How do credit card miles work?

First thing you need to know that there are two types of miles credit cards - general travel rewards credit cards and airline co-branded cards. Co-branded cards are tied to particular airlines, like United credit card, Delta credit card and other. This type of cards usually have increased rewards on this airline purchases and standard 1x rewards on all other purchases. What is more, these cards come with generous sign-up bonuses for spending a certain amount within given period of time. Often these bonuses are enough for a free ticket. However, you may find several drawback. Firstly, these cards are tied to airlines, meaning you are limited in how you spend earned miles. Secondly, there can be blackout dates and no available seats. Finally, if is hard to predict how many miles you need for your flight as often this miles amound depends on distance, cost of the ticket, flight class and other factors. General travel rewards credit cards work a bit different. They have flexible redemption options - you may redeem miles for flights with any airline and for other travel expenses. They have a fixed rewards value - like 1.5 or 2 miles earned on all purchases. There are no restrictions on seat availability or blackout dates. And the main thing, you always understand how many miles you need for your flight. All in all, before applying for a credit card, you should evaluate what are your needs and preferences to choose the best travel card for you.