Originally Posted by
LongviewTX
Even though majority of FT readers will not support me, with all honesty in your particular situation I would not worry too much about your travel rewards optimization and trying squeeze every possible benefit out of the system.
Being in a situation similar to yours in the past, I would tell you that getting most miles/points out of your activities is an interesting hobby but a pretty time-consuming one and you will most certainly be a very busy person very soon.
So get some rest and relaxation in your spare time (if you have too much of it consider whether you've chosen the right employer
) ). This is not to say you should not follow simple common sense - register for FF programs of all airlines/hotels you fly/stay and assign you FF # to your tickets/reservations once you purchase them. But if you're standing at a hotel's check-in counter thinking about what card to get out of you wallet to meet a spend or worrying about not getting your elite status renewed and considering a routing you would not otherwise fly, you went too far.
If you're one of those who cannot just have rest, spend your time going above and beyond in your job - your next big promotion will pay off much better than an extra 100,000 miles you could get.
I completely disagree with your assessment. Other than the time it takes to apply for a hotel affinity credit card, how long does it take to pull out a Hilton Amex card out of your wallet when your checking into Hilton, a Marriott Visa when your checking into a Marriott, etc...etc. Some hotel credit cards give elite status with the card (Hilton Surpass Amex). That means even more additional points per stay, let alone the sign up bonuses. Almost all Hotel credit cards grant sign up bonuses with your first purchase on the card. That means any purchase, it doesn't have to be hotel stay related.
Keeping track of hotel points and airline miles is easily accomplished online with AwardWallet. It does not take a lot of time to manage these programs and you would be foolish to leave points or miles on the table.
I'll also debate the value of rebate vs mileage/point credit cards. Take a $50,000 spend on a 2% rebate card will net $1,000. The same spend on a Hilton Surpass Amex will net a minimum of 150,000 points, probably much more if you charge gas, groceries and drugstore purchases, throw in a few stays in a Hilton hotel and the point total would probably be closer to 300,000 pts.
300,000 Hilton points will get you a bit more than a weeks stay at the Hilton Bora Bora, $1000 won't get you 2 days.
Another point is that rebate cards in themselves will not get you elite status in any program, however some hotel cards do give status. Remember along with the perks of elite status ( breakfast, room upgrades, free internet) come accelerated point earning!
Cheers!