I confess: I am a mileage junkie. I do everything possible to maximize mileage-earning opportunities, including using the most advantageous charge cards. Miles can buy freebies or upgrades on vacations, car rentals and cruises, but I concentrate on what's important to me — flying in premium class, sleeping in superior hotels and treating Mainland family and friends with tickets to Hawai'i.

To determine which cards will best serve your individual mileage needs, you'll want to answer a few questions regarding your habits and goals.

How do you pay your bill each month? In full, or a minimum due with the balance carried over? If you don't pay off your card each month, an expensive mileage-earning card may not be cost-effective. Look for a card with the lowest annual fee and interest rates.

Are you a big spender? If you don't charge more than $15,000 per year on a card, it probably doesn't make sense to obtain or keep one with an annual fee that usually ranges from $60 to $150. At lower levels of spending, you would be buying miles at a premium. As a general rule of thumb, you'd be better off with a fee-free card if your earned miles cost you more than 1.25 cents apiece.

Are you aiming for elite membership in a particular program? If so, check whether that program's co-branded credit card offers incentives that will speed your progress. Nearly all of the airline-branded cards offer juicy signup bonuses, typically 10 to 25,000 miles for the gold and platinum versions. In addition, the United Visa Signature Platinum Class card offers 5,000 Elite Qualifying Miles for subsequent yearly expenditures of at least $35,000, and Delta Skymiles Platinum American Express provides 10,000 EQMs for a minimum annual spend of $25,000. Both of these have no fee the first year.

Further, many hotel programs award their lowest elite level and benefits for obtaining their co-branded charge card. The Hilton Visa grants Silver status the first year, which brings immediate qualification for its elites-only awards. The Hilton American Express offers Silver status for as long as you hold the card and Gold status for spending $20,000 on the card in a calendar year. Both of these cards are no-fee. Starwood (Sheraton, Westin, the Luxury Collection, St. Regis, W Hotels, etc.) gives you "Preferred Plus" status for obtaining its American Express credit card, and Marriott Visa gives Silver status. Both cards charge $30 after the first year. Instantly earned elite-level perks on hotel-branded cards may include complimentary space-available room upgrades at check-in, late-afternoon checkout and a free newspaper.

POINTS FOR BUCKS

Do you spend significant dollars with retailers like grocery stores, restaurants, home improvement chains, gas stations, or the Postal Service? If so, consider a Delta Skymiles or Hilton American Express card or a United Signature Visa card that offer bonuses, commonly two miles/points per dollar spent, for these kinds of ordinary, everyday purchases.

Are you partial to flying a particular airline? Some affinity cards offer specific benefits, apart from elite status, that are useful when traveling with their co-branded partner. For instance, annual renewal of your Delta Skymiles American Express will earn a complimentary companion ticket for each roundtrip zone-fare coach ticket purchased, and American Aadvantage Citibank MasterCard awards a free coach companion ticket for each ticket you purchase that costs $299 or more. These benefits can add terrific value to holding an airline-branded card if you're a coach flyer. An excellent comparison of airlines affinity cards is at www.bestfares.com/travel/desks/story.asp?id=1803.

THE FINE PRINT

OK, now that you've determined your needs and the kind of consumer you are, which cards are most suitable for your purposes? At the top of your list of considerations would be a card's terms regarding mileage expiration, interest rates, annual fee, and benefits, such as the minimum number of miles or points for a free air ticket or hotel night at a desired destination. A careful, thoughtful approach would be to evaluate the pros and cons of a number of cards that offer the kinds of travel awards you want. For comprehensive card comparisons, see www.credit cardguide.com, www.credit cards.com, or the-best-credit -card.com.

Having advised caution and research before choosing appropriate cards, I will tell you what I carry in my wallet. In years past I used my American Express Gold Rewards Plus and Diners Club cards more than any others. (Diners Club was the only card that provides all-important primary insurance coverage for car rentals.) I would build up a large amount of points that could be transfered without charge to many different airline frequent flyer programs. When these companies devalued their rewards programs by charging 95 cents per transfer of 1,000 points and by eliminating some of their most popular partner airlines — particularly United — I determined to use these cards less often.

GOOD CHOICES

For quick infusions directly into my frequent flyer accounts I use United Mileage Plus Signature Platinum Class Visa, American Aadvantage Platinum MasterCard and Delta Skymiles Platinum American Express. The annual fees, up to $150, and interest rates are all fairly pricey, but I avoid the latter by paying off balances each month. Lots of compelling benefits and bonus mileage-earning opportunities with these cards.

Now, here's the not-so-secret card that savvy travelers will tell you is the best general, all-purpose reward card on the market: Starwood Platinum Preferred Guest American Express. Free the first year and only $30 thereafter, plus a 4,000-point signup bonus, this versatile program permits no-fee transfer of earned points on a 1 point/1 mile basis (except United at 2:1) to more than 25 airlines. Plus, for every 20,000 points you transfer, a free 25 percent bonus of 5,000 points will also be transfered. Doesn't get any better than that. In addition, for blocks of points, from 2,000 to 20,000 depending on category, you receive free nights, with no black-out dates, at a choice of simple to legendary Starwood hotels and resorts around the globe. Next March in London I have exchanged 12,000 points per night for a $700 five-star luxury hotel. I love this card.

Irene Croft Jr. of Kailua, Kona, is a travel writer and 40-year veteran globetrotter. Her column is published in this section every other week.