you guys are great. thanks for all the advice. App-o-Rama is not an option for me- i just don't have the income/expenses to pull it off. I can only charge about $600-800 per month, so, slow and steady is going to have to be my game. I started with the Cap1 Venture because of the 2X perk, but that seems weak now, compared to the bonuses of other cards. perhaps I should get one card at a time, earn the bonus, and then cancel each one after I've held it for the minimum time period. with the bonunes alone I should be able to accumulate 300,000 miles annually. who knows, by summer 2014 maybe me and the wife can take a trip!?!