When I decided I was ready to add my first travel rewards card to my wallet, I had to consider more than just budgeting for an annual fee and adding another monthly bill to my roster.
As a moderate spender, one of my biggest concerns was figuring out how I could comfortably meet the spending requirement to earn a lucrative welcome bonus on a new card.
I selected the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to start collecting valuable Ultimate Rewards points for a reasonable annual fee. The real value for a brand-new points collector like myself was packed in the card’s welcome offer — 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 within the first three months from account opening.
TPG’s valuation pegs this welcome offer at $1,230 when you leverage transfer partners or $750 if you redeem through the Chase travel portal at 1.25 cents per point, which was an enticing deal for a newcomer.
I found in my research that spending $4,000 within three months to meet a welcome bonus seemed to be pretty standard across Chase credit cards, so I decided the best way to kick off my rewards journey was to earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points upfront.
When I first got the Chase Sapphire Preferred last November, the clock started ticking.
As someone who probably wouldn’t have spent $4,000 on purchases in three months with my typical spending habits, I made some small adjustments and reached my goal with a few weeks to spare.
Here are five of the methods I used to earn the Sapphire Preferred’s welcome bonus as a moderate spender.
Whether it was for date night, midday lunch or dinner with the girls, I started picking up everyone’s tab on one check at restaurants.
Aside from helping me meet my spending goal, this was especially advantageous on the Sapphire Preferred card since it earns 3 points per dollar on dining, including:
Delivery services
Takeout
Eating at restaurants
I’d pay the bill in full, and my friends would pay me back for their portion of the check.
This way, each purchase helped me get closer to the required spending minimum needed to collect the points, and my credit card bill would get paid off in full without incurring a ton of additional expenses.
Paying to attend an event with the Chase Sapphire Preferred
This is where the points game started to get fun.
More than half of my close friends here in Charlotte, North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina, and I’d been hearing about how exciting the men’s basketball games were in Chapel Hill for months.
I paid for tickets to a UNC men’s basketball game with my Sapphire Preferred. AUGUSTA STONE/THE POINTS GUY
We had discussed buying tickets for a less expensive home game for a while, and since I was making a push to spend more on my new Sapphire Preferred Card, I offered to buy seven tickets for a Monday night game between the Tar Heels and Wake Forest.
Once I purchased the tickets, I was $327 closer to that $4,000 spending minimum. After my friends paid me back and I paid my balance down, I received every dollar back on this purchase as Ultimate Rewards points.
Even though the tickets didn’t automatically trigger a bonus category on my Sapphire Preferred, I activated a limited-time 5% cash-back offer from SeatGeek through an in-app offer before making the purchases.
Thanks to this cash-back promo, my account was also credited some money from the ticket purchase.
Most of my friends who came to the UNC basketball game with me live in and around Charlotte. Since Chapel Hill is about two hours away from us, we decided to make a weekend trip out of it.
Anytime you’re away from your home base, you’re naturally going to spend more money. Even though this was only a two-night trip (and we were graciously offered free lodging at a friend’s house), nights out and meals purchased were all additional spending toward earning my welcome bonus.
I didn’t have to splurge on a longer-term trip or even book a hotel night to spend more than I would’ve if I had stuck around Charlotte that weekend.
I found that making a couple of extra $20-$40 transactions eventually added up across the three months I worked to meet my welcome bonus spending requirement.
Trips like the one to Chapel Hill helped me realize that $4,000 doesn’t have to be as intimidating a threshold to reach as I’d thought it would be.
Holiday spending with the Chase Sapphire Preferred
I was also intentional with the timing of everything here.
When I applied for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, my first rewards credit card that came with a spending-dependent welcome bonus, it was around the middle of November.
WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES
As it was for many others, this was at the very start of a spending-heavy season for me. Between traveling home to see my family in Georgia and finding the perfect gifts for my loved ones, I had already budgeted for some extra spending.
That naturally made it easier to spend more money and meet the welcome offer’s spending requirement.
That all brings me to my last point, which is perhaps the most intuitive and certainly the most important: I did as much of my spending as I could with my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card until I met my spending goal.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred became the best card in my wallet thanks to its generous earning structure and high-value Ultimate Rewards points.
I’ll also use this strategy in the future when I open new credit cards that feature solid welcome offers and manageable minimum spending requirements.
I created a spending strategy that aligned with my budget before applying for my Sapphire Preferred card in order to earn the welcome offer.
Within my personal budget, I don’t typically spend $4,000 across three months (excluding my rent).
However, remaining mindful of my budget while maximizing the benefits of my new credit card helped me responsibly earn 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points fairly easily.
Some of my spending strategy was oriented around taking on larger payments for a group of people and being paid back by them later. I found a way to spend enough money without going over my personal budget because paying off my statement monthly is a priority for me.
Optimal timing was another part of my application strategy, which is why I applied for the card around the holiday season. I did this knowing that I had made room in my budget to spend a little bit extra from November to January for gifts and travel-related expenses.
Additionally, I made sure to avoid accruing interest on my new credit card by paying the balance off in full come each statement.
Carrying a monthly balance can negatively affect your credit score and counteract any rewards you earn from your spending. This is why I prioritized spending within my budget while working to meet the welcome bonus requirements for the Sapphire Preferred.
Now, I have a collection of Ultimate Rewards points to build off of for future redemptions, and I’m excited to continue to add points while making everyday purchases with my Sapphire Preferred Card.
Air Canada flyers will have two new Toronto-area destinations to choose from come May. That’s when Landline, the flight-on-a-bus operator that partners with the likes of American Airlines and United Airlines, will launch new “flights” connecting Hamilton and Kitchener in Ontario to Air Canada’s hub at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ).
Landline will offer six daily round trips for Air Canada between YYZ and both John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (YHM) and Region of Waterloo International Airport (YKF) in Kitchener from May 1. Both are new destinations for the Star Alliance carrier. The airports are currently served by other airlines, including Lynx Air and WestJet at YHM and Flair Airlines at YKF, according to Cirium Diio schedules.
Buses will operate with Air Canada flight numbers, similar to Air Canada Express flights, with seat assignments and checked bags included. One-way trips between YYZ and both YHM and YKF are estimated at one hour to one hour and 10 minutes.
As an added perk, passengers can expect free “inflight” Wi-Fi.
“Air Canada is focused on improving regional services,” said Alexandre Lefèvre, vice president of network planning for North America at Air Canada. “Through this innovative partnership with The Landline Company, we are connecting communities and extending our network by offering customers a convenient, stress-free multimodal option.”
The network additions come as airlines around the world pull back on regional flying. These cuts come as airline costs have risen following the coronavirus pandemic, various staffing shortages that have hindered operations and climate considerations taking a newfound prominence. The net result is that smaller cities have less air service today than they did before the pandemic.
Air Canada has cut 10 smaller Canadian cities from its map since 2019, Cirium Diio schedules show. They include Kingston and Sarnia in Ontario, Penticton in British Columbia and Val d’Or in Quebec.
A landside bus connection at Toronto’s airport
The big question for travelers riding Air Canada’s Landline buses: Do they, like the flights they emulate, arrive “airside” — or inside security — for connections at YYZ? No, at least, not yet, said David Sunde, co-founder and CEO of Landline.
“We need to prove that [our model] works in Canada, and show that we can drive a lot of volume,” he said. Air Canada is Landline’s first partner outside the U.S.
Air Canada buses will arrive and depart outside security from the terminal curb — or “landside” in airline parlance — at all three airports. Bags, however, will be transferred directly from flights to buses and vice versa at YYZ, saving travelers a stop at either the ticket counter or baggage claim.
At YHM and YKF, travelers will check in and drop their bags at an Air Canada counter in the airport terminal. They will then board buses at the curb for the trip to YYZ where, after arriving, they can proceed directly to security and on to their connecting flights.
Landline buses only arrive airside at one airport, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), with partner American. Riders clear security at their departure airport and can bypass the checkpoint at PHL. Buses at Denver International Airport (DEN) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) that partner with United depart the airports from a gate like a flight would, but the return trips arrive at the curb at both hubs.
A ‘perfect market’ for Landline
Landline executives do not see any issues with the landside connections at YYZ. The company’s partnership with Sun Country Airlines operates similarly to how the Air Canada pact will and is viewed as a success.
“Canada is a perfect market for Landline,” said Nick Johnson, the head of revenue at Landline who worked on the Air Canada tie-up. “Big hub airports and a lot of small, mid-sized cities within our strike zone of one to three hours from the hub.”
A quick glance at the map of Toronto’s regional rail operator, Go, shows several large suburbs at the end of its lines. Hamilton and Kitchener are two of these, and others include Barrie, Oshawa and Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Farther afield is the small city of Kingston where Air Canada suspended flights during the pandemic. The drive from the airport to YYZ is about two hours and 45 minutes.
“We will look to further expand our regional network in Canada through our Landline partnership,” Lefèvre said when commenting on future expansion possibilities.
However, Johnson’s comment also referred to the greater willingness of Canadians than Americans to embrace multimodal journeys. Canadian cities typically see higher transit ridership than their U.S. counterparts despite similar car-centric development patterns. Toronto, for example, has the largest streetcar network in North America, plus subway and regional rail systems.
“One of the challenges that Landline has faced since its inception in the U.S. is just overcoming the perception of long-haul bus travel. Or, when you’re not on the East Coast, just bus travel in general,” Sunde said. In Canada, he added, Landline does not anticipate a similar need to “convince” travelers of the quality of its buses in order to drive usage.
A premium economy product
Riding on a Landline bus, as Johnson sees it, is equivalent to an international premium economy experience on the ground. Buses are configured with 36 seats in a spacious 1-2 configuration and 35 inches of pitch. Every seat has a tray table and power outlets.
Travelers, however, will not receive food or drinks during their rides. This is comparable to Landline’s offerings with American and United, Johnson added.
Travelers on the new YHM and YKF services will be able to earn Air Canada Aeroplan points on their trips. Similarly, members of any Star Alliance airline loyalty program will be able to earn points on Landline-operated buses as they would on any Air Canada flight.
Travelers like more frequent buses-as-flights options
Air Canada may be Landline’s newest partner, but the company is growing elsewhere as well. It recently added its 15th daily bus between Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL) in Fort Collins and DEN with United. The service began in 2021 with just four daily buses.
The expanded schedule is driving increased ridership and improved load factors for Landline’s service at FNL, Sunde said. “If you ask a driver what’s going to get them out of their car using a Landline in partnership with an airline, probably the most important part of that is schedule frequency.”
Conversely, Landline suspended its buses between Denver and Breckenridge, Colorado, after finding that one or two daily trips were not enough to woo travelers out of their cars or away from other forms of transportation.
Sunde declined to provide any details about Landline’s future expansion plans. The company has demonstrated steady growth since its debut with Sun Country in 2019 and subsequent additions of Air Canada, American and United as partners in the five years since.
The same industry dynamics that are making regional flying less attractive to airlines — higher costs and systemic industry constraints — only strengthen the case for multimodal ground options at hub airports.
“Our footprint in the U.S. is a testament to the fact that our model works,” Sunde said.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
Marriott Bonvoy is the loyalty program for over 30 Marriott brands. These brands offer almost 8,700 properties in 139 countries and territories. And if you have Marriott elite status, you’ll enjoy benefits across the entire Marriott portfolio.
Marriott elite status can be extremely valuable to frequent travelers. So, here’s what you should know about Marriott Bonvoy status, including its best perks and how to earn it.
What is Marriott elite status?
Marriott elite status gives you extra perks when staying at Marriott properties. Once you join Marriott Bonvoy, you’ll be a member. But Marriott also offers five elite status tiers that you can earn via nights — and for top tier status, spending with Marriott Bonvoy — within a calendar year.
You’ll have the entire calendar year to earn elite night credits — and accrue qualifying dollars if you’re going for top-tier Marriott Bonvoy status. Once you earn a specific Marriott Bonvoy elite status, you’ll keep your status through the end of the following February. You’ll also earn Marriott Annual Choice Benefits once you accrue 50 and 75 elite night credits during a calendar year.
Marriott Bonvoy has five elite status tiers that you can earn as follows:
Silver Elite: 10 elite night credits per calendar year
Gold Elite: 25 elite night credits per calendar year
Platinum Elite: 50 elite night credits per calendar year
Titanium Elite: 75 elite night credits per calendar year
Ambassador Elite: 100 elite night credits per calendar year and at least $23,000 in qualified spending per calendar year
In addition to these tiers, you can also earn lifetime elite status with Marriott Bonvoy. It’s no longer possible to earn lifetime Titanium Elite status, but you can earn other lifetime Marriott statuses as follows:
Lifetime Silver Elite: 250 nights and five years as Silver Elite or higher
Lifetime Gold Elite: 400 nights and seven years as Gold Elite or higher
Lifetime Platinum Elite: 600 nights and 10 years as Platinum Elite or higher
Although it takes a while — and many nights with Marriott — to earn lifetime status, doing so will let you continue to enjoy benefits on stays even if you don’t stay frequently enough to continue earning Marriott elite status each calendar year.
You can earn Marriott elite status by accruing elite night credits — and, in the case of Ambassador Elite, qualifying spending — during each calendar year. However, your elite night credits and spending reset to zero at the end of each calendar year.
Elite night credits
Here’s how stays at Marriott properties earn elite night credits toward elite status:
Protea Hotels, City Express, Four Points Express and Fairfield by Marriott Copenhagen Nordhavn: One elite night credit per every two qualifying nights stayed per stay
Marriott Executive Apartments: One elite night credit per every three qualifying nights stayed per stay
Most other Marriott properties: One elite night credit per qualifying night stayed
In the case of the brands and properties for which you only earn an elite night credit after you stay two or three qualifying nights, you won’t earn partial elite night credits. As such, two three-night qualifying stays at Protea Hotels locations would only net you two total elite night credits since each stay would earn just one elite night credit.
You can also earn elite night credits if you hold a qualifying event at a participating Marriott Bonvoy property. Specifically, you’ll earn one elite night credit for every 20 room nights booked and stayed, up to 20 elite night credits per event contract.
Sometimes, Marriott promotions offer double elite night credits on paid stays. You can also earn elite night credits through Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, which we’ll discuss later.
Petra Marriott Hotel in Jordan. RYAN SMITH/THE POINTS GUY
Qualifying spending for Ambassador Elite status
The top Marriott Bonvoy status, Ambassador Elite, is the only tier with a qualifying spending requirement. To earn Ambassador Elite status, you must accrue 100 elite night credits per calendar year and at least $23,000 in qualified spending per calendar year.
Fewer expenses than you might expect count as qualifying spending. Based on the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions, qualifying spending only consists of qualifying charges from stays completed within the qualifying period. As such, you can’t boost your qualifying spending by prepaying stays for future qualifying years, incurring on-property charges without a stay, spending on cobranded Marriott Bonvoy cards, buying Marriott gift cards and other similar activities.
Now that you know how to earn Marriott elite status, let’s look at the best benefits of status. For each of the best benefits we discuss in this section, we’ll detail the benefit and how it varies by tier.
Bonus points
Marriott Bonvoy members earn 10 base points per dollar spent on qualifying charges at most Marriott brands, although you’ll only earn 5 or 2.5 base points per dollar at some brands. Then, members with Marriott elite status earn bonus points on the base points as follows:
As a Gold Elite member, you’ll get a welcome gift of points once per stay at participating Marriott brands. You’ll get 500 points per stay at most brands, although you won’t get a welcome gift of points at City Express, and you’ll only get 250 points per stay at Courtyard, Four Points, SpringHill Suites, Protea Hotels, Fairfield, AC Hotels, Aloft, Moxy, Four Points Express, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Element.
Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite members and above also get a welcome gift at participating Marriott brands, excluding City Express properties that aren’t City Centro locations. However, Platinum Elite members and above get a choice of welcome gift at most brands. The choices depend on the brand and region but may include food and beverage credit, breakfast, points and special amenities. It’s best to look at the table in Section 4.3.c.iii of the Marriott Bonvoy terms and conditions to see your welcome gift options before you arrive at the check-in desk.
Gold Elite members and above are eligible for complimentary room upgrades subject to availability and as identified by participating Marriott properties upon arrival.
Gold Elite members are eligible for enhanced rooms, which may include rooms on higher floors, rooms with desirable reviews, corner rooms and rooms on Executive floors. However, Gold Elite members aren’t eligible for upgrades to rooms with direct Club lounge access at The Ritz-Carlton.
In addition to the complimentary upgrade types available to Gold Elite members, Platinum Elite members and above may also get suites — although at The Ritz-Carlton, suites are only offered to Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite and Ambassador Elite members.
Regardless of your Marriott Bonvoy status, know that Marriott Vacation Club; Marriott Grand Residence Club; Sheraton Vacation Club; Westin Vacation Club; The Phoenician Residences, a Luxury Collection Residence Club, Scottsdale; and Ritz-Carlton Reserve don’t participate in the complimentary room upgrades part of the Marriott Bonvoy program.
Platinum Elite members and above can enjoy lounge access with one guest staying in the same room at JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Delta Hotels, Le Meridien, Westin, Autograph Collection and Renaissance Hotels that have a lounge (although you’ll only get lounge access at resort properties for Sheraton, Le Meridien and Westin). You can also get lounge access at Courtyard properties outside the U.S. and Canada if the property has a lounge.
Lounge at the JW Marriott Hotel Bogota in Colombia. KATIE GENTER/THE POINTS GUY
Late checkout
You may be eligible for complimentary late checkout if you have Marriott elite status. However, some brands don’t participate in this benefit, including Marriott Vacation Club; Marriott Grand Residence Club; Sheraton Vacation Club; Westin Vacation Club; The Phoenician Residences, a Luxury Collection Residence Club, Scottsdale; and Ritz-Carlton Reserve.
Silver Elite members may get priority late checkout at participating Marriott brands if they call the front desk on the morning of checkout. Meanwhile, Gold Elite members can request a 2 p.m. late checkout at participating Marriott brands by calling the front desk on the morning of checkout. However, Silver Elite and Gold Elite members only get late checkout based on availability.
Platinum Elite members and above can check out as late as 4 p.m. at participating properties if they request to do so during booking, check-in or anytime during their stay. Late checkout is only guaranteed until 2 p.m. at Apartments by Marriott Bonvoy for Platinum Elite members and above, although you can request a 4 p.m. checkout based on availability. Four p.m. late checkout is based on availability for Platinum Elite members and above at resort and convention hotels and Design Hotels, but is guaranteed at other participating properties.
Your24
Ambassador Elite members can access a unique perk via Your24: the ability to request a specific check-in time and then check out at that same time. The request must be made at least two days before arrival and approved by the hotel.
If you get an approved check-in time between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., you can request the Platinum Elite and above late checkout benefit to extend your checkout time to 4 p.m. The room you booked might not be available at check-in, so the property may temporarily place you in another room and then move you to your booked room type once it’s available.
However, Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, Westin Vacation Club and Design Hotels don’t participate in Your24. Likewise, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach; The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas; Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas; and The Phoenician Residences, a Luxury Collection Residence Club, Scottsdale also don’t participate in Your24.
Partner perks
At select Marriott Bonvoy status tiers, members can enroll in perks with partner programs as follows:
Emirates and Marriott partnership: Gold Elite and above members earn 3 points per dollar on eligible Emirates flights (in addition to Skywards miles); Platinum Elite and above members can enjoy priority check-in and priority boarding when flying Emirates.
Singapore Airlines and Marriott partnership: Gold Elite members can enroll in a fast track to KrisFlyer Silver status; Platinum Elite and above members can get KrisFlyer Silver for 12 months and a fast track to Gold status.
Hertz and Marriott partnership: Platinum Elite members can enroll in a fast track to Hertz Five Star status, Titanium Elite members can match to complimentary Five Star status and Ambassador Elite members can match to President’s Circle status.
Can a credit card help earn Marriott elite status?
Credit cards can help you earn Marriott elite status. You can enroll in complimentary Marriott Bonvoy status as a perk of the following cards (terms apply):
You can also upgrade to Marriott Gold Elite status by spending $35,000 on purchases each calendar year on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card.
DRAGANA991/GETTY IMAGES
Even if you want to earn Marriott elite status through elite night credits, having one or more Marriott Bonvoy credit cards can still help. Most consumer Marriott Bonvoy credit cards offer 15 elite night credits per calendar year, although the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex offers 25. You can only earn 15 (or 25 if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex) elite night credits from consumer cards each calendar year, but you can also get 15 elite night credits if you have the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex.
Marriott elite status offers valuable perks to frequent guests. When deciding whether Marriott elite status is worth pursuing, consider how often you stay with Marriott (or would stay with Marriott) and how much value the perks would provide. If you don’t stay frequently, it’s likely not worth actively pursuing status outside of the complimentary Gold Elite status you can get if you have the Amex Platinum Card or the Amex Business Platinum Card.
But, whether Marriott elite status is worth it becomes more complex if you tend to accrue at least 20 elite night credits organically through stays each year. In this case, it could be worth focusing your stays on Marriott and getting one or more Marriott Bonvoy credit cards to get more elite night credits and earn at least Platinum Elite status.
I stay with Marriott frequently enough that it makes sense to have the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card and Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex and then stay at least 20 nights for Platinum Elite or 45 nights for Titanium Elite each calendar year. I strive to earn at least Platinum Elite status each year because the most valuable perks — such as complimentary breakfast as a welcome gift option at some brands, lounge access at some brands, 4 p.m. guaranteed late checkout at most properties and space-available upgrades up to suites — start at this tier.
Marriott elite status offers valuable perks, especially at the higher tiers. And if you’re eligible for Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, you can obtain complimentary Marriott Platinum Elite status as a perk of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex. But, since you can earn elite night credits through most Marriott Bonvoy credit cards, you can earn Marriott Bonvoy status even if you don’t earn all your elite night credits through stays.
Compared to other hotel loyalty programs, Marriott lifetime status may also be more attainable for some travelers since it only requires you to meet thresholds for elite night credits and years with the status. For example, you could earn lifetime Platinum Elite status after 600 nights with Marriott and 10 years as Platinum Elite or higher.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
With over 30,000 locations and millions of rewards members, Starbucks is, without question, a worldwide phenomenon. So what’s the best credit card for your next cup of joe, tea, Refresher (or even pup cup)?
Whether you want a cold brew or a morning snack, here’s how to get the most bang for your next Starbucks purchase by using one of these credit cards and maximizing the Starbucks Stars program.
How to earn and use Starbucks Stars
No matter what credit card (or gift card) you use to pay for Starbucks, if you load that money into your Starbucks app or pay from within the app, you earn 2 Starbucks Stars per dollar when you pay for most Starbucks menu items.
Since that is a constant at participating Starbucks, we’re going to largely ignore those earnings here, but be sure and earn those Stars, as they are worth about 4-5 cents each, depending on how you use them.
We’ll value them at 4 cents per point for our purposes to stay on the conservative side, but know that you can sometimes get a bit more value than that.
25 Stars: Drink modifications (such as an extra shot)
100 Stars: Brewed hot or iced coffee or tea, bakery item, packaged snack and more
200 Stars: Handcrafted drink or hot breakfast
300 Stars: Lunch sandwiches, protein box or a brew-at-home coffee
400 Stars: Select Starbucks merchandise item (up to $20)
Keep in mind that Starbucks Stars expire six months after they are earned, on the first day of that month. Make sure you use them or you’ll lose them.
How to earn credit card rewards at Starbucks
Your first thought when deciding which credit card to use at Starbucks might have been the one that gives you the best bonus on dining, and that’s not a bad approach. However, it is not the only path to maximizing value at Starbucks.
Since you can reload your Starbucks balance from the mobile app (or even use a mobile wallet payment option like Apple Pay or Chase Pay to pay in the store), credit cards that give a mobile wallet bonus can work out well, too.
For example, the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa Infinite Card awards 3 points per dollar for mobile wallet purchases.
The information for the U.S. Bank Altitude Reserve Visa card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
For example, you could earn 5% cash back (or 5 points per dollar spent) by picking up a Starbucks gift card at an office supply store with your Ink Business Cash® Credit Card. It may take a little extra effort, but you’ll earn rewards that you can put toward statement credits and other purchases.
The Starbucks Visa card is no longer available
If you’re thinking, “Wait, isn’t there a Starbucks Visa and shouldn’t it be the best card for Starbucks?” Well, yes, there was a Starbucks Visa but it’s no longer available — and it actually wasn’t the most rewarding credit card for Starbucks purchases anyway.
Accurately narrowing down the best way to pay for your Starbucks order is complicated since there are so many options, but we’ll highlight the best of the best to get you on the right track.
$750 bonus cash back (75,000 points) after you spend $6,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening
5 points per dollar spent on first $25,000 in combined purchases at office supply stores, cellular phone, landline, internet and cable TV services each account year
6% back at U.S. supermarkets; up to $6,000; then 1% (you can purchase Starbucks gift cards there). Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed for statement credits
2 cents
12 cents
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then,$95 (see rates and fees, )
Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months of card membership
6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets up to $6,000 per year; then 1%. Terms apply
$300 cash bonus after you spend $3,000 on purchases in the first three months
Any Bank of America credit or debit card
2% cash back on qualifying Starbucks in-app purchases
1 cent
2 cents
Varies
Varies
Value of rewards based on TPG valuations, not the card issuers.
The information for the Hilton Aspire card, Starbucks Visa, Citi Prestige and the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
STARBUCKS
As you can see, the American Express Gold Card is great if you want to directly load up your Starbucks account in the app or pay in a Starbucks store. The Chase Sapphire Reserve and Chase Sapphire Preferred cards are also solid options thanks to their earning power of 3 points per dollar on dining purchases.
You may also want to factor in any relevant Amex Offers or Chase Offers and a whole host of other stacking opportunities that can lead to savings if you’re a Starbucks regular.
The best card for Starbucks can change over time
The best card in your wallet for Starbucks purchases will probably change as offers and special promos from various sources come into play. For example, TPG staffers have previously seen a Chase promotion that awarded up to 10 points per dollar at Starbucks across a variety of credit cards.
Additionally, if you have a card such as the Chase Freedom (no longer open to new applicants) or Chase Freedom Flex℠ where the bonus categories rotate, that card may sometimes take the top slot as it rotates in a mobile wallet depending on the current cash back promotional offer.
Bottom line
Are you on your second cup of coffee yet? We know this was a long answer to a simple question.
There isn’t a straightforward answer to which credit card is the best to use at Starbucks because there are several cards that can earn you solid rewards — in the form of Stars and/or cash back. The good news is that this gives you plenty of opportunities to maximize your earning power with every Starbucks purchase you make.
Unless you receive a promo offer that earns more than 4 points per dollar, we recommend using the Amex Gold Card for your Starbucks fix. You can also buy Starbucks gift cards to enjoy bonus rewards. Otherwise, the 3 points per dollar you can earn using the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred or Bilt Mastercard provides a good alternative option.
For rates and fees of the Amex Gold Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Blue Cash Preferred Card, click here. For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
Forget about seatback screens, tablets or smartphones.
A new generation of inflight entertainment is about to take flight on Beond. That’s because this Dubai-based carrier — a self-proclaimed “premium leisure airline” — will officially become the world’s first to offer Apple’s Vision Pro headset to its passengers.
Beginning in July, Beond will stock its jets with Apple’s new headset for inflight entertainment. These devices will be loaded with the airline’s existing onboard content of movies and TV shows, and Beond is also creating a custom experience that it says will transform your surroundings into a fully immersive backdrop of what you can expect in the Maldives (the airline’s main base).
The airline is working with resorts in the Maldives to capture footage that’ll be converted into this immersive environment and displayed once you put on the Vision Pro headset.
MATHEEN FAIZ/BEOND
At the outset, Beond will only offer Vision Pro headsets to select passengers for the duration of the flight. The airline isn’t buying enough devices for the entire plane; rather, they’ll only be available (at launch) to those that pay for the highest fare class, the so-called Opulence class.
After all, at $3,499, Vision Pros don’t come cheap, even for an airline that exclusively offers pricey business-class seating on its entire fleet.
“Offering the Apple Vision Pro is another step in our vision of delivering a premium travel experience to our customers, from the start to finish of their journey. We’re proud to be the first airline to deploy the technology,” Beond’s Chairman and CEO, Tero Taskila, said in a statement.
Beond commenced operations late last year, offering service to the Maldives from various destinations in the Middle East and Europe. The airline operates Airbus A320 family aircraft, and the jets are exclusively configured with business-class lie-flat pods.
Beond’s business model caters to deep-pocketed travelers looking to arrive to their Maldivian vacation in style. So, it’s little surprise that this carrier would be the first to invest in Apple’s Vision Pro headset to upgrade its inflight entertainment experience.
Ever since the device’s unveiling last year, it’s pretty clear that Apple designed the Vision Pro with travel in mind. Aside from the device appearing in an airplane cabin in Apple’s first ads, the headset has a built-in travel mode that automatically adjusts the sensors to compensate for aircraft movement.
APPLE
To date, I’ve seen a handful of early adopters bring the device with them during travel. While the device has received mixed reception since its launch on Feb. 2, the overwhelming number of travelers I’ve spoken to have enjoyed using the device during flights.
Once you put it on, you can fully immerse yourself in your content and block out all distractions, such as seat neighbors, crowded aisles and loud passengers.
Personally, I demoed the device — and shared my thoughts — before its launch. While the use case for travel is undoubtedly appealing, the cost and size might not make it a must-have right now.
That said, I did just pick one up for some real-world use, and I’m looking forward to reporting back about my experiences.
Americans have become increasingly frustrated with airlines and air travel. Since taking office, Buttigieg has been visible at the forefront of various Biden administration initiatives and has pushed for passenger rights, limits on “junk fees” and better operational performance among the airlines, while working through a decadeslong air traffic controller shortage that’s reached a critical level. Holding the airlines to account is an easy populist win.
But another part of it is that Buttigieg is a frequent flyer for work and an overall travel buff and AvGeek.
“Air travel is a miracle,” Buttigieg told TPG during an interview Thursday following a press conference at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). “The fact that I’m reading memos in a seat in the sky as part of how I start my Monday morning.”
“There’s a magic to that, even 100 years into the aviation age, that I hope we never lose track of,” he added.
It’s an energizing perspective for someone who travels for work at least once a week, almost entirely on whatever flight he can grab (like most high-ranking officials, Buttigieg has occasionally flown on government aircraft when commercial options weren’t viable for various reasons).
And while those trips are all for a purpose — for meetings with stakeholders, events, for the chance to see the real-world impact of various policies — the flights themselves, and the chance to visit various parts of the air travel system firsthand, are useful to him as the industry’s chief regulator, he said.
“You see patterns,” he said. “It’s one thing to see one air traffic control tower; it’s another thing to be in 10 of them.”
But for Buttigieg, travel has always been about more than the infrastructure and logistics, he said.
As have points and miles.
Buttigieg’s father immigrated to the U.S. from Malta while pursuing his doctorate degree. He often flew to Italy in the course of his research, Buttigieg said, which meant accumulating a decent stash of miles over the years.
“He would save up those miles and points and every couple of years, it meant we could go to Malta to see my family,” he said. In the classic tradition of award travel, sometimes that could mean taking a wild routing to score seats at a lower tier on the award chart — like flying from South Bend, Indiana, to Chicago to London to Rome before finally flying on to Malta.
“It took two or three days, but it meant that I got to see my grandmother and all my aunts and uncles and cousins, and as a kid, it was just such magic,” Buttigieg said, remembering that his father used to keep a log of every single flight he’d taken — something many travel aficionados still do today, with digital services like Flightradar24’s flight log or the Flighty app.
“I’m concerned about some of the arbitrary devaluations of points, or these fees that get attached to everything,” he said.
Buttigieg, meanwhile, collects plenty of miles during his work travel, just like any other passenger, though he said he pays less attention to his status — he prefers to decline upgrades to avoid any false appearance of impropriety.
“I don’t want to be photographed in first class,” he said.
He tends to use miles these days for a variety of trips, whenever it makes the most sense, rather than saving them all up.
“We’ll figure out whether we’re better off using airline miles, credit card points, or money,” he said.
Despite any romantic notions of what travel can be, Buttigieg noted that there are inherent challenges and unpleasantries involved, especially for people who aren’t frequent business travelers but might fly once every couple of years for the holidays.
“The worst is when you really need to be somewhere and there’s a disruption, right?” he asked. “That’s a constant headache that I think about both as a traveler and as a policymaker.”
“I think everybody gets that weather happens, things happen,” he added. But when there are chronic or ongoing issues within the airline’s control, things that airlines “could and should do differently, that’s when I think we’ve got to lean in.”
For instance, late last year, the DOT fined Southwest Airlines a record-breaking $140 million over its operational collapse during the 2022 holiday season, which left 2 million Americans stranded all across the country as the airline struggled to regain its footing following a winter storm.
Of course, some delays — like the congested airspace surrounding the Northeast and much of Florida — can be linked to the DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration’s shortage of air traffic controllers. That’s also been a priority for the administration, with Buttigieg telling TPG in January that the hiring of new controllers had finally accelerated.
“I’m encouraged by that, but I’m also very concerned because we need to pick up the pace on that hiring to make sure it stays ahead of retirements and departures,” he said at the time.
Aside from the frustrations of dealing with delays, Buttigieg said that opaque and unfair fare structures, particularly for less frequent travelers, are one of the more frustrating things he’s observed through his time in the air and on the ground.
“If you aren’t getting the value you thought you were getting,” he said. “That’s something that can be a consistent headache too.”
“In any other market, you know what the price of something is and then you make your decision on whose product to buy, and that can be a little fuzzier,” he added.
But still, to Buttigieg, the frustrations are an aside to the joys of air travel.
“There’s something deeply human about marveling at flight, because it kicks off at such a young age. Our son’s vocabulary had 10 words in it and one of them was ‘airplane.’ Our daughter, too.”
“When they see an airplane, when we’re traveling, when we take them to a museum and we look at airplanes and everything that surrounds them, there’s just a magic to it.”
And from the perspective of a policymaker and regulator, the achievements that have been made in safety in air travel are something to admire, Buttigieg said, even as the FAA continues to work to improve safety measures in light of several recent incidents.
“I’m trying to get an area like roadway safety to catch up to that culture,” he said, “because we tolerate a level of heartbreak in roadway crashes that we never would in aviation.”
But on the theme of the day — infrastructure — Buttigieg said that the key focus is on making sure that the country’s air travel system is up to date and ready to serve.
“Every time I come to an airport,” Buttigieg said, “I find myself wondering what people are on their way to.”
“What we know,” he added, “is that no matter what brings you to the airport, so much depends on the airport being ready to meet your needs.”
In short, there’s just a single metric for qualification now: Medallion Qualification Dollars. And in making this change, Delta has also overhauled how credit cards can help in your pursuit of status.
Here’s how you can spend your way to Delta Medallion status in 2024 without even setting foot on a plane.
Delta Medallion status requirements
ZACH GRIFF/THE POINTS GUY
As noted previously, you now qualify for Delta status based solely on MQDs (gone are Medallion Qualification Miles and Medallion Qualification Segments). Delta’s original announcement featured high thresholds, though these were softened a bit for 2024 in response to customer backlash.
Here are the current requirements to earn Delta Medallion status in 2024:
In previous years, select Delta credit cards allowed you to earn Medallion Qualification Miles based on spending. Now that MQMs have been retired, the carrier has overhauled how to use these cards to accelerate your progress toward status.
In short, Delta now allows you to earn MQDs across four of its cobranded cards with American Express. The exact details vary from card to card, but there are two general ways to use these cards to accelerate your progress to Medallion status.
MQD Headstart
In early February, Delta implemented a new perk called MQD Headstart for the following cards:
For each of these cards in your wallet, you’ll now receive a one-time deposit of 2,500 MQDs at the beginning of each qualification year. This puts you halfway to Silver Medallion status — though if you have two cards, you’ll automatically hit Silver Medallion before you even set foot on a Delta plane.
In addition, travelers with the Delta Reserve card prior to Feb. 1 received an extra 1,000 MQDs this year. I currently hold that card, and I received an email Feb. 1 with the subject “Updates To Your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Card” and the following details:
DELTA
This means existing Reserve cardholders received a total of 3,500 MQDs in 2024 — though this will drop back to 2,500 MQDs starting in 2025.
However, the ability to earn status on these cards doesn’t end there.
New status boosts
As mentioned previously, Delta Platinum and Reserve cardholders could previously earn bonus MQMs based on spending. That perk ended as of Jan. 1. Instead, you can now earn MQDs based on spending:
Delta Platinum and Delta Platinum Business cards: Earn 1 MQD for every $20 spent.
Delta Reserve and Delta Reserve Business cards: Earn 1 MQD for every $10 spent.
The terms of this perk indicate that it can take eight to 12 weeks for the MQDs to hit your account. However, I’ve found that it’s been much faster, as my first purchases of 2024 (both on Feb. 5) were posted to my SkyMiles account just two days later.
DELTA.COM
These status boosts (coupled with the MQD Headstart) mean that you can effectively spend your way to status each year since there’s no limit to the MQDs you can earn each year on these four cards.
For example, let’s say you have a personal Delta Reserve card. Every year, you’ll receive 2,500 MQDs. You can then earn 1 MQD for every $10 you spend on the card. This means you can unlock Medallion status with the following spending thresholds:
$25,000: Silver Medallion (2,500 MQDs from spending; 2,500 from the head start)
$75,000: Gold Medallion (7,500 MQDs from spending; 2,500 from the head start)
$125,000: Platinum Medallion (12,500 MQDs from spending; 2,500 from the head start)
$255,000: Diamond Medallion (25,500 MQDs from spending; 2,500 from the head start)
Now, there’s no debating that all of these numbers represent a lot of spending. At the low end, it’s still more than $2,000 per month, while reaching Diamond status requires more than $21,000 in monthly spending! In addition, these Delta cards offer comparatively poor earning rates on most purchases. When it comes to earning valuable rewards, you’d likely be better off with a top credit card for everyday spending.
Nevertheless, the majority of Delta cardholders likely fly with the airline at least somewhat frequently. In that context, spending on your Delta card can close the gap to a higher tier of status.
Should you get a Delta credit card to spend your way to status?
If you’re not currently a cardholder, the ability to earn status with spending could be a powerful incentive to get one.
For example, let’s say you spend $7,000 per year on Delta flights, with a combination of business and leisure travel. Without a Delta card, you’re looking at Silver Medallion status since $7,000 in spending translates to 7,000 MQDs. However, if you applied for the Delta Reserve card, you’d get a one-time boost of 2,500 MQDs, leaving you just 500 MQDs short of Gold Medallion status. You can earn those MQDs with just $5,000 in spending on the card since you’re earning 1 MQD for every $10 spent.
In addition, now is a great time to consider one of these cards, as they launched limited-time, elevated welcome offers (to coincide with an overhaul of their benefits):
Beyond getting (and using) these four Delta cards as a shortcut to Medallion status, there are a few other ways to earn MQDs outside of flying.
Utilize a status challenge
In early 2024, Delta launched a new status challenge for elite travelers with other airlines. If you haven’t participated in a Delta challenge in the last three years and earned status with another carrier last year, you may be eligible for complimentary Medallion status (up to Platinum) for three months. Then, if you accrue a set number of MQDs during that three-month window, your status will be extended through Jan. 31, 2026.
Earn on award travel
When you book Delta (or partner) flights using SkyMiles, you’ll earn 1 MQD for every 100 SkyMiles you redeem. This means a 20,000-mile award ticket will net you 200 MQDs.
Last year, the Delta Vacations platform was overhauled, and you now earn 1 MQD for every $1 spent across the entire package (excluding taxes and fees). You also earn redeemable miles when booking this way.
Limited-time MQD offers
Finally, Delta will occasionally offer limited-time methods to earn MQDs for select activities. For example, through Feb. 29, you can earn 1 MQD for every dollar spent on hotel stays and car rentals booked through Delta Stays (with a checkout date on or before May 31).
DELTA
Just be aware that this is a third-party booking site, which means that you wouldn’t be eligible to earn hotel points or utilize elite benefits by booking a property that’s part of a major hotel loyalty program.
Bottom line
There are lots of ways to earn Medallion status without boarding a plane. Through the airline’s cobranded credit cards, you can spend your way to multiple elite status tiers.
While most travelers will likely blend the above credit cards with some actual flying, it’s nice to know that you can use multiple Delta American Express cards to boost your Medallion qualification prospects.
We’ve screamed praises of Qatar Qsuite from the rooftops — and it’s not hard to see why.
Qatar Airways’ Qsuite seats come with closable doors. You and a travel buddy can turn your side-by-side lie-flat seats into a double bed; a family of four can book a cluster of seats that allows them to all face each other in a gigantic private suite. Pair this with top-notch service, onboard dining and inflight entertainment, and you have one of the most aspirational premium-cabin products in the travel world.
Qatar is currently offering fall award space for Qsuite at a steep discount of 70,000 Avios, one-way out of Miami International Airport (MIA).
You can find this by searching for flights to Qatar’s home base of Doha’s Hamad International Airport (DOH) via British Airways Executive Club.
JetBlue, a Qatar partner, also has Qsuite award space starting at 80,000 TrueBlue points.
Now, the big caveat here is that if you want to connect to another key destination out of Qatar’s Doha hub, you’ll likely need to book a separate itinerary. That could be an option if, for instance, you plan to make a brief stop for a day or two in Doha and then use a smaller number of Avios (or pay outright) for a flight to the Maldives or elsewhere in Qatar’s network.
At the same time, if flying in a Qsuite has been on your travel bucket list, this could be a great chance while the award pricing is more approachable.
Deal basics
Airline: Qatar Airways
Routes: From Miami to Doha
Cost: Starts at 70,000 Avios (plus $126.05), one-way, in Qatar Qsuite
How to book: Use Avios through British Airways Executive Club
Travel dates: September through early December
When to book: As soon as possible, before award space dries up
The Qsuite deals generally span the fall months. So, your best bet is to search September, October and November, and even early December. You’ll want to search business-class award space.
There certainly isn’t business-class award space every day, so this isn’t necessarily a deal for those already with set-in-stone travel plans; it’ll be a matter of where you can find it.
Here’s an example: a late-September departure from Miami, with a return a week later in October. The round trip goes for 140,000 Avios, plus $252 in taxes and fees.
BRITISH AIRWAYS
For peace of mind, you may feel compelled to at least check Qatar’s website to ensure the aircraft scheduled for your flights does, in fact, offer Qsuite for its business-class accommodations.
To do this, hop over to Qatar’s booking channels, run a quick search, and find your flight. Indeed, it shows the 10:40 p.m. departure from Miami on Sept. 26 does, in fact, offer Qsuite.
QATAR
It also offers Qsuite on the return trip.
JetBlue TrueBlue option
Another option for travelers who have a stash of TrueBlue points is to book the trip through JetBlue.
JetBlue award pricing we found starts just a bit higher, at 80,000 points one-way.
JETBLUE
Earning the miles and points you need
Your best bet to accrue Avios is to transfer flexible rewards currencies to either British Airways Executive Club or one of its partners that also uses Avios.
You could also convert points to Qatar, Aer Lingus or Iberia Avios and then transfer them again to British Airways.
One of the fastest ways to earn points is to open a new credit card with a welcome offer. For instance, right now, with the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card, you can earn 100,000 points after spending $8,000 on purchases within the first three months of card membership. Or, if you add the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card, you can earn 75,000 miles after spending $4,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Spirit Airlines is postponing plans to fly to Mexico’s newest major airport before it’s even opened to international airlines.
In a statement to TPG on Wednesday afternoon, Spirit confirmed it is postponing the start of its planned service to Tulum’s Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport (TQO) indefinitely.
The carrier will be reaching out to customers with flights already booked to offer alternative flights or a refund, a spokesperson said.
The airline blames the route postponement on ongoing operational constraints related to the defects on a number of Airbus A321neo engines manufactured by Pratt & Whitney. Airline executives noted continued challenges posed by the defects during Spirit’s earnings call last week. Dozens of Spirit’s jets are grounded due to the ongoing issue, which has become a major head wind as Spirit tries to return to profitability — and forced the airline to make other route cuts in recent months.
Spirit was set to join a host of other major U.S. airlines in launching service to the new Tulum airport once it opens to international carriers March 28. The airport has been operating for domestic Mexico flights since December.
Spirit had plans to serve Tulum from both Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).
Ishrion Aviation was first to report the route cutback on social media, which TPG confirmed with the carrier.
Felipe Carrillo Puerto International Airport in Tulum, Mexico. KORAL CARBALLO/BLOOMBERG/GETTY IMAGES
“We apologize to our guests for any inconvenience,” Spirit said in a statement to TPG. “We look forward to the opportunity to serve Tulum in the future and will share more once we have an updated schedule.”
What other options do travelers have?
Spirit continues to offer service to Cancun International Airport (CUN), 70-plus miles from Cancun — or a drive of about two hours in typical traffic conditions.
Meanwhile, other U.S. airlines are moving forward with plans to fly to the new airport in Tulum.
As of April, American Airlines will serve Tulum from its hubs at Miami International Airport (MIA), Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
Routes offered by U.S. airlines to Tulum as of April. CIRIUM
United Airlines will fly to Tulum from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Newark Liberty International Airport (IAH) and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH). Its service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) launches later this year.
Spirit sees this route postponement as just that — a temporary shuttering of its plans for Tulum service. As airline officials noted in their statement, the carrier hopes to reinstate Tulum plans once practical, offering travelers an option to fly to the new airport aboard an ultra-low-cost carrier.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
If you’ve been searching for a way to get the most bang for your buck on your next big trip, one of the best ways to do so is with airline credit card companion tickets.
In addition to helping travelers earn free flights by racking up frequent flyer miles, some airline credit cards offer companion certificates or discounts so cardholders can bring a companion along for free.
These aren’t your average BOGO deals, though. Some companion tickets are restricted to certain regions or cabin classes, while others are based on credit card spending or are only good for award tickets.
Here’s a look at the airline credit cards that offer companion tickets as a benefit and what you’ll need to do to earn and maximize them for your travels.
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines offers a companion ticket through its cobranded credit cards. The personal and business versions come with a Companion Fare, which starts from $122 ($99 fare, plus taxes and fees from $23) and is reissued annually after spending at least $6,000 within the prior anniversary year.
Sometimes Alaska will offer an additional Companion Fare as part of a sign-up bonus.
Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card
Companion ticket benefit: The Alaska Airlines Visa credit card comes with a companion ticket benefit that’s one of the easiest to understand and use. Every year you carry this card and spend $6,000 within the prior anniversary year, you are entitled to an annual companion fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees, usually about $23).
The rules stipulate that the primary traveler and their companion must be booked on the same itinerary. While the cardholder does not need to be one of the travelers, you must pay for the tickets using the corresponding Alaska Visa card.
The companion fare is valid for travel in economy only, and it must be redeemed within 12 months of the issue date, but travel can take place afterward.
What’s great about this benefit is that both the primary traveler and the companion will earn full mileage credit for their flights. In addition, both tickets are eligible for upgrades if you have Alaska elite status or want to use a pair of the carrier’s Gold Guest Upgrades.
Welcomebonus: Earn 70,000 bonus miles plus Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare™ ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) with this offer. To qualify, make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
Annual fee: $95
Other benefits: This card earns a considerable 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, EV charging station, cable, streaming services, and local transit (including ride-hailing purchase) and 1 mile per dollar spent on everything else.
It has no foreign transaction fees and provides a free checked bag on Alaska flights for the cardholder and up to six other guests on the same reservation. Here’s our full card review.
Companion ticket benefit: The Alaska Airlines Visa Business credit card offers an identical companion ticket benefit: Spend $6,000 within the prior anniversary year and you’ll receive an annual companion fare from $122 ($99 fare plus taxes and fees, usually about $23).
Welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 bonus miles and Alaska’s Famous Companion Fare; ($99 fare plus taxes and fees from $23) after you make $3,000 or more in purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.
Annual fee: $70 for the company and $25 per additional card
Other benefits: Earn 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Alaska Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on eligible gas, EV charging stations, shipping and local transit, (including ride-hailing purchases) and 1 mile per dollar on everything else. Receive a free checked bag for you and up to six companions. Here’s our full card review.
Barclays offers two different American Airlines companion tickets through its cobranded cards.
Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard and AAdvantage Aviator Silver World Elite Mastercard
THE POINTS GUY
Companion ticket benefit: Every account anniversary, Aviator Red cardholders who spend $20,000 in a year will receive a $99 (plus taxes and fees) Companion Certificate for a round-trip domestic economy fare within the 48 contiguous United States. (Alaska and Hawaii residents can travel from their home state to the 48 contiguous states.)
Meanwhile, Silver cardholders can earn two of these certificates with $20,000 annual spending.
In either case, your account must remain open for 45 days after your anniversary date to qualify for the Companion Certificate.
Welcome bonus: The Silver is not available to new applicants. The Aviator Red is offering 60,000 bonus miles after you make your first purchase and pay the $99 annual fee in full within 90 days.
Annual fee: $99 for the Aviator Red card; $199 for the Aviator Silver
Other benefits: The Aviator Red card earns 2 miles per dollar spent on American Airlines purchases and 1 mile per dollar spent on everything else. The Aviator Silver card earns 3 miles per dollar on American Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar on hotels and car rentals and 1 mile per dollar on everything else.
Both cards offer a first free checked bag on domestic flights, priority boarding, inflight Wi-Fi credits and discounts on other inflight purchases.
The information for the Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Silver and the Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Red has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Delta
Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card
WYATT SMITH/THE POINTS GUY
Companion ticket benefit: The Delta SkyMiles Platinum American Express Card has offered one of the longest-standing companion ticket benefits, and it’s still one of the best options out there. It can be used for travel to all 50 U.S. states (including Hawaii and Alaska), Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
You must pay taxes and fees, though they’re capped at $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and $250 for roundtrip international flights.
Welcome bonus: Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership.
Other benefits: This card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels. Cardholders also earn 2 miles per dollar spent at restaurants and U.S. supermarkets and 1 mile per dollar on all other eligible purchases.
Cardholders get a free checked bag for themselves and up to eight companions on the same Delta flight reservation, plus 20% savings on inflight purchases and Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding on Delta flights.
You can find more details on the card in our full review.
Companion ticket benefit: With its much higher annual fee, cardholders can expect a better companion ticket benefit with the Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express Card. Each year they renew, cardholders will receive a companion certificate good for one round-trip itinerary in first class, Delta Comfort+ or Main Cabin and, now, Premium Select on select eligible routes.
They’ll only be responsible for taxes and fees on the second ticket, up to $80 for roundtrip domestic flights and $250 for roundtrip international flights.
Welcome bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases on your new card in your first six months of card membership.
Other benefits: This card’s main benefit is that it offers Delta Sky Club access when traveling on flights marketed or operated by Delta. You also receive four one-time guest passes each year and can bring two guests for $50 each.
The card’s other benefits are mostly in line with those of the Platinum version. However, it also provides complimentary access to American Express Centurion Lounges when flying Delta with a ticket purchased on the card. For more details, read our full review.
Effective 2/1/25, Reserve cardmembers will receive 15 visits per year to the Delta Sky Club; to earn an unlimited number of visits each year starting on 2/1/25, the total eligible purchases on the card must equal $75,000 or more between 1/1/24 and 12/31/24, and each calendar year thereafter.
Companion ticket benefit: The Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard offers a one-time 50% companion discount to new cardholders. The companion discount is good for a full coach round-trip fare for a companion traveling on the same itinerary between Hawaii and North America.
Although this 50% off companion discount isn’t as great as some of the companion fares listed here, it still represents substantial savings for two people traveling together. In addition to this one-time 50% companion discount, cardholders are eligible for an annual $100 companion discount for round-trip travel between Hawaii and North America on Hawaiian Airlines.
Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first 90 days.
Annual fee: $99
Other benefits: This card earns 3 miles per dollar spent on eligible Hawaiian Airlines purchases, 2 miles per dollar spent on gas, dining and grocery store spending and 1 mile per dollar on all other purchases.
Cardholders get a free checked bag on flights operated by Hawaiian Airlines and discounted award flights.
Additionally, cardholders pay no foreign transaction fees abroad and can share miles with friends and family without a fee.
The information for the Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Southwest
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
Companion ticket benefit: Southwest’s famed Companion Pass is essentially an unlimited two-for-one pass on both paid and award tickets. It’s valid for the calendar year you earn it, plus the following one. You can achieve it by racking up 135,000 qualifying points or taking 100 qualifying one-way flights in a calendar year.
The good news is that sign-up bonuses and points earned by spending on Southwest’s cobranded credit cards count toward this qualification threshold. Some savvy spending can get you the Southwest Companion Pass faster than you think.
Welcome bonus: All three Southwest credit cards offer an identical sign-up bonus: For a limited time, earn a Companion Pass® (good through 2/28/2025), plus 30,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months from account opening.
Annual fee: $69 (Plus), $99 (Premier) and $149 (Priority)
Other benefits: Despite their different annual fees, these three cards offer a similar suite of benefits.
The Priority comes with a $75 annual Southwest travel credit. The Premier and Priority cards offer the opportunity to earn Tier Qualification Points based on spending (1,500 for each $5,000 spent annually) and waive foreign transaction fees.
All three offer anniversary bonuses ranging from 3,000 points with the Plus to 7,500 with the Priority. Here’s a handy comparison of all three.
Of course, companion tickets aren’t just awarded to those with credit cards from U.S.-based airlines. Some international carriers offer cards with similar perks available to U.S. applicants. These could go a long way toward offsetting the costs of your next trip overseas.
British Airways
Companion ticket benefit: Travelers who hold the British Airways Visa Signature® Credit Card can earn the carrier’s “Travel Together” companion ticket every calendar year in which they spend $30,000 or more on purchases. This ticket is basically a two-for-one award ticket for round-trip travel on British Airways, Iberia or Aer Lingus flights originating and ending anywhere these airlines fly. It can be redeemed for any class of service, though there are some restrictions.
Only one voucher can be earned per 12-month period. The cardholder and their companion must be on the same flight in the same class of service. You will be responsible for taxes and fees on both tickets, but only mileage for one will be deducted. The credit card account must also be open and in good standing when you redeem it.
Though this can be a great deal for saving on premium awards, remember that taxes and fees on British Airways tickets can add up. Luckily, cardholders are eligible for statement credits to offset these fees: $100 for economy and premium economy, $200 for business- and first-class seats. These credits can be claimed up to three times per year.
Welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 Avios after you spend $5,000 on purchases within the first three months from account opening.
Companion ticket benefit: The Barclaycard Lufthansa Miles & More World Elite Mastercard also offers a companion benefit — and the great thing is that you are eligible for it after your first purchase and automatically every year after your account anniversary.
That said, it’s only eligible for economy travel from the U.S. to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Far East. It applies only to H, M, Y or B fare codes. These are non-discount economy fares, which can be more expensive than the lowest-priced option. Cardholders must also pay all taxes and fees on both tickets, which can be hundreds of dollars.
Welcome bonus: Earn 60,000 award miles if you spend $3,000 in purchases and pay the annual fee, both within the first 90 days.
Annual fee: $89
Other benefits: This card earns 2 miles per dollar spent on tickets purchased from airlines that participate in the Miles & More program, like Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian Airlines. It earns 1 mile per dollar spent on everything else and carries no foreign transaction fees.
Cardholders receive two, one-time Lufthansa Business Lounge vouchers upon first purchase, plus every account anniversary after the annual fee payment. If you’re going for Miles & More elite status, primary cardholders are eligible to convert award miles into status miles at a ratio of 5:1 for a maximum of 25,000 award miles.
The information for Barclaycard Lufthansa Miles & More World Elite Mastercard has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Bottom line
In addition to welcome bonuses and travel perks, companion certificates can be a compelling reason to apply for an airline credit card. Before you do, though, review the terms and conditions carefully to make sure that you will be able to maximize this benefit’s value.
Many companion certificates are restricted to specific classes of service, geographical regions and time constraints, which can all limit their usefulness.
However, if you find one that matches your needs, a credit card companion certificate can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars on airline travel each year and might be well worth it.
