See how it works". Click on the Info link for each category to see the details and restrictions. When I first looked at this card that list was

• Bill Payment - household phone, internet, cable/satellite TV, utilities and insurance. Purchases made outside of these specific categories do not qualify.
• Department Stores. Examples include stores like Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Sears and Kohl's.
• Restaurants
• Home Improvement Stores. Examples include Lowe's, Home Depot, Menards and Ace Hardware.
• Electronic Stores. Examples include Best Buy and American TV.
• Airlines, Get cash back when you book your airline tickets directly with the airline (through its website, over the phone or in person); reservations made via online travel websites or travel agencies are not eligible.
• Hotels. Get cash back when you book your reservations directly with the hotel (through its website, over the phone or in person); reservations made via online travel websites or travel agencies are not eligible.
• Fast Food
• Furniture Stores
• Car Rental. Get cash back when you book your car rentals directly with the car rental agency (through its website, over the phone or in person); reservations made via online travel websites or travel agencies are not eligible.
• Charity, Donate directly to non-political fund-raising organizations and social-service organizations, and you'll not only get a tax deduction but cash back too. Qualifying charities include advocacy groups, community organizations, and health agencies. Examples include organizations like the American Red Cross, United Way, Samaritan's Purse International Relief and Mercy Chefs.
• Movie Theaters

• An email from U.S. Bank dated October 16, 2012, clarifies this: "Rewards can be redeemed as a deposit into a U.S. Bank checking, savings, or Money Market account, as a statement credit, or as a U.S. Bank Rewards Gift Card."

If you choose to redeem your cash back as a deposit into your U.S. Bank deposit account (checking, savings or money market) or a Statement Credit, there is no minimum redemption. For redemption to a U.S. Bank Rewards Visa® Card, there is a $20 minimum redemption ($5 increments).

After redeeming $100 or more in single redemption, you will receive your $25 Cash+ Bonus Rewards Card in six to eight weeks. So be sure to redeem exactly $100.

Other Chase Bank cards of interest.
Cash back cards.

• $500 bonus cash back after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening
• 5% cash back on the first $25,000 spent in combined purchases at office supply stores and on internet, cable and phone services each account anniversary year.
• 2% cash back on the first $25,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants each account anniversary year. You can probably stack the restaurant bonus with one from the Rewards Network programs.
• 1% cash back on all other card purchases.
• 0% introductory APR for 12 months on purchases and balance transfers. (The latter is not recommended, due to high fees.)
• No Annual Fee

 American Express cards of interest
0% cards and cash back cards.

Free Loan: I can refer you to several free loan cards from American Express - 0% interest on purchases for a specified period of time. All have better offers that the standard ones. Some include cash or points back offers.

• Click here
• Go to the bottom of the page and click on "0% Intro APR"
• Scroll to the the card you want.
• Click on "Continue to Card Details".

• $200 back after you spend $2,000 in purchases on the Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership. Or use this link for a $250 cash back offer, or this link for a $200 offer plus 10% cash back on restaurants up to $150.
• Earn Cash Back: 3% at U.S. supermarkets , 3% at U.S. gas stations & select U.S. dept stores, 3% on online purchases each on up to $6,000 per year in purchases. 1% on everything else.
• No annual fee
• 0% intro APR on purchases for 15 months.

Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit.

The standard offer is $150 cash back plus the goodies below. And maybe more from the link above.

Free loan: 0% intro APR on purchases and balance transfers for 15 months. (Balance transfers are not recommended due to the high fee.)

1.5% Cash Back on your purchases

2.7% foreign transaction fee.

No annual fee

The Plum Card® from American Express OPEN
I can refer you to the same offer with a $600 cash back offer:

• Click here
• Go to the bottom of the page and click on "Looking for a Business Card?"
• Find the card you want.
• Click on "Continue to Card Details".

• $100 REI gift card if you make a purchase within 90 days. I made an $8 purchase on the card and received my gift card within a week or so.
• 5% cash back on REI purchases
• 2% back on mobile wallet purchases
• 1% cash back on everything else
• No annual fee

• 5% cash back on gasoline on the first $6,000 per year, then 1% after.
• 3% cash back on travel and dining.
• 1% cash back on everything else
• No annual fee

• 4% cash back on gasoline up to $7,000/year.
• 3% cash back on travel and restaurants.
  • A reader tells me: "Citi gives you 3% cashback on travel, including cruises. I’m not aware of a better cashback for cruises. Most of my other cards do not even include cruises in the travel bonus category. They also provide pretty good travel insurance. However, there are some limits to the travel insurance coverage, so one has to be careful with that."
• 2% cash back on Costco purchases
• 1% cash back on everything else
• No annual fee with your paid Costco membership

• 1% Cash Back on all Purchases
• Amazon Prime Student on us for one year
• $0 Annual Fee
• No Deposit or Cosigner Required
• U.S. Citizenship is not required for a Deserve Mastercard