If it feels like every airline is dangling a big credit card bonus right now, you’re not imagining it. As summer travel ramps up, Alaska, American, and Delta, are all running elevated welcome offers on their co-branded cards and United just wrapped up its own increased offers a couple of weeks ago.
Continue reading: Airlines Are Offering Huge Credit Card Bonuses This Summer — But Do They Make Sense?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Only if you're going to get the benefits greater than the annual fee. To spend $700 for a cc and fly that airline 2-3 times a year doesn't make much economic sense. But there's always the bragging rights to entering an airline club.
No, George, that's the calculation for 'keeping' the card beyond that first year after the SUB. C'mon.
I know that an article like this one isn't the top feature of your blog, but even having a post like this written using AI is really damaging to your overall credibility. Beware the lollypop of AI. Lick it once and you'll suck forever.
Your articles are amazing and genuinely insightful. As someone from outside the USA where almost all you talk about is illegal or irrelevant its just purely interesting to me especially as it relates to the airline industry.
I have 2 credit cards, which I have held since 1997 and 2001! From you write that would be rare in the USA!
Funny, I thought the same thing. This doesn't sound like your "voice," Ben. It reads like AI. Not being critical. I love the heck out of this blog. But if this one really was your writing, sorry. It really seemed like something from an inferior corporate blog rather than something from OMAAT.
I wanted to get the 90 K Delta sky miles. But then I found out all it would get me was an award flight from JFK to EWR.
The suggested question of "Will you actually fly this airline?" seems to go against one of the most common tips here: to use miles on partner airlines for arbitrage opportunities. I have a hard time believing that's not AI. Likewise with the suggestion to only pick up a card if it makes sense beyond the first year.
Good point, Andrew. Keeper-cards are nice, but also, antithetical to the whole idea of ‘churning.’
What's with this AI crap? Had to stop reading halfway through. Don't do this, Ben.
@BBT Not bad actually. I thought I would still only be in Queens flying one way from JFK to LGA on a basic economy ticket based on 90k miles. Someone would tell us it would be our honor to fly such a premium airline with their premium miles. Delta’s miles are as premium as Hilton Honors points.
Maybe the increased sign up bonuses are a sign that the airlines are finally killing their golden geese. CC's like the chase sapphire reserve and others have been jacking up their annual fees and just expected everyone to keep paying. But people are realizing that points are worth less than before and the hassle of redeeming them is becoming a huge barrier.
All those breathless corporate statements about generating billions from their credit card partners must be coming up short, hence trying to goose the numbers with higher one time bonuses. Anecdotally, while I still keep a fair number of travel-focused CCs because I travel a lot, a lot of friends and family have quietly dropped travel cards and gone back to simple cash back cards. It'll be interesting to see next year's annual statements to see if airlines have finally hit a wall in terms of people throwing up their hands and just exiting the game entirely.
Only if you're going to get the benefits greater than the annual fee. To spend $700 for a cc and fly that airline 2-3 times a year doesn't make much economic sense. But there's always the bragging rights to entering an airline club.
No, George, that's the calculation for 'keeping' the card beyond that first year after the SUB. C'mon.
I know that an article like this one isn't the top feature of your blog, but even having a post like this written using AI is really damaging to your overall credibility. Beware the lollypop of AI. Lick it once and you'll suck forever.
Funny, I thought the same thing. This doesn't sound like your "voice," Ben. It reads like AI. Not being critical. I love the heck out of this blog. But if this one really was your writing, sorry. It really seemed like something from an inferior corporate blog rather than something from OMAAT.
The suggested question of "Will you actually fly this airline?" seems to go against one of the most common tips here: to use miles on partner airlines for arbitrage opportunities. I have a hard time believing that's not AI. Likewise with the suggestion to only pick up a card if it makes sense beyond the first year.
Good point, Andrew. Keeper-cards are nice, but also, antithetical to the whole idea of ‘churning.’
Your articles are amazing and genuinely insightful. As someone from outside the USA where almost all you talk about is illegal or irrelevant its just purely interesting to me especially as it relates to the airline industry.
I have 2 credit cards, which I have held since 1997 and 2001! From you write that would be rare in the USA!
I took the Citi card through your link last month. Thanks again!!!
I wanted to get the 90 K Delta sky miles. But then I found out all it would get me was an award flight from JFK to EWR.
@BBT Not bad actually. I thought I would still only be in Queens flying one way from JFK to LGA on a basic economy ticket based on 90k miles. Someone would tell us it would be our honor to fly such a premium airline with their premium miles. Delta’s miles are as premium as Hilton Honors points.
What's with this AI crap? Had to stop reading halfway through. Don't do this, Ben.
The whole set up of the writing does not feel very Ben style either.
Maybe the increased sign up bonuses are a sign that the airlines are finally killing their golden geese. CC's like the chase sapphire reserve and others have been jacking up their annual fees and just expected everyone to keep paying. But people are realizing that points are worth less than before and the hassle of redeeming them is becoming a huge barrier.
All those breathless corporate statements about generating billions from their credit card partners must be coming up short, hence trying to goose the numbers with higher one time bonuses. Anecdotally, while I still keep a fair number of travel-focused CCs because I travel a lot, a lot of friends and family have quietly dropped travel cards and gone back to simple cash back cards. It'll be interesting to see next year's annual statements to see if airlines have finally hit a wall in terms of people throwing up their hands and just exiting the game entirely.