Air travelers looking for free or comped flights in 2013 would be wise to round up a list of tempting airline credit cards, compare the offers, and "invest" in building up one airline's miles for at least a couple months. Here are a few of the most popular on Credit Card Outlaw so far in December:
1) The Capital One Venture card remains popular, as it is one of the only true 2% back travel rewards credit cards out there at the moment. Capital One Venture Rewards allows you to earn "double miles with every purchase toward free flights on any airline," and offers 10,000 bonus miles after spending $1K on the credit card within the first three months. Read user reviews and apply online here.
2) The American Airlines AAdvantage card remains one of our favorite airline-specific credit cards heading into the new year, and has become popular with Outlaw readers as well. This one currently offers 30,000 American Airlines AAdvantage bonus miles after spending $1K within the first three months, plus a variety of cardholder benefits, including Priority Boarding and a $100 flight discount every year you remain a cardmember. Read reviews and apply online here.
3) The Barclaycard Arrival World MasterCard is one you might not have heard of yet, since it is still quite new. It is designed, I suspect, to compete with other high-end travel rewards credit cards such as Chase Sapphire and the Capital One Venture card. There is no annual fee, and no foreign transaction fees. Cardholders also get 0% intro APR on purchases for the first 12 months, and 10,000 bonus miles if you spend more than $1K on the card within the first three months of account opening. Read the card's full stats and apply here.
Also, if you already have any air miles accounts with any airline, log in to your account and make sure those miles aren't expiring any time soon. It'd be a waste to lose miles in the new year due to inactivity - usually all you have to do to extend the lifetime of your earned miles is book a flight or earn additional miles, but check with the specific airline as their policies may be different.
David blogs about personal finance and credit at Credit Card Outlaw. A version of this article originally appeared on Outlaw's travel deals vertical.
Disclosures: Outlaw is a credit card promotions site, and as such we maintain financial relationships with numerous banks and financial institutions, including the offers and cards mentioned or featured herein. Information is believed to be accurate at time of publication, but no warranties or guarantees are provided. Visit the issuer's web site for updated terms, rates, and conditions.
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