As usual, December has brought a number of credit card offers which may be worth consideration. Some of them are new, some not. Some of them are better than others, but rest assured I don’t get compensation for any of them. Here’s what’s going on:
ALASKA AIRLINES 50,000 MILES: This is probably the most lucrative of the late season offers out there right now, and thanks again to Canadian Kilometers for unearthing it. Before we get into the benefits, note the verbiage on the application page:
Bonus Mile Offer: This one-time promotion is limited to new customers opening an account in response to this offer and is valid for a limited time by invitation only.
Is there a chance B of A won’t honor the 50,000 mile bonus? Yes. That said, if I were currently in the market for a good frequent flyer sign-up bonus, I’d go for this card anyway. It’s the first time, to my knowledge, that Alaska Airlines has even offered this big of a bonus for this card. And if Scott at Hack My Trip is to be believed, Alaska is actually improving its frequent flyer program while the big guys are devaluing theirs.
According to Scott, you don’t have to live in the Northwest to make this your primary program:
If you live in the Southeast, for example. you might book travel on a mix of American Airlines and Delta but never have enough miles on a single carrier to earn elite status. Credit your trips on both carriers to Alaska Airlines, however, and you might earn MVP or MVP Gold. You will probably never get an upgrade on Delta (and it’s not an option on American), but the checked baggage benefits and bonus miles are better than nothing.
AMEX HILTON HHONORS SURPASS 75,000 POINTS: Thanks to MilesAbound for sharing this one. The normal bonus for this one is 60K, so it’s an extra 15,000 HHilton HHonors Ppoints. If you already have the no-fee Amex Hilton card, you may be able to upgrade to this version and get the bonus. Mrs. PFD got this card last year and we put the gold status that comes with it (for the first year) to good use during a two-week Hilton stay.
BRITISH AIRWAYS 100,000 MILES: This one comes and goes a few times a year. Is it worth it? If you can do $20,000 in spend to get the full bonus, then sure. My main concern here would be a devaluation in the Avios program, particularly on the short-haul flights, which is the sweet spot for this program. The times have been so good for so long that I’d be surprised if they don’t significantly change things up in 2014.
WYNDHAM 45,000 POINTS: Don’t bother unless you specifically need to top off a frequent flyer account. Or, I suppose, unless Wyndham hotels really work foryou.
AMERICAN AIRLINES MASTERCARD 50,000 MILES: Might as well load up before the USAir frequent flyer program gets consolidated.
CITI PREMIER 50,000 THANKYOU POINTS: This one has been around since October. It tends to come and go, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Citi yank it around the end of the year.
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