Which credit cards should you use for U.S. domestic travel? TravelSort reader Cindy writes “Which credit cards would you start with if you only travel within the United States and want to use points for domestic flights and hotel stays? We primarily use the SPG AMEX because I love staying at their properties. We also have Capital One for places that don't take AMEX. We fly from Salt Lake City and travel to California, Colorado, Washington and Phoenix, Arizona…with family vacations sometimes to NYC and Florida. I would like to use miles and points for flights [as well as hotel stays]. The cost of airline tickets is what holds us back from more travel experiences.”
For exclusively U.S. domestic travel, it's not always so clear cut that miles and points are the best bet–it can depend on the cost of paid tickets, the ease of earning and redeeming miles for the airline you fly, and how many miles or points you can easily earn given your family's spend, among other things. That said, here are my recommendations first for airline miles and points and statement credits, then for a secondary hotel program to complement Starwood and the SPG AMEX.
Airline Credit Cards for U.S. Domestic Travel
1. Barclays Arrival Card: Save $440 On Travel and Earn 2.2% Cash Back When Redeeming For Travel
Since there are bound to be either some domestic flights you can't get award space on and need to purchase a paid ticket for, the occasional phone ticket fee or change fee, or a hotel night, it's a no brainer to get the Barclays Arrival card for both you and your spouse or partner.
For the two of you, that equates to a $880 rebate back on travel thanks to the 40,000 “mile” signup bonus and 10% of your “miles” back when you redeem for travel. Other benefits are that the annual fee is waived the first year and, if you do venture outside the U.S., there are no foreign transaction fees. See our Barclays Arrival Card Review. As Barclays can be very picky about too many recent credit card applications, and it can also take awhile to actually receive this card, it's also smart to apply for this card early, before you apply for too many other credit cards.
2. If Southwest is a Convenient Option, Consider Earning the Southwest Companion Pass
Now, Southwest isn't for everyone (I flew Southwest once and it was the first and last time for me) but if you're a fan or at least agnostic as to airline, it can be a great deal for couples and families and if you earn the Southwest Companion Pass. This pass lets you bring a companion for free on both paid and award tickets, as long as the seats are available on the flight. Southwest offers nonstop service from Salt Lake City to Phoenix, Seattle, and LAX, among other cities, so this could be a good bet for Cindy.
Unfortunately the recent 50,000 point signup bonus for the Southwest personal and business cards recently ended, and this would have been the best way to earn the Southwest Companion Pass, which requires 110,000 points in a year. Note that points transferred from Ultimate Rewards don't count, although points transferred from hotel programs do, so you could transfer UR points to Hyatt, then from Hyatt to Southwest, that would work, although keep in mind the poor transfer ratio: 5000 Hyatt points = 2400 Southwest miles.
3. If United Airlines is a Convenient Option, Earn 95,000-105,000 United Miles from 2 Cards
Even if you sometimes have to buy paid tickets, it's good to have miles and points to use whenever possible, especially if you were able to earn them cheaply via signup bonuses and category spend bonuses. Since United flies from Salt Lake City to Denver, San Francisco, NYC (with 1 stop) and Orlando (with 1 stop) it would be prudent for Cindy to have some United miles.
Currently, it's possible for many folks to either get a targeted offer for the United MileagePlus Explorer with 55,000 miles (see United MileagePlus Explorer 65,000 Bonus Miles Offer Tips) or to receive this offer in-person from their local Chase branch. It may even be possible to secure message for a $50 statement credit (see Robert's comment to the above post).
For another 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points (which transfer 1:1 to United miles) apply for the Chase Ink Bold small business charge card. Or, if you don't want a small business card, the 40,000 Sapphire Preferred. That will give you in total 95,000 to 105,000 United miles, which would get you at least 4 roundtrip domestic flights in economy, or 8 award flights if your spouse or partner also applies for 2 cards.
4. If American Airlines / US Airways is a Convenient Option, Earn 100,000 AAdvantage Miles from 2 Cards
Similarly, if American is convenient for your travel plans, take advantage of the current opportunity to earn 100,000 AAdvantage miles from 2 Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Credit Cards. American would be a good bet if Cindy and her family want to go to Miami.
5. If Delta is a Must, Consider Alaska MileagePlan Miles
I must admit that I so abhor Delta Skymiles that I don't even bother collecting them–I don't have a single Skymile, despite plenty of Delta flights from nearby La Guardia. But if I was in Salt Lake City or other city with fewer non-Delta options, I personally would prefer to earn Alaska Airlines miles since they have other redemption options both for domestic flights (Alaska of course, but also American) and some great international partners, such as Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Emirates, as well as British Airways, Air France, etc. for future international travel. And Alaska now allows allows online award search for many partners, plus Alaska permits one way awards (see Alaska Airlines: Some One Way and Mixed Partner Awards Now Available).
6. Cash Back Cards
While I do think even U.S. domestic travelers should take advantage of credit card bonuses to easily and cheaply earn a cushion of miles and points for award flights, and also take advantage of the category spend bonuses that make sense for them, cash back cards can be a good bet for spend that otherwise doesn't earn a bonus. This is particularly true if you don't want to keep applying for new cards for signup bonuses (which would otherwise be a good use of unbonused spend).
For this reader, the SPG AMEX is still a good option for otherwise unbonused spend as she and her family value SPG hotel stays. The Barclays Arrival card is another good bet, for its effective 2.2% rebate on travel spend, the Chase Freedom provides 5% cash back (or 5X Ultimate Rewards points) on rotating categories, and the PenFed cards another TravelSort reader mentioned (see Cash Back Credit Card or Travel Rewards Card) could be another option.
Secondary Hotel Loyalty Program for U.S. Domestic Travel
Given that Cindy already has the SPG AMEX and enjoys stays at the Westin, my advice would be to make Hyatt Gold Passport her secondary hotel program. While Hyatt is a smaller chain worldwide than Starwood, Hilton and Marriott, it has good coverage in the U.S. destinations Cindy most often travels to. For example, focusing on their upscale properties:
San Francisco: Grand Hyatt San Francisco (Category 5)
Phoenix: Hyatt Regency Scottsdale (Category 5)
Seattle: Grand Hyatt Seattle, Hyatt at Olive 8 (Category 4)
Denver: Grand Hyatt Denver, Hyatt Regency Denver (Category 3)
NYC: Park Hyatt New York will open sometime in 2014 (Category 6)
After the recent SPG Cash & Points Devaluation and Hilton HHonors Devaluation, Hyatt Gold Passport has even greater relative value. In particular, if you're able to earn 5X points with all Amazon spend or even higher bonuses with Ultimate Rewards Mall deals, it can be that much faster to earn the points required for Hyatt stays. A Category 5 hotel requires 18,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points for a free night, which you'll earn with $3600 in Amazon spend at 5x points. Plus, the Hyatt Visa gives you 2 free nights at any Hyatt in the world (I would definitely use those at a Park Hyatt) vs. the only 1 free night at a top Starwood hotel (which doesn't even include the very top properties, such as the St. Regis Bora Bora or W Maldives) with the SPG AMEX 30,000 Points Bonus Offer.
What are your thoughts for this reader on the best credit cards for U.S. domestic flights and hotel stays?
Related Posts
Cash Back Credit Card or Travel Rewards Card
100,000 AAdvantage miles from 2 Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Credit Cards
Review: Grand Hyatt San Francisco
Need Award Booking Help? Our fee is as low as $75 per ticket if you book your hotel through us.
If you enjoyed this, join 150,000+ readers: please follow TravelSort on Twitter or like us on Facebook to be alerted to new posts.
Become a TravelSort Client and Book Your Hotel with Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred VIP Amenities!