Originally Posted by
jgodbey
My deeper question is: "of the 10 things you have to learn/do to be successful, which is the most difficult for newbies"?
So is it hardest to find the best cards and know they're the best?
If so, where do the people from FT and boarding area find those deals?
Would it be helpful if there was one centralized location for all (or almost all) the CC deals?
Or is the hardest thing planning the trip for the first time? Stuff like that
I'm looking to create some kind of resource to tackle the biggest hurdle for newbies?
What is that hurdle?
The best offers are readily available in the different forums here, as well as on numerous blogs.
I'd say the single hardest hurdle for newbies to get is knowing what and when to apply. Unfortunately, this differs somewhat from person to person, depending on your credit score and ability to meet spend requirements.
For example, a decent little app o rama would be:
2x Citi AA cards
Amex SPG
Chase Sapphire Plus
Chase Ink Bold
Barclays US Airways
Someone with moderate to low credit, however, probably couldn't get those 6 cards. Someone with good credit could, but they'd need the income to make the spend requirements (over $20k spread over the next 3-6 months).
The biggest thing for newbies I think is patience. It's very exciting, but don't bite off more than you can chew either in terms of the credit hit or the spend requirement. Make sure you mix in cards with low or little spend (US Air, Citi forward, chase freedom, chase UA, and most of the hotel cards).
And give it time, it's a long haul thing but worth it!