5,000 miles & a one-class update for $35?
Written: Jul 06 '01 (Updated Jul 06 '01)
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Pros: Inital sign up bonuses
Cons: High annual fee
The Bottom Line: As a former cardholder of the AA advantage card, I don't recommend this card over the AA card unless you plan to travel by United Airlines on a regular basis.
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| sokano's Full Review: United Airlines Mileage Plus Visa(First USA) |
There are so many credit cards with great benefits these days. It is rare for an individual to have just one credit card. Because I have been flying United Airlines lately and as a premier member of United Mileage Plus program, I signed up for this credit card just a few months ago after canceling my CITIBANK’s American Airlines Advantage credit card. For some people, their $60 annual membership fee may not sound cheap, however, your first year annual fee technically becomes $35 after receiving a $25 discount coupon at the time of sign up.
Along with the bonus coupon, I received a one-class upgrade certificate and 5,000 miles to my United mileage account after the initial sign up. The card also offers a web site which you can use to review your accounts on a real time basis. For those of you who still think that the annual fee is too high, it would not be so bad to cancel this card before the renewal of the membership.
As is always the case for other cards, there are some drawbacks with this card. First, the $60 annual fee is slightly higher than their major competitors’ cards (Citibank's $50 American Airlines card or U.S. Bank's Northwest Airline card for $55). Second, there are no credit card benefits other than receiving one mile for each dollar purchase. It is the major drawback. This is because other competitors' cards both offer Automatic Travel insurance ($150K for CITIBANK and $250K for US Bank). Additionally, Citibank AA card offers a free collision coverage when a cardholder rents a car.
Finally, the maximum number of miles a cardholder can earn with this card is 10,000 miles in any one billing period with a maximum of 50,000 miles a year. This is 10K miles less than the AA card and Northwest card. But there are no limits for premier or premier executive members.
With those sign up bonuses, I am very glad that I signed up for the credit card. However, as a former cardholder of AA advantage credit card, I do not recommend this credit card over the AA advantage card unless you plan to travel by United Airlines on a regular basis.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
sokano
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 - Top 1000 |
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Location: Chicago Illinois
Reviews written: 44
Trusted by: 156 members
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