Best debit cards for accumulating miles

Debit cards are increasingly being used in daily life by Russian citizens. Until recently, many considered this a useless banking product, but with the advent of extensive loyalty programs, debit cards very quickly gained popularity. Currently, a debit card with mile accumulation allows bank product owners to pay for purchases in actual stores, but accumulated miles are most often used to pay for airline tickets, hotel bookings, taxi rentals, etc.

Sravnim24 editorial team
Daria Kreslova

Contents

What are debit cards with miles

Currently, the most profitable card for accumulating miles is co-branded. The leading brands are Russian Railways (railway carrier) and Aeroflot (airline carrier). Sometimes you can find cards from other airlines, such as S7, Ural Airlines, Utair, etc. Accumulated miles can be spent on purchasing tickets from these carriers or used for other services, such as a free airport VIP lounge access, etc.

Exchanging miles for tickets

The essence of this offer is that the issuing bank and the carrier enter into a partnership agreement stating that the cardholder purchases tickets, and as a bonus, receives cashback in the form of miles. Accumulated bonuses can later be exchanged for transport carrier tickets, paying from 30% to 100% of the cost.

Thus, if you frequently use transport carrier services, you can later buy a ticket with a discount of up to 100%. Only miles, not funds, will be debited from the card account. The operating principle of a bank card with mile accumulation is as follows:

The issuing bank that issued the co-branded payment instrument receives remuneration in the form of interest deductions from the transport company.
Transport companies increase passenger traffic conversion through the implementation of mile accumulation.
The cardholder who received miles can subsequently fully or partially pay for tickets or use other services of transport companies.

Exchanging miles for purchases

Thus, having accumulated miles on the card, the holder of the banking product can spend them at their discretion on:

Purchasing discounted tickets for popular destinations and flights.
Paying for baggage transport.
Visiting restaurants and cafes located on the premises of transport companies and paying for goods or services.
Booking and paying for a hotel room.
Paying the cost of insurance.
Ordering a taxi and car-sharing services.

Non-targeted use of miles is unprofitable for both banks and transport companies. It is not possible to spend miles on anything else, as this violates the very principle of the loyalty program's appeal.

If you look at Uralsib and Alfa-Bank, you will notice that miles can be spent not only on ticket purchases, but also on services related to the transport system (car sharing, restaurant payment, etc.). To find out which card is best for accumulating miles, we recommend studying the details of the marketing program for a specific co-branded card.

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Which debit cards with miles are the most profitable

An extensive lineup of co-branded cards is created in partnership between banks and transport companies. By concluding such an agreement, the bank undertakes to establish its own procedure for deducting interest to the cardholder, and the transport company undertakes to deduct an agreed percentage to the issuing bank, as well as strictly comply with the terms of the marketing campaign. The main rule: the transport company is obliged to accept the plastic card without restrictions, debit miles, and exchange them proportionally for the cost of spent funds, for example, when buying air tickets. The percentage of cost coverage ranges from 10% to 100%; exact conditions must be clarified with both the issuing bank and the transport company.

The highest level of convenience in using debit cards with mile accumulation is associated with ticket purchases. The cardholder purchases tickets, the transport company deducts a percentage to the issuing bank, and the lending organization awards miles on the debit card for the ticket purchase, which can be exchanged during subsequent ticket purchases from carriers.

Leaders of the top debit cards for mile accumulation

Бесспорным лидером по отзывам дебетовых карт с накоплением милей является банк Т-Банк, где есть карточка с программой ALL Airlines. Этот банковский продукт имеет ряд преимуществ и привилегий, которые заключаются в следующем:

Совершив покупку на партнерских ресурсах Booking.com и Rentalcars.com, по бронированию отелей и автомобилей, а также на сервисе приложения «Т-Банк Путешествия», владелец банковского продукта получает до 10% возврата стоимости.
Если покупает только билеты через систему «Т-Банк Путешествия», получайте гарантированно возврат кешбэком до 5% на авиабилеты и документы для железных дорог.
Get a guaranteed 1.5% on all other purchases, including retail stores.

Таким образом, что накопить бонусы и баллы на приобретение билетов, не нужно искать сторонние сервисы. Все действия можно совершать при помощи карточки Т-Банк Банка ALL Airlines. По данному банковскому продукту конвертация происходит по следующему принципу 1 рубль = 1 миля. Для других кредитных организаций предусмотрена иная система конвертации.

Best cards for accumulating miles

Among other banks that offer mile accumulation systems, we highlight the following credit institutions:

VTB Bank, Multicarta debit card: 1 to 4 miles are awarded for every 30 RUB spent.
Gazprombank, Travel Miles debit card: 1-2 miles are awarded for every 35 RUB spent.
FK Otkritie, Aeroflot card: awards 1 to 2 miles for every 50 RUB spent within the promotion.
UniCredit Bank, Bez Granits debit card: 1 mile is awarded for every 50 RUB spent.
Alfa-Bank, thematic debit cards: 1 to 1.75 miles are awarded for every 50 RUB spent.
Avangard Bank, Airbonus standard debit card: get 1 mile for every 35 RUB spent using the card.
Raiffeisenbank, Visa Travel debit card. 1 mile is guaranteed for every 40 RUB spent.
Sberbank, Aeroflot debit card: 1.5 miles are awarded for every 60 RUB spent.
Russian Standard Bank, Miles & More debit card: 1 mile is awarded for every 60 RUB spent.

You should not focus solely on the mile conversion rate, as there are other parameters that determine the convenience of using a mile-accumulating debit card. For instance, some banks may set a high annual maintenance fee (from 3,000 RUB and above). Other banks do not charge an annual fee at all, while a third group uses an additional loyalty program criterion: accruing a guaranteed interest rate on the generated account balance. Banks have the right to independently determine the criteria for assessing the benefits of using a mile-accumulating debit card.