Originally Posted by pokee

Yeah, I did the paypal thing to make a minimum spend once for SPG Amex, and it was only a slightly better deal that it would've been to purchase the miles. But...I got a big bonus, which was nice.

Some people have suggested buying gift cards for future purchases to make a minimum spend.

It's hard to plan these things, but I figure that It's safer to apply for the cards with the big minimum spends around Xmas time, as that is when I spend the most money. It worked last year with the BA Visa, so I think it should work again this year...