Which Credit Card is Right for You?

Over the past week, I have been asked a few times which mileage earning credit I would recommend. In college, one of my favorite professors use to say, “If you have a question on something, it is high likelihood that others in the class have the same question. So ask the question.” Using that logic, I thought I would share my opinion.

If you are looking to add a mileage earning credit card to your wallet, you should ask yourself the following questions:

1)      What credit cards do you already have?

2)      What is your end goal in collecting miles? A free flight? A free hotel?  A dream vacation?

3)      Looking over the last two years, what airline did you fly the most? What hotel chain did you stay at the most?

4)      How many flights did you take this year?

5)      How much money do you spend in a given month?

Let’s use my friend Clay as an example:

1)      What credit cards do you already have, Clay? Chase Marriott only.

2)      What is your end goal? To go on vacation with my girlfriend.

3)      What airline and hotel did you fly the most over the last two years? United and Frontier and Marriott.

4)      How many flights have you taken this year? About 5, equally split between the two airlines.

5)      How much do you spend in a given month? A couple thousand a month between rent, utilities, & personal expenses.

With the answers to these 5 questions, we have learned a lot. For instance, since Clay’s end goal is that

he wants to go vacation, we know he will need flights and hotel nights. Since, he already has the Chase

Marriott card and stays at Marriott, we can assume he has Marriott points; therefore, eliminating the

need for hotel nights.

Now redefining the end goal as free flights, we can focus our attention on credit cards that earn miles. 

Looking at his travel patterns over the past two years, we see he spends time on both United and

Frontier Airlines. I suggested him focus only on United, as it is a member of the Star Alliance giving

him access to 20+ airlines.

There are a few credit cards that come to mind that allow people to earn miles on United: United 

Mileage Plus Explorer Card, United Mileage Plus Club Card and Chase Sapphire. To decide which

credit card fits Clay best, one needs to look at the benefits of each card; ie free bags, lounge access, 

priority boarding. After a quick conversation with Clay, I learned that he does not need free bags

because work pays for them on his business trips and he flies home normally on Frontier. With that

information, I told him he should apply for Chase Sapphire (40,000 Ultimate Rewards after spending 

$3,000 in three months) and have the ability to transfer to many airlines (United, Korean Air,

Southwest and British Airways.)

The last of the five questions is to determine if you can meet the spend threshold to get the sign-up 

bonus. If you can’t hit the spend threshold and snag the bonus, then don’t apply for that particular card. 

The sign-up bonuses are where you are going to get the most bang for your buck.

The ability to hit a spend threshold was critical in my recommendation to another friend. This law student 

flies exclusively on US Airways and has a limited budget. My recommendation was a no brainer – the 

Barclay US Airways Dividend Miles MasterCard with a 30,000 mile sign-up bonus after your first 

purchase.

If you are questioning which credit card should fill your wallet, answer the five questions above honestly 

and the answer will become much clearer. The first step in succeeding in the frequent flyer game is to get 

a mileage earning credit card, so you leave no points behind.

Happy Applying!!!