In determining the best airline miles credit cards for you and your family there are two things that are important. The first is that the benefits offered include the airlines, especially the dominant airline, that flies out of and into your area. The second issue is which of these airline miles credit cards are the best from the standpoint of getting you your ticket most quickly and giving you the benefits with the attachment of the fewest strings.

There are two sources of airline miles credit cards, and which is best is very individual. The sources are specific airlines or banks. The credit cards that are sponsored by an airline are, of course, focused on that single air carrier. If that carrier's hub is in your city or a nearby city it may be the one controlling most routes to your common or potentially common destination cities. Were this to be the case this might well be the best source in airline miles credit cards for you. Airline miles credit cards issued by banks might be considered the best by those looking for greater flexibility, since the miles that they earn for you are for several air carriers rather than just the one. If there is no dominant carrier in your area (which is often the case in major metropolitan cities with international landings) these airline miles credit cards might be your best choice. They also could be a wise choice even if you have a dominant carrier but your destinations are so varied that you make stops and change carriers.

The airline miles credit cards sponsored by banks have some other things to consider, however, some good, some bad. It is often the case that these bank sponsored cards require fewer miles to quality for travel discounts than do the credit cards sponsored by the airlines themselves. The disadvantage is that you often find more fine print and qualifications with the bank-sponsored cards. Of course, it almost goes without saying that you must always read the fine print before deciding on which is the best in these choices of airline miles credit cards.

To give you an example of one of the best airline sponsored miles credit cards, let's look at one sponsored by a major U.S. carrier. This carrier actually has a network of cities in the U.S. and partners that can offer worldwide travel too. The first time you travel with this carrier you get 10,000 air miles. The first year there is no annual fee; subsequently it is $55. APR for purchases is a hefty 17.24 percentage.