Welcome to FlyerTalk, stocktn2malone!

Are you aware that business credit cards don't count against 5/24 (because business credit cards from most banks don't report to consumer credit bureaus, which is what Chase checks)?

So start with a business AA Aviator card from Barclays and a business AA card from Citi (though presumably not both at the same time, so you can do the minimum spend on each more easily), and you'll still be at 2/5 in Chase after that. Each bank only has one business AA card, so this won't work forever, but it'll at least get you started without touching your 2/5 Chase 5/24 count.

In case you've never applied for business cards before, here's the quick guide: Apply as sole proprietor, your name as the business name, your address as the business address, your phone as the business phone, 0 (or minimum the application allows) years in business, $0 (or minimum the application allows) business income.

Meanwhile, you're in the wrong forum if you're asking about "skymiles". That's what Delta calls its miles. :D

Just got a letter from Citi stating my MileUp card account has been closed due to inactivity. Fair enough, I opened it and never used it just to have an aadvantage Card attached to my account to avoid miles expiration and for higher EXP loyalty choices when selecting miles.

Now I am trying to figure out what card to select and if there is anything else without the annual fee that is an AA affiliated card. I have plenty of other cards I earn on and none of the AA cards are interesting to me so just looking for whatever is the lowest cost card to keep open (and now make a few small purchases each year to avoid the closure like this time).

Any suggestions would great.

I have an old AA citi gold world elite card, with $49 annual fee and standard earning rate of 1 mile per $ spent in everything (not 2 on each AA $ spent)
Not listed online anymore with the citi lineup of cards you can apply for, but maybe ask over the phone?
$49 a year is dirt cheap.

Slightly changing the topic, I have both Barclays and Citi AA cards (personal and business). Since they are coming up for renewal, anyone have luck getting Citi of Barclays to offer a retention bonus when they call to cancel their cards at the one year anniversary? I don't need to pay an annual fee on 4 cards that all largely do the same thing.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/citi...on-offers.html
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/cred...all-cards.html

how long inactive? will be good DP for people to keep active. also, citi and barclays have many personal and biz cards but only mileup is no AF so not sure what answer ur looking for. you said nothing interests you? then why do you want an AA card? seems like a waste of time. or get cards with AF, get SUB and downgrade to no AF.

its funny to see ur post from almost 2 years ago and never posted again afterwards. only 1 response. haha. at least give us an update.

Its been inactive for a year since I got it. Please see what I posted about why I want an AA card in the first paragraph of my original post. Specifically, higher threshold of loyalty choices when selecting miles and no miles expiration. No other reason for me to maintain an AA card but with no annual fee the MileUp was compelling.

then just get any citi personal for SUB and downgrade to mileup. otherwise do barclays for SUB and downgrade.

If you call Citi, they're likely to let you re-open the card within a limited time (if you just got that letter, you should well within that limited time). They may do a credit pull, but assuming they re-open it, it'll keep its original opening date on your credit report, its original credit limit, etc.

Assuming you re-open it, after that just use it for a small purchase at least once a year, preferably at least every 6 months to be absolutely sure, and you'll not only keep your AA miles alive, you'll keep the card alive.

I had the same thing happen to me a few years ago with an ancient no-AF Citi AT&T Universal card that was over two decades old, and I'm glad they let me re-open it, since it's one of the oldest cards on my credit report. Soon after that I converted it to a more modern Citi card, and then a year later I converted it again to the DoubleCash card. All of those cards inherited the original opening date of that ancient card.

Thank you and will try.