Credit Card Benefits, Categorized By Benefit.

WOW! How long did it take to put that together?

Any possibility of editing it to include ALL annual fees and signup bonuses?

Thanks, hope that didn’t sound too ungrateful.

if you have the particular card but don’t use it to purchase the flight you are on, can you still get the benefit of it, i.e. priority boarding status or checked baggage without fee etc?

WOW! Beautiful!!

Dan you missed two.
Free lounge access : Virgin Atlantic American Express® Card Black from Bank of America free membership in Regus (is airport lounges included ?)
Rotating %5 cash back : Citibank Dividend World Mastercard

Thank you, Dan.

@dan
Can you post info on cards that give hotel room upgrades. I have the citi premier (for free of course….but that’s another story!) And I was told that there is a hotel upgrade benefit. I was also told that there is a companion ticket benefit. Do you have info on that?

Can the United and Continental cards be used interchangeably for both airlines? Can I get free baggage on Continental with the United card?

It’s not a world mastercard but the PenFed Premium Travel Rewards American Express® Card has CDW coverage In Israel. Last time I rented with Avis in Israel (Apr 2011), I had no problem getting CDW waived, and saved $100 in the process.

If I apply for a mileage plus explorer and am not approved for a signature but get a platinum instead, will I still get the bonus miles, free bag and priority boarding?

Be advised that Avis in Yerushalayim will not accept the insurance from Citibank AAdvantage World Mastercard. They said, if you are in an accident you pay in full and then worry about the card. They even make you sign a document if you refuse to pay the insurance. Also, if you go to rent it in the morning in Israel, and you call Mastercard about the problem, there’s no one to speak to because of the time difference.

Great report
thanks

@theyoungcouple:
Quite a while!

The annual fee should be listed by each card the first time it is mentioned. If it’s not, let me know.

The point of this article really isn’t about signup bonuses, but about the fringe benefits of having different cards, which is why I didn’t include that info.

@ruth:
Yes, priority boarding and free baggage will apply even if you paid for the flight on another card.

@nitantel:
Thanks!

@yossi4k:
Thanks, Regus office membership doesn’t work in any airports.

@fred:
I don’t know of any hotel benefit with that card, and Citi’s companion certs are usually worthless.

Cards that give hotel elite status, like the AMEX Platinum or the Hyatt Visa will help you with upgrades.

@XXXX:
Yes.

@LG:
Interesting. Did you get it in writing?
Getting it waived is only half the battle, if you actually do have a problem you better hope you really are covered!

@Bitzy:
Yes, you will get the same signup bonus and bag/boarding benefits.

@Mutty:
Car rental companies in Israel are a bunch of con artists, ripping off everyone they can with false claims of “scratches” you caused. That’s why Israel is excluded from most credit card insurance, because they game the system so terribly.
Be sure to take lots of pictures when you get the car and have the agent sign off on every tiny scratch or you will pay dearly for them!

I rented with a WMC but Avis in Israel refused to supply them with proof of damage and the repair bill so my claim was denied. Then I disputed the charge and won because they didn’t respond to the dispute either 😀

So I just received an application for Chase Sapphire Preferred in the mail offering a 100,000 point sign up bonus – do you think this is too good to be true?
Also – what is the difference between regular chase sapphire and the sapphire preferred?
Thanks so much for your site, its awesome!!

@Batya:
That’s an incredible targeted offer, lucky you!

The preferred card can transfer points into miles, gets double points in several categories, has no forex fees, gets a 7% annual points bonus (which will make your signup bonus 107,000 points), and is a heavier metal card.

unbelieveable dan. your amazing!!!

the chase sapphire preferred world master card and hsbc premier world mastercard is covered in israel for car rental insurance!

Thank you for this incredible post! I’m sure it took a while to pull all of this info together!

@bc: is this new/ in the fine print i have it says Israel is excluded(along with Ireland) same as continental chase.

on a different note. i wanted to cancel my continental chase card and open a united. they said that i canot get the bonus as i got it already for the first card. also, i cannot transfer my credit line as the first card was not open for a full year yet(which would mean having to pay the renewed annual fee). any comments?

@DAN. the united mileage plus return policy is good for how many days from the purchase?

@stever:
@chez:
Thanks guys 😀

@howard:
They say lots of stuff. For now those 2 cards are still separate and you can get the bonus for both.

The Chase reconsideration or credit analyst team is able to move credit lines around when you apply for a new card regardless of how long the card was open for.

@ss:
All return protections are for 90 days.
AMEX has a premium return protection for $50/year that gets you 180 days and $600/item.

thanks for the great post dan!!
i saw that Batya got targeted 100,000 points for the chase saphirre preferred, anyway of also getting it (wanted to apply for that card).
thanks again

dan i just got letter confirmation from mastercard that it covers in israel!

Thanks, Dan. You are the man!

@sara:
Nope, Chase targets extremely few people with that offer and there’s no way for anyone else to get it.

It’s a great card though and the current 50K offer (really 56k-62k after the spending and 7% bonuses are applied) is also a very good public offer as well.

would u say to wait until i get targeted/or if comes up on DANS DEALS?
thanks

@sara:
Nope, you probably have a 1 in 5,000 chance of being targeted for that offer and I don’t see Chase improving the current 50K public offer anytime soon.

sorry one more quest.
if i dont care abt the protection on the chase sp, is it more worth it to get the freedom card (i do alot of small spending-10 points/transaction)
thank you so much for all your time and effort that u put into this site!

@sara:
An excellent combo would be to have to have
-A Chase checking account (To get 10% bonus on all points + 10 points per transaction on the Freedom card)
+
-A Chase Freedom card (1 point per dollar + 5 points per dollar in rotating categories + 10% bonus on all points + 10 points per transaction)
+
-A Sapphire Preferred card (for transferring all Chase points into airline/hotel miles, for foreign purchases, and for 2.14-3.21 points per dining and travel purchases)
+
-An Ink Classic business card (for 5 miles per dollar on wireless, landline, cable services, and office supplies, and 2 points per dollar on gas and lodging.

thank you vary much for the concise little write up!
i think i will go for the freedom card since i can only sign up for 1 card!

@sara:
Read up on the 3BM on DDF: http://www.dansdeals.com/forums/index.php?topic=8028.0

don’t worry i did 😉
can’t do it for…. reasons
maybe someday i’ll try it…..

Dan!
I just read this and I want to personally thank you for such a clear and concise report!
Very well written!
Shkoyach

@Mutty: Are you referring specifically to the AA Citibank card or all Citibank World Mastercards

the new ba mileage program is it gonna b better then the former ba miles? and is it worth to wait to sell the miles then?

@fan of dan:
It’s more likely to get worse.

Dan
can you forward this messege over to to Batya@…13

you said…”received an application for Chase Sapphire Preferred in the mail offering a 100,000 point sign up bonus”
…can you please send me the 10-digit target# and 3-digit offer#…
a chase rep that they will honor the offer for me even if you already have used it…!!!
please advise
thanks
Barry

@barry:
Batya did not leave an email address. However I highly doubt Chase will give you 100k points based on a targeted invitation that’s good just for her.

Incredibly comprehensive, thanks Dan. Would greatly appreciate your sage advice: I was declined for Sapphire Preferred two weeks ago (used your link, of course 🙂 I suspect it has to do with my opening a Starwood card two months ago-first card solely under my name, one month my statement was $1,800 out of a $2,000 credit line, prob hurt my utilization score. ) Called Reconsideration, they put the app in again after tinkering with something and was denied again. Couldn’t offer to shift credit lines around bec didn’t have another Chase card. So I just applied and received the Freedom card, $1,700 credit line. Stupid me didn’t 3 browser (on either card) to get more credit line to play with. Question: Do you think the $1,700 Freedom credit line could be enough for them to play around with a transfer and get approved? Thanks!

Additions:

Bank of America World Mastercard offers CDW coverage in Israel (just tried it). You need to have $1500 available credit on the card.

Capital One cards do not charge foreign exchange fees.

Citibank ThankYou Preferred World Mastercard (No annual fee)
Link does not work

@Josh:
Fixed, thanks!

Hi Dan I’m new at the whole credit card thing, i would love to get miles etc,please tell me what i should do? thanks

can someone tell me which card is better since both eliminate foreign transaction fees: amex platinum or chase sapphire preferred…what’s the difference between the 2 if i already have the amex starwood but will be spending $ abroad?

Which card has price protection?

RE your post : Chase Continental OnePass Plus Mastercard, Chase United Mileage Plus Explorer Visa, and Chase Continental Presidential Plus: Elite cardholders are eligible for upgrades on award tickets when flying on upgrade eligible Continental and United flights.
My question is HOW do i become or know if i am an ELITE cardholder??

I recently had a baby and am making a lot of moderately expensive purchases. carriage, swing, crib etc. I have Chase Freedom, Blue american express, BP and continental. What would be the best card to purchase these items on? for the most points and the best protection in terms of something breaking..

…or should I apply to a different card?

Do you have a link on your site to include ALL annual fees and signup bonuses?. Really great work

@yitz:
Closest thing would be:
http://www.dansdeals.com/credit-cards
http://www.dansdeals.com/forums/index.php?topic=8028

WWWWOOOOOOWWWWW. This is gold!!!!!! BTW- Through Dan I was able to fly my inlaws in from Israel Round Trip, get 500 dollars gift certificates, fly them to Florida Round Trip and set them up in NICE hotels for 2 nights. All almost FREE.

no mention about the fairmont chase card?

Chase club- What does it mean waives the four paid flight requirement for United status?

@Ridiculous!!!!:
Nice!

@tt:
I haven’t done much research into it, but from what I saw that card is a really terrible card for spending. However it does have a sweet signup bonus (though most people don’t realize that it’s nearly impossible to get a free night at the Plaza or Savoy), though the point of this article isn’t about the signup bonus, it’s about other benefits.

@hudi:
You normally need 4 paid flight segments on top of elite qualifying miles to attain United elite status.

I have the Ink Bold card, andIi never received 2 free lounge passes. I also did not see any mention of that anywhere in the credit card offer.

@Mo:
http://www.loungeclub.com/inkcard
Use code: CHASEINK

Does this offer for the Ink Bold lounge access expire?

Dan whats a good cc to open with little credit! I have good credit but not enough. I applied for the Amex and chase (thru your link ) and was denied due to lack of enough credit” . Are there any that you can reccomend that are a bit easier. (Amex is usually tough)

American Express Delta Platinum Consumer Card:
Earn 15,000 medallion qualifying miles when you spend $25,000 in a calendar year. Earn another 15,000 medallion qualifying miles when you spend $50,000 in a calendar year.
i thing for the platinum its only 10MQM and 10MQM not 15

Foreign Exchange Fees Waived: try CAPITAL 1 card

@Mo:
No.

@Desperate:
Try for a store card (Gap, Target, etc) first.

@miles:
Looks like it changed since last October, thanks.

@Harold:
Sure, but it takes 3 hard pulls to get 1 card from them instead of 1 hard pull, they have no reconsideration department like AMEX or Chas, and have fun using those points on an expensive ticket-you’ll need millions of them!

with the united elite, can i book for my friend on the same flight as me, and he will get the xtra baggage also, b/c it will say elite ticket on his ticket?

@dan about fairmont card it comes with lounge pass, 2 times/year and one free stay /year after 12k spending.

I have the chase priority club and they just recently instituted that you have platinum priority club membership as long as you have the chase pc visa this is besides
Annual Free Night worldwide
No foreign transaction fees
Earn 2 points per $1 spent at
gas stations, grocery stores
and restaurants
Earn 1 point per $1 spent on
all other purchases

hey dan wow amazing job! 🙂 reaLLy have tons of hacoras hatov.

now; i live in israel, i go to america at least once a yr. is it worth it to get one of these 450 yr caRds? and if so which one. i see one amex plaitnum has 200 credit towrds flying and free baggage, in short thats like 400$ savings (including my wife extra bag)or does it make sense to get a chase united cards (whats better explorer or just miles plus? also whats the diff)? also it says first bag free is that also apply when i fly international? meaning the second bag is free bec first one is already. i already have the SPG* and the prefferred (WMC – thanks 2 u 🙂 so i dont need forex fees waived.

Dan-are these aforementioned reasons enough to keep the chase pc card for more than the year(and then pay the yearly fee)if I have the sapphire preferred anyway?

why don’t you post the usairways 40k and the hawaii card 35k
and the virgin atlantic 55k?

@mosie:
When you redeem United miles for someone else they receive the benefits that you would receive.

@tt:
The problem is that the 12K in spending doesn’t get you much of anything and I’d rather spend the $12K on other cards that give more rewards for the points. Still I will look into the card more, thanks.

@aaron:
The problem with Priority Club is that their points are worth less than a third of what other points, like Starpoints, are worth.

@TZvee:
AMEX Platinum doesn’t give free bags, but you do get $200 per calendar year of free travel fees like baggage or gift cards.
United Club gives 2 free bags. The Club card gives 1.5 miles per dollar spent, far more than the Sapphire Preferred, and there’s no Forex on it.
United Explorer only gives 1 free bag, so for Israel there’s no benefit of the Explorer card, still just 1 free bag.

@aaron:
That depends on if you will use the free night at a nice hotel. The Platinum status won’t get you much of anything. Otherwise the card itself is nothing special as the points are worth so little and can be bought directly from them for just 0.7 cents each.

@ralph:
USAirways card turned me off by giving my wife only a 10K signup bonus last year instead of the advertised 40K and refused to give her any anniversary benefit as they ddin’t give her the top level of the card.

Virgin miles always carry extremely high fuel surcharges.

Haven’t looked into the Hawaiian card, but their award availability is dismal and they don’t belong to any alliance to redeem on.

@Dan:
hi dan, ok thanks so much! also if i do sign up for the united club; do i get 2 free bags for any airline i fly? do i always get to use the lounges even if i dont fly united/star alliance? also why am i even keeping my prefferred? should i downgrade it and just use this card?

Great post! thank you!

About the Amex Platinum: Does the MB Platinum also have the $200 travel credit or only the regular Platinum?

Thank you once again for another great post!

Months ago, I signed up and got approved for the AMEX Starwood Consumer Card without knowing about or receiving the Starpoints sign up bonus. Anything I can do to receive them?

I downgraded platinum to zync, but I still use the actual platinum card as it is the same account #, will it still grant me entry to lounges in airports? When they swipe do they want to know if the card is merely active or can they see if it’s still platinum status? thanks

@TZvee:
-2 free bags on United only.
-You don’t need to even be flying for lounge access.
-Sapphire Preferred is $95, United Club is $395, though via SM they will waive that fee.

@Anonymous:
I believe that it does have that as well.

@M:
Where did you signup for it?

@Avi:
It will still work…even if it’s cancelled.

Hey Dan, when you said Cap 1 does three hard pulls, how long do those pulls affect your credit before they fall off?

All the other guys were denying a new card since I already have cards with them, and Cap 1 never heard of me before, so I went with them and was immediately accepted and have a cool pic of my son at the kotel on the card face for a no fee card, for my son’s spending in EY of about $200 – $300 per month.
I didn’t see a better alternative.
Thanks Dan, for a great website.

@YYB:
Chase Recon is very negotiable and amenable to approving cards by shifting lines or closing old cards if need be and you can get 3 cards with 1 pull.

Hard pulls stay on your report for about 2 years.

Hey Dan, great post!
Doesn’t the ink bold business card have primary collision insurance?

I think the fairmont chase benefits are worthy of being added.

Signup bonus alone is worth $1000 – $1500

Lets say you use them in the beautiful Millennium Park Chicago, Beijing, or Santa Monica Miramar

2 Night Voucher (worth $300 a night avg)
$100 in Breakfast Credits
$200 in Food Credits
3 Gold Upgrades (100 per night / max 5 nights per cert ($1500, or lets value at 20% $300)
2 Lounge Visits for 2 persons ($100 value)
Primary CDW, No FX Fees, First year annual fee waived
12,000 in Spend=Another night Voucher ($300)

AND
And the spend earns you 60,000 points for an additional free night. (5% back on the spend) that can be cashed out or used for 1-2 more nights stay.

@deal lurker:
I think only if it is a bona fide business rental.

@Andrew:
What in the world? What card are you looking at??

-You do get 2 nights for signing up which is very nice if you can make use of a Fairmont hotel, though again, this post isn’t about signup bonuses.
-I wouldn’t value free breakfast at $100 even if I did eat non-kosher.
-Where do you see that base members receive any food credit at all?
-Where do you that base members receive any gold upgrades?
-2 lounge visits may cost $100, though 99% of people would ever pay that much.
-Primary CDW, no FX, first year free are things you can get with United Club along with a full membership and 1.5 United miles per dollar everywhere.
-$12,000 in everyday spend earns 12,000 points, not 60,000 points! Category 3 room awards go for 45,000 points per night and category 4 rooms go for 65,000 points per night, a value of less than 1 cent per point.

@Dan:
If I open two cards using two browsers for Chase it would still only be one pull?

How close together do the apps have to be to count on the same pull?

Thanks for your response.

Hey Dan,
Hope all is well.
My wife got an offer from Citi yesterday for which I would like your input. It is the Citi Thankyou premier card with 50K points ($500 in gift card and $665 in airfare). Earn 1.2 points for every dollar spent. Domestic companion ticket each year. No foreign purchase transaction (do not really care as I have two other credit cards like this), points do not expire, $125 fee waived the 1st year.
Do you think it is worth it?
Thanks

@Dan, re non-expiring miles,
Although this “benefit” is advertised by united, it is essentially meaningless, as the annual fee creates annual activity in the account, so it never reaches 18 months without activity. If you do list it as a benefit, same should apply to any card with an annual fee and miles/points that would otherwise expire, such as the various citi aadvantage cards.

@YYB:
Try to time it as close together as possible.
2 or 3 at the same time-1 pull.

@David:
Good offer, but just realize that ThankYou points are not as valuable as real airline miles and as of today still can’t be transferred into real miles.

@Chaim:
An annual fee does not give you miles and does not count as account activity.
Having a Citi AA card for example will not keep your AA miles alive without using the card once every 18 months.

tanx tuns

do u have any info about accumulating 1000.000 miles on aa
dose it give u any status?

Hey Dan, great roundup. Just a suggestion… How about adding another category, for cards that do/don’t cover CDW/TP in Israel?

Can you please tell me the best credit card whic offers Avios points? Thank you