Credit cards for reimbursed travel expenses
- Thread starter CFI A&P
- Start date
NickH
Uber Driver
Start with a goal and work from there, get the cards that fit in with your plans.
If you don't have plans yet, then a card with transferable points/miles is the way to go. CSP has a good 50K sign up offer. Personally I like Amex MR's and use an Everyday Preferred for the 1.5x on spending. The other Amex to get is the Starwood card. Right now it's the best hotel program out there.
If you don't have plans yet, then a card with transferable points/miles is the way to go. CSP has a good 50K sign up offer. Personally I like Amex MR's and use an Everyday Preferred for the 1.5x on spending. The other Amex to get is the Starwood card. Right now it's the best hotel program out there.
z987k
Well-Known Member
The barclay arrival has a 40k sign up bonus, assuming you spend X dollars in the first few months, plus 2 points for every dollar and then a 5% redemption bonus, making it roughly 2.1% back, which is the best I can find. Unless we're strictly talking travel expenses, then starwood's card was far better at like 4.5% back, but it's amex which makes it almost worthless for international travel.
Cessnaflyer
Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
We have a company card so nearly 99% of expenses go on that but occasionally it doesn't work and I'll put fuel on my card. The nice thing is that Jet A also gets 3% back like at a gas station. Those are nice bonus Cash months!
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
I use the Marriott chase card. You can find offers for 75k points to start. There's an $89 a year fee, but it is waived for the first year, and you get a free stay every year. I can go to the Gaylord Texan, which is normally about 200+ a night with the free night.
5 points for Marriott stays, 2 points for dining, rental cars and airline tickets, 1 point for everything else. No foreign transaction fees. I have used it in Mexico and Canada, and never had an issue. You also get 15 nights stay credit towards you elite account.
If you sign up, let me know, and I will get you a referral. We would both get extra Marriott points.
5 points for Marriott stays, 2 points for dining, rental cars and airline tickets, 1 point for everything else. No foreign transaction fees. I have used it in Mexico and Canada, and never had an issue. You also get 15 nights stay credit towards you elite account.
If you sign up, let me know, and I will get you a referral. We would both get extra Marriott points.
typhoonpilot
Well-Known Member
Essential resources:
http://thepointsguy.com/
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles-points-1/
Typhoonpilot
http://thepointsguy.com/
http://www.doctorofcredit.com/
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/miles-points-1/
Typhoonpilot
CFI A&P
Exploring the world one toilet at a time.
All great posts. We are allowed to use the company card, required in some circumstances but generally can use our own card and reap the points and miles. I'm already on the top tiers with Hilton and Marriott. No need to get one of their cards.
Thanks for those links. I'll dig into those tonight.
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Thanks for those links. I'll dig into those tonight.
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typhoonpilot
Well-Known Member
Since I left the airlines two years ago, and much more in the last 6 months I have gotten very much into the points/miles game. My goal is free or reduced price first/business class flights from Asia-USA and back as well as free to reduced price stays at Marriott and Hilton properties when on personal travel. I get a lot of points from my company's purchase of airfare and hotels (I earned over 300,000 Marriott points last year and quite a few Delta miles).
You have to decide which miles and points are important to you and target ways to earn as many as you can in those programs. If you aren't really sure go with the cards that have transferrable points, like Chase Sapphire Preferred, Citi Thank You, or American Express Rewards. The Chase Ultimate Rewards points are really good for multiple airline partners and hotels. If you can get a Chase Ink Business card even better for earning points. I can easily clock 5000 points/month on the Chase Ink card for only $40.00. That means I can get to my goal of a one way first class ticket across the Pacific for only $560.00 (Based on a KAL 70,000 point first class redemption). To me that is a tremendous value, even cheaper if I get the sign on bonus (which I did for the Chase Ink at 50,000 points and am about to for the Sapphire Preferred at another 50,000 points).
There a some great ways to add points if that is what you are after. I wanted to build some AA miles so I took advantage of an offer to change Marriott points into AA miles. The package deal was 270,000 Marriott points for 144,000 AA miles and a one week free stay coupon at any Marriott Category 5 hotel or lower. Actually using that next week for a 7 night stay in Asia. I had already signed up for the Citi AA MasterCard and it's 50,000 point bonus. I just finished qualifying for another targeted offer of 50,000 miles by signing up for a Citigold checking account. So that's close to 250,000 AA miles without much effort. Good enough for at least two round trip flights in business class from Asia to USA. If shopping online go through a shopping portal. For example I earned about 4000 miles on American by going through their shopping portal to Dell for a Christmas gift. I was going to buy the gift (a laptop for my mom) no matter what, easy way to make some more miles.
The points and miles can really add up quick if you pay attention to category bonuses. The secret of the Chase Ink card is 5 times points for office supply stores, internet, telephone, and cable TV and 2 times for hotel and gas. You have to have a business to get it though. They will ask for your EIN and proof of business address at some point in the application process. The Amex Hilton Honors Surpass card gets 12 times points at Hilton and 6 times at grocery, gas, and restaurant.
Not all points and miles are equal though. The Hilton points are valued at only around .4 cents/each; Marriott at about .8 cents/each; Chase Ultimate Rewards at about 1.7/each; and AA miles at around 1.8/each.
It's a pretty complicated game. Spend a few days reading the links I provided and you'll begin to get an understanding on how to maximize points that are important to you. Next we can get into "Manufactured Spending" if you like. That's one way to meet the minimum spend requirement for the sign on bonuses.
Typhoonpilot
You have to decide which miles and points are important to you and target ways to earn as many as you can in those programs. If you aren't really sure go with the cards that have transferrable points, like Chase Sapphire Preferred, Citi Thank You, or American Express Rewards. The Chase Ultimate Rewards points are really good for multiple airline partners and hotels. If you can get a Chase Ink Business card even better for earning points. I can easily clock 5000 points/month on the Chase Ink card for only $40.00. That means I can get to my goal of a one way first class ticket across the Pacific for only $560.00 (Based on a KAL 70,000 point first class redemption). To me that is a tremendous value, even cheaper if I get the sign on bonus (which I did for the Chase Ink at 50,000 points and am about to for the Sapphire Preferred at another 50,000 points).
There a some great ways to add points if that is what you are after. I wanted to build some AA miles so I took advantage of an offer to change Marriott points into AA miles. The package deal was 270,000 Marriott points for 144,000 AA miles and a one week free stay coupon at any Marriott Category 5 hotel or lower. Actually using that next week for a 7 night stay in Asia. I had already signed up for the Citi AA MasterCard and it's 50,000 point bonus. I just finished qualifying for another targeted offer of 50,000 miles by signing up for a Citigold checking account. So that's close to 250,000 AA miles without much effort. Good enough for at least two round trip flights in business class from Asia to USA. If shopping online go through a shopping portal. For example I earned about 4000 miles on American by going through their shopping portal to Dell for a Christmas gift. I was going to buy the gift (a laptop for my mom) no matter what, easy way to make some more miles.
The points and miles can really add up quick if you pay attention to category bonuses. The secret of the Chase Ink card is 5 times points for office supply stores, internet, telephone, and cable TV and 2 times for hotel and gas. You have to have a business to get it though. They will ask for your EIN and proof of business address at some point in the application process. The Amex Hilton Honors Surpass card gets 12 times points at Hilton and 6 times at grocery, gas, and restaurant.
Not all points and miles are equal though. The Hilton points are valued at only around .4 cents/each; Marriott at about .8 cents/each; Chase Ultimate Rewards at about 1.7/each; and AA miles at around 1.8/each.
It's a pretty complicated game. Spend a few days reading the links I provided and you'll begin to get an understanding on how to maximize points that are important to you. Next we can get into "Manufactured Spending" if you like. That's one way to meet the minimum spend requirement for the sign on bonuses.
Typhoonpilot
CoffeeIcePapers
Well-Hung Member
NickH
Uber Driver
Having status with those hotels is a good reason to get one of their cards if you use points for personal travel. Book a hotel on points, get the suite upgrade from your status.
Using Typhoon's 5000 points at $40, with a Starwood Card, I could book The Meridien in central London for $80 a night, for a room with a ticket price over $300. Combine that with my Starwood Platinum Status, that upgrades me to the best available room, being a suite with a $534 ticket price.
Hilton and Marriott aren't quite as rewarding as that due to the points values, but the yearly free nights are worth the annual fees.
turbomax97
What can brown do for you?
Amex platinum, the points are good, airline perks are good, and waiting for a flight in a lounge is really nice. Even more so if it's a centurion lounge.
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NickH
Uber Driver
The perks are great on the platinum, but the earning rate is not. Get the Everyday preferred as well, and use it to earn 1.5x point per dollar into the same program.
NickH
Uber Driver
Also, I recommend using a website such as Awardwallet to manage your FF and hotel programs. It's great for managing travel.
z987k
Well-Known Member
I put all my aa miles into my ak air account. They're worth more.
NickH
Uber Driver
They sure are, AK has about the best airline rewards program out there, however my AA miles come from churning credit cards rather than paid flights. I do have a few AK mileage plan miles as as well, but I'm collecting rather than spending. There's an Emirates suite in my future.
typhoonpilot
Well-Known Member
The biggest devaluation is Cathay Pacific First Class to Asia so if you ever want to try that one, now is the time. Difficult to find availability though. JAL has much better availability, especially in Business but their Business product isn't real flash on many routes.
TP