How I Got Two Free Flights and $150 From My American Airlines Credit Card

How I Got Two Free Flights and $150 From My American Airlines Credit Card January 9, 2012

I know how some of you feel about credit cards and I don’t want to sound like I’m promoting them to everyone who reads this.  In fact, I’ll say right up front: if you have had problems with credit cards in the past or you are trying to pay off credit cards, ignore this article.

If, however, you are wise with credit and do a lot of traveling, you’ll be interested to read about how I use credit cards with rewards to get free flights and cash from credit card companies.

My stance on credit: I use a credit card for work and for a few automated bills.  We pay it off each month and we don’t accrue interest.  The rewards we get from using our credit cards are worth the extra time it takes to manage the card wisely. 

American Airlines Credit Card:

Two Free Flights and Over $300 in Savings

Citi Platinum Select Visa Card

If you’re looking for a credit card with air miles rewards, consider the Citi American Airlines credit card.  It is one of the best credit cards for airline miles out there today.  Here’s the breakdown of the perks I got from opening an American Airlines Citi card this year:

  • 50,000 AA bonus miles after $3,000 in purchases in first 4 months (good for two free flights)
  • $150 Statement credit for eligible American Airlines purchase in the first 12 months.
  • Two (2) free admirals club passes ($100 value)
  • Credit card fee waived for first year ($85 savings)

The catch to getting the 50,000 miles is to charge $3,000 to the card within the first 4 months.  For us that’s simple, because I use a credit card for work.  Again, I’ll make the statement that a credit card should not encourage you to spend more money than you have.

*I do not know how long this offer will remain open.  If it is not open, consider option #2 below.  it’s basically the same card with a few changes to the rewards structure.

If you like the idea of getting free flights, but don’t think you can spend $3,000 on a card in 4 months, Citi offers the same card with a lower spending threshold that will give you at least 1 free flight and some other perks.

Citi Platinum Select Visa Card – Option #2

This Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa card option gives you enough bonus miles to cover the cost of a round trip flight and also gives you a statement credit when you make an approved American Airlines purchase with the card in the first 12 months.

  • 30,000 AA bonus miles after $750 in purchases in the first 4 months.
  • Extra 10,000 miles after $5,000 in purchases in the first 6 months.
  • $100 statement credit for eligible American Airlines purchase in first 12 months.
  • Standard APR of 15.24%

If you plan to travel sometime this year and want a rewards credit card that gives you the most bang for your buck, I’d recommend that you check out the Citi American Airlines credit card.  If you know of any other good airline credit cards, or you’re the type of person who likes to compare credit cards, feel free to share them in the comments.

Have you ever used an airline credit card to get free flights?


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