Newbie, thinking about getting a card for mile redemption to Europe
I am relatively new to the idea of applying for a credit card simply for the bonus miles. I would like to take my wife to Europe in April/May. We probably will only need a one way ticket to either Rome or Venice. On AA.com I could redeem miles for 20k per person 1 way.
Is there an AA citi credit card that would give me 40k in bonus miles that I could use to purchase these one way tickets?
Is there a better way to do this that I am not aware of? I don't know much about this, but we typically use 1 card for everything. Do people's spouses also apply for cards?
My credit is excellent, 800ish, and I only have 2 cards, 1 of which I never use.
I thought about United, but their rewards seem to start around 30k. Delta redemption is ridiculous as we all know, so that is really not worth even thinking about.
If desired, you can get two cards in your name and your wife can get two in her name (if she is credit worthy). Just make sure that you can meet the spend requirements needed for the bonuses.
Every credit card application knocks a few points off of your FICO score, but your score should quickly recover as long as you pay your cc bills in a timely manner, and do not use too great a percentage of your available credit. However, if you are planning to obtain -- or re-finance -- a mortgage within the next year, I would be cautious about applying for new credit cards now.
Also, make sure that AA actually has low-tier ("SAAver") seats available for your desired dates of travel, and that those seats are not on BA TATL flights, which carry hefty surcharges.
2 cards for myself at the same time, or one for me and one for my wife?
2 cards for your self using the 2 browser method described in the above Citi AA 50k thread, or 2 cards for your self and 2 for the wife if you can meet the required spend on the 4 cards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnincolumbus
are there any negative affects of applying and receiving 2 different credit cards at the same time??
You will get 2 hard pulls on your credit report that will be combined into one. You will get 2 cards for 1 hard pull.
If desired, you can get two cards in your name and your wife can get two in her name (if she is credit worthy). Just make sure that you can meet the spend requirements needed for the bonuses.
Every credit card application knocks a few points off of your FICO score, but your score should quickly recover as long as you pay your cc bills in a timely manner, and do not use too great a percentage of your available credit. However, if you are planning to obtain -- or re-finance -- a mortgage within the next year, I would be cautious about applying for new credit cards now.
Also, make sure that AA actually has low-tier ("SAAver") seats available for your desired dates of travel, and that those seats are not on BA TATL flights, which carry hefty surcharges.
there appear to be plenty of the sAAver awards (25K) for the dates I am looking at.
If desired, you can get two cards in your name and your wife can get two in her name (if she is credit worthy). Just make sure that you can meet the spend requirements needed for the bonuses.
Every credit card application knocks a few points off of your FICO score, but your score should quickly recover as long as you pay your cc bills in a timely manner, and do not use too great a percentage of your available credit. However, if you are planning to obtain -- or re-finance -- a mortgage within the next year, I would be cautious about applying for new credit cards now.
Also, make sure that AA actually has low-tier ("SAAver") seats available for your desired dates of travel, and that those seats are not on BA TATL flights, which carry hefty surcharges.
assuming I do apply for 2 credit cards and get them both, spend the required money, use the miles, etc, then what? Would I cancel one of the cards or just not use it?
Coach SAAver awards between North America and Europe never cost 25K miles one way: off-peak season is 20K; peak season is 30K. And you need to actually click through on a specific date to make sure that you're not just being offered itineraries where the TATL segment is on BA, which would add hundreds of dollars in surcharges and other fees.
You can cancel one or both of the AA cards after the free year is up (or sooner); you can also see if Citi will waive the fee (or offer a statement credit equal to the fee) for the second year, if you'd like to keep one of the cards.
Coach SAAver awards between North America and Europe never cost 25K miles one way: off-peak season is 20K; peak season is 30K. And you need to actually click through on a specific date to make sure that you're not just being offered itineraries where the TATL segment is on BA, which would add hundreds of dollars in surcharges and other fees.
You can cancel one or both of the AA cards after the free year is up (or sooner); you can also see if Citi will waive the fee (or offer a statement credit equal to the fee) for the second year, if you'd like to keep one of the cards.
pretty sure I was seeing itineraries with Air Berlin to DUS, and AA's own new DUS route. Priced out the fees were less than $50. Do I need to go further or is that far enough to see if the awards are there?
Doesn't canceling a credit card damage your credit?
Coach SAAver awards between North America and Europe never cost 25K miles one way: off-peak season is 20K; peak season is 30K. And you need to actually click through on a specific date to make sure that you're not just being offered itineraries where the TATL segment is on BA, which would add hundreds of dollars in surcharges and other fees.
You can cancel one or both of the AA cards after the free year is up (or sooner); you can also see if Citi will waive the fee (or offer a statement credit equal to the fee) for the second year, if you'd like to keep one of the cards.
pretty sure I was seeing itineraries with Air Berlin to DUS, and AA's own new DUS route. Priced out the fees were less than $50. Do I need to go further or is that far enough to see if the awards are there?
Doesn't canceling a credit card damage your credit?
A reduction in your overall available credit does affect your FICO score somewhat. But if you want to close just one Citi card and keep the other open, Citi might let you move some of the credit line from one card to the other; that should help minimize the effects of the closure.
A reduction in your overall available credit does affect your FICO score somewhat. But if you want to close just one Citi card and keep the other open, Citi might let you move some of the credit line from one card to the other; that should help minimize the effects of the closure.
well, i signed up for 1 and was approved. hopefully the card gets here soon and the mileage awards stay where they are. i should have no problem meeting the spending within a matter of a week probably lol. i may just stop using my current card and transition to the AA card as my main card, unless people feel that the annual fee is a serious issue.
Why not apply for a 2nd AA card today? Your only chance to get approved for two cards (and two bonuses) without having to wait 18-24 months is to apply for both on the same day.
Note that the bonus miles do not post until after the closing date of the billing cycle in which you met the spend requirement.
