Credit Card Miles

Put simply, miles credit cards allow cardholders to earn points for every dollar charged on the card. The accumulated points can be redeemed for reduced or, in some instances, free airfare. There are many promotional offers and some cards offer more points than others. To entice the customer, certain miles credit cards offer no annual-rate, no APR fees, additional bonus miles with new sign-ups, balance transfers at reduced or no interest rate for a certain period as well as no blackout date for miles redemption.

Credit card companies have also come up with affinity card programs that allow cardholders to collect airline miles with purchases at some of their most preferred retailing outlets and merchants. This lets cardholders add more miles at a faster rate with purchases from their favorite retailers. On the downside, these cards tend to have high annual fees and interest rates.

Frequent flyers tend to be mostly business travelers, who travel often due to work. However, careful planning can help normal travelers to accumulate good miles. Some tips to accumulate miles at a fast rate are:

1) Utilize Partner Services – Miles cards normally have tie-ins with car rental companies and hotels as part of their marketing strategy that also provide mileage points accumulation. Using these car rental companies or hotels and charging them to the miles card will also help to increase the points accumulated by using necessary travel expenditures.

2) Vacation or Tour Packages – Miles credit cards offer vacation or tour packages to encourage customers to travel and thus to increase demand for their airlines. Once again, by utilizing these vacation or tour packages, cardholders can accumulate more mileage points on the card per trip, earning more points while vacationing.

3) Non-frequent Travelers – For less frequent travelers, it is better to charge any travel related expense to the miles card when you travel. The travel related expenses could be anything from buying souvenirs, groceries, fuel while in a different location, etc, which also helps to accumulate additional miles on the card.

4) Affiliate services – Some miles card programs partner with a network of allied airline carriers. Examples of these kinds of network alliance services include the Star Alliance or Flying Blue programs. If your preferred airline does not fly to the location that you desire, try to choose from another airline that is part of the alliance network, giving cardholders yet another opportunity to accumulated miles.

Most miles credit cards have numerous benefits for frequent flyers. However, the benefits could vary, based on the specific program. Some mile cards provide additional or bonus points while making certain purchases. The points can later be traded for airline miles. Some miles credit card programs allow portability or the transfer of points to other frequent flyer accounts, and some even offer consolidation of all accumulated points to one single card. These earned miles give you free or reduced travel tickets. In addition, most of these cards also offer various other travel-related benefits, including free additional tickets, upgrade opportunities, lost baggage insurance, car rental insurance, and greater coverage amount for travel accident insurance.

Apart from points, most mile cards also offer different type of rewards for members. This could be anything from free hotel stays to car rentals, discounted vacation packages or even free airline tickets, in some instances. Certain airline miles card programs entice customers with an attractive offer to take advantage of free bonus miles, as high as fifteen to twenty thousand free points, in some cases. In general, you will receive flight miles per trip taken, but some miles card programs will offer a generous point total per flight, amounting to more points per mile than the actual miles flown. (Be sure to check with each reward miles program for specific details.)

Miles credit cards can be pretty costly for the credit card companies as well as the airlines. As such, miles credit cards tend to have higher interest rates and annual fees than traditional credit cards. One of the most recent promotional trends with certain miles cards programs is to enable cardholders carrying balances to qualify for a free domestic airline ticket on any airline. It is advisable that customers evaluate the pros and cons of such offers as in most cases, the cost of finance charges on the left over balance outweigh the benefits of getting a free ticket.

These cards will also have an expiration period, before which the accumulated miles need to be used. It is important to know this period and use the accumulated miles to get the maximum benefits. Nevertheless, miles credit card offers have become immensely popular as they allow customers to accumulate valuable miles through ordinary purchases, which later can be transferred to free flights and vacations.

Credit Card Miles

 “This book is a must-read for credit card holders of all ages. Curtis Arnold offers insights into how consumers can not only profit financially from credit cards, but importantly, how to avoid falling into debt.”

—Thomas R. Evans, President and CEO of BankRate.com, Inc.

“Finally, someone has written a guide for savvy consumers who want to make the most of the plastic in their wallets. Curtis Arnold explains exactly how to maximize your rewards so you’re quite literally getting free money and also outlines winning strategies for negotiating the lowest interest rate and using balance transfers to your advantage. Anyone who wants to build credit, improve their credit, or profit from their credit cards should read this book.”

—Liz Pulliam Weston, MSN Money Personal Finance Columnist and Bestselling Author of Your Credit Score and Easy Money

“Curtis Arnold is America’s premier credit card expert. Whether you’re trying to get your first card, compare credit offers, or figure out how to beat the credit card companies at their own game, Arnold’s wisdom and insider tips will prove invaluable.”

—Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The “Money Coach” and Author of The New York Times Bestseller Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom

“If you have had enough of credit card tricks and traps, this book will show you how to turn the tables. Curtis Arnold knows the credit card business inside and out and offers proven ways to put plastic to work for you, rather than against you.”

—Gerri Detweiler, Consumer Advocate and Author of four books on personal finance including the forthcoming book Stop Debt Collectors

“For most Americans, credit cards are seen as a necessary evil. Curtis Arnold transforms that perception. Using his advice, people can get rebates, perks, better interest rates, and all kinds of benefits from their cards that they never knew were possible. This book helps you become the master of your credit cards instead of a victim.”

—Jordan E. Goodman, “America’s Money Answers Man” and Bestselling Author of Everyone’s Money Book on Credit

“Curtis Arnold provides you with tips for protecting yourself from costly credit card traps, how to use credit to your advantage, and much more. This is a must-read book!”

—Marcia Brixey, Author of The Money Therapist and Founder and President of Money Wise Women Educational Services

Banks spend billions to entice credit card customers with rebates, freebies, low introductory rate offers, and airline miles. This book shows you how to take maximum advantage of these special deals—without paying for them through brutally high interest rates, fees, and penalties!

Top independent credit card expert Curtis Arnold reveals how to creatively finance major purchases such as cars, weddings, and condos with little or no interest charges…earn huge credit card “perks” every year…and dramatically reduce your cost of credit. He offers specific advice targeted to: young consumers, retirees facing credit discrimination, Americans recovering from debt problems, and even to consumers with spotless credit.

Why should huge banks and credit card companies make all the money? Get this book, and you too can start earning and saving hundreds, and possibly thousands of dollars, like Curtis has!

• Unlock the keys to huge credit card savings
  Find the best rates and balance transfer offers—and make the most of them
• Fly anywhere, finance anything
  Use credit cards to get free airline tickets and cash rebates or low-cost “creative financing”
• Don’t get ripped off—by your bank or anyone else
  Avoid hidden fees, costly small print, and flat-out fraud
• Slash your debt, and cut your cost of credit
  Stop throwing away money you could be saving or investing

Acknowledgments xvii

About the Author xxi

Chapter 1: It’s Not Just Plastic–It’s Money! 1

Chapter 2: Show Me the Money! Credit Card Rebates 23

Chapter 3: Unlock the Key to Huge Savings: Master Credit Card Rates and Transfer Offers 51

Chapter 4: Avoid Problems That Hinder Maximum Profits 75

Chapter 5: How to Slash Your Debt and Keep Your Hard-Earned Money for Yourself 89

Chapter 6: Watch Out: Traps and Scams Can Cost You Big Bucks! 119

Chapter 7: Start Out on the Right Foot–Credit Cards for Students and Saving for College 155

Chapter 8: Use Targeted Cards to Your Financial Advantage 179

Chapter 9: Your Credit Report and Score: The Better You Look, the More You Profit 209

Chapter 10: Maximize the Benefits of Your Cards by Taking Advantage of Additional Free Perks 237

Chapter 11: Master Advanced Card Techniques to Save and Make Money 259

Chapter 12: Capitalize on Future Card Trends 283

Glossary 301

Index 315

About the Author

Curtis E. Arnold, a well-known consumer educator and advocate, is the founder of CardRatings.com, an award-winning website that has been providing objective, current information about credit cards free of charge since 1998. His website has made it easy for millions of cardholders to find more attractive credit cards and lower their card debt.

Some 1,000 unique credit card offerings are rated by both experts and cardholders on CardRatings.com, and new reviews are added daily. Cards are categorized for people with no credit or poor, fair, good, or excellent credit–and by whether they offer a low-interest rate, cash back, miles, or other rewards. CardRatings.com also provides a free forum (containing over 115,000 posts)–where Curtis interacts regularly with participants–to discuss credit issues such as sharing ideas on how to make the most of credit cards, get out of debt, and solve credit issues. Sharing detailed information with consumers has three important additional benefits from Curtis’s point of view: It encourages stronger competition among card issuers, helps create a more consumer-friendly credit card industry, and keeps CardRatings.com in touch with the needs of cardholders.

Curtis knows firsthand the devastating effects of credit card debt. By the time he was finished with his graduate studies at the University of Texas at Dallas, his credit card debt reached $45,000. The stress it created in his life was “unbelievable,” as Curtis puts it, and has a lot to do with why he wrote this book. His goal is to spare you the experience of what he went through and to show you the best ways to benefit from your credit cards.

Over the years, Curtis and CardRatings.com have received an enormous amount of national publicity and praise, thanks to interviews Curtis has given to The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, Money Magazine, NPR (National Public Radio), CNN, ABC News Radio, AARP, Dow Jones Newswire, Bottom Line/Personal, PBS, SmartMoney Magazine, Reader’s Digest, MSN Money, MSNBC TV, The Associated Press, CNBC, TIME Magazine, and more.

Since its founding, Curtis has expanded CardRatings. com’s role and online offerings. For example, the site now provides all the data (card terms and conditions) for the credit card and ATM/debit survey published by the New York State Banking Department, the oldest bank regulatory agency in the nation. The site also includes credit card news and advice on everything from getting a line of credit to getting a copy of your credit report to getting a better rate or rebate. It’s also a good place to turn if you’re looking for business or student cards.

Arkansas Business, a weekly journal, selected Curtis as a “Top 40 Under 40” business leader in 2005, recognizing him as an intriguing business and political leader who bears watching. He was selected as a National Council of La Raza panelist in 2006 to discuss Hispanic credit card issues, and he was a guest speaker in 2007 at The Responsible Credit Roundtable, which provides a forum for leaders of the credit card industry and nonprofit organizations to devise, test, and implement ways to improve communication and account practices to build value for both companies and customers.

Curtis has a particular passion for educating students about credit. He serves on the Advisory Board for the Center for Consumer Financial Services at Rochester Institute of Technology, which provides national leadership and research on student credit issues. Curtis also regularly speaks on college campuses about the ins and outs of credit. Finally, he currently serves as co-chair of the Arkansas chapter of the Jump$tart Coalition for Financial Literacy, which seeks to educate students about personal finance issues.

Curtis participates in other consumer advocacy groups with various missions. For example, he contributes on a weekly basis to CreditBloggers.com, a blog where leading financial experts discuss credit, loan, debt, and identity theft topics. Curtis is also a member of Arkansans Against Abusive Payday Lending, a coalition of Arkansans dedicated to combating abusive payday-lending practices. Finally, he’s a member of the Financial Literacy Education Consortium, a community of professionals concerned with “best practices” in the delivery of financial education to their constituents.

Before founding CardRatings.com, Curtis worked in various capacities in the financial industry, for example, at Advancial Federal Credit Union, Regions Bank, and Metropolitan National Bank. In addition, Curtis gained some valuable “eBusiness” experience by working for Intelemedia Communications in the high-tech corridor of North Dallas.

Curtis enjoys being involved in community organizations in the Little Rock area, where he has served on the Board of Directors for Arkansas Festival Ballet. He has been a member of Toastmaster’s International, the West Little Rock Rotary Club, Techpreneur, a nonprofit organization that encourages technological entrepreneurship, and the Little Rock Bop Club. Curtis is also an active member of The Summit Church in North Little Rock.

Last but not least, Curtis cherishes his family life. His wife Nancy serves as the accounting supervisor for CardRatings.com. Curtis and Nancy currently reside in North Little Rock, Arkansas with their five children– Dallas, Erin, Hunter, Avery, and Claire.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Praise for How You Can Profit from Credit Cards

Finally, someone has written a guide for savvy consumers who want to make the most of the plastic in their wallets. Curtis Arnold explains exactly how to maximize your rewards so you’re quite literally getting free money and also outlines winning strategies for negotiating the lowest interest rate and using balance transfers to your advantage. Anyone who wants to build credit, improve their credit, or profit from their credit cards should read this book.

—Liz Pulliam Weston
MSN Money Personal Finance Columnist and Bestselling Author of Your Credit Score and Easy Money

Curtis Arnold is America’s premier credit card expert. Whether you’re trying to get your first card, compare credit offers, or figure out how to beat the credit card companies at their own game, Arnold’s wisdom and insider tips will prove invaluable.

—Lynnette Khalfani-Cox
The “Money Coach” and Author of The New York Times Bestseller Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom

If you have had enough of credit card tricks and traps, this book will show you how to turn the tables. Curtis Arnold knows the credit card business inside and out and offers proven ways to put plastic to work for you, rather than against you.

—Gerri Detweiler
Consumer Advocate and Author of four books on personal finance including the forthcoming book Stop Debt Collectors

For most Americans, credit cards are seen as a necessary evil. Curtis Arnold transforms that perception. Using his advice, people can get rebates, perks, better interest rates, and all kinds of benefits from their cards that they never knew were possible. This book helps you become the master of your credit cards instead of a victim.

—Jordan E. Goodman
“America’s Money Answers Man” and Bestselling Author of Everyone’s Money Book on Credit

Curtis Arnold provides you with tips for protecting yourself from costly credit card traps, how to use credit to your advantage, and much more. This is a must-read book!

—Marcia Brixey
Author of The Money Therapist and Founder and President of Money Wise Women Educational Services

Curtis Arnold’s new book is loaded with great information, including some intuitive tips about how consumers can actually use credit and credit cards to benefit themselves financially instead of just benefiting the credit card companies. This is a most insightful book.

—John Ulzheimer
President of Consumer Education for Credit.com “Credit Caoch” contributor on CNBC’s The Millionaire Inside and Author of “You’re Nothing but a Number; Why achieving great credit scores should be on your list of wealth building strategies“

Credit cards can be a valuable money tool when used correctly, and Curtis Arnold tells you how. From enhanced consumer protections to lucrative rewards, “How You Can Profit From Credit Cards” reveals secrets of the credit card industry that can benefit you instead of the bank. This book makes you an expert not only about credit cards, but many of the credit issues in your life. And it blows the cover off some dirty tricks by card issuers. When it comes to paying with plastic, Arnold knows his stuff.

—Gregory Karp
Award-winning syndicated personal finance columnist and Author of Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want.

© Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Most helpful customer reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful.
Must read for those interested in all aspects of the credit world
By William Lund
Being an avid reader and contributor of the forums for a couple years at cardratings.com I had to purchase the book and was pleased with the great material found within. It took the best of what I’ve learned and explains it all in a well organized manner. I point family and friends to it now, cause it explains it all much better than I can. With the help of the forums I overcome a $12000 credit debt in 2 years and over the time built a score close to 800. I enjoy having my cards earn me money instead of having debt and having the upper hand now that I know how the credit world works.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
A Review From Curtis Arnold’s PR Assistant
By C. Arnold
Curtis has written a very relevant, timely message to an audience that needed this many moons ago. I have struggled with my finances in my college days like most students, and have found myself asking, “Where would I be today if I had this book in college?” Curtis has written this book as a tool for any and every consumer, but specifically the student credit chapters need to be plugged in to every university in America. It’s information would prevent the next generation from experiencing what we are going through today. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to see the next generation succeed financially!

See all 15 customer reviews…