Quote:
Originally Posted by GP_Matt
I will plug MBNA Travel Rewards.
It does have an annual fee but the card lets you use your points to pay the taxes and fees when booking flights. I just booked a flight to Europe that used 60000 points and the fees cost me another 15000 points. If I paid cash the fees came to $600 but the points are only worth $150.
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I have the MBNA Travel Rewards Elite card, which I use as a backup to my SPG amex. It's a pretty good card, my favourite redemption option is the hotels, where they give you 2 cents per point (so a 2 percent return). It can only be booked through their travel agency, but prices are comparable to expedia, travelocity, etc. The only difference between the Elite and regular card is the elite doesn't have a fee. They don't offer it anymore, but if you were to mention it when calling and threatening to cancel, I bet you'd get a fee discount. They might even let you switch to the elite version. YMMV, obviously.
I still think for anyone who stays in sheraton/westin/hilton/marriott quality hotels, the SPG amex is the best card. It offers frequent flier point flexibility, but you actually don't even need it, since the points are very valuable. I routinely get 3 cents per point or better on my hotel redemptions using their "cash and points" feature in Starwood branded hotels.