Get the Right Card and Maybe It’ll Help You Have Additional Elite Status
As if you don’t have enough to do every December, that is also the time of the year to make a mileage run, a trip taken just to gain the miles to retain elite status or jump to the next level. So here’s your New Year’s resolution: Get an airline credit card that can boost your elite-qualifying-mile (EQM) earning potential. These are the miles that count toward elite status, and if you can rack them up without flying, you may never have to make a milage run again.Upgrade to the next tier
If you achieve elite status without making a mileage run, you don’t need these cards, unless you want a boost to reach the next tier, or get elite status on a second airline. These cards come with caveats: Some of them are pricey, some don’t accure bonus miles after the first purchase, and most put a cap on the EQMs you can earn. This is why you should only use these cards until you reach the EQM limit, then switch to a card that allows you to earn redeemable miles on different airlines, such as the Starwood Preferred Guest card or the American Express Membership Rewards card. Except for American Airlines, the major U.S. carriers all offer elite earning credit cards. Here’s a guide to them.Continental Presidential Plus Card / $395
Yields 1,000 Flex EQMs for each $5,000 spent. Other perks: 25% mileage bonus in addition to the bonus received for your elite status level, Presidents Club access (a $525 value), two bags checked free, and EliteAccess. Details for the card: Presidential Plus CardDelta Reserve Card and Platinum Delta SkyMiles Card / $450 and $150
Reserve Card: Yields 10,000 MQMs (Medallion Qualification Miles) after the first purchase, and 15,000 more MQMs and bonus miles for each $30,000 put on the card, with a limit of 30,000 MQMs. Other perks: Sky Club access (a $500 value), first checked bag free, one First Class companion certificate for domestic travel, award redemption fees waived. Platinum Card: Yields 5,000 MQMs after the first purchase and 10,000 more MQMs and bonus miles for each $25,000 put on the card, with a limit of 20,000 MQMs. Other perks: Sky Club access at $25 per visit (50% savings) and one free checked bag. Details for both cards: Delta Reserve and Platinum SkyMiles [aside headline="Continental and United members:" alignment="alignright" width="half" headline_size="default"]Remember elite status in one airlinecarries over to the other.[/aside]United Mileage Plus Club, Access, and Select Visa Cards / $375, $275, and $95
Club Card: Offers 5,000 EQMs once you spend $35,000, and one EQM for each $10 spent subsequently, with a limit of 5,000 EQMs. Other Perks: 30,000 bonus miles after spending $250 and Red Carpet Club access, a $525 value. Access Card: Offers the same EQM earning scheme, but only offers two free passes to the Red Carpet Club rather than unlimited access; and 20,000 bonus miles rather than 30,000 once you spend $250 with the card. The only other perk is access to Economy Plus seating. Select Card: Earns up to 5,000 EQMs at a rate of one for each $1 spent. Under the current promotion members also earn 30,000 bonus miles after spending $250. Details for the cards: Mileage Plus VisaUS Airways Premier World Master Card / $89
EQM bonuses kick in after you spend $25,000, with a 10,000-EQM limit, making this a very pricey card. Other perks: 12,500 bonus miles after first purchase, 5,000-mile award discount, First Class check-in and early boarding (zone 2), and one US Airways Club day pass. Details for the card: Premier World Master CardNo items found.