Top airline and miles cards compared

About Top airline and miles cards compared

This ranking covers 13 airline and miles cards, and all of them pay out in airline miles. Readers here weigh a few things together: what a card costs to hold, what it costs to spend abroad, and how the account behaves when a payment needs splitting. Every card listed is a credit card, and miles are the reward on 100% of the field, so the choice comes down to price, perks and how firmly the money is held. Annual fees across this group run €0 to €86.82, and foreign exchange fees run 0% to 4.8%. Those ranges, plus the miles rate, the travel perks and the rules on paying the balance back, decide most of the order. Cards at the top cost nothing to hold and add miles on transfers as well as card spend. Lower down, the price of a fee or a rate starts to count more than the earn rate does.

How we picked

Every card is scored on a weighted mix. Cost carries a heavy share at 35%, because an annual fee and a foreign exchange fee land on every statement rather than on a single purchase. Trust carries the largest share at 40%, covering the safety of the money, the legal entity named behind the card and the channels available when a payment is disputed. The offer itself accounts for 25%, which is where the miles rate, lounge access and travel perks sit. Figures come from issuer and airline pages, legal notices and programme terms, set against data on the site covering 670 brands and 273 licensed ones. Cards tied to an airline programme or its partner are listed first, then the rest by score. Nothing here pays cashback or points, so miles are the common thread, and the order turns on fee, trust and offer rather than on reward type alone. A figure that is not published never counts against a card.

Our top picks

1. 1. Miles & More Kreditkarte

   Miles & More Kreditkarte sits just behind the leader in this ranking on the strength of the same earning rate and the same free annual fee, so the decision comes down to how you handle the balance. Flexible instalment repayment on part of the statement, plus optional Miles Plus add on packages, give it more control over repayment than the card above. Its transfer service pays miles at a better rate than card spend, and an Avis rental car discount and MilesPay redemption where Mastercard is accepted come on top. It is a credit card and a service card in one, issued by Deutsche Bank AG in Germany, with support on email, phone and help centre.

   • Annual fee: €0
   • Rewards type: Miles
   • Rewards rate: 1 mile per 2 EUR of card turnover

   Pros

   • Holds at €0 a year and €0 a month, so there is no charge for keeping it.
   • Earns 1 mile per 2 EUR of card turnover in miles on card turnover, with a transfer service to top up the programme.
   • A credit card and service card in one, with flexible instalment repayment.
   • Support covers email, phone and help centre, including phone and a help centre.

   Cons

   • miles only, so there is no cashback on everyday spend.
   • Aimed at business use, so a private shopper gets a narrower card than a general purpose card.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, so there is no live chat or customer community.

2. 2. neo by Bank Audi

   neo by Bank Audi is in this ranking for how it treats travel spending, and it is the first card here with a virtual card option. The earn rate is 1.5 miles per USD 1 spent, mid table rather than at the top, and the cost that pulls it down is the foreign exchange fee of 1.5% to 4.8%, the highest of any card listed. Against that, multi currency handling, airport lounge access, travel discounts, travel insurance and purchase protection cover the trip itself, issued by Bank Audi S.A.L. Support runs on phone, chat and help centre, including chat.

   • Monthly fee: $1.99
   • Currency conversion fee: 1.5% to 4.8%
   • Card type: Debit

   Pros

   • A multi-currency card covering 6 currencies, so several balances can sit on one card
   • A virtual card feature, which is listed by multi currency and virtual card alongside multi-currency
   • The account is run by Bank Audi S.A.L., a bank rather than an app-only provider
   • Airport lounge access, travel discounts, travel insurance and purchase protection are listed as Airport lounge access, Travel discounts and Travel insurance
   • Support runs on phone, chat and help centre, which covers phone, chat and a help centre

   Cons

   • The monthly fee of $1.99 compares with a monthly fee of £0 at Wise and $0 at Varo Believe
   • Currency conversion costs 1.5% to 4.8%, above a median of 1% across the cards on the site
   • Loading the account costs 3.5% of total amount
   • Card rewards are miles at a rate of 1.5 miles per USD 1 spent, a rewards type only 2.6% of debit cards on the site use

3. 3. Erste Bank Austrian Miles & More Premiumcard: best for top pick

   Erste Bank Austrian Miles & More Premiumcard leads this ranking because it costs nothing to hold and pays miles from the first euro of card spend. The annual fee is €0, and the earn rate is 1 mile per 2 EUR of card spend, so no miles are spent earning miles. It also pays miles on transfers, which is where Miles & More Kreditkarte, ranked next, has nothing more to add. The card doubles as a Miles & More service card, you can repay monthly, in instalments or in full by transfer, and a promotional rate runs on the card credit balance. Support runs on email, phone and help centre.

   • Annual fee: €0
   • Rewards type: Miles
   • Rewards rate: 1 mile per 2 EUR of card spend

   Pros

   • Annual fee of €0, ranking 1 of 301 brands on that measure.
   • Earns 1 mile per 2 EUR of card spend in miles on card spend, and the same card carries the Miles & More service card.
   • Miles can be redeemed at the till with MilesPay anywhere mastercard is accepted.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre.

   Cons

   • A monthly fee of €5.50 applies, while the site median monthly fee is €0.
   • The earn rate is 1 mile per 2 EUR of card spend, so a balance builds slowly against card spend.
   • The reward is miles only, and just 2% of cards on the site pay that way, so there is no cashback route.

4. 4. Sogebank

   Sogebank sits in the middle of this ranking because its rewards are the widest here rather than the richest per unit of spend. Its AAdvantage earn works on a lower rate per dollar of spend than the cards above, but the AAdvantage Black card adds automatic AAdvantage membership, LoungeKey access to lounges worldwide, and collision damage cover for car rentals in the USA and Canada. International cards reach ATMs across a very wide network, and spending abroad is reimbursed in Haitian gourdes. Support runs on phone and help centre.

   • Monthly fee: HTG 0
   • Card type: Debit
   • Card network: Visa

   Pros

   • Monthly fee of HTG 0 on the current account.
   • A debit card on the visa network, with multi currency and travel features.
   • A bank founded in 1986 and based in Haiti.
   • Help by phone and help centre for card and account questions.

   Cons

   • Support runs on phone and help centre only, with no email or chat listed.
   • The account covers 2 currencies, so a multi-currency setup is narrower than on some rivals.
   • Rewards come in miles and sit with the AAdvantage Gold and AAdvantage Black cards rather than the whole range.

5. 5. American Airlines

   American Airlines earns its place in this ranking by giving up nothing to hold the card and paying more on the spending that airlines reward. The annual fee is $0, the earn rate runs above the general card rate on grocery spending and on eligible American Airlines purchases, and there is no cap on the miles you can bank. Against Emirates above it, there is a foreign exchange fee of 3% and a purchase rate of 19.74% to 29.74% on a balance. You also get savings on inflight food and beverage, and support runs on phone and email.

   • Annual fee: $0
   • APR: 19.74% to 29.74%
   • Currency conversion fee: 3%

   Pros

   • Annual fee of $0, and the card sits first among 301 brands on that measure
   • Rewards type is miles: the rewards rate pays one AAdvantage mile per dollar on all purchases, doubled at grocery stores and on eligible American Airlines purchases
   • Perks include a discount on inflight food and beverage on American Airlines-operated flights
   • Earning has no cap on the number of AAdvantage miles earned, so heavy spend is not penalised

   Cons

   • Currency conversion fee of 3% is higher than Chime Card, which charges 0%
   • APR of 19.74% to 29.74% sits above the Varo Believe Secured Credit Card, which charges 0%
   • Balance transfers cost 5%, so moving an existing balance is not the cheapest route
   • Support runs on phone and email only, with no chat channel listed

6. 6. Emirates: best for lowest-fx-fee

   Emirates holds the lowest fx fee label in this ranking, and that is the whole case for it. International purchases carry an fx fee of 0%, while foreign exchange fees across the data run 0% to 4.8%, so money spent on flights and hotels in another currency stays intact. The price is an annual fee of $99 and a purchase rate of 19.49% to 29.49% if you carry a balance, and the card ranked next, American Airlines, shows an annual fee of $0. Skywards Miles do not expire while the account stays open, Silver tier status comes with the card, and the Premium World Elite version adds lounge access through Priority Pass Select.

   • Annual fee: $99
   • APR: 19.49% to 29.49%
   • Currency conversion fee: 0%

   Pros

   • No foreign transaction fee on international purchases, a currency conversion fee of 0% on a card that sits at the top of our list on that measure
   • Earning miles rather than cashback, and Skywards Miles do not expire while the card account stays open
   • A balance transfer fee of 5% with an intro period of 12, useful for clearing a balance from another card
   • The top card adds lounge access through Priority Pass Select and a statement credit for a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee
   • Support runs on email, chat and phone, so phone and chat help sit alongside a help centre

   Cons

   • An annual fee of $99 puts it near the top of our annual fee ranking, and Wise charges £0
   • Interest of 19.49% to 29.49% applies on balances, and the lower end of that range is still above the site median
   • A balance transfer fee of 5% still applies after the intro period of 12

7. 7. Banco Pichincha

   Banco Pichincha is in this ranking because it puts a miles reward on a credit card issued from Ecuador, which is a narrower pitch than anything above it. The card carries a rewards structure with miles as the reward, and the published offer stops there rather than reaching for lounge access, insurance or travel perks. That makes the miles rate and the fee the whole comparison. Set against Deutsche Bank's card just above it, the practical side decides: this is a card for someone who wants miles in a single market rather than a full travel package.

   • Card type: Debit
   • Card network: Visa
   • Headquarters: Ecuador

   Pros

   • Covers loans, credit cards, investments, savings plans and accounts in one bank
   • Sends money from a mobile phone to more than 9 countries
   • Provides agency network across the country with published visiting hours
   • Issues certified documents for accounts and contracted products on request

   Cons

   • Agency support focuses on visits within the national network
   • Product mix centres on credit, housing and farm business needs

8. C8. ClickFinance

   ClickFinance sits near the foot of this ranking as a miles paying credit card from the United Kingdom. It is here because the category is defined by the reward and this card does pay miles, while the fee, earn rate and travel perks behind that reward are published in thinner detail than the cards above. Its clearest edge is reachability: support runs on email and phone, a shorter list than most cards in this ranking manage, so a reader can reach someone quickly.

   • Rewards type: Miles
   • Card kind: Credit
   • Legal entity: 1 Click Finance

   Pros

   • Brings unsecured loans, short term cash loans and car finance together
   • Includes a consolidation route for managing multiple debts together
   • Lists cash loans for different borrowing needs in one place

   Cons

   • Range centres on loans with no everyday spending card choice
   • Content focuses on borrowing, so savers find little of relevance

9. 9. Deutsche Bank

   Deutsche Bank closes this ranking with a miles paying credit card from the same German legal entity that issues the card higher up, and it adds little published detail to the bank's name. The miles reward is listed; the earn rate, the fees and the perks behind it sit unstated, so the comparison against ClickFinance above comes down to what a miles reward is worth on its own. For a reader in this group, the annual fee and the miles rate would need checking with the bank before applying.

   • Rewards type: Miles
   • Card kind: Credit
   • Legal entity: Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft

   Pros

   • Combines current accounts, loans and investment products alongside credit cards
   • Offers a miles linked credit card option for travel oriented spending
   • Provides secure online banking for managing money between branch visits
   • Supports cash deposits and withdrawals through a wide network of locations

   Cons

   • Focuses on full banking relationships rather than standalone card choice
   • Travel card range centres on miles rather than broader reward styles
   • Large bank structure may feel heavy for simple card only use

10. 10. Deutsche Bank

    Deutsche Bank's card earns miles and is issued by Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft, a named legal entity in Germany, and that named issuer is what places it in this ranking. Trust carries a large share of the score here, and a bank of this standing answers for the money. The card is also a credit card paying miles, which is the qualifying feature for the category. Set against neo by Bank Audi just above it, the published earn rate, fees and perks sit lighter in the detail, so the bank's name does more of the work. Terms behind the miles reward are worth checking before applying.

    • Legal entity: Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft
    • Headquarters: Germany

    Pros

    • Provides secure online banking for managing accounts and investments digitally.
    • Combines current accounts with flexible lending and varied investment options.
    • Offers personal advice alongside digital services for guided decisions.
    • Supports cash deposits and withdrawals at more than ten thousand locations.

    Cons

    • Full service banking range feels broad for basic everyday spending needs.
    • Advisory focus adds interaction for people preferring fully independent management.

What to look for

What the annual fee does to a year of travel

Annual fees in this group run €0 to €86.82. That range is the first filter, because a fee has to be earned back in miles before it is worth anything. Several cards here charge nothing at all, which is why they sit high in the order.

The cost of spending in another currency

Foreign exchange fees across the data run 0% to 4.8%. A card that adds nothing on international spend keeps more of the ticket price, and the lowest fx fee label in this ranking goes to the card that adds nothing at all.

What the miles rate really pays

Miles are the reward type on 100% of this field, so the rate per unit of spend is the number to compare. Check whether a card also pays miles on transfers, and whether the balance has to be cleared to a time limit you can live with.

The cost of carrying a balance

A purchase rate is the price of a card that is not cleared in full. The median purchase rate across the data sits at 20.97%, and a card that advertises miles while carrying a high rate costs on both counts.

Who you can reach when a payment goes wrong

Phone support is offered on 88.9% of the cards in this ranking and a help centre on 66.7%. A dispute you cannot raise is a cost you cannot recover.

The entity standing behind the card

Licensing matters too: 6 of the cards in this ranking are licensed. A named legal entity and a head office country tell you who answers for the money when a payment goes wrong.

Frequently asked questions

Top airline and miles cards compared by country

• Germany
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV