The main benefits of an airline credit card that costs below $100 are:
Free checked bag
Priority boarding (not JetBlue though)
Inflight purchase discount
Some airline credit cards offer additional benefits such as companion ticket (Alaska), lounge passes (United), etc. Airlines credit cards with higher fees may offer other benefits such as lounge membership.
IMO, the only valuable benefit of an airline credit card is the free checked bag. The other benefits can all be duplicated by (non-airline specific) general premium travel credit cards, such as the ones from AmEx/Chase/Citi/Capital One. Those general travel credit cards allow you to accumulate miles/points that can be transferred to a larger number of airlines (or used directly for travel booked on their own travel portals).
Interesting thoughts. As a delta platinum medallion medallion flier we get 2 free checked bags, free upgrades to comfort plus and with that priority boarding. And the only way for some to maintain platinum status is with the benefits afforded by the branded card. But⊠the card isnât under $100.But the companion ticket is worth it
If you fly mostly on Delta (because itâs the dominant carrier in your area) and you can use the companion ticket, if you value the lounge membership, and especially if you need to reach certain Delta SkyMiles elite status that you value through credit card spending (that you canât reach otherwise), then the answer is probably yes.
OTOH, Delta SkyMiles arenât particularly valuable (itâs known in the frequent flyer community as SkyPesos). In terms of rewards for your spending, youâd be better off with a number of other credit cards.
As I said earlier, the lounge access now costing $50 per person, if you can get in, is now a hard no for us. But the other benefits are what are justifying keeping this card.
The best reward travel credit card, IMO, is the Capital One Venture X card, especially considering it costs significantly less than AmEx Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve, which are its competitors.
Why donât men realize they are doing this on a plane?! Keep those legs together guys!
In the article the woman said if she had to buy 2 tickets, she was paying twice the amount for the same experience. But if she purchased only one ticket and encroached on the space of the person next to her, that person is not receiving the same experience/not receiving the full seat they paid for.
Maybe there could be an upcharge vs the full ticket price for the 2nd seat? (Or buy business class, but I usually fly SW where the seats are all the same.) But I get that airlines donât want everyone paying a 1/2 ticket just so they an spread out, so I am not sure how they would monitor. Maybe it could be through the airlineâs member program? You have a certain status/need extra seat approval tied to your account so you only get charged the upcharge?
I flew on a new SW plane last week and there was definitely more leg room (spouse mentioned it too) and I think the seats were more comfortable (wider?) as well.
I can see all the sides and challenges (and I say this as a not small person!)
It costs $395, but cardholder gets back $300 in travel credit plus 10k miles every year. One of its unique benefits is that secondary cardholders (up to 4) have lounge access privilege (without the presence of the primary cardholder). They can even bring 2 additional guests of their own (free of charge). This would be a great credit card to give to your college-age kids so they can access lounges when they travel on their own.
Thanks. Great points. Should have considered when the kids were in college. At present , the delta platinum am ex gives two 10,000 medallion qualifying mile boosts for every $25k spent on the card, which we need to maintain platinum medallion. Then the platinum medallion status we can select a âbenefitâ each year. In the past we have taken the $200 credit on our account, but now they also offer a $250 travel voucher which is what we will select if we are able to maintain platinum status this year this is on top of the companion voucher that we get with the $250 card. The delta reserve card is $500 and offers a slightly better mileage bump at different spending points, and offers 3 of them. And yes a reserve card holder can get into the lounge for free but that deal you mentioned for family members, especially if the cardholder isnât present, is nice for those who can use it. We could âbuyâ a lounge membership with miles, but that seems like a waste . Thanks for the card info
And you get 10,000 bonus miles every year on your anniversary. So that makes it essentially free. And you get $95 off either global entry or TSA pre check.
And it automatically extends the manufacturers warranty on things you buy for a year. And if you pay your Verizon bill with it, you get free insurance on all phones. Not that I would pay for it if it didnât have it, but itâs nice to have I guess.
Thereâs other stuff too that older S could probably tell you.
And booking through the portal you get 10x points for car and hotels, 5x on flights. And 2x on everything all the time. And I love their extra merchant statement credit. I never buy anything online without checking that there too
While in fairness airline credit cards can relate to seat purchases, to revisit the focus of the thread (and glad to see it was a topic of interest when I started it the other day) here is an article about the best airlines for plus sized passengers : 10 Best Airlines for Plus Size Passengers in the US: Ranked [2023]
Whoa! Hawaiian airlines doesnât guarantee a ticketed overweight passenger can travel!
! â 7. Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines is one of the most questionable airlines on this list, as they do not even guarantee that overweight passengers will be able to fly on their ticketed flight. They also do not require bigger passengers to purchase an extra seat.â
â While the airline policies do state that the airline will do all that it can to accommodate overweight passengers, they specify that in some cases, these passengers may not be permitted to travel.
The kind effort they make to accommodate passengers could make Hawaiian Airlines a great option if you have the time to wait for the next flight, but if you canât afford to buy a second seat or be asked to wait for a less full flight, Hawaiian Airlines might not be the best option for you.â
Is that different from other airlines in the situation where the flight is completely full and includes a customer of size who did not buy an extra seat?
Obviously, the practice of overbooking flights based on the assumption of some no-shows also means that some customers may be involuntarily denied boarding even if there are no customers of size.
My husband is a big/tall guy. He gets a window seat and leans outward. I lean on him to sleep. Ok, once in a while I throw my legs over his legs too. End result is no impact to other passengers.
We know a university student who spent last semester in Turks Caicos, experiential learning with lots of diving sessions tending to coral reefs. If the total weight of her body and luggage had exceeded 200 lbs, she would have been required to buy an extra airline ticket. Yikes.
this is on top of the companion voucher that we get with the $250 card. The delta reserve card is $500 and offers a slightly better mileage bump at different spending points, and offers 3 of them. And yes a reserve card holder can get into the lounge for free but that deal you mentioned for family members, especially if the cardholder isnât present, is nice for those who can use it. We could âbuyâ a lounge membership with miles, but that seems like a waste . Thanks for the card info