Hello,

I'm a business and pleasure traveler who travels about once per month to Europe and throughout the U.S. (approximately 50-100k/year) from JFK or Newark. My travel is often unpredictable (but will be less so in the future) and I like to keep my credit cards to a minimum, so I've been horrible and neglectful about tapping mileage programs.

I often take redeye flights and I'm starting to get more anxious about seating assignments and upgrades, particularly because I get bad migraines if I don't sleep well, which can ruin any trip.

I've been reading all of the "How-To" sites and threads, but to be honest, there's a ton of information and it's a bit overwhelming as a complete mileage newbie.

My profile:
-- Travel 10-12x per year to Berlin, Paris, California, Beijing, London, South America, (major cities) from JFK or Newark
-- Excellent credit rating with only two bank cards in my name. Put a high amount of living and travel expenses on cards for convenience, but pay them off immediately.
-- Enrolled in UnitedMileage Plus, but have been bad about applying for flight credit.
-- Usually fly United; sometimes American Airlines, Virgin, or local (Air China, Air Berlin, KLM etc...)
-- Between jobs, but steady income - starting a new job in July
-- Usually have 2 - 6 weeks notice before travel

Priorities:
-- Better seating
-- Earning flights
-- Lounge / WiFi access would be nice add-on


I've been looking at a Chase Sapphire card and the United Card. I had considered the American Express Platinum, but ditched the idea due to mixed reviews, and the Sapphire card seems more appropriate than the Barclays. I signed up with ExpertFlyer Basic to get seat alerts.

Any thoughts for a simple explanation of how a newbie can best dive in or achieve the aforementioned goals? Or recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Oops - sorry, just saw that you're not supposed to ask about cards in here, but really, I'm looking for some multi-topic, broad advice about how to approach my situation strategically. If this is more appropriate for another forum, please let me know. Thanks!