Portugal has long been a popular spot for tourists, but that demand has reached new heights. In fact, the first half of 2023 saw record foreign visitors to the country. So, it should come as no surprise that its national carrier — TAP Air Portugal — has increased its presence within the U.S. in recent years.
And today, Cardless and American Express are announcing the TAP Miles&Go American Express® Card to make it easier for you to visit the nation awarded Europe’s Leading Destination of 2023 by World Travel Awards.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new TAP Miles&Go card — including a limited-time sign-up bonus.
Sign-up bonus
When you sign up for the new TAP Miles&Go card by Nov. 30, you’ll earn 60,000 miles after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days of account opening. After Nov. 30, new cardmembers will earn 40,000 miles after spending $2,500 on their new card in the first 90 days.
You can use the 60,000 bonus miles on a round-trip flight from anywhere in North America to Portugal, as one-way awards start at just 29,000 miles.
For example, this round-trip itinerary with nonstop flights from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Lisbon Airport (LIS) next April clocks in at 58,000 miles plus $85.20 in taxes and fees.
Paying for these flights out of pocket would set you back over $900.
These same prices hold true if you plan to connect within Portugal, to the Azores, to another European city or even to a North African destination.
There are also some steals for short hops in Europe. Here are the starting award rates for TAP-operated flights from Portugal:
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- To Madeira or the Azores: 5,500 miles
- To Spain or North Africa: 6,000 miles
- To Europe 1 (including the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Germany): 7,500 miles
Here’s an example of flights from Lisbon to Zurich Airport (ZRH) on a Saturday next summer starting at just 7,500 miles and $38.50 in taxes and fees.
Paid rates on these flights start at roughly $150, giving you a value of nearly 1.5 cents per mile.
And by applying and getting approved for the TAP Miles&Go card before Nov. 30, you can get a lot more value — 20,000 additional miles, to be exact — from this sign-up bonus.
If the sign-up bonus isn’t quite enough to get you to where you want to go, you can earn miles faster with bonus categories when using the card.
Earning rates
The TAP Miles&Go card is especially rewarding for those who plan to travel frequently on TAP between the U.S. and Portugal, but you’ll also take home bonus miles in additional categories as well.
Here’s how you’ll earn miles on the TAP Miles&Go card:
- 3 miles per dollar spent on TAP Air Portugal purchases
- 2 miles per dollar spent on ride-hailing services, car rentals and hotels
- 1 mile per dollar spent on all other purchases
Not only will you earn additional miles when you use your card for purchases made with the airline, but you’ll also get bonus miles for other travel needs such as hotels and car rentals.
It can be a great card for use throughout a trip to Portugal — especially since it waives foreign transaction fees for purchases outside the U.S.
Card benefits
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Relax in TAP’s premium lounge twice a year with the card. TAP AIR PORTUGAL
TAP Miles&Go cardholders can look forward to additional card benefits when traveling on TAP Air Portugal.
You’ll enjoy preferred boarding no matter which cabin you’re flying in, and you can also check an extra bag (above your ticket’s normal allowance) on two bookings per year. This allows you to jump on a great one-way fare to Europe that doesn’t include a checked bag and still bring one for free. And when traveling through Lisbon, you can enjoy the airlines’ Premium Lounge thanks to two access passes per year.
Lastly, you can earn TAP Miles&Go elite status just by spending on your card. Cardholders will earn 1 status mile for every 5 miles earned from spend, up to 10,000 status miles per year. This puts you a third of the way to Silver status and can also help unlock Star Alliance Silver or Gold status, which comes with benefits such as priority airport check-in and baggage handling across all member airlines.
Cardholder-centric features
Finally, it’s worth mentioning the benefits of Cardless powering this new product with support from American Express. As a digital-first product, the card is immediately provisioned to Apple Pay or Google Wallet upon approval. This means you can start spending to earn the sign-up bonus within a minute of being approved for the TAP Miles&Go card.
It also includes extensive security features and an easy-to-navigate app to manage your account so you can see your purchase activity, schedule payments and track your rewards.
All of this is available with a $79 annual fee.
Bottom line
The TAP Miles&Go American Express® Card is the perfect way to earn TAP Miles&Go miles for trips to and from Portugal. New cardmembers who apply before Nov. 30 will earn 60,000 miles after spending $2,500 on the card in the first 90 days. After that, the sign-up bonus becomes 40,000 miles after meeting the same spending requirement in the same time frame. You’ll also enjoy a number of added benefits when flying TAP.
Apply for this brand-new card and start earning your way to Portugal today.
