A TravelSort reader writes: “I want to apply and get approved for as many credit cards as possible while doing the least spending. What order and combinatioin of cards should I apply for if I'm churning thrice this year? I already have the Chase Sapphire Preferred (40K points), Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Signature Visa (30K miles), and Chase Freedom (10K points). I'm looking to get a free ticket from the U.S. to Amsterdam next month from the miles I have so far (120K United miles, 82K Delta miles, 33K AAdvantage miles, 10K US Airways miles). Also, I will be traveling to Asia later this year, so I want to apply and get approved for as many cards as I can before then.”
In a sense this is the opposite of our post the other day, High Spend: Which Credit Cards? since here we'll focus on spending as little as possible while getting the most miles and points. Here are some general tips, before getting into the specific application rounds I'd recommend:
- Have in mind the flight or hotel awards you plan to redeem for earliest, as this will inform the types of miles and points you need to earn first.
- Figure out how much given miles or points are worth to you, and don't get distracted by a huge number of points you can earn if you don't value them highly.
- While credit cards with low minimum spend thresholds are easy targets, don't neglect some that have higher minimum spend *if* the miles or points earned are valuable to you and you can maximize category bonuses. More below.
- Be flexible enough with your applications to take advantage of an increased or targeted bonus for a card you want to get.
While those are general tips, here are my initial thoughts on this reader's query:
- For getting to Amsterdam, I see a number of dates in March when it's possible to use United miles for United business class awards (100K roundtrip or economy awards (60K roundtrip). For Lufthansa first class (67,500 miles each way) you'd need to wait until 15 days out to book, but you could combine a one way in Lufthansa with business class the other way, and also tack on a free United one way to make the most of this trip.
- For getting to Asia later this year, I'd recommend aiming for Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines, or most likely, a combination of the two. Both airlines offer great flat bed business and first class products, and with some flexibility, especially for one award seat, it's not too hard to find availability.
- Given the above, I'd prioritize earning more American AAdvantage miles and AMEX Membership Rewards points for the Asia trip
Now on to figuring out recommended app-o-ramas or churns:
First Application Round
- 50K AA Miles after $3K within 4 months: Citi Select AAdvantage AMEX (If it's been 18 or more months since last Citi AA personal credit card application)
- 50K AA Miles after $3K within 4 months: Citi Business AAdvantage Visa
- 75K Membership Rewards points after $1K within 3 months (targeted): AMEX Premier Rewards Gold See 75,000 Bonus Points for the AMEX Premier Rewards Gold Card
- 50K Membership Rewards points after $1K within 3 months: Mercedes-Benz Platinum AMEX
- 55K United Miles after $1K within 3 months (targeted): United MileagePlus Explorer. See United MileagePlus Explorer 65,000 Bonus Miles Offer Tips
- 50K British Airways Avios after $1K within 3 months: British Airways Visa
Total if eligible for all offers: 330K miles/points
Total Spend: $10K within 4 months
Fees: $475 for Mercedes-Benz AMEX Platinum and $95 for British Airways Visa; First year annual fee waived for all other cards.
Why these cards: AA offers above may not last long; technically due date was 1/31/13 to apply, but application pages are still live. As I noted, it may be that this reader isn't eligible to apply for another Citi AAdvantage personal card at this time, depending on when the existing AAdvantage card was applied for.
Since AMEX Premier Rewards Gold and United MileagePlus Explorer offers above are targeted, it also makes sense to apply sooner rather than later if they show up for you, to avoid disappointment in case they're removed by your next application.
I also assumed 50K for the British Airways Visa, since getting the 100K Avios would require $20K spend.
Second Application Round
- 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points after $5K within 3 months: Ink Bold
- 2 Free Nights at any Hyatt after $1K within 3 months: Hyatt Visa
- 40K Hilton HHonors after $750 spend within 3 months: Hilton HHonors AMEX
- 35K Hawaiian Miles = 70K HHonors Points after $1K within 4 months: Bank of Hawaii Hawaiian Airlines Visa Signature Card
- 35K Hawaiian Miles = 70K HHonors Points after $1K within 4 months: Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines Visa Signature Card
Total: 230K miles/points + 2 Free Nights at any Hyatt worth up to $2000
Total Spend: $8,750 within 4 months, of which $6,750 within 3 months
Fees: $75 for Hyatt Visa and $79 each for the two Bank of America cards; other annual fees are waived the first year.
Why these cards: The 50K Ultimate Rewards points and the earlier points from the United MileagePlus Explorer card will help replace United miles used for the Amsterdam trip, and the Ink Bold is an important card to have for its 5X category bonus at office supply stores, which you can use to get 5X on all Amazon spend and also double dip using the Ultimate Rewards Mall. For example, see what you earn with these Ultimate Rewards Mall February 2013 Deals. The reader wanted to earn Hilton HHonors points, which although aren't valuable to me personally, I realize are useful to many readers. See Hilton HHonors: Use These Credit Cards to Maximize Points
Third Application Round
- 50K AA Miles after $3K within 4 months: Citi Business AAdvantage Visa (2nd card)
- 30K SPG points after $5K within 6 months: SPG AMEX Personal
- 30K SPG points after $5K within 6 months: SPG AMEX Business
Total: 110K miles/points
Total Spend: $13K within 6 months
Fees: Annual fees are waived the first year for all of these cards.
Why these cards: You can churn the Citi Business AAdvantage card by applying every 90+ days, at least that's been the past experience. Nothing is carved in stone, and the rules may be changing (see Bye Bye Citi AAdvantage Two Browser Trick) but if you have two separate businesses or want to separate certain kinds of business expenses, you could make a case for why you need a second Citi Business AAdvantage card.
The SPG cards typically are offered with a 30,000 point bonus in August or so; try to time this application to coincide with that, if you want these cards. While the bonus is low relative to the minimum spend, keep in mind that SPG points are hard to earn quickly (unless you have a lot of Starwood stays) and are valuable to have to transfer to airline programs at a 25% bonus. They can also be good value for Cash & Points awards, but note the upcoming SPG Cash and Points Devaluation
Now, you could say the above is conservative compared to what some serious card churners do, who may apply for 8 or more cards every 3 months; however, the goal was to also keep the spend manageable. I purposely wanted to make it such that this reader didn't have more than an average of $2500 minimum spend in a month. Don't forget that you can Use Amazon Payments to Meet Minimum Spend.
Other Cards
One card I left out due to the high $10,000 minimum spend is the AMEX Business Gold Card, but periodically it's offered. See the most recent offer (expired) at AMEX Business Gold 75,000 Points Bonus Offer. I would instead be on the lookout for any higher or targeted offer for the AMEX Platinum. There was a 100,000 points offer (now expired) but a more realistic offer to hope for is 50,000 points. I would not apply under the regular 25,000 points offer.
I've left out the Barclay's US Air cards because I personally prefer United miles, which allow one way awards, are easy to search and give you access to Lufthansa first class, but these could be added in if you value US Airways miles more highly than I do.
Don't Forget to Get Your AMEX Platinum Fee Reimbursed
If you're new to the AMEX Platinum, you may be incredulous at the $475 fee (not waived) for the Mercedes-Benz AMEX Platinum. Make sure to Maximize the AMEX Platinum Airline Fee Credit (if you're a new cardholder, you can make your airline selection at any time) in order to get a $200 airline fee credit per calendar year; that's $400 over the life of your card since you can get another $200 credit on January 1, 2014. And while I won't be doing this, it's possible to get a $200 cash credit on your statement by cancelling a certain kind of spend. Also, don't forget to put your $100 Global Entry fee on your AMEX Platinum. See American Express Platinum Card Global Entry Benefit Tips.
Have other recommendations for getting the most credit card bonus miles and points for the least spend?
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