USA: Domestic Airline Credit Cards
A
irline credit cards can be a good way to accelerate mileage earnings.
Most of the domestic US airlines issue their own mileage credit cards.
In this article we profile cards from a number of domestic US airlines - Southwest, JetBlue, Hawaiian, Frontier and Virgin America. The main travel features are highlighted - such as mileage earning rates, bonus miles and any flyer benefits. We list the forex fees (for use of the card outside the US) and the annual fee. For further information such as interest annual percentage rates (APRs) you should check with the issuing bank.
The following Southwest cards are issued by Chase:
Southwest
Rapid Rewards Visa Signature Plus Card  |
|---|
| 25,000 bonus points after $1k spend in first 3 months |
| 3,000 bonus points on card anniversary |
| 1 point for every $1 spend |
| 2 points for every $1 spend on Southwest + travel partners |
| $69 annual fee, 3% forex fee |
| Southwest
Rapid Rewards Visa Signature Premier Card |
|---|
| 25,000 bonus points after $1k spend in first 3 months |
| 6,000 bonus points on card anniversary |
| 1 point for every $1 spend |
| 2 points for every $1 spend on Southwest + travel partners |
| Free 1st and 2nd checked bags |
| Earn up to 15,000 tier qualifying points each year (1,500 per $10k spend) |
| $99 annual fee, no forex fee |
American Express issue the following JetBlue card:
| JetBlue
American Express Credit Card |
|---|
| 20,000 bonus TrueBlue points on $1k spend in first 3 months |
| 1 TrueBlue point for every $1 spend |
| 2 TrueBlue points for every $1 spend on JetBlue |
| $0 first year, $40 annual fee, 2.7% forex fee |
The Hawaiian Airlines card is issued by FIA Card Services:
| Hawaiian
Airlines Visa Signature Card |
|---|
| 20,000 bonus miles after first spend |
| 15,000 bonus miles after first $1k spend within 4 months |
| 2,000 bonus miles on card anniversary |
| 1 mile for every $1 spend |
| 2 miles for every $1 spend on Hawaiian |
| 50% off one-time companion return ticket to US mainland |
| $79 annual fee, 3% forex fee |
Barclays Bank US issues the Frontier Airlines cards:
| Frontier
Airlines World Mastercard |
|---|
| 25,000 bonus miles after first spend |
| 10,000 bonus miles after first $750 spend within 90 days |
| 1 mile for every $1 spend |
| 2 miles for every $1 spend on Frontier |
| $59 annual fee, 3% forex fee |
| Frontier
Airlines World Mastercard (No Fee) |
|---|
| 5,000 bonus miles after first spend |
| 1 mile for every $2 spend |
| 1 mile for every $1 spend on Frontier |
| No annual fee, 3% forex fee |
The Virgin America cards are also issued by Barclays Bank US:
| Virgin
America Visa Signature Card |
|---|
| 10,000 bonus points after first spend |
| 10,000 Elevate Status points on annual $25k spend |
| 1 point for every $1 spend |
| 3 points for every $1 spend on Virgin America |
| $150 discount on a companion ticket |
| $49 annual fee, 3% forex fee |
| Virgin
America Visa Signature / Platinum (No Fee) Card |
|---|
| 2,500 bonus points after first spend |
| 5,000 Elevate Status points on annual $25k spend |
| 1 point for every $1 spend |
| No annual fee, 3% forex fee |
Rewards Cards: American Express Membership Rewards can be transferred to Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue and Virgin America. The Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program allows 20k Starpoints to be transferred into 25k Hawaiian miles . Chase Ultimate Rewards can be transferred to Southwest Rapid Rewards on a 1:1 basis. See Rewards Credit Cards
As always, you should carefully read and understand the terms and conditions before applying for any frequent flyer miles credit card. Alternatively speak to an authorised financial advisor. Above card names are registered trademarks; information accuracy not guaranteed and can change.
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