The US Airways Mastercard offer is currently up to 25,000 miles. The offer changes occasionally, this time no annual fee waiver (or 50% bonus on spend). But it’s as rich a first-use bonus as you get, and there’s no minimum spend requirement to get it. Plus the card comes with a club pass and $99 companion ticket that’s actually usable in my experience.
Well worth the $79 annual fee in my view. And there are reports that it’s churnable.
This on top of the 25,000 mile offer for the Bank of America Visa and 25,000 mile offer for the Juniper Bank US Airways Business Mastercard. Now, all come with fees, but that’s 75,000 miles for three credit cards none of which have a minimum spend requirement. And since you can churn Bank of America as well, that’s another huge opportunity.
Sure, US Airways may be making lots of stupid moves lately like charging for coffee and ending elite bonus miles. But the program itself is still useful on the redemption side, primarily for Star Alliance premium class awards. The award chart requires a similar number of miles to the United chart in many cases, and unlike with United the Dividend Miles program doesn’t actively filter out awards being made available by its partners. So if you want that first class award seat on Lufthansa or Europe – Asia on Thai, this is an excellent program to obtain it with.
Gary,
Could you elaborate on what is meant by “churnable”? Thanks.
US Airways MasterCard and US Airways Dividends Miles programs is the worst in the Airlines industry and useless. Why do I say this? Well while most Airlines charge 25000 to 35000 points for a ROUND TRIP airfare, US Airways charge a minimum of 25000 miles for ONE WAY airfare, which means one must use DOUBLE the points in order to get a round trip points ticket. Once aboard the aircraft you are now charged for EVERYTHING from drinks (including water) to substandard box lunches. The only benefit (if you want to call it a benefit) is your first check in bag is FREE if you have a US Airways MasterCard/VISA.
It isn’t worth the annual fees or the headach when you are being charged high interest rates to hold the card, high redemptive milage points for ONE WAY / ROUND TRIP tickets when other airlines have better programs and the fact that US Airways will nickel and dime you once you are abroad flight. Service is substandard as is its low class box lunches!
I would recommend one check out bank rates for Air Mile Credit Cards, and what the Airlines Rewards are offering before committing to signing on to a modern day rob them and let them not know what hit them as does US Airways MasterCard/VISA…
Just got a big surprise when I tried to book the $99 companion ticket promised when I signed up for US Airways MasterCard – and not a good one! You can’t book on the website, only on the phone at an additional $25 cost, so I guess that would be a $124 companion ticket. Be sure you haven’t lost the certificate they send early on; otherwise, you’ll have to wait 6-8 weeks for them to send you a new one before you can book.
Also, you don’t automatically get the $79 card with its big 25,000 mile bonus unless you call and kick up a fuss. Otherwise, as happened with my husband’s card, you don’t get billed $79 and only get 5,000 bonus miles.
The big lesson: stick with American Express and take your rewards in cash!
Same here with the $124 certifcate…not $99. Very misleading. Worse yet, the USAir system is screwed up and showed my certificate as expired when the certificate itself did not. It took about 12 phone calls and plus e-mail to finally straighten it out. It is next to impossible to get through to USAirways customer relations.
I signed up for the card, and have yet to recieve either the pass, free flight or companion ticket despite numerous emails, calls. It has been 10 months, and my account is in good standing. Terrible customer service…they keep asking for “30 more days” to resolve the issue.
I have had the card for a few years. I have always paid on time, usually the full balance. I had a credit limit of 11,000 that was lowered overnight to 2,400 with no notice whatsoever. Since I have been using the card to get travel miles (I thought that was the point), I am now restricted on what I can do with it. Service reps were rude when I called. Card is being misrepresented. Don’t take it. I am cancelling mine.
BE CAREFUL. I had a Bank of America (BOA) Visa USAirways card. I thought I was opening a new account when I filled out the MasterCard application, and therefore eligible for the 25,000 miles. WRONG!!!! They transferred all my account from the BOA Visa to the new MC bank and only gave me 5,000 miles!! When I called to ask where my 25,000 miles was, they said that it’s not a new account (total BS) and therefore only eligible for 5,000 miles. I would never have gone through all the trouble of switching for that.
The rewards for the card are useless. We have numerous miles and can’t use them. We are closing our accounts and going back to the cards we used previously. Beware of all the promises because the rewards aren’t there.
I was offered a card at the airport and they got insistent approaching me 3 times.The offer included a round trip ticket, Several months later when I followed up they, denied ever having made such an offer and gave me A LOUSY 5000 miles. Then within the year credit got tight and the dropped my line from $9k to $1k and raied their rate from 11% to 25% (for a customer with a great rating). FORGET GETTING! THIS CARD/OFFER
I, too , am disappointed with the treatment given me by the card reps. I never received the companion ticket packet in spite of several phone calls. I was assured that it would be sent. In mid-January, I called again, was told that it had been sent and not received back for failure of delivery, but that they’d send me another one. I reminded rep the flights have to be booked by Feb (in my case, according to my “anniversary date”) and it was unlikely that I’d get it in time to book. I asked for an extension and was told that could not be done. I’ve switched back to my Discover card.
I was on a flight from LA to Pgh. The flight attendant said fill out the app for the usairway mastercard and I would get a free flight. I did, received my card, and surprise: my free flight consists of: The opportunity to purchase of $250 ticket, with the two companion tickets of $99 each. WHAT? Where’s my free ticket? I’ve called them, and emailed them, this is “switch and bait”, illegal and fraudulent. I’m still waiting, but plan on canceling and not paying the $79 fee for the stupid card.
@Debbie, your free flight is 25,000 miles in your Dividend Miles account. The companion tickets are an EXTRA benefit on top, and actually quite useful.
Opened my account in April, have booked five flights for over $5,000–called four times, sent letters to Barclays Bank and US Airways and still no $99 companion certs. What a racket. I’m filing with Better Business Bureau & FTC next…
Barclays Bank is still tight on giving credit. So they almost always approve you for a low credit limit and give you fewer bonus miles (lower credit limit means you get the 10K bonus card and not the 25K bonus one that you applied for). Best bet – get the card, do a couple of small purchases, then do a $1K coin purchase to meet the spend requirement, As soon as the bonus miles post, cancel the card and you get your annual fee back. Barclays is the worst bank (bait and switch and poor CS), and needs to get shafted as often as possible with 10K bonus mile payouts and no business.
My wife and I have had this card for a year now. We use it here and there and pay off our balances as we do not carry any balances on our credit cards. I was just on a flight coming back from the carribean to USA last Sunday and the air host was offering $49/year fee for the same card with the same benefits ($99 companion – actually $124, club access, etc.). I called Barclays today and asked them for a fee reduction. I was denied and the Indian guy with American name tells me to call back in December for future promotions and that my fee will be posted on January 8th. After the call I checked my previous statements which showed that the last fee was taken out at end of November 2009. I call back and same answer but the Indian lady cofirms the fee posting date (wow an honest schmuck). I asked to speak to a manager and of course no one is available and someone call back. Yea right we shall see. I then come to find out that my wife called and had her fee reduced to $49 with less benefits prior to our vacation. I am a money manager with over 800 in credit score and I am apalled by the way this busines is run. I will cancel my card and keep using my AMEX in which I receive about $1k cash-back every year. Pass on the word and have people stay away from this card and company. I feel sorry for folks who are not as financially astute.
Same issue with the alleged packet that was supposedly sent on December 14th for delivery sometime in 4-6 weeks. They ordered me another copy, but it is 4-6 Weeks out again…I can’t wait till they make the announcement on the next flight….what a fraud. I am going to report them to the office of the Controller of the Currency for these actions….and see how quickly they respond. Their customer service guy is in Delaware, Tom Karinshak
Managing Director of Customer Care & Bank Operations and Member of Executive Committee, Barclays Bank Delaware. 100 S. west street wilmington delaware 19801
I was on a US Air flight a few weeks ago & the flight attendant announced the special they were having.. He said: “Apply for the US air Credit Card & with you’ll receive 30,000 miles plus TWO $99. companion tickets…and if you apply while on this flight you’ll receive an additional 500 miles”. I thought, thats sounds pretty good! so I applied, handed in my application & the other day I received my CC. I immed called the CC company & they said the miles & companion tickets would be earned thru the airlines within 30 days of my first purchase and they also said I would not be billed the annual card fee until 1 yr from now. I immediately used the card for dinner & gave it to my wife to hold so I don’t use it accidentally. I didn’t destroy it because I had read that with the card I could get free luggage checkin so I figured I wait on destroying it until i take my flight. Incidentally i never fly with US air because it seems that most of their flights have a plane change in Phoenix.
Maybe a little premature i know as im still a few weeks away from receiving and paying off my first(&only) bill / 30 day period however Id like to be prepared.
Do you fellow posters think I’ll receive my companion tickets & 30,500 miles? Im concerned after reading your posts. Also how does the companion tickets work? Do they work in conjunction with a ticket purchased using the miles? Or is it a pay ticket they work with? Any & all advice & opinions are greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!
Don’t worry – you will get the companion tickets and the bonus miles. The companion ticket voucher is valid only if accompanied by a paying ticket (normally full price-mine had a minimum $299)
garipi, Thanks for your vote of confidence.. & for the companion cert information. When checking miles rewards I see how difficult it is to pick convenient days to travel. Also ive read that companion vouchers can also be difficult to use for desired days. Also if i have to pay $249 or $299 for an initial ticket to use a $99 voucher within the US then realisticly how good of a value is the compansion voucher? It seems not very. I wish to god i never enrolled in the stupid program to begin with. Fligh attendant really sucked me in. Hopefully after using the CC once as i already did and destroying it without notifying them will better my credit score. Im prob going to sell my miles, even though your not allowed to. Apparently its not against the law.. Its only against airline policy.. Let them catch me & close my divedends acct. I dont care
Got our companion certificate. Made reservations for three – one a regular price, two at $99. No problem there. Problem is we can’t remember if we mailed certificate. We’re afraid to call and ask for fear they might cancel the reservations. Our travel is in two weeks. Any suggestions?
@Tony I’ve never known anyone to have tickets cancelled for failing to return the certificate, assuming tickets are issued / there are ticket numbers i would imagine you’re fine to travel