First off, thank you to everyone for the replies. This thread has been tremendously helpful and encouraging. I went offline for a few days expecting this thread to be dormant, but instead I now have the beginnings of a roadmap for the trip.
To answer a few questions:
Originally Posted by
frozyn
What are your monthly spending habits?
They vary, but the run rate on my Sapphire Preferred is about $5,000 per month on average, spread pretty evenly across categories (dining, entertainment, travel, etc.). So I'm thinking that I would not have a hard time hitting the minimum spend on another card or two. Beyond that it might get a little trickier.
Originally Posted by
guv1976
dr58, from which city will you be starting your trip? And will your travel companion be able/willing to apply for credit cards and meet minimum spend requirements?
Most likely IAD or JFK; it depends on the time of year, but generally fly out of IAD more.
Originally Posted by
ma91pmh
These guides are great. Thanks!
As for the questions about having my travel partner sign up for cards, I might give that a shot. Her credit is also very good, but she's pretty skeptical about adding cards. And I can't spend too much energy trying to convince her because I am trying to plan the trip as a surprise -- at least for as long as I can keep it that way!
For airline miles, it seems like United may be the easiest to accumulate in my situation, so I'm leaning that route. Any suggestions on scoping out redemption options through them, perhaps on SQ?
Thanks!