Originally Posted by
InkUnderNails
Actually there is another reasonable path, BIS + spend, the way I got mine.
The combination of PLUS and PREMIER was nice while it lasted. While it may have been excessively "flogged" what is the point of a good deal if you don't take advantage of it? I appreciate those that shared it here or I would not have heard about it.
Hopefully it will continue as a combination of PREMIER and BUSINESS. If/When that ends, I guess we will be down to just one card and one set of 50K points every other year. If you are flying for business (and either your personal company or the company you work for is paying the fares), then BIS+Spend may make sense. If your BIS in minimal, then $60,000 spend for 60,000 points (worth about $850 at 70 points per dollar) plus a couple of free round trips on CP (worth $500 to $1,000 depending on when you are using your CP) is only slightly better than spending the $60,000 on the Citi 2x card, where you get $1,200 in ACTUAL cash back. Obviously the more you use the CP, the more it is worth, but that was also true before these changes.
For those without a business, the possible strategy is getting the card near December 15, 2018, spending $60,000 (possibly taking until near December 2019 to do it depending on your personal lifestyle), and earning CP for just 2020. Stop using the card (hopefully cancel before the second annual fee) and return your spending to the Citi 2x card in 2020 for the 2% bonus. Enjoy CP for 2020, using it all you can (but remembering that there are other expenses to a vacation other than the cost of airfare) and start over in January 2021. That would at least give you CP for alternating years, instead of nearly continuously, as it is now.
If your lifestyle supports spending $60k in 3 months ... you may not be all that worried about CP -- but go for it if you really want it!
