Hey guys, im kinda new to this cc churning process and dont know where to start and i would really appreciate some help. my biggest concern is that i sign up for a cc and then find out later that i could have gotten a way better deal if i waited.

so here is what im working with
i have a credit score of around 780
i usually spend about 1000-1200 a month and just signed up for bluebird so i guess i can up my spending to include rent to about 1800
i travel about 3 times a year
i dont stay at high end hotels like hilton, starwoods, or hyatt
i want to get about 2-3 cards every 3-6 months
the credit cards i have are chase freedom, united mileage plus select, and miles by discover.

so what cards should i go for that are currently available?
i also got an offer for 50k delta after spending $1000, which im thinking of doing. is it possible to apply for the business card also and get the additional 50k by doing the 2 browser trick?
thanks for any help in advance

There are soooo many threads that will answer your basic questions, that it would be well worth your time to read up on some or many. Have you read through any of them to start honing in?

It's a bit like asking: What vehicle should I buy? There are a lot of variables. People need to know simple things like, how many people do you need to transport? What is your price range? Do you need a truck or van?

Your score is fine for starting. You should know where you want to go, and you should do a little research on the transfer options that some of the bank cards offer.

Definitely read up on the threads here to keep up to date and you will also see members mention what the offers were like in the past. Even though the points/miles are what we are after, I wouldn't focus too much on it and hesitate on jumping on a card if you have a need for it. The offers will probably be ever changing (up or down) so there is no way to tell for sure.

What do you want to do with these points/miles? Any specific hotel or airline in mind? There's the Club Carlson card by US Bank and Priority Club card by Chase. You mentioned Delta, but will you be flying with them from your hometown or is it better to get another card like the Citi AA, Chase United, Chase Southwest cards? You have a lot of options available. Regarding the business card, they are usually considered a different card by itself so you should be fine applying for it on the same browser. You might need to call in to explain the reason for the second card.

Depending on your credit history (credit age, credit limit, any late payments, etc.) with those 3 cards (are those your only credit cards?), I suggest applying for one or two cards for now.

Happens with everyone - it will always be the case. You will get used to it (or find ways thru it )

Answer these then we can help:

-where do you want to go (and where will you be travelling from)?
-how many people travelling?
-first/business/coach?

thanks guys for the replies, sorry to ask such a broad question, but like my first statement i just dont want to miss a good deal. like the amex plat offered the 100k in jan and you cant get it if u had that card or zync, green, gold cards in the past 12 months, or the chase BA card had offers of 100k, or citi AA had the 75k, etc

as far as what i want them for typically just free flights every 4 months or so. which airline do i use, ill use any that flies out of hawaii. where do i want to go, not sure ive been around the world before and want to visit many more places. i live in hawaii and going anywhere is a bit expensive. low season its affordable, but high season is like 700 to the west coast. i dont need elite status or anything like that and i never stay at hilton, hyatt, or starwoods, so hotel cc arent that attractive to me and will save them for last to transfer to miles later down the line. how many people am i flying with me and my girlfriend, but im hoping that as soon as i figure this system out i can get her to do the same. typically we dont care what class we fly on. oh and yes that is the only 3 cc i have thats why i want to start slow and just get couple cards every 3-6 months to establish a history with citi, BoA, amex, etc.

thanks for your help guys i just wanted to simplify my searches. i been at it for days now learning and evaluating my options.

Hey buddy, I was new (still am... in an educated way) 2 days ago. Few hours and 290 threads later, experience level has changed.

Here are my 2 bits:

-Each card has spending meet. Analyze those if and how will you meet those.
-Which card are you inclined to keep it in future? Regular use?
-Then your preference... hotels? airlines? URs? MRs?
-Do you plan to churn (if you don't know this; research a bit more)
-Your income, future credit/loan possibilities (car/home loans)...

Consider all this before you work on your list.

hey carsnoceans, i hear yah, i guess there is just so much to take in and its always changing its hard to keep up. well as far as your suggestions...

-spending requirements i know i would be able to fulfill with basic spending and some manufactured spending. i just signed up for bluebird and i have a paypal account so i could just buy vr or paypal giftcards
-the ones im planning to get and keep in the future are chase ink bold and freedom, and citi foward and premier. all other cards are replaceable as i learned miles stay with the account not the card. regular uses would be dining, gas, groceries, and drugstore.
-preference is airlines, bank cards will get converted to miles or spending money to book flights
-yes i plan on churning cards but not to the extent that others do here as i dont have a high enough income and would raise red flags. thats why i just want to do 2-3 cards every 3-6 months enough to get a free flight several times a year
-no future plans for any loans in the future

Lots of folks on FT don't like linking to bloggers but check out milevalue's extensive discussions of free one-ways. Hawaii is a perfect location for adding on additional free legs to the beginning and end of itineraries.

Focusing on big sign ups is bassackwards. Most people hate miles/points because they can't use them-what you'll probably find if you pursue the delta route (limited low level availability and roundtrip only redemptions).

Avios will be very valuable for trips to the west coast (short distance).

United and AA will be great for longhaul trips with free one ways added on-you can redeem for one ways on each program which helps find availability (eg: AA outbound UA inbound).

Should consider US Airlines card from Barclays. That one will probably be going to the wayside soon.

2-3 cards every 6months... make sure your income and CL supports it. these free flights take work and I am not sure if you are understanding the depth of the effort. And, MANY times those award miles will just sit around in your account because either the award availability is not there or the redemption value is too low.

Something else to consider, is that some cards are "keepers." As two examples:

USAirways MC (going the way of the dodo soon) gives 10K points on renewal for the $89 annual fee.
Citi ThankYou Premier has an actual discount on plane tickets, runs about 10-12%.

It sucks, but you need to read. Churning does affect your credit score, at least temporarily, so you need to understand what you are doing. Not knowing can hurt it longer, or permanently.

Doing research will also help with figuring out what offers seem to rotate in and out, so you know if it's worth waiting, or if a certain offer is the best one. You will also learn which programs you can transfer points between, and which programs might be worth staying away from.

As someone kind of brought up, you shouldn't churn blindly. Have a goal in mind. If you know where you want to go, where you want to stay, etc, that will help, a lot. You don't want to build up 100k UA miles, to realize what you really want/need is 100k AA miles.

Presskittjon- thanks man that info really helped didnt know about that free one ways. also what do you mean by focusing on big sign ups is backwards? ive heard a lot about the delta not being able to redeem but i been checking and it seems ok for me.

jethro & redtop43- thanks for that info i been researching and i cant find the 10k bonus anniversary miles the links i found are expired. is this because they are merging and getting rid of that card like continental did?

carsnoceans- i think i can swing it, do you think that is too much? from what i been reading people been doing about 2-3 every 3 months. so i think im being more conservative. the way i calculated is that i spend about 1800 every month. average spending bonus is between 1-3k in a 3 month period. so that would be 2k a month at the top end which i was planning on just throwing in a $500 vr card every time i go to cvs (2-3 times a month) or something to push it over the spending requirements.

paincorp- thanks for the input i been reading about the credit scores and stuff so i think im safe on that. from what i been reading they go down by about 4 points per card. i never hold a balance my score is about 780 so as long as i stay in the 700 range i feel comfortable and im not looking to get any loans anytime soon. as far as not churning blindly, do you suggest i plan several months ahead where i want to go and then get a cc? for the miles ive been looking up delta, united, aa from where i live and all seem pretty available to the mainland and asia.

It would need to be more advanced than just a few months. Some cards have spend requirements that need to be met in 3. If you meet it close to the last statement you could be waiting 4 just to see points, plus you then can't book anything too close to then because it will be sold out.

What I did, was I planned out a rough trip I wanted to do, and figured out what the saver award was for each leg, and based my cards on those. That way, as long as I can find my routes with that award level, I should be able to afford it if I met my miles goal. You don't need dates, just award value.