Money Blue Book

Updated List Of The Top Airline Credit Card Rewards and Offers Below

I have a friend who is absolutely nutty about frequent flyer miles. Because he has family and relatives who live all over the place - in New York, Chicago, India, and England to name a few, he travels by airplane quite frequently. It’s not just him either. His new wife and immediate family members always seem to be on the go, and over time they’ve become quite the experts at taking advantage of discount airline tickets and cheap airfare deals. One of their smartest moves was to make sure that they always purchase their airline tickets using an airline miles credit card - to leverage the cumulative cost-saving power of frequent flyer miles. Not only does this have the added benefit of protection against airline bankruptcy risk (a real possibility these days), it also affords them the opportunity to earn substantial amounts of frequent flier miles redeemable for future free flights. By focusing their ordinary credit card purchases to earn airline miles, they’ve been able to fly for free many times - both domestically and internationally. These international airline reservations to fly across the oceanic pond definitely don’t come cheap either - each coach class international flight can cost in excess of $1,000 - so getting some of the airline tickets for free has definitely been a nice bonus.

Despite The Common Annual Fee and High Interest Rates Involved, Frequent Flyers Who Pay Off Their Credit Card Balance Every Month Will Benefit Greatly From Airline Travel Reward Cards

The attractive appeal of airline mile credit cards stem from their ability to earn and save up a substantial amount of frequent flyer miles over time, redeemable for free or heavily discounted airline tickets in the future. However, the use of airline travel reward cards does require a bit of patience since flight miles rewards can’t be redeemed or converted into free or discounted flights until the required redemption amount has been attained. Less patient people like myself usually stick with cash back credit cards or plain old reward credit cards that automatically accrue rebate rewards as you go along. But those who consider themselves frequent flyers, business travelers, or simply individuals who like the idea of saving up for a huge reward prize rather than redeeming for smaller incremental rewards throughout the year - may benefit greatly from frequent flier credit card offers. However, potential card applicants should keep in mind that because of the pricey nature of airline tickets, to earn enough mileage rewards with your travel reward credit card to qualify for a free airline ticket will necessitate quite a bit of spending. If you only use your credit card for a few dollars of purchases here and there every few months, it will likely take you forever to save up the necessary amount to redeem for even a cheap domestic ticket. However, if you are a big credit card spender and use credit cards to do all of your regular purchasing, and don’t mind channeling your credit card reward earning efforts towards accruing frequent flyer miles, you will benefit greatly from the free flight reward potential of airline credit cards.

Redeeming airline miles for free flights is usually a straight forward process with most travel reward and airline specific credit cards. Actual program terms vary, but miles are usually offered at a rate of 1 or 2 point(s) per $1 spent using the card. Most of the time, once you hit a certain total point or miles level (15,000 miles for example), you are permitted to call in a request for a free flight. International flights will obviously demand more mileage than U.S. domestic flights.

A few other important things concerning airline reward credit cards to be aware about is that they tend to charge annual fees of $75-$100 or more, as well as impose slightly higher APR interest rates compared to other types of credit card reward programs. But if you are a responsible credit card user and always pay off your balance on time every month, the interest rate effect will be minimal. The credit card annual fee amount may seem like a lot to the common consumer, but if you are someone who flies frequently several times or more throughout the year, any residual financial pain felt by having to pay an annual fee will be easily offset by the chance to earn free airline flights.

Airline Brand Specific Credit Cards Vs. Non-Airline Specific Travel Rewards Cards

While most airlines carriers impose frequent flyer miles expiration dates, many if not most airline travel credit card programs have no mileage expiration. This is important and useful because it affords cardholders the proper extended time needed to save up for the frequent flyer trip of their choice. No one wants to feel pressured about having to redeem their flight miles for lesser travel rewards at the risk of forfeiture, especially in light of the given fact that sufficient airline miles take longer to accrue. While some card programs impose seat restrictions and flight reservation blackout dates during which cardholders are not permitted to get free flights for certain times of the calendar year, the vast majority of the flight reward programs out there do not impose such restrictions or limitations. All consumers who are interested in applying for an airline travel rewards card offer should most definitely stay away from cards that impose mileage expiration or blackout dates. There’s no point in being restricted like that as there are plenty of more flexible options available.

In my opinion, I think most frequent flyers and travelers should stick to bank sponsored or generic travel reward credit cards. The most significant benefit of choosing a general travel rewards card is that all of the mileage rewards earned can be redeemed and easily converted to be used towards any airline of your choice. Unlike reward programs offered by more restrictive airline credit cards, general travel reward cards impose no such airline carrier restrictions. They simply offer cardholders a lot more choice and seating options than having to stick with just one carrier.

However, if you frequently fly on one specific airline or collection of partner airlines, and foresee yourself doing the bulk of your future traveling with the same carrier, applying for a specific airline credit card may be beneficial. Airline specific cards tend to offer higher mileage reward rates for card purchases, and lower redemption requirements for free flights on their own planes. Specific airline cards also frequently offer cardholders the chance to earn double miles for certain qualified purchases, thus helping speed up the rate at which you can earn travel rewards. Airline credit cards also tend to lavish their customers with more travel perks than that offered by general travel reward programs - such perks often include car rental discounts and other exclusive business lounge type accommodations. Just something to keep in mind.

While the following are credit card offers that earn airline miles for ordinary purchases, those who wish to earn instant airline miles for free flights should take a look at this list (free airline miles credit card sign up offers).

The Best Non-Airline Specific Travel Reward Credit Card Offers - Miles Can Be Redeemed For Free Flights Towards Any Airline Carrier - (All annual fees if any are listed in parenthesis).

1. Capital One No Hassle Miles Ultra For Professionals - Earn 2 miles for each dollar spent on all purchases. No blackout dates or seating restrictions. No expiration date on miles and no limit on the miles that may be earned. (Annual fee: $39).
2. Capital One No Hassle Miles Rewards - Earn 1.25 miles for each dollar spent on purchases. No blackout dates or seating restrictions. No expiration date on miles and no limit on the miles you can earn. (No annual fee).
3. Chase Travel Plus Platinum Visa Card - Earn 2 miles per $1 on travel purchases including airline flights. Earn 1 mile per $1 on all other purchases. Miles can be redeemed for a variety of travel rewards including airline tickets, hotel stays, cruises, and car rentals. There are no blackout dates or limit on the miles you can earn. (No annual fee).
4. Miles by Discover Card - Earn double miles on up to $3,000 in travel and restaurant purchases each year. Also earn 1 mile for every $1 on all your other purchases. You can redeem your miles for travel with no blackout dates or restrictions. The program offers unlimited miles that never expire. (No Annual Fee).
5. Citi Premier Pass - Earn 1 reward point for every dollar charged, plus 1 point for every 3 miles you fly, and an additional 1 point for every 3 miles your companion flies if you bought the ticket. You can redeem your points for travel on any airline with no restriction or blackout dates. Points also never expire as long as you make one purchase every three years. Currently you can earn 10,000 instant bonus points after $300 in purchases in 3 months. (No annual fee).
6. Citi Premier Pass Card-Elite Level - Earn 2 points for every $1 spent at gas stations, supermarkets and drugstores, plus earn 1 point for every $1 spent on all other purchases. You can also earn 1 point for every mile you fly on any airline and another 1 Thank You point for every mile flown by anyone else whose ticket you bought with your card. Currently you can earn 20,000 instant bonus points after $600 in purchases in 3 months. You can redeem for free airline travel on any airline with no carrier restriction or blackout dates. Points don’t expire as long as you make one purchase every three years. (Annual fee is $75).
7. American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card - Earn 1 point for every dollar purchase you spend on the card. Points can be redeemed for free travel rewards from 21 airlines, hundreds of hotels worldwide, for vacation packages, cruises, and spa retreats. They can also be transferred onto 11 frequent flyer programs (conversion rate of 1 point for 1 airline mile with most programs). The earned points have no expiration and there is no limit to the number of points that can be accrued. Currently you can earn 5,000 Membership Rewards bonus points after your first purchase with the card, redeemable for a $50 gift card. This is a no pre-set spending limit card offer. (No annual fee for the first year - $95 thereafter).
8. Blue Sky From American Express - Earn 1 point for every dollar you spend. There are no blackout dates, no travel restrictions, no mileage caps, and no expiration dates. You can redeem points to save on any airline, hotel, rental car or cruise - the card program is very flexible. (No annual fee).
9. American Express Starwood Preferred - Earn 1 Starpoint for every dollar of eligible spending and double Starpoints at participating Starwood properties and retail outlets. This one is actually one of my best airline rewards card due to its flexibility and ability to transfer miles onto frequent flyer programs. Currently you can earn 10,000 Starpoints with your first purchase - enough for up to 3 free nights at a category 1 or 2 hotel, as well as 15,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 in 6 months. (No annual fee for the first year - $45 fee thereafter).

The Best Airline Specific Reward Credit Card Offers For Those Who Are Frequent Flyers Of Particular Airline Carriers - Remember that these airline miles are usually only good towards their own carrier:

1. Delta Airlines - SkyMiles Gold Card From American Express - Earn double Delta Sky Miles on every $1 you spend at supermarkets, drugstores, and gas stations. Earn 1 Sky Mile for $1 spent on everything else. Miles do not expire as long as you earn or redeem miles at least once every two years. There is a 60,000 mile per year mileage cap. Currently after your first purchase you earn an instant 15,000 bonus miles reward. Free Delta flights start at just 10,000 miles. In addition, if you add additional card members to your account, the program will provide you an extra 2,500 miles per card member. (No annual fee for the first year - $85 fee thereafter).
2. Delta Airlines- SkyMiles Platinum Card From American Express - Earn double miles on every eligible dollar you spend at supermarkets, drugstores, gas stations, home improvement stores, and post offices. Also earn double miles when you use your airline credit card to pay your wireless phone bill or use for Delta Airline purchases. Delta airline miles never expire and you can earn unlimited miles. Currently after your first purchase you can earn 20,000 instant bonus Sky Miles (including 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles). You can also earn 2,500 bonus miles for adding an additional card member. Free Delta Airline flights start at 10,000 miles. (Annual fee is $135 a year).
3. American Airlines - Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage® World Master Card - Earn 1 AAdvantage ® mile for every $1 spent on purchases. There are no blackout dates for travel on American Airline carriers and your miles never expire. You can redeem miles for travel on American Airlines and for free flights on 25 other airlines as well as rewards for car rental and hotel stays. Currently you can earn 25,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® instant bonus miles after you make $750 in purchases within 4 months of becoming a card member - enough for a travel award. This is a no pre-set spending limit card offer. (No annual fee for the first year - $85 thereafter).
4. Jet Blue Airlines - Business Card from American Express - Earn double TrueBlue award points on Jet Blue purchases, gas, wireless phone charges, and more. Otherwise, earn 1 award point for every dollar you spend with this card. Exclusive benefit for JetBlue Business Card members: 5% savings on JetBlue flights purchased with your reward credit card. Currently after your first purchase, you can earn an instant 50 TrueBlue points, worth half of a free flight. Your TrueBlue points don’t expire so long as there is card account activity. (Annual fee is $40).

The scenario I am about to paint is very real. Let’s say you are planning for a dream vacation. Or maybe it’s your honeymoon and you are eager to fly somewhere romantic and spend a week at some remote tropical destination. Or maybe you are splurging for an exciting few days on a luxury cruise ship. Either way, rather than booking your travel reservations through a traditional travel agent, you decide to do it yourself through an online discount travel broker such as Expedia, Travelocity, or Orbitz. You don’t like to use credit cards so you decide to pay your reservations using a debit card or even by check. A month passes and now it’s only a week before your scheduled trip. Suddenly you get a phone call or an email advising you that your travel plans have been halted indefinitely because the travel agency that scheduled your itinerary has declared bankruptcy or gone out of business. Maybe it’s not the travel agent but the airline or cruise ship company that has gone bankrupt. The chances of that happening may be slight, but the consequences can be financially disastrous. That’s why it’s important to protect your upfront reservation money by using credit card payment. Under the Fair Credit Billing Act (FCBA), credit card consumers who purchase with a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card are afforded substantially more purchase protections then those who make payment using cash, money orders, or debit cards. These days, airline credit cards also offer a wide variety of free miles and travel rewards to encourage their use.

How To Get A Refund When Your Airline Or Travel Agency Goes Bankrupt

A few days ago, I read in the news that Aloha Airlines had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Shortly after that, low cost ATA airlines joined the bankruptcy bench as well. Around the same time, I checked my Facebook account and saw that one of my friends was freaking out about the recent ATA bankruptcy filing. Apparently she had purchased several tickets for a trip to Hawaii on ATA airlines and had received e-mail word from the bankrupt company that all flights were now being halted and canceled with no refunds being honored. The total amount in danger was in excess of a $1,000. Thankfully I later found out she had made payment using her trusty credit card instead of using her debit card like she normally did. Because she paid by credit, she was able to dispute the charge and fully recover her money through the credit company by calling on the charge back provision for services un-rendered. Thousands of other customers may not be so lucky and may ultimately lose their money. If my friend had purchased using cash or debit, she would have fallen into a long uncertain line of unsecured creditors hoping for a handout from the bankruptcy court. Even those who had purchased additional travel insurance would have been unable to rely on it as the vast majority of travel and flight insurance policies do not cover air carrier insolvency.

Assuming you made the right decision by purchasing your tickets with a credit card, the minute that you hear news of the demise of your airline or travel agency, you should immediately dispute your credit card charge. By doing so, you have a much higher chance of getting your money back. Don’t pin your hopes on a favorable resolution by calling your travel agent or contacting the airline company directly since they will probably be swamped with angry calls at that time. You are likely to encounter nothing but a newly installed automated refund phone line or website designed to deflect inquiries. Sometimes airlines will offer the ability to transfer your flight to a bigger codeshare partner airline, but that is not always the case. Most online discount travel sites such as Hotwire or Priceline are unlikely to issue refunds in the event your airline goes bankrupt.

To dispute a credit charge, contact your credit card issuer, whether it be Citibank, Chase, or American Express, and request a charge back pursuant to the Fair Credit Billing Act. Under the Act, open-end credit accounts such as credit cards are governed by a strict set of federally mandated dispute settlement procedures. Disputes regarding fraudulent credit card charges, unexplained transactions, and charges for goods and services you didn’t accept or weren’t delivered as agreed are all covered. Here are the steps you will need to take to guarantee your credit card purchase rights:

1. Write to the credit card issuer at the address given for billing inquiries or bill disputes (not the address for sending payment), and be sure to state your name, card account number, and address.
2. State that your airline or travel agency has declared bankruptcy and has ceased operations, that you will not receive the services that you charged to your account, and that you are requesting a billing error credit along with a charge back while the credit company is investigating the matter.
3. Enclose a photocopy of the ticket, itinerary or receipt if possible, and indicate the price of the transportation and the date it was purchased. Remember to keep the original copies. If the transportation was partially used, identify the used and unused segments.
4. You must send the dispute letter by U.S. postal service, preferably by certified mail, with a tracking number and return receipt requested.
5. You must also submit your billing dispute letter so that it reaches your credit card company within 60 days after the first bill containing the error was mailed to you.

Don’t Think That It Can’t Happen To You

The airline travel industry has been rocked by soaring jet fuel prices lately and lingering questions persist about the ability of certain airlines to remain operational. As such, airline companies have struggled to keep a lid on costs while still keeping airline ticket prices competitive. However, there are simply too many airlines out there competing for too few passengers, and the intense competition has caused some companies to drop out or engage in mergers. Even the big airlines are not immune. In the last few years, most of the major airlines have filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at some point or another, including U.S. Airways, United Airlines, Air Canada, Northwest Airlines, and Delta Airlines.

When a company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, passengers and customers who aren’t protected by third party payment protection lose everything. During a Chapter 11, the airline corporation continues to run its business operation as normal while it undergoes debt and contractual restructuring. However, during this time, it is not bound or required to honor prior purchase obligations under the grant of an automatic stay that prevents creditors from collecting unpaid debts while the bankruptcy protection is in force.

At the end of the restructuring period when the troubled company finally emerges from bankruptcy, which may take months or even years, the bankruptcy court usually gives the company a fresh start by granting a partial or full relief from all outstanding debts. If you were one of those unlucky few who purchased tickets using an unprotected method of payment, then you are out of luck and will likely end up with nothing. Consumers usually fall into the category of unsecured creditors. Under bankruptcy law, unsecured creditors have the lowest priority in terms of prevailing in their claims against the residual assets of a bankrupt company. This is one of the many reasons why I am such a staunch proponent of the use of reward credit cards by responsible consumers.

Not too long ago I went on vacation in East Asia. While I was there I had the fortune to be accompanied by local friends who could spot me so I didn’t need to convert my American dollars into local currency. However there were at least two occasions when I glanced upon several beautiful small wooden art pieces that I wanted to buy. While I had a few local currency bills on me, it wasn’t enough to buy the slightly expensive art pieces. So I had to resort to what I ordinarily would do back home in the United States - pull out my credit card. Fortunately, I had the foresight prior to traveling to another country, to research and familiarize myself with credit card foreign currency exchange fees.

Watch Out For Hidden Credit Card Foreign Currency Exchange Charges

While foreign currency exchange fees are now generally listed and disclosed by credit card companies, card issuers rarely publicize these hidden charges, preferring to leave them in the fine print. While some complain that the majority of these interchange fees are not used to process the actual currency exchange, but rather used to fund credit card reward programs and other direct advertising campaigns, the real concern is the lack of education when it comes to incurring these fees. Frequently, consumers who use their credit cards overseas come home to the unwelcome surprise of costly fees on their billing statement.

The foreign currency transaction fee for credit card purchases is comprised of two parts - the fee percentage charged by the card payment network (such as Visa, Master Card, Discover, American Express) and the fee percentage added by the card issuer (such as Citibank, Chase, Bank of America). Visa and Mastercard impose a standard 1% fee on all foreign currency charges to cover the expense of converting your foreign currency purchases back into U.S. dollars. The fee is imposed on the card issuer, but the expense is usually passed onto the consumer. Banks and card issuers that issue Visa and Mastercard also tack on their own additional transaction fee to the total - usually another 2%.

American Express does not have an extra card issuer fee, but it does impose its own foreign currency conversion charge of 2%. Discover Card is the only card payment network that levies no foreign purchase transaction fee, however, I challenge you to find a place overseas that actually accepts Discover Card. I think those living abroad probably have never heard of Discover before, likely thinking it’s some off shoot of Visa or Master Card.

Credit Card Issuers That Have No Foreign Currency Transaction Fees

Capital One is one of two major issuers that charges no foreign currency transaction fee for credit card purchases made abroad. While Visa and Mastercard still levy fees on Capital One - the card issuer has made the conscientious decision to waive the fees as a cost of attracting customers. Thus it looks like your best foreign purchase bet would be to apply for a Capital One Visa Or Mastercard to avoid the expensive and cumulative currency exchange transaction fees. I personally have the Capital One No Hassle Miles Card, which I use to earn 1.25 miles on each dollar spent, good for any airline with no seating restrictions, mileage cap, or expiration date on miles earned.

Discover Card is the other issuer, but it’s not as widely accepted outside of the United States, making its international usability somewhat limited.

List of Credit Card Foreign Transaction Fees Sorted From Lowest to Highest

Today, most of these foreign transaction fees are laid out in more readable form on your monthly credit card statement. Sometimes they are denoted by a simple asterisk indicating the fee percentage that was levied, while some card issuers will list the actual dollar amount of the transaction fee portion. The transaction fees I’ve provided below include the total combined charges imposed by both the card issuer and the card payment network.

Reminder Before Using Your Credit Card To Make Foreign Purchases

Modern credit card programs today implement sophisticated transaction software to detect fraudulent and unauthorized credit card activity. If your card has always been used in the New York tri-state region for example, but suddenly credit charges start streaming in from some place like Thailand or Indonesia, your card issuer may raise an eyebrow and start declining those international charges as part of their anti-fraud measures. A quick e-mail or phone call to your credit card company before you travel should prevent such an inconvenience from happening.

Credit Card Users Who Have Made Credit Purchases Abroad May Be Entitled To A Cash Settlement

If you made a foreign transaction using your Visa, Mastercard, or Diner’s Club credit card at least once between February 1, 1996 and November 8, 2006, you may be entitled to claim money from a legal settlement. In response to an anti-trust class action lawsuit brought against Visa, Mastercard, and Diner’s Club for alleged fraud and conspiracy to fix and conceal foreign currency transaction fees on credit card purchases to the detriment of card issuers and consumers, a legal settlement has been worked out. Under the settlement terms of In re Currency Conversion Fee Antitrust Litigation (MDL 1409), those who fall under the plaintiff class have three ways to participate and claim their settlement money.

While two of the options require that you gather your billing statements and receipts to verify the estimated value of your foreign credit card purchases, the simplest method for most is to file for the Easy Refund option, which is the route I personally took. As noted, this option is recommended if you traveled outside of the U.S. for less than one week or had foreign transactions of less than $2,500 using your eligible cards during the 1996 to 2006 period.

Well a year has passed since I started earning and accumulating Citi Thank You Reward Points using my squadron of Citibank credit cards, and now it’s time to redeem them for some well deserved purchase rewards. I own three of them myself, but here are 5 of the top Citibank cards when it comes to earning ThankYou reward points:

ThankYou Citi Credit Cards Offering At Least 5% Back For Purchases - With Current Thank You Promotions

1. Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards Card - 5% off for gas, groceries, and drugs. 6,000 bonus ThankYou Points.
2. Citi Professional Mastercard With ThankYou Network - 3% off for restaurants and gas. 10,000 bonus ThankYou Points.
3. Citi Premier Pass Master Card - 10,000 bonus points after $300 in purchases made within 3 months of account opening.
4. Citi mtvU Platinum Select for Students - 5% restaurants, movies, and books.
5. Citi Driver’s Edge Platinum Select for Students - 3% rebate for gas, groceries, and drugs.

Pros and Benefits Of Using Citi Thank You Reward Point Credit Cards

While I like cash back credit card offers as much as the next guy, these days, the highest rebate offers are provided by reward cards, not cash back cards. Card reward programs like Citibank’s Thank You Network tend to offer much higher purchase rebate potential than regular cash back cards. Ever since Citibank ended the good ole days of the former 5% cash back Citi Dividend Card, most card companies have followed suit and scaled back their cash rebate offers in favor of reward point cards.

In terms of reward programs, Citi’s Thank You Network is one of the better ones since they offer a pretty wide selection of redeemable rewards. The program offers everything from your standard cash reward to electronic merchandise. Other popular rewards include statement credit, student loan money, gift cards, home appliances, and free airline rewards.

Cons and Drawbacks Of Earning and Redeeming Citi Thank You Points

The biggest downside of earning reward points through programs like Citibank’s ThankYou Network is that they tend to require a more hands on approach to keep tabs on accumulated points. Unlike cash back cards, the points that reward cards earn usually have an expiration date. When it comes to ThankYou points, the expiration date varies and depends on the specific terms of each card. Despite the extra tracking hassle, I don’t really mind the extra management steps needed to earn the higher money back potential.

The other downside of using a card that only provides reward points is the redemption ratio. You have to really pay attention to the conversion ratio when you are redeeming your reward points to make sure you are getting the best deal (this may get a little bit tricky). Let me explain: Firstly, I have to presume the standard base card rebate rate is 1% back, although most Citi ThankYou credit cards do offer 5% back which will allow you to earn points even quicker for certain category of purchases. But with the standard rate, this means for every $100 you spend in real purchases, you should earn the rebate redemption equivalent of $1 in rewards (1% back). Thus you would need to spend at least $1,000 to earn enough to redeem a $10 gift card with a perfect 100% redemption rate of ($100 purchases = 100 ThankYou Points = $1 reward redemption value equivalent).

In general, the more versatile the reward (like cash and statement credit) the worse the redemption ratio. For cash rewards, the current best ThankYou redemption rate is only 16,000 points for a $100 gift card. This comes out to a redemption rate of only 62.5% of what you should potentially get - which is terrible.

For statement credit, the current best ThankYou redemption rate is only 35,000 points for $250 in statement credit. This comes out to a redemption rate of 71.43% - better than the ratio for cash, but still not a perfect 100%, which is what we would strive for if we wanted the perfect 1:1 redemption ratio offered by cash back cards.

How To Get The Most Bang For Your Buck When It Comes To Redeeming Citi ThankYou Points

If you want to get the highest rebate potential, reward point cards that offer Citi ThankYou points is the way to go. But if you want to maximize your reward redemption potential, you must make sure you redeem your points for rewards that offer you the highest 100% redemption rate. You’ll need to actively browse around your ThankYou member account to see which rewards offer the best redemption. Avoid the lower value gift cards as they don’t offer a good exchange.

Just A Few Examples Of ThankYou Rewards That Offer the Top Redemption Rate:

• $100 Marshalls Gift Card for 10,000 points - My favorite deal since I love shopping at Marshalls for clothing. They offer some of the best clothing bargains for deal hunters like me.
• All retail store gift cards $100 or above that allows you to get a $100 gift card for 10,000 points. Store brands offering this deal include Nike, Footlocker, Old Navy, Gap, TJ Maxx, Circuit City, Waldenbooks, Bath and Body Works, Bed Bath and Beyond, Pier 1, Macys, J.C. Penny, Bloomingdales, Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Zales.
• All student loan rebate rewards - all of them offer perfect 1:1 ratios. I personally avoid them however because I am trying to delay paying off my student loans.
• All charitable contributions $50 or above.
• The ThankYou Points Fixed Flight Option also offers a very good reward redemption rate.

Avoid These Rewards Because They Offer Poor Redemption Ratios:

• Gas gift cards - The best point conversion works out to be a $50 Shell gasoline card for 6,000 points, which is still only a 83.33% purchase to points conversion. If you’re happy with that, then go for it. For me, I insist on shooting for 100%.
• All product merchandise - I think the retail value of the items are overinflated. You’re better off buying products online through another internet source.
• Cash rewards and statement credit offer poor redemption rates as I mentioned earlier.