British Airways/Chase VISA Card: 100,000 Miles Sign-Up Bonus

Sign up for most credit cards linked to an airline's frequent flyer program, and you'll usually receive 25,000 bonus miles.  Sometimes, for a premium card such as Delta's American Express "premium" card (that comes with a hefty $450 annual fee), you can receive more; I applied for the Delta card because it delivered 20,000 bonus miles plus 20,000 miles that were counted as elite-qualifying miles.

But Chase and British Airways are offering, apparently for a limited time, a VISA card with a $75 annual fee that can put 100,000 miles into your British Airways frequent-flyer account.  Sign up for the card and receive 50,000 miles when you first use it.  Then, if you spend $2,000 in the first three months of having the card, you receive another 50,000 miles.  

That's a VERY impressive offer if you're working British Airways' frequent flyer program.  You'll also receive $50 off any BA ticket you purchase by year's end at a special web page.  And 2.5 points for every dollar you spend on BA tickets using the card plus 1.25 points per dollar spent on other purchases.  You'll also receive a free companion ticket if you spend $30,000 on the card the first year you carry it.  While this may be difficult for most individuals, businesses might be able to meet that threshold easily. 

And remember that BA allows households to pool their miles.  So if two of you apply for the card (cost: $150) and each spend $2,000 in three months, you'll collect a whopping 200,000 miles. Considering the fact British Airways has a stingier point-collection scheme (as the Brits would word it) than most other airlines (mileage earned is dependent on category of ticket purchased, and the cheapest tickets earn precious few miles), this is an excellent offer.