Originally Posted by
sdsearch
Try to make
not every purchase count toward a minimum spend, that way you stretch out your minimum spend longer.
For example, domestically most months I try to get to my "20" with mostly groceries on my Amex Everyday card, since I get 2.4x MR points that way. And I use my hotel cards for stays in those hotel programs, and my Citi TYP Premier card for stays at hotels for which I don't have specific cards as well as for gas and parking (since I get 3x TYP points that way). I then can stretch $750 and $1k and $2k minimum spends out longer, so I don't "feel" like I've run out of minimum spend situations even if I'm not applying for cards as fast as I might have before (or not applying for cards with as big minimum spends as I did before).
This helps transition me from a world where I was applying for $3k minimum spend cards left and right to a world where on average I'm applying for more $1k minimum spend cards and fewer $3k minimum spend cards per year.
Once you're happy enough to have 3 or 4 rounds of a $1k minimum spend card a year from a "secondary" bank (if you consider just Chase, Citi, and Amex the "primary" points/miles card banks), you can look at BofA's:
I think this is a good point: I need to evolve from only making minimum spends to thinking about 2-3% redemption cards as worth it in and of themselves.
You and MIA both pointed out great cards for domestic/North America flights. Unfortunately, I fly almost exclusively to Asia and Europe (and occasionally Dubai), otherwise I would be able to put off this sense of dissatisfaction with all non-minimum spend charges for at least another year.
And yes, churner's block is from writer's block, but I'll leave the discussion for the constipated and isolationists among us for another place
. Thanks EmailKid.
The juices are beginning to flow...
One more idea that was suggested to me offline: using several 0% intro interest, $0 balance transfer cards on short term investments that pay out before you run out of cards to transfer balances to. But this gets oh so complicated...