BootsnAll Travel Community

Hi folks,

Sorry about all these damn mileage questions!!

Anyhow, if I open up a Citibank checking account, I could gain 20,000 miles after a year. That part I like.

However, the part I don't like is the $12.50 monthly maintenance fee (plus $.50 per check, but I only use checks to pay the rent).

If it makes any difference, I'm sitting at about 52,000 miles right now. 75,000 miles could get me to the Middle East. Blah.

Egh, I have to decide by tomorrow...doh!

Hi!
Add it up and see if it's financially worth it. Go to the Middle East in a year, and then close your account and go to a cheaper bank.

I think it may be worth it for the trip, but the question is, do you want to go through all that trouble?...

Good luck!

In short, YES! 20K miles are worth $150. Anything at or less than 1 cent per mile is a great deal. What airline you are crediting them to does make some difference, because of the difficulty of redemption, but most would be fine. A better deal IMO would be a UA MP visa card. 25,000 miles after your first purchase, and only $60. annual fee(cancel after 1 year if you want).

$150 for 20,000 miles is a good deal, but do keep in mind it is getting harder and harder to claim/get the lowest rewards seats on just about any frequent flyer program, and airlines tend to raise the mileage levels necessary for an award ticket. By the time you can actually use your mileage, you may need more than 75,000 for your Middle East ticket.

If it matters, the plan is with American (bastards charging for stinking luggage!!).

braslvr,

I dunno if I should get another card. Most of my miles have come through promotions, and if I get another card I'll have to start all over again. Damn, I really don't want to do that

150$ seems like alot to me, but if others think it's worth it, go for it. Or, pick a card with no annual fee. You don't earn miles as quickly, but it will put to rest your concerns about the fees.

Also, FWIW, I had no problem booking with miles for my current trip, getting the date I wanted only 5 months in advance with the lowest point deduction. And I was even able to change dates later with no problem.

I think it would be worth it. $200? Possibly not, but $150, then yes.

Altho' there are plenty of mileage-earning credit cards out there, each with varying offers and sign-on bonuses, so if it's not too late, a little shopping around couldn't hurt.

And, if you're really craving miles for that trip, sign up for American's AAdvantage Dining/Rewards Network program...register that new credit card with the program, and you'll not only get whatever miles-per-dollar the credit card gives you, you'll also (additionally!) get whatever miles-per-dollar the program gives for restauratants, cafes, etc. that you'd probably eat at anyways.

I know this post is probably too late for your decision, but I'm sitting with tens of thousands of Continental points, and I've never been able to use them. They have tons of black-out dates and never have reward seats available, even if I try to book a year in advance to not-so popular destinations. I don't know if American is any better, but I'm always wary of paying for points. For whatever it's worth....

Continental is widely reported to be the hardest to redeem miles on. Delta is second. American and United (and their partners) are the easiest.

That's a good deal. If you haven't taken it by now, do so!

Doesnt closing accts hurt your credit?

quote:

Doesnt closing accts hurt your credit?

Well, the exact details on credit score formulae are an industry secret, but from what's known, if closing an account does count against you, it's not in a huge way...it's more like closing an account may increase the percentage of your available credit that you're using, which does count against you. It's the applying for credit that hurts your score, and even that's not worth worrying about unless you're getting a lot of credit searches (more than 3 in a year) and have a marginal score to start with.

Your big credit score factors are:
- Late or missed payments
- Using more than 80 percent of your total amount of available credit
- Bankruptcy
- Liens or foreclosures
- Periods of unemployment
- Too many requests for new lines of credit