madmike283

Hey FT,

I've recently joined and started reading the forums. I took a new position in my company that will require me to travel domestically, mainly western US, Mon-Fri 3-4 weeks/month. I'm based out of DEN and a local colleague says she does nearly all her flying with WN and UA. All flights and hotels(Hilton primarily) will be paid by a corp amex.

My wife and I got our first rewards card 3.5yrs ago, the Venture. I like it because its simple. I never considered anything different until I started reading here. Since it sounds like most of my flying will be WN and UA, I went down to the local branch and got approved for the 100k CSR. I mainly got it just as a easy jump start to some nice UR points.

We currently put about $2-4k/month on the Venture, mainly bills, dining, and shopping. We don't do much traveling, one or two short domestic trips a year at the moment. We look forward to the possibility of international travel down the road with the help of these benefits. We also tend to take trips here that are off the beaten path and include vacation rentals.

So, I can see the value in both the Venture, for the non-hotel/resort usability and also the UR cards for the better value and wide variety of partners. I think the CSR is a no-brainer to keep for our dining expenses and the little travel we do. I'm wondering though if I should keep on with the Venture, or go with something else? What do you think? I'm also considering getting setup for the two WN Chase cards late in the year to go for CP 18/19. I think my wife and I could definitely put that to use a few times.

Any advice? Sorry it's a little long, and I don't really have a set goal as I know that can impact your answers. I'm about to start the business travel life for the first time, and I'm just trying to get a little head start on some points in the bank while I figure the rest out. Thanks for your time!

Mike