Airmiles vs Airlines' own, and is it actually worthwhile?

diethyl_ether

Since I buy most things I don't use cash for with my credit card, I thought it might be a good idea to get free air miles with it. I'm aware of the distinction between "airmiles" (generic term) and Airmiles, the company that offers the Lloyds TSB Duo credit card. So far this seems the most popular option.

However I'm not sure about how great the rewards are. 1 Airmile for each £10 spent (with the Amex card) means I'd need to spend £100,000 to get enough for a return trip to Buenos Aires (where my family live). That's pretty extreme.

BA's Amex credit card does "virtually" (whatever that means) 1 mile per £1. 1 BA mile is not the same as 1 Airmile, but it still appears to be better value.

Other airlines like KLM also do an Amex credit card, and Virgin does one of their own. They all seem to offer something like 1 mile (of their own type) per £1 spent. Seems sensible.

Then there's other options like using a credit card which gives you clubcard points, and converting them to BA miles.

Regardless of the option, it almost seems like the rewards are negligible, as I'm not going to be spending many £1000s on a credit card. Perhaps about £2-3000 a year, but not a lot more.

Is this airmiles from credit cards stuff really only for big spenders, or is it actually worthwhile? What are people's experiences with Airmiles? Are other routes to getting miles better?

dmg24

For such a low spend, I would say it is not worth it. However, if you shop at Tesco and get a good amount of Clubcard points it is a good way of boosting your BA airmiles. Most of us use them for upgrades from WT+ to Club.

diethyl_ether

I'm amazed there are people who spend so much money a year on credit cards to actually make it worth it! I guess if you're on over £40k a year it makes it easier to spend upwards of £10k a year on general stuff you can pay for with your credit card. Even so, it's a lot of spending...

Presumably a mortgage can't be paid via credit card!

withnell

diethyl_ether wrote: »

I'm amazed there are people who spend so much money a year on credit cards to actually make it worth it! I guess if you're on over £40k a year it makes it easier to spend upwards of £10k a year on general stuff you can pay for with your credit card. Even so, it's a lot of spending...

Presumably a mortgage can't be paid via credit card!

Paying corporate expenses soon mounts up, especially if you have to stay in hotels and fly a lot for work

NickX

diethyl_ether wrote: »

Presumably a mortgage can't be paid via credit card!

Don't rule it out - some have succeeded in paying mortgage payments on a Credit Card.

diethyl_ether

Interesting, especially about the mortgages (since I'm looking to buy) - thanks for all the advice everyone.