If you want to fly cheaper, you should collect miles. With credit cards, you can collect points for every payment made with the card, which can then be converted into air miles. The following cards are perfect for this.
You can save up for your next flight with great effort – or collect miles mile by mile. Collecting miles with credit cards is now easier than ever. Here we show you how important miles are as a welcome bonus and which cards allow credit card users to earn miles particularly quickly.
Collect miles with credit cards: Don’t miss out on the welcome bonus
If you want to collect air miles, you should keep using your credit card to participate in points programs. However, the mileage account makes particularly big leaps for new customers at the very beginning of their collecting career. Many credit card providers offer welcome gifts and credit miles on a large scale.
At American Express, for example, customers collect so-called Membership Rewards points. These can be converted into air miles with participating airlines according to set exchange rates, for example with Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Delta, Etihad or the KLM Group. New customers receive a lot of points with the American Express Platinum Card, provided that 13,000 euros are spent on the card in the first six months.
Details of the Platinum Card:
- Annually available credits for restaurants or shopping
- Access to many airport lounges
- Travel insurance included
- 55,000 Membership Rewards points as a welcome bonus
- Card fee: 60 euros per month
The American Express Gold Card also currently offers a welcome bonus for new customers. Anyone who applies for a card and spends at least 6,000 euros in the first six months will be credited with 30,000 Membership Rewards points. The Gold Card costs 12 euros per month.
Miles and More: Collect miles for the largest frequent flyer program in Europe
In the Miles and More frequent flyer and rewards program, participants collect air miles every time they use their credit card. These miles can then be redeemed at 35 airline partners, including Lufthansa, Eurowings and partners of the Star Alliance network. Miles are valid for rewards, reward flights or status upgrades on flights already booked. With the Eurowings Premium credit card, card users collect one reward mile for every two euros spent on the card.
Details of the Eurowings Premium Card:
- Collect miles directly for Miles and More
- For every two euros spent on the card you receive one bonus mile
- Collected miles are valid for 36 months
- Eurowings benefits such as free seat reservation
- Welcome bonus for new customers: 3,000 miles
- No usage fee for the first twelve months, then 99 euros annually
Collect miles with credit cards and Payback points
There are also detours to get air miles for the Miles and More program. For example, anyone who collects Payback points can rejoice. The points can now be converted 1:1 into air miles. In order for the exchange to work, customer accounts with both Payback and Miles and More are required. Since Payback points are also awarded for every purchase in participating stores and supermarkets, you don’t even need a credit card to get award miles.
With the Payback card from American Express, collecting points is much quicker. For every three euros spent with the credit card, you get one Payback point. If you use the card to pay at a Payback partner, you also collect points on site.
Anyone who uses a credit card as their main means of payment also collects points. Whether Membership Rewards points, Payback or Miles and More, collecting miles with credit cards is a smart way to get rewards, vouchers, flights and status upgrades.
Source: Stern
