The Top 3 Airline Miles Credit Cards of 2013

English: American Airlines Boeing 757 on final approach at St Maarten Juliana International Airport (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It seems like, as you get older, each year goes by more quickly than the year before. For me, this has had the consequence of encouraging me to make - and hold myself to - New Year’s resolutions each year. One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2013 is to travel more. Since my goal is to travel more without breaking the bank, I thought I’d apply for a good airline miles credit card in order to rack up some miles to aid my travel expenses. Through researching these cards, I found the following cards to be the best airline miles credit cards currently available. 

Here are my picks for the top three airline miles credit cards on the market: 

1. Capital One Venture Rewards – The Capital One Venture Rewards credit card is my pick for the best airline miles card on the market. With the Capital One Venture Rewards card, cardholders earn 2 miles for every dollar spent on any purchase. In addition cardholders receive 10,000 bonus miles when they spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months that they have the card. This is the equivalent of $100 towards travel expenses just by spending $1,000. The miles can be redeemed for any sort of travel expense or any airline, they don’t expire, and the $59 annual fee is waived in the first year. 

2. The Platinum Card from American Express – The American Express Platinum card also makes my list of the best travel rewards credit cards. With The Platinum Card from American Express, cardholders can earn 25,000 Membership Rewards points when they spend $2,000 in the first 3 months of owning the card. The Platinum Card from American Express also offers access to over 600 airport lounges around the globe, advance ticket sales to concerts and shows, and 24/7 Platinum Concierge service. The Platinum Card gives customers 1 Membership Rewards point for each dollar they spend. If the card didn’t carry a $450 annual fee, it would be #1 on this list. 

3. Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature – With the Citi Platinum Select card, cardholders earn 30,000 American Airline AAdvantage bonus miles after they spend $1,000 using the card in the first 3 months that they have the card. In addition, the card grants cardholders a free checked bag on each American Airlines flight, Priority Boarding, 25% off select in-flight purchases, and a $100 American Airlines Flight Discount each year, as well as double miles on all eligible American Airlines purchases. If you don’t mind flying American Airlines, the Citi Platinum Select card could be the right choice for you. 

This article was written by Logan Abbott. Logan is the editor of the credit cards section of MyRatePlan.com.