Air Miles is a rewards bonus that credit card companies give to consumers every time they book a flight using their credit cards. The way that the air miles are earned varies, also the way that the points or air miles are redeemed to free flights. These free flights are good for a person who wants to take an unplanned vacation and wants to maximize their budget. The air miles can also be used to upgrade flights.

Credit cards offering air miles can be regular bank credit cards and airline credit cards. The difference between the two is the way that the air miles are earned. Airline credit cards reward an air mile point for each dollar spent or charged on the airline card. While with bank credit cards, they consumer earns less than 5% cash back for every dollar earned.

After scouting around credit card websites, the one that got the best reviews is the Miles credit card by Discover Credit Cards. This credit card allows members to earn double points from travel and restaurant purchases. They also give an air mile point for every dollar spent on regular purchases. The card does not have any annual fees and has no blackout dates for earning air miles points. Also the air miles earned do not expire and they do not have a cap on how many air miles you can earn in a year. The card also gives a lot of options when redeeming the air miles points. It can be redeemed as an airline ticket, gift vouchers from their catalog or as cash. On comparison, they also offer a low interest rate and a balance transfer.

The other credit cards that got good reviews are the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card, Discover Open Road Credit Card and the Platinum Delta SkyMiles Credit Card by American Express. These credit cards give good air miles earnings to member. These credit cards have annual fees though, like for the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card by American Express that has a $150 annual fee. The Starwood Preferred Guest Credit card has its annual fees waived during the first year of membership and their rewards points can be redeemed as free hotel accommodations. There are other credit cards that offer air miles such as Citi banks' Citi Premier Pass Card and Capital One No Hassle Miles Rewards card that also got good reviews. The only downside is that with these other credit cards, there were applicable annual fees and their interest rates were a bit higher than the Miles card by Discover. All credit cards also require applicants to have good credit standings in order to get their applications approved.

The air miles bonus is a great reward by these credit cards. But if you don't travel a lot and will take time to earn the required air miles points to redeem a free flight, a low interest regular credit card will serve its purpose. Regular credit cards do offer cash back or rewards that consumers can enjoy.