Free Credit Cards
Cards Earning Miles or Points | Cash Back Cards
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, as you may be offered an extension of the free time, or you may be offered another free card that earns miles.
The first two cards I mention, Starwood and Delta, are not free, but for as long as I have been doing this, they have always been free for the first year. Other cards of interest have free for a year offers that come and go, so I list them on the Annual Fee Cards page, with reference to them here.
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.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts offers my favorite American Express credit card. Read my description of the Starwood Starpoints program in my Other Programs I Like section to see how the program is extremely useful in acquiring airline miles. Earn 1 point/$1 spent. 1,000 points can be converted to 1,000 miles on a large number of airlines (great flexibility as airline programs change), plus 20,000 points convert to 25,000 miles, meaning essentially you get 1.25 points/$1 spent. Each U.S. offer below is free of annual fee for one year, then $45 a year for the personal card thereafter, $30 for the business card - that will probably increase soon, probably to $65. (However, read my comments on cancelling the card below to see how you might avoid the fee entirely.)
American Express tell me "The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express recently won the Smarter Travel Editor's Choice Award for Best Travel Awards Card for Domestic Use."
Note: Do not add additional card to this account when you first apply for the card. Instead, make your first purchase on the card, wait for it to appear on your statement, then go to this offer to get an additional 1,000 points for adding an additional card member, or this newer offer, which requires that the person you add spend $150 within the first 90 days of their Cardmembership. It appears to me that the newer offer is what American Express intends, so you take your chances with the older offer. You can get this bonus twice. For the older offer, each card member must use the card at least once within a year of it being issued for you to get the bonus.
- On January 11, 2010, a reader wrote:
"FYI, both the offers for extra SPG points for adding additional CC users point to a webpage collecting data, but then register "call this number" due to technical difficulties. An Amex rep will answer, in ignorance about SPG. When they are pressed to connect to their SPG liaison, after playing dumb ("how did you get to those links, "Google"?) they get all huffy and say there are currently *no* SPG promotions for authorized user add-ons.
I was able to get as far as the page asking for info on on the person I want to add, but did not go further, as I had no one to add (that person's social security number is required.) Please tell me about your experience trying to get extra points for adding someone to your card.
For a quick, free infusion of extra Starwood Starpoints, 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. Actually using the card would be a very inefficient way of earning Starpoints, but the bonus points for first use would be worthwhile, as each 1,000 Membership Rewards Points convert to 333 Starpoints.
Frugal Travel Guy suggests how new card holders might get 5,000 or 6,000 extra points by making a timely complaint.
Personal card.
- Click on the banner to see the offer.
- 10,000 points up front after first use of the card.
- Additional 15,000 Starpoints when you spend $15,000 in 6 months.
- 1 Starpoint for every eligible $1 charged with the Card for any purchase, plus double Starpoints at participating Starwood properties and retail outlets.
- Annual fee waived the first year. $45/year thereafter. (So cancel before then if you don't want to pay the fee.)
- I see no limit mentioned on the number of Starpoints you can earn.
Business card.
- If you plan to spend at least $15,000 on this card in the first six months, use this link for an extra 15,000 bonus Starpoints when you do so. But if you do not plan to spen this much, please click on the banner instead, as this helps me at no additional cost to you. Thanks.
- Otherwise, same as the personal card offer above, except it is a business card. You can get both cards.
Cards for Canadians:
- Starwood has two cards for Canadians. Both have a steep fees, but both offer 10,000 Starpoints for first purchase. The offer website for the business card says that the fee may be tax deductable. I leave the math to you.
- Personal card. $120 annual fee.
- Business Card. $150 annual fee.
This FlyerTalk thread discusses the possibility of receiving 2,500 bonus points for adding a second card to your account.
American Express often has special offers for this card, including bonus points and cash discounts. Please let me know of any that might be appropriate for this web site. (Thanks.)
On November 28, 2006, a reader wrote:
"Keep an eye out on your snail mail for anything from Starwood. I received a packet with 4 post cards. Each card had a code on it. I can give people the card (or just the code really) and get 5000 SPG points for each one that goes to the web site, enters the code, and signs up for the Starwood AMEX card. You only get the points if they are approved, and they will still get the 1st year no annual fee and the 10,000 points."
Cancelling the card:
- I and others were charged only $25, in November 2003.
- I avoided the fee entirely in November 2004. I waited for the fee to post, then called them. I pressed the telephone button for cancelling the card. I had to tell them that "I want to cancel the card because I didn't want to pay the annual fee". The rep would not look up what she could to for me when I just told her that I was thinking of cancelling. I had to tell her I was actually going to cancel. Then she saw that I was a "long time good customer" (3 years, I think), and that I always pay my bill on time. I charge only $1 -2 thousand a month at most on the card. She offered me a refund of the fee, or 2,000 Starpoints. All of this suggests that you can get a refund or reduction of the fee by telling them that you intend to cancel the card because you object to the fee.
- On March 6, 2005, a reader wrote:
"Called today to "cancel" my card. They offered my 3000 starwood points to keep it. No comments on how long I had to keep it for. I accepted that deal so I have no idea how much more they might have offered. I've had the card one year, and charged about 20K during the year."
- On March 01, 2006, a reader wrote
"I called to cancel & they tried to steer me to a no-fee "Blue Sky" card (with a proprietary point/reward program - no thanks). When I declined, the rep mentioned no alternatives & was ready to cancel me, so I asked if there was anything else she could do. She offered 3,000 Starwood points (but no waiver of the annual fee), which I accepted. In short, you may have to prompt for the 3K points offer if the phone rep doesn't mention it."
- On May 20, 2005, a reader wrote
"Called today to cancel my SPG Amex. Told them I didn't want to pay the annual fee. Was offered a $30 credit back to my account to be posted within 6-8 weeks, although they charged me $27.50 for my annual fee. No mention of any SPG points."
- On December 17, 2004, a reader wrote
"I've had the card for one year. I used the card extensively (2K/mo) during the double points period over the summer, not so much the rest of the year. In November the fee posted to my statement. I called to cancel telling them I didn't want to pay the fee. They said OK and cancelled it. Oh well. I'll have to have my wife sign up for a card."
- Read all of this discussion
- Please tell me about your experience trying to get the fee waived.)
On February 17, 2005, a reader wrote:
...my husband only had 500 pts left in his account so I emailed to ask if I could combine the two accounts and they said no, accounts are not combinable, but I could TRANSFER his points to my account because we had the same address and they did it right away.
- Register
- Redeem at least 10,000 points from your Skymiles account by September 30, 2010.
- Earn double miles on all purchases and triple miles on Delta Airlines purchases between July 1 and September 30, 2010.
Note: Do not ask for additional cards when applying for a Delta credit card, unless the specific offer requires that you do this to get bonus miles. See below.
For all but the Options Card you are offered 1 Delta mile $1 you charge to the card. But there are some nice bonuses, some permanent, and some temporary:
- Starting June 1, 2010, cardmembers with a Gold, Platinum, or Reserve Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express may check their first bag for free for all Delta and Delta Connection® flights. The benefit applies to up to 9 people traveling in the eligible Cardmember’s reservation. I leave it to you to read the details.
- For all but the Options Card you always are offered double miles on Delta purchases.
- Beginning January 1, 2007, the Delta cards offer bonuses for reaching certain spending threasholds. Read the terms and conditions of each bonus.
- Platinum card: If in any calendar year your Eligible Spending on your Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card is $25,000 or more, you will be awarded 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs), and if in that same calendar year your Eligible Spending on your Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card is $50,000 or more, you will be awarded an additional 10,000 MQMs. Details.
- Gold Card: If in any calendar year your Eligible Spending on your Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card is $15,000 or more, you will be awarded 5,000 bonus miles, and if in that same calendar year your Eligible Spending on your Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card is $25,000 or more, you will be awarded an additional 5,000 bonus miles. Bonus miles do not count toward Medallion® status or Million Miler status. Details.
- Classic Card: 2,500 bonus miles when you make $10,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. Details.
- Options Card earns 1,000 bonus miles when you make $5,000 in eligible purchases in a calendar year. Details.
- There are frequent offers for double, triple, and bonus miles for special types of purchases. Once you receive your card, be sure to bookmark the offers page and check it often, and please let me know of any that might be appropriate for this web site. (Thanks.)
The Delta SkyMiles Options Credit Card offers 1 mile for every $2 spent. I think you will find the Starwood and Hilton American Express cards better deals. Both are described below.
Those seeking Delta Airlines miles should also consider acquiring American Express Cards that earn Membership Rewards points. They regularly offer 10,000 - 25,000 bonus points which are convertible 1,000 points > 1,000 miles. The cards often waive the annual fee for a year, and then become prohibitively expensive. Consider using one of these cards first, cancelling it before the fee becomes due, then acquiring a card listed below, or visa versa. Or consider acquiring both the Amex and one or more cards below simultaneously to get all of the up front bonus points.
Get the card for free:
For as long as I have been writing this web site, there has always been a way to get the Gold Card with the annual fee waived for one year. The free offer is available for first time users only. That used to mean you had to wait a year before you could get the offer again. But currently they won't give you the miles a second time, though received one with no annual for a year a second time. If the current offer provides more miles than an offer you previously accepted, you can get the difference. You might have to ask for it.
Here is the information I have on how to obtain the free card. It is probably best to apply online if the offer is still there. But I have a large collection of phone numbers to try, only a few of which they seem to ever retire. On July 7, 2003, I called all of the numbers listed below (except the first one, which I called on September 15, 2003). All but the 1-800 SKY MILES offered the free card with at least 10,000 up front miles. I did not have to mention the codes. All made the offer to me freely and easily, except for the person at the customer service number, who I had to prompt a bit to find offer. Please tell me about any dead numbers. Thanks.
Frugal Travel Guy suggests how new card holders might get 5,000 or 6,000 extra points by making a timely complaint.
Please tell me about your experience trying to obtain these cards free, including when and what phone number you called or link you used. Thanks.
For whichever card you apply, make sure you reach very clear agreement with whoever you talk to that the card is free of annual charges for the first year. One person got an $85 bill anyway, but they corrected it when he called.
Delta has credit card offers for countries other than the U.S., including Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.K., and Ireland. Most have bonus miles for applying and using the card. The cards for Chile and for Puerto Rico ar free for the first year. (Bueno.) Not sure about the others. Click here for info.
Additional cards: This post on Fatwallet tells you how to get 2,500 miles per extra card ordered, for up to 5 cards (12,500 miles total). I have received a similar offer for up to two cards for my Delta business credit card, but have no means of verifying the offer for a personal card. Please tell me about your experience trying to get this deal for a personal card.
Cancelling the card:
On September 22, 2005, a reader wrote:
"My experience with this offer was good. I applied over the phone, and eventually I was sent the card. I made my first purchase and upon the issue of the state I received 7500 miles on my Skymile account. I wrote an email to AMEX customer service stating that applied by phone via a promo code that would grant me 17500 miles. The next day, AMEX wrote me back saying that an additional 10000 miles will be added by the next statement. I then checked my Skymile account and the 10000 was already there."
"I tried calling in to cancel my Delta Skymiles Option card (free, but 1 miles for $2) I haggled till they finally offered me to upgrade to Gold with a bonus of 9,000 miles :) I wonder if I can cancel after a few months and a part of fee refunded. The number for Amex customer service who did this was 1 800 528 4800."
"Originally I did the 10,000 miles, no annual fee for 6 months or a year plus 5,000 extra miles for having an authorized user. Then when I called to cancel, I was given 3,000 and no annual fee for another full year. Then 4 months later was given another 3,000 miles. So I have to date received 21,000 miles with no annual fee."
However, when I cancelled my card around the same date, I was not given this offer.
"My wife and I both had the card a couple of years ago and received 10,000 miles for opening the account. We cancelled after a year to avoid the annual fee. Anyway, we both received emails from Delta in the fall offering us 10,000 miles for obtaining a card with no annual fee for the first year. We both opened accounts, made charges but the bonus points didn't post. After quite a few emails to both Delta and AMEX I finally resorted to making phone calls. I got ahold of someone at AMEX who opened an investigation and the points for both of us recently posted, even though we were told that they wouldn't post if they determined we received points previously."
- No annual fee.
- 20,000 bonus points if you spend £250 in the first 90 days of your account opening.
- 3 miles/£1 spent on BMI purchases.
- 1.5 miles/£1 spent on everyday purchases.
- 0% p.a. on card purchases for 3 months from the date your account is opened.
- The bmi Credit Card is issued by MBNA Europe Bank Limited. It is not an official American Express card.
- No annual fee.
- 2,500 bonus points with your first purchase.
- 3 points/$1 spent on Virgin America purchases.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everyday purchases.
- 0% APR and 1 point/$1 on a balance transfer during the first 30 days after your account is opened — up to 2,500 bonus points. A Balance Transfer fee applies to all Balance Transfers. During the introductory period: 3% of the amount of each transfer, with a minimum fee of $5 and a maximum fee of $50; After the introductory period, 4% of the amount of each transfer with a minimum fee of $1o. See the Cautions section of the Intro page of this Credit Card section to see how to use this balance transfer offer.
- 300 bonus points for every $5,000 you spend per year. (Limit 1,200 annual bonus points.)
Special Amtrak MasterCard offer:
- 18,000 points for first purchase.
- No annual fee.
- 2 points/$1 spent on Amtrak purchases.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
- Probably expires September 30, 2010.
The standard Amtrak MasterCard offer:
- 6,000 points for first purchase.
- No annual fee.
- 2 points/$1 spent on Amtrak purchases.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
U.S. residents can obtain both the Hilton Visa and the Hilton Amex card. I did (when the Amex offer was for 7,500), for an easy 17,500 free points.
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. Actually using the card would be a very inefficient way of earning HHonors points, but the bonus points for first use would be worthwhile, as each 1,000 Membership Rewards Points convert to 1,300 HHonors points.
Hilton Visa card. No annual fee. Two points per dollar spent (3 for dollars spent at Hilton). Special offers from select merchants.
- Offer #1:
- 15,000 Hilton HHonors points making $150 in purchases within 2 months of account opening for first purchase. Charging that $150 is easy - just buy U.S. Dollar coins at cost from the U.S. Mint. The coins usually arrive before the bill is due, especially if you buy them just after your statement closes. Simply deposit the coins in your bank account and use the balance to pay off your credit card bill.
- 6 Hilton HHonors points/$1 spent at participating Hilton Family hotels.
- 3 points/$1 spent on purchases at supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations.
- 2 points/$1 spent on all other purchases.
- Other goodies of dubious value.
- Offer #2:
- 15,000 Hilton HHonors points for first purchase
- 3 points/$1 spent using the card at Hilton Family hotels
- 2 points/$1 spent on net purchases
- 10,000 HHonors points for first use (regular offer).
- A reader writes
"I just received an invitation to acquire the Citi Visa signature Hilton HHonors card with 15,000 bonus Hilton HHonors points after first use. The telephone number to get this deal is 1-800-799-5800. It was included with my Hilton HHonors statement)."
It was not included in my statement, perhaps because I have already had this card, or perhaps because the offer is targeted.
Hilton American Express card:
- Offer #1:
- No annual fee.
- 20,000 Hilton HHonors points for first purchase.
- 15,000 bonus points when your total eligible spend reaches $5,000 in your first 5 months of Cardmembership.
- 2,500 points for each of your first four eligible stays at participating Hilton Family hotels within your first 18 months of Cardmembership, when the stay is paid for with your Hilton credit card.
- 500 HHonors bonus points when you book online at Hilton Family hotel websites paid for with this card.
- 6 Hilton HHonors points/$1 spent at participating Hilton Family hotels
- 3 points/$1 spent on all other purchases.
- Offer #2:
- No annual fee.
- 20,000 Hilton HHonors points for first purchase
- $100 credit on your first Hilton stay witin 3 months card membership. Note: The small print says $50. Make a copy of the offer.
- 2,500 points for each of your first four eligible stays at participating Hilton Family hotels within your first 18 months of Cardmembership, when the stay is paid for with your Hilton credit card.
- 500 HHonors bonus points when you book online at Hilton Family hotel websites paid for with this card.
- 6 Hilton HHonors points/$1 spent at participating Hilton Family hotels
- 3 points/$1 spent on all other purchases.
- Offer #3
- This one has a $75 annual fee. But the extra 20,000 points and improved points for purchases may be useful to some who actually stay at Hilton properties. I leave the math to you.
- 40,000 Hilton HHonors points for first purchase. The footnote for this says: "Only first-time Hilton HHonors Surpass Cardmembers will earn up to 40,000 HHonors bonus points. Cardmembers who have previously earned a first purchase bonus from any Hilton HHonors Card from American Express earn the incremental difference of up to 40,000 Hilton HHonors bonus points."
- In your first 18 months of Cardmembership, earn 2,500 HHonors bonus points for each of your first eight stays at Hilton Family hotels when you charge $100 or more to your Hilton HHonors Surpass Card for each of those eight stays.
- 9 Hilton HHonors points/$1 spent at participating Hilton Family hotels
- 6 HHonors bonus points/$1 spent at supermarkets, gas stations, drugstores, and on wireless bills.
- 3 points/$1 spent on all other purchases.
- Complimentary Gold VIP status for your first year; after that, maintain your status each year when your total eligible spend reaches $20,000.
- Diamond VIP status for $40,000 annual spend.
- Complimentary Priority Pass membership (valued at $99) – access over 500 airport lounges around the world.
- A reader forwarded to me an email that indicates that for a limited time you can earn 5,000 HHonors bonus points for the first additional card you add. The page to which the email links does not mention this offer. I suggest you call customer service after you receive your card, and keep calling until you find a rep who knows about the offer. If all else fails, you could simply order a second card through the link and wait the required 8-12 weeks to see if you get the points. I cannot forward the email to you, as it includes info about the reader.
Hilton offers credit cards for residents of the U.K, Germany, and Japan. Ask about bonuses and fees.
Use of the card provides only one point per dollar spent, which is worth only 1/4 mile, and you must earn another 10,000 points to obtain more miles. However, if you frequently stay at InterContinental Hotels Group properties (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, and Staybridge Suites), Priority Club members can accumulate points for free airline tickets, which seems like a better deal than converting to miles.
Using your points for free rooms may very well be the best use of them, better than converting them to miles. On May 12, 2008, a reader wrote
"The Chase Priority Club card with 30,000 bonus points was the best value I ever had signing up for any card. Stayed 6 nights last summer at an Express by Holiday Inn in London using 5000 Pointsavers per night. Rack rate with tax was almost $400 a night, so the value for my 30,000 points was around $2400."But upon reading this, another reader wrote on May 27, 2008
"I think this bonanza is long gone. I did a little bit of checking on the Priority Club website... I picked a sample weekend in offpeak season (Feb 5-10, 2008) to look for hotels in Paris and London using Priority Club points. There were a few 15000 pt hotels way far out, but anything even remotely close to the city center was 25000 pts in both cities. The 5000 point stays simply do not exist.Then the first reader responded with a link to all Priority Club 5,000 point stay offers. None in London or Paris as of this discussion, but they do exist in Europe and elsewhere in the world.With the exchange rate being bad, one night at a 25000 point hotel could easily be $400 USD. So the 30000 card might still be a good deal, but it can't be nearly as good as your other readers suggests."
Priority Club PointBreaks page.
On December 11, 2005, the card was offering a 0% interest rate for the first six months, but with a 3% fee capped at $75. (Be sure to read my cautions on 0% balance transfer offers on the Important Starting Info page of this Credit Card section.)
For a quick, free infusion of extra Priority Club 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. Actually using the card would be a very inefficient way of earning Priority Club points, but the bonus points for first use would be worthwhile, as each 1,000 Membership Rewards Points convert to 1,000 Priority Club points.
Note: Those seeking Priority Club points should consider also acquiring the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Credit Card. Last I looked it offered 16,000 points convertible to riority Club points 1:1 for spending $1,000 in 3 months, and the annual fee was waived for the first year.
- First sign up for Priority Club (free) and copy your membership number.
- Signature card offer:
- 30,000 points for first use.
- Annual Free Night Certificate worldwide.
- 5 points/$1 spent on the card for stays at Priority Club hotels.
- 2 points/$1 spent on gas, groceries and dining.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
- 10% rebate on all Priority Club point redemptions.
- Permanent Gold Elite status.
- No annual fee for one year only, then $49/year.
- The Pricing & Terms page says this offer includes no foreign currency transaction fees! Check that this term is still there before counting on it, and, of course, make a copy of it.
- Signature card offer:
- 30,000 points for first use, plus 10,000 more points if you spend $15,000 plus one more transactionon the card annually. It appears to me that in order to get those 10,000 points, you may have to pay the annual fee for the second year.
- 3 points/$1 spent on the card for stays at Priority Club hotels.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
- Upgrade to Gold Elite status through December of the next year after your card is activated. But allow 6 - 8 weeks after the account is activated for the status to be applied to your account.
- No annual fee for one year only, then $29/year.
- The Pricing & Terms page says this there is a 3% foreign currency transaction fee.
- Signature Business Card offer:
- 30,000 points for first use, plus 15,000 more points if you spend $20,000 plus one more transactionon the card annually. It appears to me that in order to get those 10,000 points, you may have to pay the annual fee for the second year.
- 3 points/$1 spent on the card for stays at Priority Club hotels.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
- No annual fee for one year only, then $29/year.
- Upgrade to Gold Elite status through December of the next year after your card is activated. But allow 6 - 8 weeks after the account is activated for the status to be applied to your account.
- No annual fee for one year only, then $29/year.
- The Pricing & Terms page says this there is a 3% foreign currency transaction fee.
- If there is no better offer listed above, please ask me to refer you to this card, at no cost to you. You still get 15,000 points for first use, no annual fee for the first year, then $29/year thereafter if you keep the card. I get some points for the referral. Please request the referral only if you are certain you will apply for the card and use it at least once. I have a limited number of referrals and would hate to waste them. Thanks.
- Signature card offer:
- 15,000 points for first use.
- 10,000 more points if you spend $15,000 on the card annually.
- $20 statement credit.
- Upgrade to Gold Elite Status.
- No annual fee for one year only, then $29/year.
- If my link doesn't work, try this one.
- Non-U.S. offers:
- United Kingdom. 25,000 Bonus Points as of March 27, 2010.
- China. I am told that the offer is 10,000 Bonus Points, but I am unable to read the Chinese.
Points are convertible to miles a many airlines, and can be used to acquire free stays and other goodies. See my description of the program in my Other Programs I Like page.
First enroll in the Marriott Rewards Program, wait 24 hours, and then accept the best available of the offers listed below. Please tell me if any of these offers have expired.
All of the offers listed are for first time customers only. However, I and others I trust have cancelled the card to avoid the fee, waited a few months (I have heard a few months to over a year), and then getting the best offer again.)
Note: Those seeking Mariott points should consider also acquiring the Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa Credit Card. Last I looked it offered 16,000 points convertible to Mariott points 1:1 for spending $1,000 in 3 months, and the annual fee was waived for the first year.
- 22,500 points after your first purchase.
- 3 points/$1 spent at Marriott locations.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
- Free night's stay at a category 1-4 hotel.
- 10 nights credit towards Elite status every year, giving you at least Sliver Elite.
- Additional Elight night credit for every $3,000 spent on the card.
- 15,000 bonus points after redeeming for a 7 night stay.
- $30 annual fee waived the first year.
- 22,500 pointsfor first use
- 3 points/$1 spent at Marriott locations.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
- Free night's stay at a category 1-4 hotel.
- 10 nights credit towards Elite status every year, giving you at least Sliver Elite.
- Additional Elight night credit for every $3,000 spent on the card.
- 15,000 bonus points after redeeming for a 7 night stay.
Marriott offers a Premier Visa Signature card with a $65 annual fee, not waived. Its advantages:
- 50,000 bonus points for first use. (From FrugalTravelGuy)
- 30,000 bonus points for first use.
- 20,000 bonus points for first use.
- 15,000 bonus points for first use.
- Free night stay certificate for a category 1-4 property upon account opening. Each year upon account anniversary receive a free night stay certificate for a category 1-5 property.
- 15 nights towards your next elite membership level in Marriott Rewards every year - enjoy silver status or better.
- 5 points/$1 spent at Marriott locations.
- 2 points/$1 spent on rental cars, airline tickets, and dining.
- 1 point/$1 spent on everything else.
- Additional Elight night credit for every $3,000 spent on the card.
- 15,000 bonus points after redeeming for a 7 night stay.
- The advantages don't impress me, since I rarely stay in Marriotts, and only when someone else (like an airline) is paying for it. But business travelers and others seeking status with Marriott might find it useful.
The Choice Privileges Visa Card
- 16,000 points when you make your first purchase. 8,000 more points when you pay for your first stay at a Choice Privileges location with your new card. (See footnotes 3 and 4.)
- 15 points per eligible $1 spent at over 4,200 Choice Privileges locations.
- 5 points per eligible $1 on additional Choice Privileges points or Choice Hotels gift card purchases.
- 2 points per eligible $1 spent on everyday purchases.
- Automatic Elite Gold Status, which offers the ability to book free nights 40 days in advance instead of 30 days, and a 10% point bonus every time you earn points for eligible stays.
- No annual fee.
- The offer says "for a limited time." Please tell me when it changes or disappears. Thanks.
The Choice Privileges Visa Card for Canadians offers
- No annual fee.
- 8,000 points after your first use- that's enough for a free night at over 1,500 locations.
- Up to 15 points for every $1 in net retail purchases at over 5,000 Choice Privileges locations in Canada, the U.S., Europe, Mexico, and Australasia.
- 2 points/$1 spent on everyday purchases.
- Automatic upgrade to Elite Gold status – earning you more points for every eligible stay.
Each 5,000 points convert to 1,000 miles on many airlines or to 2 Southwest Airlines credits. The points can be used for free hotel stays, which may be a better use of them, especially in Europe and other expensive places.
Choice Privileges is the loyalty points program of Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep Inn, Clarion and MainStay Suites, EconoLodge, and Rodeway Inns). You may read about it in the Points to Miles section of my Other Programs I Like page. Be sure to join this program and receive a membership number before applying for the credit card. That number will be requested on the second page of the application for the credit card.
Canadians are offered 20,000 points and 1.5 points per $1 spent.
For a quick, free infusion of extra Best Western 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. Actually using the card would be a very inefficient way of earning Best Western points, but the bonus points for first use would be worthwhile, as each 1,000 Membership Rewards Points convert to 1,000 Best Western points.
See the Points to Miles section of my Other Programs I Like page for details of the La Quinta program.
First join the S&H greenpoints program (free), then read about the card (you must log in first.), then apply for the card at (866) 756-7868.
The card offers 0% interest for 6 months for balance transfers. Call to be sure, but the old offer for this card said that there is a 3% fee, capped at $50, for such a transfer. Be sure to read my cautions on 0% balance transfer offers on the Important Starting Info page of this Credit Card section.
On February 18, 2007, a link to the offer was near the top of the front page of MyPoints.
One really great feature of this card is that once sign up for online access to your account, you can get your actual Trans Union FICO score and the primary reasons for it, and can sign up for email notification for whenever it changes by 20 points. This alone could be reason enough to get the card. Note that the card is issued by Providian, which recently merged with Washington Mutual. Washington Mutual will probably be the dominant bank, and may not continue this benefit. Grab it while you can.
You may read about the MyPoints program in my Click for Miles, Money, and Good Causes section.
- Save two cents per litre on fuel at participating Petro-Canada retail locations.
- More fuel savings when you swipe a Fuel Savings Reward card.
- Collect Petro-Points everywhere you use the card. As of October, 2009, that was 10 points/$1 spent.
There are a great many cash back credit card offers. I don't intend to follow these closely, since they don't offer miles. However, I describe my several of favorites below for purpose of comparison to miles cards. Often the cash back is worth more than the miles you would get from other cards.
- No annual fee.
- 5% cash back on gasoline purchases when your card is used at the pump. Posts with each statement, no limit.
- 2% cash back cash back on supermarket purchases. Posts with each statement, no limit.
- 1% cash back on all purchases. Posts with each statement, no limit.
- Foreign Transaction Fee. Effective November 30, 2009, Pentagon Federal is increasing the foreign transaction fee to 2% of the U.S. dollar amount of the transaction whether originally made in U.S. dollars or converted from a foreign currency. Presumably this is addition to the 1% Visa fee.
- Note the huge advantage that this card has over other cash back cards: You get your money credited to the statement on which the charges appear. There is no minimum amount you must accumulate to get your cash back.
The Pentagon Federal Credit Union Platinum Promise Visa Card
- Absolutely no fees. This specifically includes no fees for foreign currency purchases, which makes this quite useful for foreign travel, as most cards charge 3%.
- But no cash back or points or other goodies. So I use PenFed's Rewards Visa for some domestic purchase, and the Promise Visa for foreign trave.
Blue Sky from American Express®
- 1 point/$1 spent. Points are awarded annual, so you may have to wait awhile to get your travel credit.
- Redeem every 7,500 points you earn for a $100 statement credit toward any airline ticket, hotel stay, or car rental.
- No annual fee.
- 0% on Purchases up to 6 months.
- Save big with many leading travel providers like Marriott®, and up to 20% at Hertz®, with the Blue Sky Travel Savings Program.
- Complimentary breakfast on weekend stays at JW Marriott and Renaissance Hotels and Resorts worldwide and receive $100 off your next stay (sort of).
- Click on the Next Benefit buttons to see more bonuses.
- Be sure to hover the footnotes to see the terms and conditions of each bonus.
- Click on the banner to the left to see the offer.
- Pay within 10 days and earn a 1.5% discount OR, pay as little as 10% and take up to 2 months to pay the balance without interest.
- $185 per yea annual fee waived the first year.
- This card is ideally suited for businesses that are established, cash flow positive and have an excellent credit history, and have revenue in the 6 to 7-figure range that want more flexibility to manage cash flow, purchase materials and handle other business expenses.
- No annual fee.
- No co-signer or minimum income required.
- 5% cash back on eligible purchases at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, convenience stores and utilities including cable for 6 months, and 2% thereafter.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- Cash back is paid in the form of a check to you after you accumulate a minimum of $50 of rebates in your account. $300/year maximum rebates.
Caution: I am hearing that Citibank is sending something called a "yearly summary" to card holders and billing them $15 for it. Readers are complaining that they did not order and did not want this summary. They tell me the fee is reversed when complaint is made, but I suggest you tell Citibank up front that you don't want the summary.
- No annual fee.
- 1% cash back on purchases, with a 20% bonus for the first 12 months.
- Cash back is paid in the form of a check to you after you accumulate a minimum of $50 of rebates in your account. No limits on cash back.
Caution: I am hearing that Citibank is sending something called a "yearly summary" to card holders and billing them $15 for it. Readers are complaining that they did not order and did not want this summary. They tell me the fee is reversed when complaint is made, but I suggest you tell Citibank up front that you don't want the summary.
- 10,000 ThankYou points after $250 in purchases, which can be immediately converted to a $100 gift card. I am told that if you click on the Apply Now button, wait for the page to load, then close that page, you will get a pop-under that offers $150. I can see a pop-under, but it disappears before it loads onto my computer. Charging that $250 or $150 is easy - just buy U.S. Dollar coins at cost from the U.S. Mint. The coins usually arrive before the bill is due, especially if you buy them just after your statement closes. Simply deposit the coins in your bank account and use the balance to pay off your credit card bill.
- No annual fee.
- 3 ThankYou Points/$1 spent at restaurants, gas stations, on auto rentals and at certain office supply merchants.
- 1 point/$1 for all other purchases.
- Citi Professional Card is considered a business purpose credit card and not a consumer credit card. However, I see no requirement for business into on the application page. Please note that certain consumer rights do not apply to this account. I see no itemization of these. I would use the card only for the initial minimum.
- The usual 20 day grace period applies.
- Click on my link, then on the Terms and Conditions and Reward Program Information links to verify all of this.
Caution: I am hearing that Citibank is sending something called a "yearly summary" to card holders and billing them $15 for it. Readers are complaining that they did not order and did not want this summary. They tell me the fee is reversed when complaint is made, but I suggest you tell Citibank up front that you don't want the summary.
- No annual fee.
- 3% cash back on purchases made at restaurants, gas stations, certain office supply merchants, and for auto rentals.
- 1% cash back on all other purchases.
- The rebates will show cumulatively on your statement as "Professional Dollars". You may accumulate a maximum of 500 Professional Dollars in any calendar year (eligible transactions appearing on your January – December billing statements) payable in checks of $50 or more only upon your request.
- 0% interest on purchases for 12 months. This does not apply to balance transfers or cash advances, which are expensive.
- The usual 20 day grace period applies.
On September 5, 2007, a reader wrote about this card:
"I noticed you have discussion of the Citi Professional card. The 3 points per dollar equate to a 3 percent rebate if you convert to some gift cards. You can also use the points at the rate of 1 point = 1 cent for airline tickets on the Thankyou network’s version of Expedia which is very easy to use and which seems to have good pricing, some expensive fares were much less than the airline web site. You earn miles on these tickets and virtually every flight is available. They also have a fixed rate of 25,000 points for a domestic round trip ticket, which has some restrictions but seems to work ok. I have not used this yet. No open jaws are allowed on the fixed rate. You also earn miles on these tickets."The card is free and I only use it for those items which pay triple points."
Caution: I am hearing that Citibank is sending something called a "yearly summary" to card holders and billing them $15 for it. Readers are complaining that they did not order and did not want this summary. They tell me the fee is reversed when complaint is made, but I suggest you tell Citibank up front that you don't want the summary.
People report on Flyertalk that the no foreign currently conversion fee works fine until Capital One's ultra sensitive fraud detection software shuts down your card unnecessarily. Then it is generally reported that it is nearly impossible to re-activate your card from a country other than the U.S. So always carry a backup card it you are planning to use a Capital One card in a country outside of the U.S.
To find the cards and help me at no cost to you, please click on this link to the CreditCards.com Captial One Cash Back Cards page, then in the Search by Bank or Issuer category in the left menu, click on Capital One. If you don't find what you want there, you may use the links below to search further, but please note that you do not help me by applying through those links.
This one requires some careful record keeping to use it properly
- No annual fee.
- 10% cash back for the first year, 5% thereafter on AT&T products that matches the money you spend on other purchases each statement. Since the other purchase earn no cash back, this translates to 5% back on these AT&T purchases + matching purchases for the first year, 2.5% thereafter, which is probably quite competitive to any miles card. But beware of the limits:
- Any purchases of either type that exceed the other type earn no cash back bonus. You could be earning miles on that excess instead with another card. The matching is computed for each monthly statement. So to use this correctly, you must keep very accurate records of your daily purchases and know when your statement closes.
- There is a limit of $350 per calendar year for cash back. At 10%, this implies $3,500/year in AT&T purchases plus $3,500 in matching purchases.
- The only eligible transactions for which you earn savings are AT&T consumer products and/or services purchased directly from AT&T, billed to your Card Account. AT&T consumer products and services must be purchased from www.att.com, www.telephones.att.com, AT&T owned stores or AT&T customer service centers. Purchases from independent wireless dealers are not eligible, unless they are for payment of AT&T service.
- One Citibank ThankYou point/$1 spent is offered on non AT&T services.
- No annual fee.
- 5% Cashback Bonus on your first on your first $2,000 in office supply purchases from merchants like OfficeMax and Staples.
- 2% cash back on your first $2,000 in gas, whether you pay at the pump or at the station.
- Up to 1% cash back on everything else you purchase.
- Rewards are redeemable in $20 increments.
- 0% interest on purchases for 12 months.
- Costco American Express TrueEarnings Business Card
- 4% for buying gasoline, for annual gasoline purchases of up to $6,000; 1% thereafter).
- 3% for restuarants.
- 2% for travel purchases from airline, lodging, car rental, cruise line, travel agency and tour operator merchants.
- 1% for everywhere else, including Costco
- No annual fee with your paid Costco Membership.
- No limit to the amount of cash back that can be earned.
- Rebate awarded annually in the form of an in-store coupon redeemable for merchandise or cash at any U.S. Costco Warehouse.
- The TrueEarnings Business Card serves as both your American Express Credit Card and your Costco Membership Card.
- One Card, Two Memberships - Card serves as both a credit card and your Costco Warehouse membership
- Costco American Express TrueEarnings Personal Card
- $25 statement credit with your first Costco purchase made with the Card.
- 3% for annual gasoline purchases of up to $3,000 (1% thereafter).
- 3% for restuarants.
- 2% for travel purchases from airline, lodging, car rental, cruise line, travel agency and tour operator merchants.
- 1% for everywhere else, including Costco
- No annual fee with your paid Costco Membership.
- 0% on Purchases for 6 months.
- Cash back earnings accumulates over the course of the year and the total is issued to you in your February billing statement.
- The TrueEarnings Card serves as both your American Express Credit Card and your Costco Membership Card.