Plastic, Not So Fantastic!

Credit card companies, banks and airlines continue their aggressive drives to add card members.  The awards and incentives are supposedly keep getting better with promises of more miles, priority boarding, lounge access, and free checked bags as some of the examples of how card users are enticed.

The airlines however keep moving the goal posts.  Availability of free tickets are more scarce than ever, along with upgrades.  It will cost more miles to do anything and most of the points will not help the status of the flyer.  Almost all "free" tickets cost processing fees and are subject to hefty penalties if changes or cancellations happen.  Some of the perks are quietly disappearing.  For example American Express Platinum card holders will no longer have access to the American and USAirways lounges. 

This is not to say that paying cash is better, however with the cyber security breaches that are now quite common, the continuous dilution of benefits and the inability to use miles earned brings the whole concept into question for some users.  If you find yourself saying, "I have all these miles that I don't know what to do with", you need to subscribe to newsletters that show you what you can do and how.  There are experts out there that have some good advice of what to do with your miles. Otherwise, stick to credit cards that simply give you cash rebates. www.premieretravel.com