Where to Start?
 

Hello,

I am new to all of this and am looking for some tips on how to really start racking up some miles/points so that my gf and I can go on a vacation this summer or next fall. So far I have gotten a Delta SkyMiles Amex that came with 30k miles after the initial spend, which I've gotten done already. I have a bk from 2005, credit score in the low 700s. This Amex was my first ever. I have never had a Discover card either. When I applied for the Amex, I tried for a Chase card also, but got a letter in the mail declining because of the previous bk.

I am looking for ways to do more, but there is so much info on these boards that I am a bit lost. I'm completely new to frequent flyer miles, etc. I was hoping that there was a "newbie" sticky but I didn't notice one. It's all a bit overwhelming. I thought about asking for a credit limit increase on the Amex through their website, but I'm not sure what the qualifications are as far as income to credit limit ratio, and I've only had the card for 2 months.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can from everyone here, and I appreciate any tips!

PS - In a nutshell, my main goal is to earn as many frequent flyer miles as possible. And points towards hotel stays too I guess. I've read about people getting over a million miles in a year and it seems impossible!

Where to Start?
 

Your best bet is to go VERY slow and get your credit score up. You should probably wait another 4 or 5 months before applying for another credit card. A "low" 700 score is marginal. Show the CC companies that you can now handle credit by paying the balance in full and on time.

Also, forgot to ask, in the bk, which banks did you owe money and did they have to write off anything?

I believe the main banks were citi and chase. Those were the ones I had credit cards with .

While the bk is really going to hurt you, especially with Chase and Citi, two of the big ones, this summer is going to be hard to get enough points by, depending on where you want to go, how long you want to stay, and what you want to cover with points. I have 8 cards in my churn I'm working on right now, the latest closing one has a spending requirement date of August, and if points don't post for 4-6 weeks as some don't, it will be October before I see them.

I'm definitely going to re-iterate, work on getting your credit up, most of us have high 700s, with no bk.