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Open the JetBlue Plus Card if you fly JetBlue a few times a year and check bags. It waives the first checked bag fee, $45 or more each way, for you and up to three companions on the same reservation. If you fly with only a carry-on, skip it.
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.
Before an international trip, ask each card’s issuer to set up a PIN that works for purchases, since some ticket kiosks and unattended gas pumps abroad require one. Then pack a second card on a different network and carry it separately, so you can still pay if one card is lost or blocked for suspected fraud.
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.
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