TAP Air Portugal Launches U.S. Credit Card
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Dreaming of a Portuguese vacation? From the bustling streets of Lisbon to the beaches of Madeira, a new partnership between TAP Air Portugal and Cardless with American Express could have you well on your way. Issued by First Electronic Bank and serviced by Cardless, the TAP Miles&Go American Express® Card is TAP’s debut in the United States credit card market.
» MORE: What is Cardless?
Available to consumers as of Oct. 16, 2023, the new TAP Air Portugal credit card comes with a $79 annual fee. But for the right customer, its benefits may be worth the expense. Cardmembers will earn:
3x miles on TAP Air Portugal purchases.
2x miles on rideshare, hotels and car rentals.
1x miles on all other purchases.
Plus, the TAP Miles&Go American Express® Card offers some useful benefits for passengers flying TAP Air Portugal, including preferred boarding, two TAP Premium Lounge passes per year and two extra checked bags per year.
That’s in addition to the card’s enticing welcome offer: Until Nov. 30, 2023, cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus miles after spending $2,500 in the first 90 days after being approved for the card.
Beyond popular Portuguese destinations, points earned through TAP Air Portugal can gain passengers access to an array of destinations worldwide, thanks to the airline’s membership in the Star Alliance. This large alliance includes United Airlines as a U.S. domestic partner, along with a variety of international transfer partners.
The TAP Miles&Go card charges no foreign transaction fees, making it a suitable travel partner for your trips to Portugal. However, it runs on the American Express network, which is not universally accepted around the world.
Is the TAP Air Portugal card worth it?
NerdWallet values TAP Portugal miles at 0.8 cent each. This is a baseline value, drawn from real-world data, not a maximized value. In other words, you should aim for award redemptions that offer 0.8 cent or more in value from your TAP Portugal miles. That means a 60,000 mile bonus is worth around $480.
Beyond popular Portuguese destinations, points earned through TAP Air Portugal can gain passengers access to an array of destinations worldwide, thanks to the airline’s membership in the Star Alliance. This well-known alliance includes United Airlines as a U.S. domestic partner, along with a variety of international transfer partners.
But unless you’re flying to Portugal often, most people will be better off with a different card. Capital One miles can be transferred to TAP Air Portugal at a rate of 1:1, and those miles also have more flexibility to be used toward other travel, too. The Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card offers the following bonus for new cardholders: Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel. You can redeem Capital One miles at a rate of 1 cent per mile toward travel, and it's possible to squeeze even more value from those rewards by transferring to partners.
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