One of the most frequent questions I receive is, "which airline credit card should I apply for?" My response is simple: "It depends." Coming from a financial background, I always recommend you consider your unique situation before applying for a credit card. No single card is perfect; low interest rate, free balance transfer, no annual fee, bonus points/miles offers for first use, etc. It is hard to find one card alone that offers all this.
That said, there are some amazing airline credit card offers to be had right now! If you are driven by introductory bonus/miles offers, you need to have a look at some of these deals I've come across. Be sure to read all the terms and conditions before applying for any of these:
- Continental Airlines World MasterCard (Chase). 25,000 miles after first spend - enough for a free domestic U.S. award ticket, free checked bag allowance, earn at least 1 mile per $1 spent and no annual fee the first year.
- JetBlue American Express Card. 20,000 TrueBlue Points after first spend, no blackout dates on award redemption's, earn at least 1 mile per $1 spent, $40 annual fee. Award redemption's start at only 5,000 miles.
- United Airlines Mileage Plus Visa (Chase). 30,000 miles - enough for a free domestic U.S. award ticket - after you spend $250 on the card, Visa signature benefits, earn minimum 1:$1. $60 annual fee.
- Gold Delta SkyMiles Card (American Express). 20,000 miles, $50 cash back your first ticket purchase at Delta.com or nwa.com, earn minimum 1:$1 and no annual fee the first year.
- Starwood American Express Card. 20,000 points after first purchase. This is a great hotel card, with a wonderful selection of properties. Points can be optionally redeemed for airline tickets or converted to airline miles (convert 20,000 points for 25,000 miles!). No annual fee the first year.