For money-savvy travel junkies, finding easy ways to score free or discounted flights is a must-have skill. If you usually book flights with Philippine Airlines (PAL) or Cebu Pacific, it's a good idea to get a credit card that will quickly earn you Mabuhay Miles or GetGo Points, which you can use to fly for free.
Here's an important tip when choosing a travel credit card: find out how many rewards points can be converted to an air mile. The best cards have a low point-to-mile conversion (1 rewards point = 1 air mile). In contrast, using a credit card that requires two or more rewards points for conversion to an air mile takes longer to earn and redeem PAL Mabuhay Miles or Cebu Pacific GetGo Points.
7 Best Credit Cards to Earn PAL Mabuhay Miles and Cebu Pacific GetGo Points
Check out these air miles credit cards in the Philippines that let you quickly collect Mabuhay Miles, GetGo Points, or both.
1. Citi PremierMiles Visa
Key Features and Benefits:
- Ideal for: Travelers looking to fly faster with PAL and Cebu Pacific through their respective loyalty programs
- How to earn air miles: 1 Mabuhay Mile or 1 GetGo Point = PHP 30 local and overseas purchase
- Minimum annual income: PHP 360,000
- Annual fee: PHP 5,000
- Interest rate: 3.50%
Other Travel Perks:
- VIP airport lounge access in the Philippines and abroad
- Miles can also be redeemed for hotel accommodations, car rentals, and other travel rewards
- Redeem a PHP 500 cash rebate for every 1,500 miles earned
- Up to PHP 1 million travel insurance coverage
- 24/7 concierge service
With its high earn rate, the Citi PremierMiles Visa is the fastest way to rack up both PAL Mabuhay Miles[1] and Cebu Pacific GetGo Points. The miles earned via this Citi travel reward credit card don't expire, so you can keep them for a long time until you want to redeem them for free flights.
The only catch, though, is its high foreign transaction fee of 3.525%, which makes the card expensive for spending abroad. Still, this Citibank credit card is the best for frequent PAL and Cebu Pacific flyers.
2. UnionBank Cebu Pacific GetGo
Key Features and Benefits:
- Ideal for: Loyal Cebu Pacific customers who want to earn GetGo Points fast while keeping their credit card costs low
- How to earn air miles: 1 GetGo Point = PHP 30 local and overseas purchase
- Minimum annual income: PHP 600,000
- Annual fee: PHP 3,000
- Interest rate: 3.50%
Other travel perks:
- Monthly automatic crediting of points to enrolled Cebu Pacific GetGo[2] account
- Advance alerts to Cebu Pacific and GetGo seat sales
This UnionBank co-branded credit card is a great credit card to use if you fly exclusively with Cebu Pacific. Credit cardholders are entitled to any Cebu Pacific promo. Earn 8,000 bonus GetGo Points when you apply for a Cebu Pacific GetGo card on or before August 31, 2018 and use it to spend PHP 20,000 within 65 days from the credit card approval date.
3. UnionBank Cebu Pacific GetGo Platinum
Key Features and Benefits:
- Ideal for: Loyal Cebu Pacific customers who want to earn GetGo Points fast while enjoying comfortable flights through exclusive travel rewards
- How to earn air miles: 1 GetGo Point = PHP 30 local and overseas purchase
- Minimum annual income: PHP 1.2 million
- Annual fee: PHP 5,000
- Interest rate: 3.50%
Other Travel Perks:
- Free 5kg additional baggage allowance
- Lounge access at NAIA Terminal 3 and Davao International Airport
- Priority check-in at NAIA Terminal 3, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, and Kalibo airports
- Travel insurance
- Monthly automatic crediting of points to enrolled Cebu Pacific GetGo account
- Advance alerts to Cebu Pacific and GetGo seat sales
Like the Cebu Pacific GetGo card, the GetGo Platinum Visa allows you to quickly earn a mile for every PHP 30 spent with the card. The Platinum card comes with additional exclusive benefits such as priority check-in, free extra baggage allowance, and airport lounge access that make flights with Cebu Pacific a bit more convenient and comfortable.
New Cebu Pacific GetGo Platinum credit cardholders can also avail of the 8,000 GetGo Points Promo. This Cebu Pacific promo is valid until August 31, 2018.
4. Metrobank Travel Platinum Visa
Key Features and Benefits:
- Ideal for: Frequent travelers who use a credit card for overseas spending
- How to earn air miles: 1 Mabuhay Mile or 1 GetGo Point = PHP 17 overseas, airline, and hotel purchases / PHP 50 local purchases
- Minimum annual income: PHP 800,000
- Annual fee: PHP 5,000 (waived for the first year)
- Interest rate: 3.54%
Other Travel Perks:
- Unlimited airport lounge access
- Up to PHP 5 million travel insurance coverage
- 24/7 concierge service
Do you plan to use a credit card when traveling abroad? The fastest way to earn air miles and redeem free PAL and Cebu Pacific flights is to get a Metrobank Travel Platinum Visa card. Per only PHP 17 spent abroad and on hotel and flight bookings, this Metrobank travel credit card earns you 1 PAL Mabuhay Mile or 1 GetGo Point.
5. PNB-PAL Live Miles Platinum MasterCard
Key Features and Benefits:
- Ideal for: Loyal PAL clients who want to earn Mabuhay Miles faster while keeping their credit card costs low
- How to earn air miles: 1 Mabuhay Mile = PHP 33 local and overseas purchase
- Minimum annual income: PHP 480,000
- Annual fee: PHP 3,000
- Interest rate: 3.25%
Other Travel Perks:
- Free 2,000 PAL Mabuhay Miles for new cardholders
- Additional 10,000 Mabuhay Miles for PAL transactions worth PHP 100,000 within a year from card issuance date
- Up to PHP 3 million travel insurance coverage
The PNB-PAL Mabuhay Miles Platinum MasterCard is one of the two PNB credit cards that offer a low point-to-mile conversion. It allows you to earn a free PAL flight quickly, with 1 Mabuhay Mile per only PHP 33 spent with the card. On top of that, PNB awards free Mabuhay Miles for new Platinum cardholders and qualified PAL transactions.
6. PNB-PAL Live Miles World MasterCard
Key Features and Benefits:
- Ideal for: Loyal PAL clients who want to earn Mabuhay Miles faster and enjoy a lot of travel rewards
- How to earn air miles: 1 Mabuhay Mile = PHP 33 local and overseas purchase
- Minimum annual income: PHP 480,000
- Annual fee: PHP 6,000
- Interest rate: 2.70%
Other Travel Perks:
- Free 2,000 PAL Mabuhay Miles for new cardholders
- Additional 10,000 Mabuhay Miles for PAL transactions worth PHP 100,000 within a year from card issuance date
- 5% discount on select international flights when booking via the PAL website
- Priority check-in at NAIA Terminal 2 PAL business class counters
- Up to PHP 10 million travel insurance coverage
- Dual currency billing
- 24/7 concierge service and medical/travel assistance
Flying exclusively with PAL? This PNB co-branded credit card provides the most travel rewards, from free Mabuhay Miles to online booking discounts. Also noteworthy is the PNB-PAL Mabuhay Miles World MasterCard's dual currency billing feature, making it cheaper to use overseas because charges are billed in US Dollars.
7. Please Platinum MasterCard
Key Features and Benefits:
- Ideal for: Travelers looking to earn PAL Mabuhay Miles faster while saving on credit card costs
- How to earn air miles:
1 Mabuhay Mile = PHP 33 local and overseas purchase
1 GetGo Point = PHP 140 local and overseas purchase
- Minimum annual income: PHP 601,000
- Annual fee: Free for life
- Interest rate: 1.60%
Other Travel Perks:
- 4x rewards points for all overseas credit card transactions
- Airport lounge access
- Discounts on flights, hotel stays, and tour packages
- Low foreign transaction fee of 1%
The AUB Platinum MasterCard allows earning both PAL Mabuhay Miles and Cebu Pacific GetGo Points. But it accumulates Mabuhay Miles faster than GetGo Points.
This AUB credit card is affordable to own because it has a low interest rate and no annual fee. It's also ideal for people who often travel abroad, as it gives four times the rewards points for overseas transactions, plus you pay only a 1% foreign transaction fee.
Comparison: Credit Cards for Mabuhay Miles and GetGo Points
To make it easier for you to choose the best credit card for earning PAL Mabuhay Miles or Cebu Pacific GetGo Points, here's a table that summarizes the travel perks of the six cards featured here.
| Citi PremierMiles Visa | UnionBank Cebu Pacific GetGo | UnionBank Cebu Pacific GetGo Platinum | Metrobank Travel Platinum Visa | PNB-PAL Live Miles Platinum MasterCard | PNB-PAL Live Miles World MasterCard | Please Platinum MasterCard | |
| Required Peso Spend to Earn 1 Mabuhay Mile | PHP 30 | N/A | N/A | PHP 17 (overseas, hotel, and airline purchases) / PHP 50 (local purchases) | PHP 33 | PHP 33 | PHP 33 |
| Required Peso Spend to Earn 1 GetGo Point | PHP 30 | PHP 30 | PHP 30 | PHP 17 (overseas, hotel, and airline purchases) / PHP 50 (local purchases) | N/A | N/A | PHP 140 |
| Minimum Annual Income | PHP 360,000 | PHP 600,000 | PHP 1.2 million | PHP 800,000 | PHP 480,000 | PHP 480,000 | PHP 601,000 |
| Annual Fee | PHP 5,000 | PHP 3,000 | PHP 5,000 | PHP 5,000 (waived for the first year) | PHP 3,000 | PHP 6,000 | Free for life |
| Interest Rate | 3.50% | 3.50% | 3.50% | 3.54% | 3.25% | 2.70% | 1.60% |
| Foreign Transaction Fee | 3.525% | 3% | 2% | 2.50% | 2.50% | 2.50% | 1% |
For other air miles credit card options, check out the MoneyMax.ph credit card comparison tool here.
Final Thoughts
Airline loyalty programs such as PAL Mabuhay Miles and Cebu Pacific GetGo make traveling more rewarding. Maximize their benefits by using a credit card that earns you air miles fast. You can also check other best international credit cards for overseas spending.
Sources:
- [1] PAL Mabuhay Miles
- [2] Cebu Pacific GetGo
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