Travel Tips

Beware of Frequent Flier Credit Cards

With frequent-flier miles becoming increasingly difficult to cash in, be wary of the costs of some airline-affiliated credit cards.

The fees and caveats of airline-affiliated credit cards may not be worth it, compared to a standard credit card.

American’s AAdvantage MasterCard charges you an annual fee of $50 and an interest rate of 9.99 percent.

While you get 12,500 miles upon signing up, you’re limited to only 60,000 miles a year.

US Airways Visa card’s annual fee is a whopping $90, but there’s no limit to how many miles you can accrue annually.

The United Mileage Plus Visa promises 21,000 bonus miles after you spend $250, but there’s a 60,000 miles yearly limit and a $60 annual fee.

With standard credit cards, like the Bank of America Visa, there are no annual fees, so you could take that money you’d save and put it towards your next airline purchase.

And unlike frequent flier miles, you can use cash to buy a ticket at any time.

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