ninim2200

6 months should do it, I always found that it depends on the credit history( strong vs avg) my wife has strong/long credit history, so 2 cards a year is doable, i even applied for an aviator in between all this on 1/15/2017, all instant approvals, all get the credit limit reduced to the minimum as soon as possible to free up the credit for the next app.

NoonRadar

I've tried to clarify with Miles & More and never gotten a straight, or consistent, answer, as far as how their miles expire. I believe I was once told via email they don't expire at all if earned via US-based credit card, then over the phone was given the standard must use card every month thing which is obviously not true from my data points, then was told 3 years after without firm clarification of whether 3 years after earned, after last activity, and further whether or not activity renews if you open another card.

Does anyone have any data points about getting a 2nd card, whether that resets the clock for the miles earned from the 1st card?

dukerau

Lufthansa miles expire at the end of the quarter 36 months after earn date. Each mile has its own expiration. There is no resetting the clock like US-based airlines do. However, there are 2 exceptions - (1) if you have status your miles don't expire, and if/when you lose status your miles are valid for 36 months from the time you lose status; and (2) if you have the Barclays LH card and make at least one purchase per month for 3 consecutive months, your miles don't expire. I have seen data points of people getting the card close to when some LH miles are set to expire, and regular spend keeps them alive.

gnomey

Interesting

Regarding (2), isnt it the case where you have to make at least one purchase per statement cycle, as long as you hold the card? And the moment you stop, the 36 months expiration clock kicks in?

The way you describe it seems more 'lenient' than I thought. Under this approach, you can have M&M miles, cancel your CC, didnt do anything with the miles for 32 months, then sign up for another CC to stop the 36 months expiration clock. Correct?


https://www.miles-and-more.com/onlin...l=en&cid=18002

gnomey

I owned a LH card since Oct '16, and applied for a non-LH Barclay card last month. At that time, I didnt realized that the LH 50K offer has returned.

Is there a good chance of getting another Barclay card (in this case, a second LH card) that soon?

I know the LH card doesnt have as stringent a requirement as Arrival+, but based on my reading of DP, it seems like approval for Barclay CCs generally only happened with 5-6 months interval, and not anytime shorter than that. And I am not sure how many people out there actually have 4-5 Barclay CCs at a time. It seems like they are a more conservative bank. Any contrary DP?

dukerau

LH's T&C are strikingly vague on expiration. The hypothetical you describe is how I understand it works, based on data points I've seen. This aligns with one possible interpretation of LH's T&C: My best guess is that each month, LH runs an expiration exemption process that looks for accounts that have a M&M credit card for >= 3 months and have had a purchase in the last month. Data points on LH expiration are all over the place, but this is the best I've come up with. Best strategy is to use within 36 months of earning and avoid all this song and dance.

NoonRadar

So if in the last 36 months you've had a Lufthansa card and have made one purchase then all the points earned won't expire, including the points earned before the last 36 months?

dukerau

No, and I'll reiterate this is just my theory: Lufthsansa runs a process every month/quarter to expire miles. If you have earned a mile from a LH card for the past month (maybe 3 months), you are exempted from expiration. So, once you have miles that are > 36 months in age, you would need to spend on an LH card every month/quarter to keep them alive. Conversely, if the theory is true, if you have miles that are, say, 30 months old, you could get a new LH card and spend on it regularly and keep all the miles alive.

RobertHanson

Well, that's one theory. Another possibility is that once you have a single billing period where you didn't make a charge, all those miles, and ones you get from that card afterwards, are set to expire 36 months after being earned. If you get another card, the use it every month policy will apply only to the miles earned on the new card.

I really don't think we have any where near enough data points on this to even speculate.

Why not call Miles and More and find out what they say the policy is. Which might still not be correct, but is more likely to be correct than our various theories here.

Or, you know, use those miles within 36 months of when you got the bonus. Otherwise you risk LH doing a devaluation, and from what I've seen award availability is steadily decreasing.

Earn em and burn em is the best policy.

NoonRadar

I've called once, was told have to do a transaction/month or they will expire. Emailed once before that and I believe was told my miles never expire due to US-based Lufthansa card.

So there's not a consistency, their customer service either doesn't know or is told to not actually reveal what expires them but instead to encourage usage of the card.

oliver2002

Generally all M&M credit cards preserve your miles, but in some countries (MBNA in UK, Barclays in US, etc) the issuing banks add a clause to encourage usage. Hence the confusion at customer service.

RobertHanson

Are you saying that the "added clause" is not enforced? They are just trying to frighten us into monthly usage, but in fact we don't need to worry about it?

oliver2002

Yes, it is enforced, the add ons are just different from country to country.

oliver2002

Check your spam folder I just got a Q3 spend offer for 3x bonus award miles (capped at a miserly 2500 miles).

wideman

Does Barclays give any notice when they end the current bonus?

I'm looking to re-apply for this card (have had it at least twice in the past, most recent closure was 12 months ago). I'd like to wait a few weeks before applying, but not at the risk lo the 50k bonus shrinking back to 30 or 35.