Credit Card Sign-Up Bonus Gluttony: Probably Not a Viable Travel Rewards Strategy for Most of Us

Changes are a mixed bag but Hyatt regulars won't be happy

Some good news in points and miles (and one warning)

A change in favor of airline passengers (for a change)

The Autograph Journey's transfer partner list grows slowly but steadily

Points and miles free up the travel budget for pilsner, paprika, and pastizzi*

As the summer travel season approaches, this is a friendly reminder to avoid "dynamic currency conversion" (DCC) when making credit card purchases outside of your home country. DCC gives you the option of selecting a payment amount in your home currency rather than in the local currency. Typically, when presented with a credit card reader at a shop or restaurant, the touch screen will show purchase amounts in the local currency and in US dollars (for those with American credit cards) and you have the opportunity to choose. I have been seeing these “offers” for several years now and have learned, after doing a little mental math, they are almost always a bad deal for the purchaser. When presented with a credit card reader, I always choose to pay the amount shown in local currency rather than the amount shown in US dollars. During a recent trip, I was making purchases in Euros, Hungarian Forints, and Czech Korunas. From what I could tell, the option of paying in dollars inflated the cost of the purchases around an average of five percent (5%). Once, a card reader screen acknowledged that making the purchase in dollars added an eight percent (8%) fee. Even a credit card with a foreign transaction fee (which you should avoid using when traveling abroad) would have added only three percent (3%) to the tab. Currency games aside, Visa and MasterCard offer reasonable exchange rates when you choose to pay in the local currency. Upon returning home, our credit card statements showed exchange rates that were quite close to market rates. It is reasonable and fair for the credit card issuers make a fraction of a percent here and there as they are performing a service and accepting currency risk (although very briefly). But, claiming to offer a “preferential” rate to pad their bottom line is disingenuous. Because exchange rates are reasonable, using credit cards while traveling abroad is still worthwhile for a points and miles program as long as you avoid cards with foreign transaction fees. Travel oriented cards can offer 2X and 3X spending bonuses for transportation and restaurants to give you a leg up on saving money and accumulating points or miles for your next vacation.

I have read a great deal recently about crowding at airport lounges or even lengthy waits to get into lounges. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, dominated by Delta Airlines, has eight Delta Sky Clubs (there is one in each of the airport’s seven concourses except for Concourse A which has two). Even with the wide availability of Sky Club options, many of the Atlanta locations still get crowded and can have long lines of travelers waiting to get in. Despite flying Delta through Atlanta many times in the past couple of months, Ms. Optimizer and I have avoided this problem. We have used the Fly Delta app to keep us apprised of which Sky Clubs are crowded, and which are relatively empty. Although we might prefer a Sky Club near the gate we will use for our next flight, we often use a Sky Club on an adjacent concourse if the Sky Club closest to our gate is crowded or has a line. The Atlanta International Airport has a straightforward configuration of parallel concourses starting with Concourse T, followed by Concourses A through F. These seven concourses are connected by the Plane Train. The Plane Train can transport you between adjacent concourses in about a minute. Or, if you want to get in some steps, you can walk to an adjacent concourse in about five minutes (less if you use the moving sidewalk). The walkways are below ground level and can be accessed where you get on the Plane Train. The Fly Delta app is easy to use for assessing Sky Club capacity. When you arrive in Atlanta, go to the Delta Sky Club tab (it has a cocktail glass icon) and open. It will open to a list of the Atlanta Sky Clubs and describe their status ranging from “extremely busy” to “not busy.” Even if you can get into an “extremely” busy Club, bear in might that you might be the last person who brings the Club to full capacity. We have found that a short walk to the next concourse is well worth it as a less busy club offers a better choice of seating and a more relaxed atmosphere (and less likelihood of lines at the buffet, bar, coffee machine, etc.). But, don’t forget to budget enough time to return to the concourse with your departure gate!! We are ready to help you turn your routine credit card spending into the travel of your dreams.

Yesterday, I posted about how the Barclays American Aadvantage Aviator MasterCard will be disappearing soon . Along with Citi, Barclays offers a co-branded American Airlines credit card that gives points and miles players two options for amassing American miles. Even though this “double play” will not be an option much longer, there are new opportunities for travelers who want to earn free flights on American. American Airlines is Now a Citi Transfer Partner The recent launch of the premium Citi Strata Elite card coincided with a new ability to transfer Citi Thank You points to American miles. Previously, a key weakness of the American Aadvantage program was that it did not have a transfer partner like Delta (which takes transfers of American Express Membership Rewards points) or United and Southwest (which take transfers of Chase Ultimate Rewards points). This meant that accumulation of American miles required spending on co-branded American credit cards (with limited bonus categories), buying miles at a cost well above their fair market value, or actual flying. Now, with Citi cards that generate Thank You points, travelers can accumulate American miles more quickly and get better value. The Citi Strata Elite card ($595 annual fee) offers 3X points for restaurants (6X on Friday and Saturday nights), 6-12X points for travel booked on Citi’s travel portal, and 1.5X on other purchases. The Citi Strata Premier card (with a $95 annual fee) offers 3X points on air travel, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and gas. It is worth noting that, because you can exchange Thank You points for American miles at a 1:1 ratio, the bonus point structure for the Citi Strata Premier is better than that of most co-branded American Airlines cards for the purchase of American flights (3X vs. 2X) . The lone exception is the $595 American credit card with offers a 4X bonus for American purchases and gives you Admirals Club access. You Can Even Make Transfers to American with No Annual Fee Citi Cards In a post from a couple of years ago, I discussed how some credit cards with annual fees of about $100 were the keys to unlocking value because they allowed cardmembers to transfer flexible points to airline and hotel partners. However, Citi’s recently added option of turning Thank You points into American Miles also applies to cards with no annual fee such as the Citi Double Cash card and the new Citi Strata card. While it is nice that cardmembers can make these transfers with a no annual fee card, it is important to point out that rather than a typical 1:1 transfer ratio, the ratio is 1000:700 with these free cards. This means that you would get only 700 American miles for cashing in 1000 points. The consensus value of an American mile is about 1.4-1.5 cents, so this transfer nets out to a value of about one cent per Thank You point, about the same as the return you get from using these cards for cash back. It might make sense to use a few thousand Thank You points this way if you have some miles in your American account that need to be “topped off” to get a free flight. However, if you have a larger number of Citi Thank You points to work with or are interested in flying American with regularity, you should spring for one of the cards with an annual fee that will give you a better transfer ratio. It is unfortunate that the co-branded Barclays card will disappear soon (although they are still accepting applications ) but, on balance, the ability to convert Thank You points to American miles will provide more opportunities for American award flight than in the past. Because credit cards like the ones discussed in this post can play a significant role in your points and miles pursuit, it is important to develop a comprehensive program to make sure you are getting the most free travel from your routine credit card spending. When we design a custom Travel Rewards Optimizer plan for you, we take your travel goals, travel habits, spending patterns, and preferences into account. We want to ensure that the cards we recommend for you can quickly generate free travel and provide relevant benefits while keeping your annual card fees under control. We are ready to help you turn your routine credit card spending into the travel of your dreams.

UPDATE: As of 9/30/25, Barclays has stopped offering this card. I hope that those of you who were interested were able to pick up this card. Barclays offers several co-branded travel cards, but will soon stop offering its American Airlines card as an agreement between American and Citi gives Citi exclusivity in offering a co-branded American Airlines credit card. Although the Aadvantage Aviator’s days are numbered, it is still available and offers an excellent opportunity to pick up a quick signup bonus. Barclays American Aadvantage Aviator MasterCard This card has been part of an American Airlines “double play” that both Ms. Optimizer and I have used. It is also a quick and inexpensive way to add Aadvantage miles to your account. The current sign-up bonus offer is 50,000 miles after you have paid the $99 annual fee and made your first purchase on the card in any amount. In other words, you could get 50,000 miles added to your Aadvantage account in just one billing cycle and with a minimal spend. Our estimate is that these miles are worth perhaps $700. Like many airline cards, the Aviator offers a free checked bag as well as earlier boarding when flying American. The bonus structure for spending is not particularly exciting as you get a 2X mile bonus for American Airlines purchases and one mile per dollar for all other purchases. Once Barclays gets dropped as American’s partner, my understanding is that this product will get converted to a Citi product. Any American miles you earn will, of course, remain in your account. Risks of Applying for This “Short Termer” Card From what I understand, there is little risk to the 50,000 mile sign-up bonus assuming you complete the minimum spending in a timely fashion. American miles stay in your Aadvantage account whether coming from a Barclays product, a Citi product, flying American, or other activities. One risk is the temptation to “earn and churn” with this card. I like to think of the points and miles game as a long term and sustainable hobby and counsel clients to “play nice” with issuers rather than grabbing bonuses and cancelling the card after one year. Potential applicants should determine if they want to build a relationship with Barclays, especially as Barclays offers other co-branded travel cards you might want in the future including JetBlue, Emirates, Frontier, Lufthansa, Breeze, Wyndham, and Carnival. Another consideration is that any new credit card can have an impact on your ability to get approved for future credit cards (i.e., the Chase 5/24 rule). You do not want to hinder future opportunities just to pick up some easy miles. But, if this card makes sense for you and can fit into your future travel plans, it is better to apply sooner rather than later. Because credit cards like this one can play a significant role in your points and miles pursuit, it is important to develop a comprehensive program to make sure you are getting the most free travel from your routine credit card spending. When we design a custom Travel Rewards Optimizer plan for you, we take your travel goals, travel habits, spending patterns, and preferences into account. We want to ensure that the cards we recommend for you can quickly generate free travel and provide relevant benefits while keeping your annual card fees under control. We are ready to help you turn your routine credit card spending into the travel of your dreams.