Originally Posted by
flyertraveler
Hi, I am considering the following credit card strategy, with the goals being to maintain the American Airlines perks (free checked bag); mileage bonus for signing up; and avoiding the $95 fee. I don't use my AAdvantage card for anything other than these perks--I use cash rewards credit cards for all purchases. I have good credit; carry no balance; travel a few times per year, usually on American Airlines; and do not otherwise churn credit cards.
Is this a good strategy?
Year 1: I sign up for Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card as primary user and wife as authorized user and spend the $3000 in 3 months to get the bonus miles
Year 2: cancel my Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card (cannot open it again until Year 4); sign wife up for Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card with myself as authorized user
Year 3: cancel wife's Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card; I sign up for AAdvantage Aviator Red Barclay's Card with wife as authorized user
Year 4: cancel my AAdvantage Aviator Red Barclay's Card; I sign up for Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card as primary user and wife as authorized user
Year 5: repeat Year 2
Why not this instead:
Year 1: I sign up for Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card as primary user and wife as authorized user and spend the $3000 in 3 months to get the bonus miles, sign up for the Barclay Aviation Red card, get 60k miles with first purchase, cancel a few months later
Year 2: cancel my Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card (cannot open it again until Year 4); sign wife up for Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card with myself as authorized user, sign up for the Barclay Aviation Red card, get 60k miles with first purchase, cancel a few months later
Year 3: cancel wife's Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card;sign up for the Barclay Aviation Red card, get 60k miles with first purchase, cancel a few months later
Year 4: I sign up for Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Card as primary user and wife as authorized user, sign up for the Barclay Aviation Red card, get 60k miles with first purchase, cancel a few months later
Year 5: repeat Year 2
?
Ie, at this point Barclays is not enforcing any 24 month timing, and you can probably apply for the Avaitor Red card
more than once a year if you time it right.
And Barlcay and Citi are two separate banks, so there's no need to stagger them, you can get both at the same time. And the Barclay card doesn't require minimum spend, just paying the annual fee plus doing one purchase. So it's no big financial burden (as long as you value 40k or 60k AA miles more than one annual fee).
Plus, you're forgetting that the business cards are on a separate clock. So you can do the same cycle with Citi AA Business card. (And, no you don't have to have a real business to apply for a business credit card from most banks.)
The Barclay Aviator Business card only came out a few weeks ago, so we don't know yet how often it will be possible to apply for it.