Mile Nerd

Miles and points aren’t an equal currency. 50,000 Delta Skymiles are worth less to me than 50,000 miles from pretty much any other airline. 25,000 Hyatt points are worth a ton more than 25,000 Hilton points. And so on. These links work right now (March 11th at midnight). If you read this later, many of the offers will have changed. Things move fast in this game so read the offer details before applying. Here we go! My Top 25 current credit cards in order are…

 

• Business Gold Rewards (Amex)
  • Spend $5,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
  • This offer comes and goes all the time. Back for now.
  • Possibly 75,000 points? That’s why it’s #1.
  • A better 75,000-point method here?
• Ink Plus (Chase)
  • Spend $5,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
  • The points transfer to United, Southwest, British, Hyatt, etc.
  • 5 times the points on purchases at office stores.
  • Worth seeing if you can still get a 70,000-point offer in your local branch.
• Sapphire (Chase)
  • Spend $4,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 points.
  • Still very valuable points. See Ink cards above.
  • One of my favorite cards to use when I don’t have spends to meet.
• Starwood Preferred Guest aka SPG (American Express)
  • Spend $5,000 in 6 months. Get 25,000 points.
  • Incredible card. I really, really love cash + points for hotel stays.
  • I’m also a big fan of some of their 3,000-point properties.
  • Possible 30,000 points.
  • The Business version of the card is here.
• Barclay Arrival (Barclays)
  • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 miles.
  • One of the best cards for actual spending, as discussed here.
• American Airlines cards (Citibank)
  • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 miles.
  • Better public offers with lower spend and lounge passes here?
  • If that doesn’t work, try this one here.
• US Airways (Barclays)
  • Spend $1. Get 50,000 miles.
  • Grab your American and US Airways miles before they combine.
• United Airlines (Chase)
  • Log in and see if you are targeted for the 50,000-mile offer.
  • This offer is also being pushed heavily in airports.
  • No luck? You can also try this link.
  • Here’s a 50,000-mile Business link.
  • When it dies, others may still work here or here.
• Southwest (Chase)
  • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
  • Getting late in the year if you’re shooting for a companion pass.
• Mercedes Benz Platinum (American Express)
  • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 Amex Membership Rewards points.
  • Big $475 fee but benefits like global entry credit and $200 credit.
  • A no-fee for the first year Platinum card is here.
  • Look for MUCH better targeted Amex offers in your mailbox or here.
• Hilton Honors Reserve (Citibank)
  • Spend $2,500 in 4 months. Get 2 weekend nights. Best Hilton card.
  • Gold status while you have the card. Upgrades, breakfast, internet, etc.
• British Airways (Chase)
  • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 50,000 points.
  • If I were guessing, I’d say the 100,000-point offer will be back.
• Club Carlson Premier (US Bank)
  • Spend $2,500 in 90 days. Get 85,000 points.
  • Great hotel card and not from the usual issuers.
• InterContinental Hotel aka IHG aka Priority Club (Chase)
  • Spend $1,000. Get 80,000 points.
  • Another method to get that bonus is here.
  • One of the most underrated hotel cards out there.
  • If/when this goes away, there’s a 70,000-point offer too.
• Hyatt (Chase)
  • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 2 nights at any Hyatt.
  • Even more valuable after the point devaluation.
  • Offer with $50 statement credit may be available.
• Marriott (Chase)
  • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 70,000 points.
  • The standard Business card links are here.
  • Another offer here for 40,000 points and $100.
• Fairmont Hotel (Chase)
  • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 2 nights and breakfast at any Fairmont.
  • Again, many of these hotels are very expensive.
• Alaska Airlines (Bank of America)
  • Spend $1. Get 25,000 miles.
  • Offer with statement credit here.
  • Bank of America cards can be MUCH more “churnable” than most.
  • Here’s a great trick to get the most out of this.
• Premier Gold (Amex)
  • Possible 50,000 points, rather than the usual 25,000.
  • A bit of a pain, but you can see if you’re targeted.
  • Some people are seeing 100,000-point offers.
  • Here’s another link for 50,000 points after spending $1,000.
• Propel (Wells Fargo)
  • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 points.
  • It’s always good to see cards from different banks.
  • A note on this one from reader Adam.
  • Here’s a decent Business card from Wells Fargo.
• Hawaiian Airlines (Barclays)
  • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 35,000 miles.
  • Business version is here.
• FlexPerks (US Bank)
  • Spend $3,500. Get 20,000 points.
  • Many different card options for FlexPerks.
• Venture (Capital One)
  • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 40,000 miles.
  • Up from 20,000 miles.
• Ritz Carlton (Chase)
  • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get a free night.
  • Big $395 annual fee. But a travel credit of $300 makes that much better.
  • Way down from the 140,000-point offer. And way lower on the list now.
• Frontier Airlines (Barclays)
  • Spend $500 in 3 months. Get 40,000 miles.
  • Frontier miles aren’t for everyone.
• Thank You (Citibank)
  • Weird offer. 20,000 points for spending $2,000 in 3 months. Then 30,000 more points for spending $3,000 in first 3 months of 2nd year.
  • Bonuses on this card go up/down often.
  • Another version is here.
• Korean (US Bank)
  • Spend $1. Get 15,000 miles.
  • Down from 30,000-mile offer.
  • Business card is here.
• Hilton Honors (American Express)
  • Spend $750 in 3 months. Get 40,000 points.
  • Go to Hilton.com, begin making a reservation, and you should see a 50,000-point offer on the payment page.
  • Hilton points are definitely not what they used to be.
• Hilton Honors Surpass (American Express)
  • Spend $3,000 in 3 months. Get 60,000 points.
  • Get the previous card, and you’ll get tons of offers to upgrade to this one.
• Hilton Honors (Citibank)
  • Spend $1,000 in 4 months. Get 40,000 points.
  • Between the 4 cards, you have LOTS of Hilton options.
• Prestige (Citibank)
  • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 30,000 points.
  • Nice benefits including $200 credit, but huge $450 annual fee.
  • There is also a 60,000-point offer possible if you go into your local branch.
  • A tool on Citibank’s site shows what cards you are prequalified for. You might get a 50,000-point offer there.
• Diners Club Elite (BMO Harris Bank)
  • 3x points at gas station, grocery stores, and pharmacies.
  • Killer way to pick up Starwood points.
  • Big annual fee.
• Aeroplan (TD Bank)
  • Spend $1,000 in 3 billing statements. Get 25,000 miles.
  • Not spectacular, but low spend and not the usual issuer.
• Asiana (Bank of America)
  • Spend $2,500 in 90 days. Get 25,000 miles.
  • Meh.
• Amtrak (Chase)
  • Spend $500 in 3 months. Get 12,000 points.
  • Good flexible currency to have.
  • Down from 18,000 points.
• Virgin America (Comenity)
  • 2 different card offers I discussed here.
  • Issued by Comenity Bank, which is the best thing about these cards.
• Freedom (Chase)
  • Worth having in your collection for the 5% quarterly bonuses.
  • No reason to close this one.
  • Another semi-decent quarterly bonus cards is Discover It.
  • Here’s the old Amazon link for the Discover.
• LAN (US Bank)
  • 20,000 miles after first use. 25,000 before March 1.
  • Down from a 40,000-mile offer.
• Expedia (Citibank)
  • Spend $2,000 in 3 months. Get 25,000 points.
  • Also a 15,000-point version with no annual fee.
• Virgin Atlantic (Bank of America)
  • Skip this 25,000-mile offer and wait for 50,000 to return.
  • Again, Bank of America is more churnable than most.
  • Global Entry credit might still be working if you’re looking to save the TSA PreCheck fee.
  • Big 90,000 miles available here but a huge amount of spending needed.
• Everyday (Amex)
  • Spend $1,000 in 3 months. Get 10,000 Membership Rewards points.
  • No annual fee. Preferred has a 15,000-point bonus with a $95 fee.
  • Free Amazon Prime for a year.
• Sun Country (First National Bank of Omaha)
  • Spend $500 in 3 billing cycles. Get 40,000 points.
  • Not the most popular airline in the world.
• Wyndham (Barclays)
  • Spend $1. Get 30,000 miles.
  • Offer goes up and down. We’re in a down time right now.
  • Thanks to Ofer, it looks like a 45,000-point offer is alive here.
• NFL (Barclays)
  • Spend $500 in 90 days. Get $100 credit.
  • Offer has been higher in the past.
• Choice Hotel (Barclays)
  • Get the card and stay a night. Earn 4 free stays.
  • I keep this as the last card mostly out of tradition.

Recently Dropped:

• Business Platinum (Amex) – Was #1 on the list with old 100,000 point deal.
• Delta (Amex) – Weak offers right now. 50,000 could still be alive. Or check if you’re targeted here or here.
• Lufthansa (Barclays) – Just dropped from 50,000 again. Should be back soon.
• LifeMiles (US Bank) – Dropped from 40,000 to 20,000 miles.
• AirTran (Chase) – This one is gone for good.
• Best Western (Barclays) – Again, who really cares?

Beyond this mile/point list, the following are some great cashback cards:

• Amex SimplyCash – 3% cashback in chosen category. 5% at office stores.
• JCB Marukai – 3% cashback after $3,000 spending/year. Limited states.
• TD Easy Rewards – 5% cashback select categories for 6 months.
• Wells Fargo – 5% cashback select categories for 6 months.
• Fidelity – 2% cashback. $50 bonus available for now.
• Citi Double Cash – 2% cashback.
• BB&T Spectrum – 3% cashback for 90 days, plus bonuses. Limited states.
• B of A Americard Cash Rewards – 2% grocery and 3% gas.
• Capital One Quicksilver – 1.5% cashback.
• Capital One Spark Business – 2% cashback.
• Barclays Sallie Mae – 5% gas and grocery. On first $750 per month.