tomsam

Sorry to say this - but it feels like you would benefit from doing some reading/research. It feels like a lot of your questions are things you should either decide based on your personal travel preferences, or very basic.

For instance, here's some good information on the Ultimate Rewards program -

http://boardingarea.com/dealswelike/...wards-program/

aeneas3

1. If you are thinking 2-5 years down the road for an unknown use of miles/points, having spending on both and points on both will give you more options down the road. It is not diluting but diversifying.

2. chase saph/pref, chase freedom, ink bold/classic; i think that is all of them.

It is hard without a specific goal BUT great that you are doing it now. Miles are only good if you will use them which is why earning miles on the airline that more than likely will either carry you on that special trip down the road or carry you to visit your parents is important or that you will use for work is a good idea. Redeeming for flights usually is better than for hotel stays for most programs (there are exceptions) so I would think earning miles for future trips when choosing between a hotel card and an airline card or general points program is best. You can still have a card that you use when booking at a certain hotel.
Also, life and plans change. Who knows, maybe 4 years down the road you will be posting about using your points/miles for a honeymoon or surprise trip for your parents.

idkmybffjill

aeneas, fair points. However, recall that I pay an annual fee for each the SPG & and the Gold Premiere Rewards. What I collect on each should at least offset the annual fee and more....?

idkmybffjill

Bump. I also forgot to mention that I have the American Advantage cards (VISA & AXP), but not sure if charging my AA flights on those is the right thing to do or just put it on a Gold or SPG.

PtsJunkieWI

Nice job perks, and you're smart to maximize them in a longer term way.

As you and others have noted, your main critera is that you accumulate flexible and stable rewards, but also diversify.

Based on where you said you're usually travelling, you'll build up status-earning miles quite quickly on AA. Focus on that for your butt-in-seat earnings. Once you attain a higher level status, you should start earning miles with a bonus tacked on. In short, you should consider your AA needs met through your physical travel. You can perhaps leverage the AA status as a challenge on another airline in the future.

In terms of purchasing things, about the most flexible and valuable points you can get are Chase URs. I'd get the Sapphire Preferred and use that for your airfare and rental cars, dining etc.
Also, book your tickets, hotels, car, etc through the UR portal, and you get extra pt/$ for travel related purchases.
Your employer is quite "nice" that they do it last minute, so you get tons of points for a single ticket purchase. ;-)

Then, also get a Chase Marriot Premier card. Use this whenever you stay at a Marriot (and purposely book there, in the cities where you can) to earn 5x Marriot pts. Those will build up fast, and there are Marriots everywhere for your future redemption.
If you can't / don't want to stay in a Marriot then use the Sapphire. UR > high-end Hyatt is a very lucrative redemption.

geo979

Not sure why you are bumping this. Are you looking for someone to spend a few spare days of their time analyzing every possible credit card on the market that will best meet your needs? As someone already mentioned, perhaps doing a bit of research on your own with the help of the advice you have already received would be of value.

PHLisa

I'm a bit surprised no one has mentioned the spending bonus on the Amex PRG. If you spend 30k in a year (and this is calendar year, not membership year, so by 12/31), they give you a 15k bonus. I got mine in Feb and am on target to hit that by the end of this year. Amex also often has transfer bonuses to partners. For example, I transferred MRs to British Airways when there was a 35% bonus and I got 2 round trips from Boston to Dublin on Aer Lingus for 50k Avios total (~37k MRs). Last month they had a 20% bonus for transfers to Hawaiian Air.

Also, if you have the Sapphire Preferred, you get an annual 7% bonus on all your spending.