Yesterday in Nashville I had a great time chatting with a friend over a fabulous dinner at Ellendale’s (seriously, that place is great, check it out!!). She has been traveling sporadically for work for a while, but the travel has been more often and consistent the last few months. When the check came, she commented that it annoyed her that she didn’t have a corporate card yet like I do. “But it’s better not to have one!” I said, very surprised. “You get more points that way!”
“Points?” she asked.
Oh dear. Now, I am not the points-master at all. There are a zillion blogs on the topic, with some really awesome ones on Boarding Area like Mommy Points, Deals We Like, Loyalty Traveler, and Aadvantage Geek (just to name a very few). But let me tell you, the first thing I did when I was hired for this travel-heavy job was apply for the Citi Aadvantage card. That extra 1-2k points per month can really add up! When my friend told me she has to purchase her airline tickets as well, first I was jealous, and then I said, “Get a miles card NOW! You usually get extra points when you buy airfare with them!”
If you have to have a card to pay for work stuff, you may as well get as much out of it as you can. There are tons of options, like the Citi Aadvantage card I use, the AmEx Platinum that so many of my readers love, and others. Seriously, if you travel for work, please get a card that gives you some sort of rewards. You deserve it!
ETA: Thanks to commenter Hiker T for an excellent point. Make sure if you are considering a rewards card, you find a great signing bonus. Consult any of the blogs I mentioned above for current promos, or if anyone wants to post one here that works too.
Unless you spend a lot, the bulk of the miles reaped from mileage cards come from the sign up bonuses. The rest is relatively insignificant. If your friend signs up for a card through those links she’s likely getting a lesser offer (and giving up ~30K in sign up bonuses). I think you may have missed the forest through the trees here.
Excellent point Hiker T! Thanks for the catch.
Totally agree with the post and with HikerT. I have this conversation with friends and family members all the time. :)I wouldn’t say it’s “all about the sign-up bonus”, but it is “a lot about the sign-up bonus”. 🙂 If you are using a card for significant business spend and/or for the significant spend that comes from running a family, the month totals absolutely do add up, but make sure you also maximize with at great sign-up bonus. I did a post recently on what I though were the best current offers (though AA is now down from 75K to 50K), and you are correct that there are tons of great info on many other blogs as well. In addition to the ones you listed, I would also point your friend (and any others looking for the best sign-up bonus) to Million Mile Secrets, The Points Guy, Frugal Travel Guy, and the Miles Buzz section of Flyertalk.
Way to go encouraging your friend to get in the points game!
And does she stay in hotels?
Get her on the Sapphire Preferred or Starwood Preferred Guest train. It’s not just about miles, it’s about flexible miles you can transfer!
http://milecards.com/1448/credit-cards-with-airline-mile-transfer-feature/
No business traveler without a corporate card should be without an airline specific card (for the bonus on airline purchases), a hotel card (for the big bonuses on hotel spend), and a multi-airline/hotel card (for the rest of spend to consolidate).
I have heard great things about the AmEx card and am seriously thinking about getting one. Thanks for the tips!