Advertiser Disclosure
The credit card, banking, and other financial offers that appear on this site are from companies that compensate us – for example, when you click a link, are approved for a product, or open an account. This compensation may influence how and where offers appear on the site, including the order in which they appear on category pages. It does not influence our evaluations, ratings, or opinions, which are ours alone. We do not include every bank, credit card company, or offer available in the marketplace.
A clear verdict on each bank, card, app, and service, with the costs, the catches, and who it fits. Know whether to sign up before you do.
Get the United Quest℠ Card if you fly United several times a year and will book a fare with its $200 annual travel credit, which brings the $350 fee down to an effective $150. If you fly United only a few times a year and check one bag, the United Explorer Card is the better buy.
Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Priority Credit Card if you fly Southwest several times a year and will pick Preferred seats at booking or take free Extra Legroom upgrades for you and up to eight companions. Those seat perks are the main thing its $229 fee adds over the $99 Plus, which has the same free checked bag.
Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Business Credit Card if you check bags on a few Southwest work trips a year. For $149 a year, you and up to eight companions on your reservation each check a first bag free, and you get 6,000 anniversary points. Step up to the $299 Performance Business card only if you fly Southwest often.
Choose the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Premier Credit Card over the Plus if you fly Southwest every year. For $50 more a year, it doubles the anniversary points to 6,000, raises the yearly fare discount to 15% from 10%, and adds free seats near the front when available.
Get the Southwest Rapid Rewards® Plus Credit Card if you fly Southwest a few times a year and check bags. It costs $99 a year, the lowest fee among Southwest’s personal cards, and still waives the first checked bag for you and up to eight companions on your reservation.
Open the Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard® if your company flies American and checks bags, since a free first checked bag for you and as many as four companions on one reservation is its biggest payoff. If your team rarely flies American, choose a flat-rate cash-back business card instead.
Get the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Legend Mastercard® only if you’d otherwise pay for an Admirals Club membership, which costs up to $1,400 a year. The card’s $695 fee includes one, along with a free first checked bag. If you’d rarely use the lounges, the Platinum Select covers that bag for $99 a year instead of $695.
Get the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® if you fly American Airlines a few times a year and check bags. For a $99 annual fee, you and up to four companions on your reservation each get a free first checked bag on domestic trips, worth at least $45 each way. If you always travel carry-on, skip it.
Get the United Club℠ Business Card if you fly United often enough to buy a United Club lounge membership anyway. The card’s $695 annual fee is $55 less than the $750 United charges for an individual membership, which admits no guests, and the card’s membership admits one. If you fly United only occasionally, skip it.
Get the American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card if you want American Airlines miles at grocery stores and on American purchases without paying an annual fee. If you check a bag on two or more round trips a year, pick Citi’s AAdvantage Platinum Select card instead for its free first checked bag.
End of content
End of content
