Best credit card for air miles for international travel??

[pjlla]

DD and I are tossing around the idea of a "hippie style" backpack trip around Europe.... possibly as soon as summer of 2015.

I am not a fan of having lots of fancy credit cards. Other than my debit Visa, I really only have two... Discover card and a Southwest Airlines Chase Visa. I do pay a fee for the SWA card and I keep my credit limit really low to avoid getting into any trouble, but it has paid for itself several times with enough Rapid Rewards points for about an annual roundtrip flight for two (on average). Anyhow... I digress.

We are figuring that the air fare for this potential trip could be nearly the largest expense, so we are thinking with lots of time in advance, hopefully we could rack up some air miles with a good card. I've never been abroad and have flown SWA exclusively for the last 10 years.... so I have no idea about these things! Any suggestions? Would I be best getting a credit card linked to a specific airline? If so, which do you find to be the best airline for travel to Europe (England/Germany/France)? Or would we be better off with one of those "travel miles" cards that let you use your miles on a variety of airlines?

TIA for any knowledgeable help!....................P

 

[Angrypenguin]

I really like the Chase family of cards. I started with the Chase Sapphire preferred (40k points when you sign up) and have added a chase freedom card and ink card to get all the points. Then I switch what I'm paying for based on maximum point return value.

The beauty of chase and their "ultimate rewards" is two things: if you book travel through their website, you get an extra 20% off tickets and hotels if you purchase using points! For example, a $500 plane ticket will cost only $400 worth of points (40,000 points). Between my sign ups and the discounts, I haven't paid for a flight for my wife and I in 2 years.

The second great thing is they have excellent partners for travel that offer a straight 1:1 swap for points. (including the IHG family of hotels, marriott, southwest, united, and hyatt). By this summer, I should have enough points for a 5 night stay in central London at the Hyatt Regency ($600/night for $250/night worth of points!)

Chase sapphire preferred does have an annual fee of 95 or so, but offers excellent consumer protection. Plus, I started calculating, I think I've redeemed 20x that value by now....

Good luck!

 

[hsmamato2]

I like a blog called million miles secrets...lots of info there I think United might be a good one, but not too sure for international travel

 

[taitai]

Are you located near a major airline hub? If so, get their card.

The trick isn't so much what card to get….they all are pretty equal in terms of points conversation. The trick is to use the card for everything. The number of miles/points you will need for two economy tickets to England or France is quite large….probably 100-150K. So, you need to spend a LOT of money. Also, go on the site mentioned above and figure out other tricks in terms of getting double points, extra points, etc.

It is a lot to accrue in a year. Good luck!

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

I would recommend the United Mileage Plus Explorer card. It has no foreign transaction fees, free first checked bag when you use the card to buy your ticket, 30,000 frequent flyer miles after spending $1,000, 2 free club passes, etc. and sometimes they have sign-up offers for even more miles.

United is part of the Star Alliance, which includes many European airlines. Plus, if you fly United, you have the option of paying for Economy Plus seats. That extra legroom makes a big difference on a 9 hour flight.

 

[FlyWidget]

Would absolutely recommend Capital One. Not only can you accrue points that can be used on any airline, but they have the "erase a charge" option where you can make a purchase and then later erase all or a part of it with your points.

And...if you're traveling internationally they are the only credit card I know of that does not have an international currency conversion fee which can add up if you'll be traveling for a while.

 

[Marionnette]

Would absolutely recommend Capital One. Not only can you accrue points that can be used on any airline, but they have the "erase a charge" option where you can make a purchase and then later erase all or a part of it with your points.

And...if you're traveling internationally they are the only credit card I know of that does not have an international currency conversion fee which can add up if you'll be traveling for a while.

Chase Sapphire Preferred has the same benefits. You can use their Ultimate Rewards to request a check, get a statement credit (for anything, not just travel), and get gift cards. You can shop through their shopping portal to increase your points.

The have no foreign transaction fees. They cover you for rental car insurance. They cover baggage delays and offer trip cancellation and interruption insurance on travel that you purchased with the card. If your travel is delayed by 12 hours or more and requires an overnight stay, they will cover your costs.

You get 2X points on dining and travel and a 7% bonus on all new points annually. If you book your travel through the Ultimate Rewards site, you get an additional reward point for every dollar spent.

And one of the nicest perks is that when you call Chase, you get concierge service. You don't go through a 5-minute digital menu that includes "Press 1 for English". You immediately get a real person.

 

[wallawallakids]

Have you looked into the Capital One Venture awards card? You get 2 miles for every dollar spent, 20,000 bonus miles, and there is no fee for the first year.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

.....

And...if you're traveling internationally they are the only credit card I know of that does not have an international currency conversion fee which can add up if you'll be traveling for a while.

There are many credit cards now which don't add a foreign transaction fee. You can find lists of these by Googling; I also mentioned one in my previous post.

 

[sunshinehighway]

Have you looked into the Capital One Venture awards card? You get 2 miles for every dollar spent, 20,000 bonus miles, and there is no fee for the first year.

I have the Ventureone (non annual fee version). The only thing I don't like about it is you cannot use your miles for a partial purchase. If you were booking airline tickets you'd either have to have enough points to cover all the tickets or book them separately.

There are a lot of cards out there that have no foreign transaction fee. Maybe you should look for one that is Offering a really good sign up bonus. That will get you off to a good start with your points or miles.

 

[pjlla]

Wow... thanks for so many wonderful responses and thanks for the link to the blog. I will definitely be checking it out.............P

 

[supersnoop]

If you want to travel internationally, I highly recommend you get a credit card that matches the airline you'll fly.

All these Chase or Capital One cards are essentially cash-back cards that can only be spent on travel. If you have 25,000 "miles" on one of them, you can get $250 in airfare. If you have 25,000 miles with an airline, you can get a domestic ticket regardless of price.

I usually redeem 100,000 miles for tickets that would otherwise cost $12,000. That would get you $1,000 worth with these point-based credit cards. The best "value" for miles is first or business class international tickets. Even then, in the off season, coach tickets to Europe should be 40,000 miles, which should be a decent value.

 

[Marionnette]

If you want to travel internationally, I highly recommend you get a credit card that matches the airline you'll fly.

All these Chase or Capital One cards are essentially cash-back cards that can only be spent on travel. If you have 25,000 "miles" on one of them, you can get $250 in airfare. If you have 25,000 miles with an airline, you can get a domestic ticket regardless of price.

I usually redeem 100,000 miles for tickets that would otherwise cost $12,000. That would get you $1,000 worth with these point-based credit cards. The best "value" for miles is first or business class international tickets. Even then, in the off season, coach tickets to Europe should be 40,000 miles, which should be a decent value.

Wrong. The Chase Sapphire's points can be used on anything. For example, you could buy a laptop from an online store with the Chase Sapphire and use your Ultimate Rewards points toward a statement credit. You don't need to spend those points on travel.

 

[wiigirl]

I like a blog called million miles secrets...lots of info there I think United might be a good one, but not too sure for international travel

 

[supersnoop]

Wrong. The Chase Sapphire's points can be used on anything. For example, you could buy a laptop from an online store with the Chase Sapphire and use your Ultimate Rewards points toward a statement credit. You don't need to spend those points on travel.

So, it's basically a cash back card without the cash? What's the gimmick? Why is it worth more than a regular cash back card? Does it earn a higher reward?

 

[Marionnette]

So, it's basically a cash back card without the cash? What's the gimmick? Why is it worth more than a regular cash back card? Does it earn a higher reward?

No gimmicks. Just more flexible than a straight "airline miles" program that pigeonholes you into using your rewards solely for travel on a single airline and having to earn a minimum of rewards points so that you can redeem for an airline award with blackouts and restrictions.

As to the other advantages, I've already mentioned them previously in this thread.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I've heard lots of good things about the Chase Sapphire card (annual fee version)but I have also read its hard to get, especially with a limited credit history.

 

[mrsklamc]

I usually redeem 100,000 miles for tickets that would otherwise cost $12,000.

So you do this by choosing first or business class tickets in the off season?

 

[supersnoop]

So you do this by choosing first or business class tickets in the off season?

You can do it peak season, as long as you're flexible with your dates. Most award tickets allow "open jaw" routing, so I look for flights to and from multiple cities and piece together an itinerary. We've flown into Brussels and out of Paris, and another time into Paris and out of Frankfurt. This last time, my wife continued to Madrid to do some research.

 

[supersnoop]

No gimmicks. Just more flexible than a straight "airline miles" program that pigeonholes you into using your rewards solely for travel on a single airline and having to earn a minimum of rewards points so that you can redeem for an airline award with blackouts and restrictions.

As to the other advantages, I've already mentioned them previously in this thread.

I'm genuinely trying to understand the value. Essentially, it's a 1.07% cash back card with a 2% category bonus and no foreign conversion fee. There are other cards that offer 1.25% or 1.5% cash back, and other with 5% cash back on certain categories. There are many cards with no foreign conversion fees. I just don't see the value in locking the points up in a program unless that program has the potential of significant savings.