What’s a good credit card/reward program that will save up flight miles or points?
My friends and I are planning to fly to Italy from the United States as a graduation trip after college (we are freshmen right now).
What’s a good credit card or other reward program that would get us a free flight (roundtrip) eventually in 3 years? Assuming we didn’t use the points or miles for anything until that day, and they didn’t expire. It would have to be a program that could be good for any airline.
We would prefer if it wasn’t just a flight program — I, for example, don’t fly much in general (I take trains), so I can’t add up points that way. Thanks for the help! Most informative answer gets the points!
There’s hundreds of sites out there that rate credit cards, most are confusing. I think the biggest question for you is whether you can get a card at all. Considering that you’re a freshman, I’m assuming you’re under 21 years old. By new federal laws enacted 2/26/10, those under 21 are unable to acquire a credit card unless they can show proof of income or have a parent cosigner. You probably also have a very short credit history, all of which works against you.
What to look for is a credit card that lists multiple different APR to apply for. What this typically means is that there are different tiers of credit, such as you get A% for great credit, B% for good credit and C% for OK credit. Your parent’s credit may also play into this if you take the cosigner route. I’m biased, I work for them, but I’ve had success with Chase’s Freedom card. You get points which can be traded for cash, airfare, electronics, etc, and 5% bonus categories every 3 months (Currently home improvement, lawn & garden and pharmacies.) Also very important is that this card does not have an annual fee. Mileage cards almost universally do have an annual fee, typically charged by the airline to the bank, which the bank carries over to you. All fees would have to be disclosed to you (READ that disclosure!)
Best bet is to go into the bank you have your checking at (with parents if applicable, Chase preferably 
) and see what they can offer with that style of benefit. Your bank that you have a banking relationship with is more likely to approve you than a random card you get off a website. Good luck!