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You Want to Apply for Credit Cards, the Miles are Great, But What About Your Credit Score?

by Gary Leff on May 27, 2015

May 27 2015

One of the most-asked questions about credit cards is how does it affect your credit score, and of course the implied followup, do you care? And it’s been awhile since I wrote a post on understanding your credit score. I’ve signed up for scores of cards over many years and I still have an excellent credit score, it was nearly 800 FICO on the three major credit bureaus when I went to get my mortgage. In part because of signing up for more cards, rather than in spite of it. I first discovered rewards credit cards in 1997. I signed up for a US Airways card, enticed by the bonus. I decided I didn’t want to pay an annual fee for a credit card back then. My income – and thus my spending – wasn’t…

The Secret Route to Get from the West Coast to Europe in Business Class Using United Miles

by Gary Leff on May 22, 2015

May 22 2015

A new Los Angeles – Dublin non-stop route opens up next month. And award availability is very, very good. In fact, it’s the best way to use United (or other Star Alliance) miles to get from the West Coast to Europe non-stop in business class right now!

How Much Are Citi Prestige’s Benefits Really Worth?

by Gary Leff on May 20, 2015

May 20 2015

Citi Prestige offers an airline credit, lounge access, a big signup bonus and then a variety of perks like free rounds of golf and 4th night free on hotel stays. How much is all this ‘stuff’ worth, anyway?

If You Fly United, Soon There May Be No Way Out

by Gary Leff on May 20, 2015

May 20 2015

Under United’s new mileage-earning program, miles are earned based on the price of the ticket not the distance you fly. And they seem to be stamping out, one by one, the places you can go to still earn full mileage — United airline partners, one by one, are reducing the miles earned on United discount fares. This is no accident. When will there be no options left?

How Banks Can Offer 2% Cash Back Cards, and Will They Last?

by Gary Leff on May 10, 2015

May 10 2015

It’s hard to fathom how banks can make money rebating 2% on purchases — they may not make that much from each transaction. So how are these products possible? And will they last? Which are the best ones? And do you want cash back or airline miles?

Starwood’s CEO Has a Unique View on Loyalty

by Gary Leff on May 3, 2015

May 03 2015

Adam Aron no longer has ‘interim’ in his Chief Executive Officer title at Starwood. He launched Pan Am’s first frequent flyer program. As Hyatt’s Chief Marketing Officer he launched Gold Passport. I had the pleasure of interviewing him on stage at the Travel Executive Summit on Thursday in Atlanta. Aron was Senior Vice President of Marketing at United and I got to tell the story about his economy meals partnership with McDonalds (the associated happy meal toys available on United’s Orlando flights are still available for sale on eBay). United replaced the galley carts to keep the burger warm while the lettuce and bun stayed cool. He was CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines, of a chain of ski resorts, and later went into private equity. He became part owner and CEO of the Philadelphia 76ers.…

Finding the Right Credit Card, No Matter How Much You Travel

by Gary Leff on April 23, 2015

Apr 23 2015

The New York Times has a useful piece that helps understand what makes a credit card useful for consumers, and identifies some of the best ones currently in the marketplace.

American AAdvantage Just Made One Shocking Change to Its Terms and Conditions

by Gary Leff on April 1, 2015

Apr 01 2015

The American AAdvantage program recently updated its terms and conditions. They added this sentence: To the full extent allowed by law, these Terms and Conditions disclaim any duty of good faith and fair dealing as well as any implied contractual terms or obligations. That’s pretty striking language — they have no “duty of good faith and fair dealing” — and my conclusion is that this means either nothing at all or at most only one thing: American doesn’t have very good lawyers.

Here’s How the US Airlines Can Compete And Win Against the Big Gulf Airlines (Instead of Lobbying the Government for Protectionist Policies)

by Gary Leff on March 27, 2015

Mar 27 2015

I’ve written extensively about the protectionism that US airlines are seeking from the government in bashing Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar — and about the hypocrisy as US airlines lobby for and take huge subsidies while attacking only those competitors they’re worried about for doing the same thing while ignoring the even greater subsidies offered to state airlines that they partner with (Think for instance Delta and Saudia, United and Air India). Gulf Carriers Receive Subsidies and So Do US Airlines There are certainly subsidies that have at various times helped to prop up the various major Gulf airlines, as we’ve seen with airlines around the world. Sometimes those subsidies have seemed larger than life, though it’s easy to forget the privileged position over time of British Airways at Heathrow and the gifting of Concorde. And…