No, they arent. I've got the chase trifecta and pointsmaxx which I then spend directly on the chase portal or transfer 1:1 to any direct partner, oneworld partner or avios partner to book my flights for practically free.
>you get free economy flights so its not worth it
how is a free flight not worth it? A free flight to japan in economy for me is like $2k saved, an extra 2k to spend in the country is huge.
if you dont have a business expense account, or you dont like wasting tons of money, or you dont prefer traveling only domestically, and you don't also like overpaying for domestic services, no, it's not worth it.
how do you think they make money?
>how do you think CC's make money?
They charge businesses a transaction fee and most people who own a credit card carry a balance which they pay interest on. If you pay your card in full every month you essentially get free money.
You forgot to mention the annual fee charged to cardholder. The annual fee can vary widely, depending on the card and the level of benefits it offers. Some cards may have higher annual fees but provide more extensive rewards and perks, while others might have lower fees with more modest benefits. The fee is too high. I refrain from using them.
>the annual fee
is usually not a problem if you take advantage of the credits offered to you. VentureX essentially gifts you $5 annually if you take advantage of its perks and credits. Chase trifecta costs $95 at least and that's before you use up any perks, however the point redemption alone for travel (at 1.25 rather than 1 per point) tends to make it worthwhile. Some of the deals I've gotten through them unironically have saved me far more than $95 in flight costs alone to the point where the annual fee pays for itself. AMEX is the one major company imo where the annual fees are harder to justify.
i have one for southwest card, safest airline. ive been flying for free for the past 7 years, I only do about 1 round trip per year and at this rate I always have enough points for 1 or 2 round trip flights.
its nice to have if you travel annually.
some cards have a nice bonus where if you sign up and spend like $2k in 3 months they give you $800 worth of points, enough for a round trip with little notice. its good for that, im sure you can cancel the card after whatever minimum time you need to have it
If you fly on only one airline and fly enough to earn status/want perks like free bags, then get a card for that airline. If not just get a generic travel card where you have more choices of which airline to transfer points to.
Worth it for me for American (Citi exec) since I'd otherwise by buying admirals club membership separately and now you can also get status from spend on their cards.
if you dont have a business expense account, or you dont like wasting tons of money, or you dont prefer traveling only domestically, and you don't also like overpaying for domestic services, no, it's not worth it.
>how do you think they make money?
Through transaction fees charged to merchants and interest fees charged to people who carry a balance from month to month.
You forgot to mention the annual fee charged to cardholder. The annual fee can vary widely, depending on the card and the level of benefits it offers. Some cards may have higher annual fees but provide more extensive rewards and perks, while others might have lower fees with more modest benefits. The fee is too high. I refrain from using them.
A lot of folks use it due to the perks it offers, but they often forget to consider the annual fee. It's crucial to balance the benefits and rewards against this fee to figure out if the card suits your spending habits and travel preferences. Personally, I lean towards using a select few like Tap and a couple of others. Not mileage card.
I totally get. My perspective is on Axis Bank Miles and More World Credit Card. I'm based in Europe, but I have a friend who frequently uses this card. He's from India, and honestly, the fees are pretty frustrating.
If you have a mileage card, like in OP's picture, can you spend credit from it?
A mileage card is distinct from a credit card.
There can be overlap, where a credit card can earn points with some credit/charge cards, but the mileage card membership is still present.
When you say "mileage card" are you referring to a credit card that earns miles/points/etc for a specific airline's frequent flyer program or the frequent flyer program itself? Airlines issue credit cards that earn miles/points for their frequent flyer programs that are distinct from a general travel card.
I have a Venture X from CapitalOne. Its rather expensive but pays itself back in the long run. Downside is most of the biggest savings comes from using their online booking app but its harder to get some deals on it and it tends to be more expensive seemingly on top of having a tendency to crash/fail to book.
You're typically going to be better off with something that earns bonus on airlines and produces a transferrable currency. AMEX Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X etc. If you live in a place where a single airline dominates the hub, you travel almost exclusively with that airline, and are okay with their partners, a branded card might make sense. Generally though, you're better off with something transferrable that can be redeemed across almost any airline in the world.
Specific airline cards might make more sense from a business perspective if traveling a lot out of Chicago to meet clients etc but even then its kinda shit because your aircarrier isn't going to have the best price to all destinations.
I mean it depends on the goal with the card. If it's to cash in miles for work related travel then sure, use an airline card. If you're trying to redeem it for personal travel then get a transferrable currency that can be moved to partner airlines. Anything I earn for work I'm burning for myself.
Yes, for some people.
Not worth it if your spending is small and you'll only be able to redeem them on economy flights.
No, they arent. I've got the chase trifecta and pointsmaxx which I then spend directly on the chase portal or transfer 1:1 to any direct partner, oneworld partner or avios partner to book my flights for practically free.
>you get free economy flights so its not worth it
how is a free flight not worth it? A free flight to japan in economy for me is like $2k saved, an extra 2k to spend in the country is huge.
>how do you think CC's make money?
They charge businesses a transaction fee and most people who own a credit card carry a balance which they pay interest on. If you pay your card in full every month you essentially get free money.
>the annual fee
is usually not a problem if you take advantage of the credits offered to you. VentureX essentially gifts you $5 annually if you take advantage of its perks and credits. Chase trifecta costs $95 at least and that's before you use up any perks, however the point redemption alone for travel (at 1.25 rather than 1 per point) tends to make it worthwhile. Some of the deals I've gotten through them unironically have saved me far more than $95 in flight costs alone to the point where the annual fee pays for itself. AMEX is the one major company imo where the annual fees are harder to justify.
If you're in a country where you don't get charged interest if you pay it off within a month, it's absolutely worth getting a points card in general
No because you cannot put miles in a card.
i have one for southwest card, safest airline. ive been flying for free for the past 7 years, I only do about 1 round trip per year and at this rate I always have enough points for 1 or 2 round trip flights.
its nice to have if you travel annually.
some cards have a nice bonus where if you sign up and spend like $2k in 3 months they give you $800 worth of points, enough for a round trip with little notice. its good for that, im sure you can cancel the card after whatever minimum time you need to have it
what southwest card do you have to get that much points?
If you fly on only one airline and fly enough to earn status/want perks like free bags, then get a card for that airline. If not just get a generic travel card where you have more choices of which airline to transfer points to.
Worth it for me for American (Citi exec) since I'd otherwise by buying admirals club membership separately and now you can also get status from spend on their cards.
if you dont have a business expense account, or you dont like wasting tons of money, or you dont prefer traveling only domestically, and you don't also like overpaying for domestic services, no, it's not worth it.
how do you think they make money?
>how do you think they make money?
Through transaction fees charged to merchants and interest fees charged to people who carry a balance from month to month.
You forgot to mention the annual fee charged to cardholder. The annual fee can vary widely, depending on the card and the level of benefits it offers. Some cards may have higher annual fees but provide more extensive rewards and perks, while others might have lower fees with more modest benefits. The fee is too high. I refrain from using them.
A lot of folks use it due to the perks it offers, but they often forget to consider the annual fee. It's crucial to balance the benefits and rewards against this fee to figure out if the card suits your spending habits and travel preferences. Personally, I lean towards using a select few like Tap and a couple of others. Not mileage card.
I totally get. My perspective is on Axis Bank Miles and More World Credit Card. I'm based in Europe, but I have a friend who frequently uses this card. He's from India, and honestly, the fees are pretty frustrating.
You can, there are CC cards which give you loyalty points.
>You're all probably thinking of a (travel-centric) credit/charge card.
A travel centric CC (no foreign spending fees) is a completely different thing from an air miles / loyalty card.
If you have a mileage card, like in OP's picture, can you spend credit from it?
A mileage card is distinct from a credit card.
There can be overlap, where a credit card can earn points with some credit/charge cards, but the mileage card membership is still present.
When you say "mileage card" are you referring to a credit card that earns miles/points/etc for a specific airline's frequent flyer program or the frequent flyer program itself? Airlines issue credit cards that earn miles/points for their frequent flyer programs that are distinct from a general travel card.
Whichever OP has in their picture and post.
amex cards let you transfer points to any rewards program 1:1, I'd recommend that over something that ties you exclusively to one.
miles are just proto crypto, you can exchange them for other miles or cash and they have a dollar value associated with them.
I have a Venture X from CapitalOne. Its rather expensive but pays itself back in the long run. Downside is most of the biggest savings comes from using their online booking app but its harder to get some deals on it and it tends to be more expensive seemingly on top of having a tendency to crash/fail to book.
You're typically going to be better off with something that earns bonus on airlines and produces a transferrable currency. AMEX Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture X etc. If you live in a place where a single airline dominates the hub, you travel almost exclusively with that airline, and are okay with their partners, a branded card might make sense. Generally though, you're better off with something transferrable that can be redeemed across almost any airline in the world.
Specific airline cards might make more sense from a business perspective if traveling a lot out of Chicago to meet clients etc but even then its kinda shit because your aircarrier isn't going to have the best price to all destinations.
I mean it depends on the goal with the card. If it's to cash in miles for work related travel then sure, use an airline card. If you're trying to redeem it for personal travel then get a transferrable currency that can be moved to partner airlines. Anything I earn for work I'm burning for myself.