Assume you are a newbie. In 2015, the only credit cards you have are a Chase Freedom and Amex Platinum. You largely ignore the 5x Freedom categories and earn 1x MR on $100k+ spend on the Amex Platinum.

Assume you haven't killed yourself yet. In 2016, you for the first time use accumulated credit card reward points by transferring MR points for business class travel. You start seeing the light. You and your wife both apply for and obtain bonuses for Chase Sapphire Preferred cards. Your wife also applies for and obtains a bonus for a Chase Ink Plus (and is added as an authorized user to your Chase Sapphire Preferred card). You travel Europe, spend several thousands of dollars at SPG hotels, and continue reading up on credit card bonuses. You realize Amex MR and SPG travel partners are more compatible with your preferred redemptions than Chase UR travel partners. You also realize Alaska miles are valuable to you for Cathay redemptions.

Assume your newfound interest remains despite self pity at not signing up for Amex SPG 35k bonuses earlier this year. Still, you don't plan on churning or going too far out of your way to hitting any minimum spends. You do want to have the right plastic for maximizing the return on your everyday spending.

What is your next move?

Do you next sign up for a 25k Amex SPG bonus? Or do you next sign up for a $75k Amex Business Gold offer (that Amex says is open through the 30th)? Or do you sign up for a Chase Ink Bold (though your wife already has one)? Or do you sign up for a 30k Alaska bonus? Or do you go straight to the Amex Everyday Preferred, which you will eventually want for grocery and gas spend.

For what it's worth, assume Credit Karma consistently says 800 for you, 770 for your wife. You will need a mortgage in three to four years. You are considering whether you want to remain under Chase's 5/24 to potentially utilize SW bonuses for a Companion Pass towards the end of 2016 into the beginning of 2017.

And additional unrelated "assumptions" that advice would be welcomed on include your realization that you let 68k United miles expire in 2015 (that you can reinstate for $400) or your knowledge that you have 65k CX miles expiring in March 2017 and have no idea how best to utilize them. You will be planning travel to Asia for late 2017, though you had intended to maximize transferable currency redemptions by booking roundtrips and utilizing stopovers.

Get the Chase cards first regardless of whether you want to get SW companion pass. At a minimum, I would get Ink Plus for both of you (currently, in branch offer is 70k points, but I believe that expires soon). You say your wife has the Ink Bold, but are you sure it's not the Ink Plus? Ink Bold is no longer available and hasn't been for awhile.

It sounds like you are not willing to MS - is that correct? If you are so willing, I would also get an Ink Cash for each of you as the next move. SPG will probably have a 30k offer available at some point if you are willing to wait.

For the Alaska cards, get the business version first rather than personal if there are still any Chase cards you are interested in, because it will not show up on your personal credit report and thus not count towards 5/24.

BOA business cards don't show up on your personal report? I didn't know that. Good to know.

Newbie mistake. I meant the Ink Plus. Corrected above. The recommendation to double up is strictly for the bonus, right? A part of me feels that it might be more worthwhile to get the Amex SPG now, even with the standard 25k bonus, since everyday spend on the SPG might be more valuable given personal redemption goals. I assume that when a 30k offer is available, I'd be able to recoup 5k by referring the wife at that point (who could get 30k). Also, if applying for the SPG business, then the SPG business app would not affect me at all in terms of getting the Ink Plus later, or is that line of thinking overlooking anything?

Hi esdot, welcome to FT and the wonderful world of miles and points. Since your inquiry is somewhat general to credit card applications and strategy, I'm going to move this thread out of the Chase forum and over to the Credit Card forum. Please follow the conversation over there.

The Information Desk might also provide some good answers for you.

You assume too much.

In short - you get what you can use, not because you can get.

Credit reports are reviewed manually, which can be adjusted accordingly.

You still get the hard pull though. Just FYI since you may want to buy a mortgage in the future and having too many hard pulls may not look good.

Yeah that would be fine I just prefer not to have it show up as personal that is good to know. and yes I do want a mortgage but we are talking 1.5 years out at least so I hope to be good by then.