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Post by gizzy on Apr 5, 2022 1:02:42 GMT
We're planning a trip to Spain and I'm wondering if anyone could share what credit card they use to earn miles. I'd like to find one that gives miles for grocery shopping, too. Do they also have ones with no foreign transaction fees?
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Post by chrissyc72 on Apr 5, 2022 1:06:23 GMT
My niece swears by jet blues card and my daughter does the American Express card through delta. She loves it!
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Post by Merge on Apr 5, 2022 1:12:22 GMT
I'd go with one that gives miles on an airline with a hub near you. We have a couple of different Chase cards that give United miles - our local airport is a United hub, so that makes sense for us. Delta and JetBlue would not.
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Post by buddysmom on Apr 5, 2022 1:23:12 GMT
I use Chase Sapphire Reserve. You get three points per dollar for travel and dining, one for everything else. Then when you redeem through the site for travel you get 50% more. It's an expensive card ($550) but you get a travel credit of $300 so it's really only $250. No foreign transaction fees.
I have an old Chase Freedom that you can "pair" with it. Mine has no annual fee but does have foreign transaction fees. (There are newer Freedom cards but I don't know about the annual fees). They have rotating quarterly bonus categories where you get 5 points per dollar for certain categories--April is Amazon and streaming; last quarter was grocery stores. Everything else is one point. But then you can convert the points to the Sapphire card and then get the 50%. (if you have 1000 points with the Freedom, you convert those points to your Sapphire and voila--you have 1500 points)
It's kind of my hobby lol.
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Post by gizzy on Apr 5, 2022 1:26:16 GMT
Certainly a lot to think about. We're lucky to be between 2 major airports so going through an airlines shouldn't be a problem. Not sure how I feel about paying more than $100 a month membership fee. But it does look like you'd get decent points back. Thanks everyone!
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Post by kenziekeeper on Apr 5, 2022 1:27:45 GMT
Certainly a lot to think about. We're lucky to be between 2 major airports so going through an airlines shouldn't be a problem. Not sure how I feel about paying more than $100 a month membership fee. But it does look like you'd get decent points back. Thanks everyone! More than $100/month membership fee seems high to me. Look into American Express’ Delta card… |
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Post by gizzy on Apr 5, 2022 1:31:35 GMT
kenziekeeper, is American Express accepted internationally?
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Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 5, 2022 1:44:56 GMT
We have a Capital One Mastercard and get points for every dollar spent no matter where. You can use your points towards ANY travel: any airline, any hotel, etc. You just use your card then when your statement is online you erase the charges with however many points you have. I'm sure there are better deals out there but this works well for us and there are no annual fees. You can also buy gift cards with your points. ETA: if you get the chance please visit San Sebastian. It was one of our favorite destinations in Spain and most people don't know about it. It's where the Spanish people go on holiday.  |
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Post by cmpeter on Apr 5, 2022 2:37:03 GMT
Yes, Amex is accepted internationally. We have the Amex Delta card and put everything on it. Look for a card that is currently offering a bonus for signing up. I know AmEx often does 100K bonus points after $X spend.
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scrappinwithoutpeas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,914 
Location: Northern Virginia
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Post by scrappinwithoutpeas on Apr 5, 2022 3:02:56 GMT
Lots of good advice above. I'd add that you should also join your favorite airline's frequent flyer or travel miles or whatever club. That can also help build up points & perks toward future trips. cadoodlebug, San Sebastian looks heavenly - I'd love to go there! (Also I'm jealous of your upcoming trip to Ireland you mentioned in another thread. I went in 2008 and DH and I were in the process of planning a return trip there for summer 2020...well, you can guess how that turned out, LOL. We're still hoping to get there, but at this point it probably won't happen until summer 2023. Hope you have a fabulous time!!) |
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Apr 5, 2022 11:42:16 GMT
Yes, Anex is accepted internationally. We have the Anex Delta card and put everything on it. Look for a card that is currently offering a bonus for signing up. I know AmEx often does 100K bonus points after $X spend. Delta Amex cards are offering great bonuses through April 13th. |
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Post by Sharon on Apr 5, 2022 12:16:58 GMT
We have a Capital One Mastercard and get points for every dollar spent no matter where. You can use your points towards ANY travel: any airline, any hotel, etc. You just use your card then when your statement is online you erase the charges with however many points you have. I'm sure there are better deals out there but this works well for us and there are no annual fees. You can also buy gift cards with your points. ETA: if you get the chance please visit San Sebastian. It was one of our favorite destinations in Spain and most people don't know about it. It's where the Spanish people go on holiday. We have this card too. It's any airline but Southwest. Southwest isn't included in any card except their own (that I'm aware of). We have the SW card through Chase. It's about $50 per year. |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 5, 2022 13:01:36 GMT
We have this card too. It's any airline but Southwest. Southwest isn't included in any card except their own (that I'm aware of). That doesn't make any sense. The airline has nothing to do with CapitalOne *erasing* the charge from your statement. |
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Post by mcjunkin on Apr 5, 2022 13:08:36 GMT
I have the AmEx Delta. I have whatever the second tier is, the 200 or 250/year one. I bumped up to get bonus miles. Groceries and restaurants are double points on any level of the card, and I have built up and used miles fantastically.
Also, at my card level, you can get TSA Precheck, and the card will reimburse the fees.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 5, 2022 13:25:06 GMT
I'm still holding on to an old Chase United card that gives 3 miles for each dollar in travel, groceries and home improvement purchases. They no longer offer it, but it's been great as those are our biggest buckets. I agree that really you want to find an airline you like to travel on and is convenient to you.
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Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 5, 2022 13:27:18 GMT
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Post by gizzy on Apr 5, 2022 13:56:23 GMT
Thanks everyone for all the tips. cadoodlebug that place looks heavenly right about now. |
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peppermintpatty
Pearl Clutcher
Refupea #1345
Posts: 3,840
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Post by peppermintpatty on Apr 5, 2022 14:19:40 GMT
Capital One, hands down the best. They give 2x miles for everything you buy. They give 5x miles for travel booked through them. They are now changing the redemption from 15,000 for every $100 to 10,000 miles for ever $100 spent. There are no blackout dates or restrictions. You can use miles up to 90 days retroactively from the date of the purchase.
I don't understand why anyone would use a card that only allows you to use one airline.
Also, no foreign transaction fees for any charges. No annual fee either. We each have one and can transfer the miles from one to the other.
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tracylynn
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,864
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Post by tracylynn on Apr 5, 2022 14:27:06 GMT
Certainly a lot to think about. We're lucky to be between 2 major airports so going through an airlines shouldn't be a problem. Not sure how I feel about paying more than $100 a month membership fee. But it does look like you'd get decent points back. Thanks everyone! The $450/550 cards are per year. Not per month. |
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Post by mcjunkin on Apr 5, 2022 14:28:05 GMT
I don't understand why anyone would use a card that only allows you to use one airline.
Also, no foreign transaction fees for any charges. No annual fee either. We each have one and can transfer the miles from one to the other. [/quote]
This will depend on what area you frequently fly in/out of. Our local is a big Delta carrier, and we can’t get anywhere without going through Atlanta, who is a major Delta hub. We fly pretty regularly, and even before I got the card, it was primarily on Delta.
Cards like Cap One give universal miles, and yes for some that makes more sense. Airline specific cards offer perks like free first bags, priority boarding, etc. Knowing that we almost always fly Delta because of where we are, it made more sense for us to get this one to get those extra perks. That free checked bag saves us $$$$.
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Apr 5, 2022 14:29:53 GMT
The Amex gold earns 4 points/$1 spent at supermarkets and restaurants 3/$1 on travel, and 1/$1 on other spending. And, you get an extra 60,000 sign-up points (worth $600-$1200+ depending on how you use them) if you spend at least $4,000 on the card in the first 6 months. The Amex points are transferrable to a bunch of airline (or hotel) programs, so you can see who has the best deal at the time you're ready to fly instead of committing to a single option. Plus, sometimes they have transfer bonuses where you get extra points when you transfer them out to an airline or hotel program, like right now I think there's a 40% bonus offer going on.
The annual fee is $250/yr, but you can get $120 back in uber (including uber eats) credits and another $120 back in restaurant credits, so if you're able to use those credits, it's basically $10/yr. Here's a [http://refer.amex.us/SHERIHYNk5?XLINK=MYCP"]referral link[/a] you (or anyone) can use if you like (full disclosure: I would get some points for referring you).
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Post by Darcy Collins on Apr 5, 2022 15:03:09 GMT
Capital One, hands down the best. They give 2x miles for everything you buy. They give 5x miles for travel booked through them. They are now changing the redemption from 15,000 for every $100 to 10,000 miles for ever $100 spent. There are no blackout dates or restrictions. You can use miles up to 90 days retroactively from the date of the purchase. I don't understand why anyone would use a card that only allows you to use one airline. Also, no foreign transaction fees for any charges. No annual fee either. We each have one and can transfer the miles from one to the other. I'm next to one United biggest hubs - so I'm going to fly United regardless and like all the other perks that come with the card. I also used a handful of miles for access to the United club, so have even more of an incentive to fly them. I am a HUGE believer in picking an airline and getting status as it makes the entire experience a whole lot more tolerable - Free economy plus seats, early boarding, free upgrades - our last 2 flights we ended up in first class at no cost. Once in a blue moon I'll use another airline and usually regret it - yes I'm looking at you Air Canada who was terrible to deal with when the cancelled flights during Covid and held onto our money for over a year. |
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Post by MichyM on Apr 5, 2022 15:12:39 GMT
I’ve had a Chase Sapphire Preferred card for about 8-9 years. Couldn’t be happier with it. I use my CC for all my monthly purchases (and pay it off at the end of the billing cycle), so I accrue points at a pretty decent rate. Rewards are generous and can be used in the airline/hotel/car rental etc of my choice at a rate of $1.25 per point. $95 annual fee.
Because I am single (and don't need a companion fare) I have not upgraded to the Sapphire that is $550 annually, but my son has it, as does his partner, and they’re very happy with it.
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Post by peasapie on Apr 5, 2022 16:34:27 GMT
I use Chase Sapphire Reserve. You get three points per dollar for travel and dining, one for everything else. Then when you redeem through the site for travel you get 50% more. It's an expensive card ($550) but you get a travel credit of $300 so it's really only $250. No foreign transaction fees. I have an old Chase Freedom that you can "pair" with it. Mine has no annual fee but does have foreign transaction fees. (There are newer Freedom cards but I don't know about the annual fees). They have rotating quarterly bonus categories where you get 5 points per dollar for certain categories--April is Amazon and streaming; last quarter was grocery stores. Everything else is one point. But then you can convert the points to the Sapphire card and then get the 50%. (if you have 1000 points with the Freedom, you convert those points to your Sapphire and voila--you have 1500 points) It's kind of my hobby lol. Wow. I’m impressed with your knowledge. How often do you travel? |
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Post by slowrunner70 on Apr 5, 2022 21:30:36 GMT
The Amex gold earns 4 points/$1 spent at supermarkets and restaurants 3/$1 on travel, and 1/$1 on other spending. And, you get an extra 60,000 sign-up points (worth $600-$1200+ depending on how you use them) if you spend at least $4,000 on the card in the first 6 months. The Amex points are transferrable to a bunch of airline (or hotel) programs, so you can see who has the best deal at the time you're ready to fly instead of committing to a single option. Plus, sometimes they have transfer bonuses where you get extra points when you transfer them out to an airline or hotel program, like right now I think there's a 40% bonus offer going on. The annual fee is $250/yr, but you can get $120 back in uber (including uber eats) credits and another $120 back in restaurant credits, so if you're able to use those credits, it's basically $10/yr. Here's a [http://refer.amex.us/SHERIHYNk5?XLINK=MYCP"]referral link I'm pretty sure the Delta AmEx gold card doesn't earn 4x points. This is the one that we have, and while I don't pay attention to this particular feature, I think to get 4x the points, you would need either the platinum or reserve card. If we weren't moving out of the country, I would sign up for one of those two (whichever one has an annual fee of $250). |
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Post by Sharon on Apr 5, 2022 21:45:49 GMT
We have this card too. It's any airline but Southwest. Southwest isn't included in any card except their own (that I'm aware of). That doesn't make any sense. The airline has nothing to do with CapitalOne *erasing* the charge from your statement. I was talking about booking on the travel site using the miles. I've never redeemed it for erasing charges on the card. I find it uses less miles just to book it through their travel. SW isn't one of the airlines listed. |
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Post by coaliesquirrel on Apr 5, 2022 21:58:20 GMT
The Amex gold earns 4 points/$1 spent at supermarkets and restaurants 3/$1 on travel, and 1/$1 on other spending. And, you get an extra 60,000 sign-up points (worth $600-$1200+ depending on how you use them) if you spend at least $4,000 on the card in the first 6 months. The Amex points are transferrable to a bunch of airline (or hotel) programs, so you can see who has the best deal at the time you're ready to fly instead of committing to a single option. Plus, sometimes they have transfer bonuses where you get extra points when you transfer them out to an airline or hotel program, like right now I think there's a 40% bonus offer going on. The annual fee is $250/yr, but you can get $120 back in uber (including uber eats) credits and another $120 back in restaurant credits, so if you're able to use those credits, it's basically $10/yr. Here's a [http://refer.amex.us/SHERIHYNk5?XLINK=MYCP"]referral link I'm pretty sure the Delta AmEx gold card doesn't earn 4x points. This is the one that we have, and while I don't pay attention to this particular feature, I think to get 4x the points, you would need either the platinum or reserve card. If we weren't moving out of the country, I would sign up for one of those two (whichever one has an annual fee of $250). Sorry, I wasn't talking about the **Delta** gold - just the Amex gold. |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Apr 5, 2022 22:07:03 GMT
I was talking about booking on the travel site using the miles. I've never redeemed it for erasing charges on the card. I find it uses less miles just to book it through there travel. SW isn't one of the airlines listed. Since we usually fly Southwest domestically, that wouldn't work for us but glad to hear it works for you. |
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Post by myboysnme on Apr 5, 2022 22:41:42 GMT
I got a Citibank card from American Airlines and when I spent $3K in the first 3 months I got 60K miles.
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Post by slowrunner70 on Apr 5, 2022 22:55:35 GMT
I'm pretty sure the Delta AmEx gold card doesn't earn 4x points. This is the one that we have, and while I don't pay attention to this particular feature, I think to get 4x the points, you would need either the platinum or reserve card. If we weren't moving out of the country, I would sign up for one of those two (whichever one has an annual fee of $250). Sorry, I wasn't talking about the **Delta** gold - just the Amex gold. My bad! I apologize! |
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