higher spending cards
 

Hey guys, not sure which board this falls under but my parents just called me and told me they will be booking a couple international flights for around $4500, and they would like me to find some miles cards that have the higher spending amounts for the bonuses so this $4500 one hit transaction can take out a big chunk of that. Their average monthly credit card spending is also at least $2000 (my mom wasn't sure exactly what it was, but it was at least 2 grand is what she said). Miles/points/hotels we are looking for are flexibile, but preferably something that can be converted to American since my parents life in DFW, and I fly home from school there once or twice a year.

Any tips on miles cards and/or points cards for that?

Already got my mom on the two AAdvantage cards (VISA & AXP) as well as the Marriot Chase card. Could sign up for some of the cards on my stepdad's name since my mom might get rejected for "too many credit requests."

I find the card that is best for my purchases - for me SPG amex (starwod hotels) and Chase United Explorer. But for someone who doesnt want points for free flights on UA and free stays at westin/sheraton/etc hotels, its not a good choice.

I address the credit issue (large percent of available credit used by a large purchase) by paying during the billing cycle. For example, on July 1st I book a $4500 flight on a card due July 31st, I pay off the $4500 before the bill, like on July 2nd so my card doesnt show it as using my available credit for the $4500 when the bill is sent on July 31.

I don't think 4500 dollars worth of trip will qualify for free award travel, or at least internationally. I would recommend amex Costco branded credit card. The person who buys the tickets with the credit card must be a Costco member as flights earns a 2 percent cash back which is 90 bucks at the next annual cardholders month. The card has no annual fee.

I think the SPG card still might be a good choice, since Starwood points can be converted to AA miles. The spending requirement for the bonus is $5000, so that $4500 will get you most of the way.

Another good choice might be the Chase British Airways card, since BA Avios can be used for AA flights.

higher spending cards
 

Amex biz 75k for 10k spend ... Other than avios it's the best public bonus right now and a lot of people would tell you 75 k MR > 100k avios

If I understand the original post correctly, the OP is saying that his parents will be incurring a large charge, and would like to use the opportunity to get a new card where they might otherwise not have met the spending requirement for the signup bonus.

One very good option would be the Amex Gold Biz card, with a promotion until June 26 of 75K points after spending $10K in 4 months. They could probably make this threshold where they wouldn't otherwise do it without the trip.

However, this card will not transfer miles to American. As they already have the Citi Amex cards, the other option would be SPG. When I last looked, SPG had a 10K first use bonus and 15K more after spending $10K in 6 months. I'm not sure that's still the case though, and an extra 15K points is not that spectacular.

I would lean toward Amex Biz Gold.

Redtop, this is correct.