Best Credit Card for Airline Miles

Air miles is generally related to the airline loyalty programs offered by airlines to their frequent flyers. It is carefully designed to attract regular customers by providing air rewards. On every purchase with these airlines that offer air miles, you get points or air miles. Later they can be redeemed to reduce the ticket charge for your next trip or to get a free air ticket. Many credit cards provide air miles as rewards when you book your air ticket using the card. To avail the air miles feature without having to use a credit card, you have to enroll in the frequent flier’s program offered by different airlines. Some airlines give different names to air miles like CV Points (Vistara Airways), FR Points (Air India) etc.

You can earn air miles by using credit cards. Credit cards that offer airline miles are large in number. You can earn air miles on all your purchases but the air miles rate differs depending on the card and transactions. Here are some ways through which you can earn air miles on a credit card.

• Air Miles as Welcome Gift

Credit cards award free air miles as a welcome gift when you use them for the first time. Basic credit cards will not have this feature. Credit cards with joining and annual fees offer these kinds of welcome gifts. For example, Citi PremierMiles Credit Card, one of the best credit cards to earn airline miles, offers 10,000 Miles as a welcome bonus.

• Air Miles as Milestone Bonus

Air Miles are rewarded by the credit card companies as a milestone bonus once you reach a specific threshold of the purchase amount. Airline miles credit cards offer them in the form of miles. 

• Accelerated Miles

Certain credit cards offer extra miles on booking flight tickets through the bank’s affiliated platform. By doing so, you can earn accelerated miles. If you book air tickets through the Air India website or through the Air India Mobile app, Air India SBI Signature Credit Card will credit you airline points.

• Air Miles Conversion

Some banks offer credit card reward points that can be converted into selected airlines’ air miles. You can choose them for a more flexible earning as well as a redemption rate.  

Credit cards air miles programs are of two types; co-branded air miles program and general air miles program. You can redeem air miles in both of them.

Here are the top 5 best credit cards for airline miles.

*All reward points mentioned can be converted to air miles.

 

If you have decided to choose one of the best travel credit cards, go for the one that offers a good welcome bonus. Look for credit cards co-branded with the favorite airlines of yours so you can join one of their best airline miles programs.