Hey Guys,

Im pretty new to this and been signing up for cards only for cashback bonuses so far and never realized the true potential of miles and awards.

Need advice from experts here

I have set myself a goal of return tickets to Indian subcontinent (preferably Buisness class)now and would like to start working towards it

These are the cards i currently own

Chase freedom
United explorer - 50000 UA points
IHG - 80000
Barclays US air -50000
Citi Premier - 50000 TY pts
Citi HHonors
Amex Gold - No points as this is my 2nd card
Amex blue/hh/costo

Just got approved for Amex Business Gold.

Planning on applying these in the coming days

Alaska BOA - 2 cards (25K each) Hoping will get approved for 2
Citi AA platinum - 50k AA miles


Apart from this i have eithad pts around 50k. Please suggest me on what cards should i apply towards reaching my goal.

Thank

Dude the list is endless of cards you could get. To get a Biz class ticket, it looks like you already have what you need, or at least close to it.

You've got the Ink and Freedom. You can also get a CSP and Ink Cash to jack up your UR. You can get a Citi Prestige to double your TYP. You can get a Starwood Personal and Starwood Business and if you meet min spend on both, you'll have more than 50k Starpoints which would net you at least 60k airline miles somewhere.

Possibly look into getting an AMEX Premier Rewards Gold if they're still offering the 50k point min spend bonus.

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"I have set myself a goal of return tickets to Indian subcontinent"

"Tickets" is plural. How many return tickets are you trying to get?

Keep in mind that both AA and UA offer one-way awards.

Thanks all for your replies

Looking for 2 tickets. I got the amex Business gold for 75k, But it doesnt have option to transfer to UA, AA or Alaska.

So i have to transfer it to Asia Miles(Cathay Pacific) and city TY points to Asia Miles. Not sure how many miles would i need for return tickets using Asia miles for Economy and Business

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Amex MR points can transfer to Aeroplan, which also offers one-way redemptions on Star Alliance carriers. But on an Aeroplan redemption, only the following carriers are surcharge-free:

Air China
Brussels
EVA Air
Egypt Air
Ethiopian
Scandanavian
Singapore
Swiss
Turkish
United

Ok so the only option is to transfer to Aeroplan and then book using UA.

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Book one, one-way on no-surcharge Aeroplan partners with Aeroplan, and book another one-way on the same flight with UA miles. (UA miles can be redeemed on Star Alliance carriers just as Aeroplan miles can.) You just need to check which of Aeroplan's no-surcharge partners fly to your intended destination, and hope that you can find two award seats on them.

You'll need about 35K more AA miles for two one-ways in J between North America and AA's Middle East/India zone.

I know BA charges surcharges/fuel charges, Is there a way to find surcharge free/no fuel charge award airlines? Someone maintains a list.

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I posted the list of Aeroplan's no-surcharge partners above.

You will not pay surcharges on any of AA's partners except BA and IB.

So pretty much the option is from UA and AA. But both City and Amex points cannot be transferred to them.