Day 9: Earn Big with Credit Cards

Important Note: We talk about credit cards on our blog because they are an important part of the “game.” Any credit card links in this post will be public application links taken from the issuer's direct website. We do not earn income from you applying from the links. Similarly, please take an extra minute or two before applying for credit cards. If you do not pay your credit card balance off every month then you should stay away from this aspect of the game. Credit cards can lead to major long-term problems if not used correctly. I encourage you to read my post on Young People and the Chains of Credit Card Debt for more details.  

Credit cards can be a valuable way to earn miles. One of the fast ways to increase your mileage account balances is signing up for credit cards. Nowadays, most mileage/point earning credit cards come with big sign-up bonus; anywhere from 25,000-100,000 miles/points. As stated in previous posts, I will only be focusing on credit cards that earn United miles. However, almost every airline and hotel chain now has at least one credit card, if not more; therefore, what I write below can be applied to many other frequently flyer/stayer programs.

The obvious place to start a conversation about earning United miles is the Chase United Mileage Plus Credit Card. As you will soon see, United's credit card partner in crime is Chase, which is a good thing.

The current offer on the Chase United Mileage Plus Explorer card is 30,000 miles after $1,000 in 3 months.

The 30,000 mile bonus is good, but I have seen it as high as 50,000 miles. If you are not in desperate need of miles, I would wait. Typically, the best place to find the higher offers is in your United Mileage Plus account. Log into your account and look for a banner ad for their credit card similar to the one below. I had to refresh my page twice before the following ad appeared.

My banner ad led me to the 30,000 offer, but check ever so often. Typically, the bigger bonus offers appear in your account page before going public.

The card earns 2 miles for ever $1 spent on tickets purchased at United and 1 miles per $1 spent on all other purchases. The card offers two other ways of earning miles. First, add an authorized user within the first three months and earn 5,000 mile. Second, spend $25,000 miles in a calender year and earn 10,000 bonus miles.

Another card that earns United miles is the United MilagePlus Club card. It does not provide a sign-up bonus, but does let you earn 1.5 miles per $1 spent.

Chris wrote here about a possible way of getting this card with no annual fee for the first year. Both the MileagePlus Explorer and Club Card come in business versions with similar offers. If you live outside the United States, check this United page to see if they offer a card for where you live.

With the obvious credit cards to earn United miles out of the way, here are three others to consider.

My favorite credit card in my possession is the Chase Sapphire.

The current offer for the Chase Sapphire is a 40,000 mile sign-up bonus after spending $3,000 in 3 months.

The card earns 2 Ultimate Reward points per $1 spent at restaurants and on travel and 1 Ultimate Reward point per $1 spent on everything else. Also, the definition of "travel" is pretty large and includes taxis, metro, and parking.

One does not earn United miles directly from the Chase Sapphire, but Ultimate Reward points, the currency of Chase Sapphire, can be transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio. Ultimate Reward points can be transfer to the following travel partners:

Another card that allows you to transfer to United is the Chase Ink Plus Business.

As you can see, the current offer is 50,000 points after you spend $5,000 in the first 3 months. The card offers the following earning opportunities:

The final card is the Chase Ink Bold Business.

The card is very similar to the Chase Ink Plus Business:

Conclusion 

No other option that we will talk about this month will increase your mileage balance like applying for credit cards. However, if you don't pay off your credit card balance each month then don't apply for credit card. The interest you will pay on the outstanding balances will wipe away any benefit the miles might give you.

If paying off your credit card balances each month then mileage earning credit cards can help you see the world. Your travel goals are within your reach, but you have take the first step.

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