US Airways just sweetened the deal on The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard®, now offering 40,000 bonus miles after your first purchase and payment of the $89 annual fee. In the past, the card has typically offered 30,000 to 40,000 bonus miles for signing up, but required a balance transfer to be completed to earn the full bonus amount. With balance transfers incurring a 3% fee, the current deal is much more attractive.

The new offer comes as US Airways continues to tweak its loyalty program to align itself with merger partner American Airlines. Among the recent changes for US Airways’ frequent fliers: no more blackout dates on award tickets.

The US Airways® Premier World MasterCard® Benefits
One of the new benefits that has also been added to the card, effective April 30, 2014, is that travelers will now get to check one bag for free, as long as their annual fee on the card is at least $79. In fact, cardmembers can also check the first bag for free for up to four companions on domestic US Airways operated flights.

Other benefits include:

• One companion certificate good for up to 2 guests to travel with you on a US Airways operated flight at $99 each, plus taxes and fees
• Priority boarding Zone 2 on US Airways operated flights
• Redeem miles for award travel on US Airways and American Airlines booked through usairways.com or US Airways Reservations
• Earn miles on every purchase with 2 miles for every $1 you spend on US Airways purchases and 1 mile for every $1 on purchases everywhere else

For more info or to apply, see this link.