20% Bonus on US Airways MasterCard

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From July 1, 2014 until August 31, 2014, Barclaycard US Airways Mastercard holders will get a 20% bonus for regular spending (and some folks may receive a targeted offer to earn a 30% bonus!).  And during the promotion period, any foreign transaction fees you’ve incurred will be refunded.

The targeted offer comes as an email, so if you’re a Barclaycard US Airways cardholder, check your inbox and spam folder to see if you’ve qualified for the offer!

What’s the Deal?

Link:   Barclaycard US Airways Mastercard

Link:   Changes to the Barclaycard US Airways Mastercard

From July 1, 2014, to August 31, 2014, Barclaycard US Airways cardholders will earn 20% more miles (or 30%, if you got the targeted offer).  The miles won’t post to your account until after the promotion period ends.

Because US Airways and American Airlines are merging, any miles you earn (through this bonus or otherwise) will eventually become American Airlines miles.

You’ll also get a refund of any foreign transaction fees that have posted to your account during the promotion period.

Is It Worth It?

Sure, if you collect US Airways or American Airlines miles, as long as you don’t need to put purchases on other cards to meet minimum spending requirements.   With this promotion, you’re earning 1.2 or 1.3 miles per $1 you spend.

That said, there are credit cards like the Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite Mastercard that always earns ~2.1 miles per $1 (which you can redeem for travel) you spend and don’t have foreign currency fees.

And you can earn 1.25 miles per $1 you spend on the Starwood Preferred Guest American Express card.  That’s because when you transfer 20,000 points to American Airlines, you get a 5,000 mile bonus.

So depending on which other cards you have, you might be better off spending on other cards.  Or by using your spending to get the minimum spending on other credit cards.

I’ve written about the changes to the Barclaycard US Airways card and how it will become an American Airlines card after the US Airways & American Airlines merger is complete.

But only existing cardholders will be able to get the new card:  you won’t be able to apply for it.  So now is a good time to get the Barclaycard US Airways card, because it won’t be available for much longer and you can earn bonus miles in July and August!

The Barclaycard US Airways Mastercard gets you 40,000 miles after your 1st purchase and payment of the $89 annual fee.  You also get:

• Priority check-in and boarding
• A free checked bag for you and up to 4 traveling companions on domestic flights
• 5,000 mile discount on US Airways award tickets
• Companion certificate each year for up to 2 traveling companions (this ends in December)
• $89 annual fee, NOT waived for the 1st year

And once the card becomes an American Airlines card, it will have:

• 10% mileage rebate on redeemed miles (maximum 10,000 miles a year)
• 25% off onboard purchases (food and drink)
• $100 flight discount each year after spending $30,000
• Priority check-in

Bottom Line

You can get a 20% bonus on miles earned from the Barclaycard US Airways MasterCard from July 1, 2014 to August 31, 2014.  And some folks may get a targeted offer for 30% bonus miles.

Now is a good time to get the US Airways card because it will eventually become an American Airlines card, but only existing cardholders will be eligible for it.  And you could earn some extra miles (which will eventually become American Airlines miles) in the process.

Please let me know in the comments if you’ve received a targeted offer!