Originally Posted by
csm634s
I'd like to be able to book a trip with these miles to either Hawaii, Thailand, or Australia from the Continental U.S. Oh and if I could do business or first class I would like that.
Here's what I'd like to know:
1. Which cards should I choose?
2. Can I get elite status? If so how? And should I wait until the 1st of the year?
3. What steps do I need to take to get the most miles that will get me to where I want to go?
I think you should first pick a destination that you want to go to. Forget about status... if you can't do $10k in spend in 12 months you are not going to get status anywhere through spending via CC's.
Next question: Are you going to fly by yourself? If you are going with a partner you may want to forget about first class. Correct me if I'm wrong but 150k AA miles will not get anywhere but possibly Hawaii.
I think what you should focus on is the most expensive part of a vacation... the hotel. SPG allows for cash and points, which can allow up to 7 or 8 cents per point. I would have to check though if you did get the SPG brand cards what the current minimum spend is.