Dear Joel,

I signed with American Express Hhonors [Hilton Honors], as I was advised by a friend I could accumulate two air miles for every dollar spent. [American Express] has now advised me that if my purpose is air miles, I have the wrong if I don't stay at Hilton Hotels, I will not gain enough air miles to fly anywhere. I am also not a frequent flyer as I am now retired. Any suggestions for a card that will fill my need for air miles?

Norman,

You are exactly if air miles are your objective, you will definitely be better served with a different card. I might suggest the Delta Sky mile card offered by American you could earn up to a 15,000-mile bonus just for opening an account. Alternately, you might be best served with the traditional American Express card or with the Diners Card. Both cards offer a mileage-earning program which allow you to transfer your accumulated miles to a number of airlines and hotels. The benefit here is that since you travel infrequently, and won have the opportunity to build a relationship with one specific airline, you can fly on whichever airline offers the best deal at the time. As a last note, if you have accumulated miles on your Hhonors card, be sure to transfer them into an airline program so you do not lose those miles.

Joel