You can get a UNITED AIRLINES CREDIT CARD...NOT a VISA/MC~FREE, and they offer double mileage from time to time, but usable only with flights booked through UNITED AIRLINES...
Just as I thought. I heard from a friend that the Miles One Platinum card from Cap One has a low annual fee of $19. It's too bad that Cap One doesn't report limits or I could have applied for this some time ago. Are there any mileage cards in which the miles never expire (other than miles earned through AMEX Membership Rewards)?
THE EXPIRE DATE IS THREE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF ISSUE...So if you fly on 06/03/2001 the miles won't expire till 06/03/2004...OR THE LAST DAY OF THAT YEAR...12/31/2004. If you fly every year or two it doesn't matter...AND there are PARTNER companies you can earn mileage with like longdistance companies, hotels, car rentals, etc.
Why the fuss about paying an annual fee for an airline mileage card? For less than $55 bucks (most cards) you can get a FREE roundtip ticket usually valued over $200 at least. No travel agency or Priceline.com could even come close to that. You can't get something for nothing, and a nominal fee is nothing compared to what you are getting. Moreover, if you are a person who uses checks, cash, or debit card lots, think how much money you spend a year on checks ($20-30), cash withdrawl fees at the ATM ($10-$15)--including the time and driving, and even over limit debit card usage fees (some banks do this). None of these give you anything for your purchases, so paying an annual fee for an airline card is a drop in the bucket!