broog

Any reason why 80% of the posters here are going for the 75k cards over the 100k cards? Is it something I missed in the thread or just that most people dont spend %10k in a year? Thanks for any help.

Stoughton

$10k x 3 cards is a lot of spend for some people, esp if they're working on other cards as well.

wdogg

are people getting 3 cards from this offer?

Stoughton

I think some have. I'v got the 2 personal, going to try for the business near the end of the promotion

point bonita lighthouse

I could not agree more. The occasional summary is invaluable in saving time on 100+ page posts.

aktchi

I can only speak for myself.

(i) First, compared to $1500 for 75K miles, we are asked to spend another $8500 for extra 25K. Seems like a bad ratio. Even if I would normally spend that much, would you not be better off applying for a second 75K card? And still have room for other programs, for example *wood, Chase, US Mint, etc, and not tie it up for relatively minor gain.

It is like we are offered a fantastic meal for $50. And there is extra ice-cream for $500. Even if you had $500, would you go for that deal? (And if you would, good for you. This is a subjective decision after all.)

(ii) Second, let's face it, many of us are cutting corners on some rules, especially the "new customers only" rule. Even if you get approved at first, you run a risk, however small, of being told after spending $10,000 that you didn't qualify after all because they have discovered some Citi card in your history. Such uncertainties are easier to live with if you only committed $1500.

Some have, but 2 cards per person seem to be common. A couple, would thus be looking at $6,000 v $40,000 in spending requirement. Don't forget that it may also be looking at other opportunities beyond Citi/AA.

LH2004

As discussed many times already: There are plausible reasons one might prefer the 75,000 mile offer (need to get 75,000 miles quickly, can't spend $10,000 in a year, trust the offer more since you can read it online, have another card which produces something worth more than 4 AA miles for every dollar of spending); but, mainly, it's just that most FT'ers (or most that post in this thread) are terrible at math.

Of course, that most FT'ers are terrible at math is not news to anyone who has witnessed people convincing themselves that miles are worth enormous amounts because there's somebody out there who's willing to pay full price for a walk-up trans-Atlantic first class ticket.

tarheeljim

I applied for the 75k business card the morning of August 22, and asked to be notified, either way, by email. I heard nothing.

I was gonna call, but life got in the way. Today I received a shiny new AAdvantage Business card in the mail, with NO notification.

My point: don't lose heart if they haven't contacted you, unless 2+ weeks have elapsed. Your new card may already be headed to your mailbox.

UA Fan

I used to think like that, however I do realize that there are some ppl here who will travel only on miles. So for them its like are getting a first class ticket for cheap. For me OTOH, I regularly fly to India and will do so even without miles, so when I look at savings, I look at the cost of economy tickets.

tapakip

Just wanted to chime in with my report. Applied for the 75k Visa Personal card, and got the Additional Processing message, probably due to my current enrollment in another AAdvantage Mastercard that I just signed up for 6 months ago. I was a little discouraged, but felt I should apply for the 75k business card anyway, and was pleasantly surprised to see I was approved with a huge credit limit.


Thanks so much FT community and OP. This is easily the best deal I've stumbled across when it comes to AA miles. I've been doing them for years, and it's gotten me and the wife to Hawaii from Boston, and many other places.

Woohoo!

tapakip

i don't see how being terrible at math has anything to do with it. You don't have to be good at math to know 100,000 miles is more than 75,000, so then the obvious answer becomes that most people can't spend $10k per card to get the 100k, but they CAN spend the $1500 needed per card to get the 75k *2 for 150k miles total. It's really that simple.

The miles are worth whatever I would pay for a normal priced flight. 35k in miles gets me to Hawaii, which costs $850 or so from Boston, so that's what this is worth....Over $1700 per 75k miles earned. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

aktchi

I realize that miles do not always come this easily, but in the present context many people are getting 150K miles for no extra expense, just the charges they would have made anyway. That is good for rt economy or business travel to most destinations (including India), a good value no matter how you look at it.

The situation is a tad more complicated. Citi/AA, though a great opportunity, is not the only game in town. There are other airlines, not to mention banks, hotels, US mint etc. We have to look at the entire scenario to optimize our benefits. Even if you can afford the $8,500 your biggest bang for those bucks may not be in the extra 25K AA miles but elsewhere.

buschoi

He means $9,250 additional spend is like getting an additional 25k miles bonus, which translates to 2.7 miles/$ spent. Add the normal $1 mile/$ spent, that means 3.7 miles/$, an opportunity hard to beat.

Many FTers would disagree and not pay $850 for BOS-HNL. More so like $400-500 at most (see the MR forum).

QL_714

You just proved his point. There is more to this math problem.

Happy

Did you get the personal card as well, or just the business card?