Jondexplorer

Alright, I will admit that it is really intimidating being around so many people more experienced to the system then I am but my pride is not worth my ignorance so here I go.

I am new here and only recently began studying flyer miles and programs. I became hooked as I love to travel and any way I could cut travel expenses while increasing travel opportunities are a big plus in my book. So after studying about 21 different blogs, signing up for the various airline alliances, and studying the various credit cards on offer I have narrowed it down to four cards to begin with. The reason only 4 is because I read an article which explained that the old way of doing an app-o-rama no longer works with the faster computers of today. And that spacing them out could produce better results. With less inquires and less chance of a denial on my record. So without further ado, my first real question to the board.

Out of the many points reward cards on offer, are these a good first spread,
Chase Sapphire Perferred- I would wait for this but I read of the 2/5 rule Chase has and the flexibility makes it a great travel companion.
Gold Delta Skymiles - I have many plans to travel through Asia and Delta has multiple partners that are useful for that. Furthermore they are partnered with Virgin Airlines and I frequent that airline whenever traveling between the East or West Coast.
Citi Aadvantage Platnium- I usually fly American Airlines whenever I am traveling within the United States when I am not using Virgin Airlines.
Starwoods Perferred Guest- I would of picked the Chase Marriott, but I read on the usability of the Starwood. Furthermore I am afraid that Chase will deny me if I try to go for two Chase cards at once when I have never banked with them before.

Sorry for the novel, and I am thankful to any helpful replys you all share.

takeshi74

Cant comment on the card selection other than you need to consider whether you’re spreading yourself too thin with different programs. Make sure you look into redemptions and how many points you’re going to need versus the points you’ll accumulate via bonuses and spend.

Hard inquiries are one of the smallest factors despite how many seem to tend to obsess over them. Banking with a creditor is also a small factor. It is your credit that really matters. Granted, this is only anecdotal and from 4 years ago but I had not banked with Chase and was approved for 2 cards one day after the other, each for $25K. Not saying that you will qualify for that, just pointing out that it is your credit that really matters.

The app-o-rama idea was flawed because it also assumed far too much impact from hard pulls. When a hard pull is performed it is recorded by the CRA. It is not reported by the creditor. However, new accounts are reported by the creditor and they are not usually reported immediately and can take some time to report. That said, if your credit is going to significantly suffer from having a new account report then you definitely don’t want a bunch of new accounts reporting at once.

garykung

My advice to you is short and simple - except for general purposes reward cards, always pick based on your travel pattern/choices. It is always the easier and the correct way to approach.

No comment.

Just because of multiple partners does not mean DL's SkyMiles is a good program. Its street name "SkyPeso" pretty much tell you how valuable the program is.

Also - award availability matters.

Right call, as it aligns with your travel pattern.

Why Marriott?

Don.Majik.Juan

Chase Sapphire Perferred- I would wait for this but I read of the 2/5 rule Chase has and the flexibility makes it a great travel companion.
I would highly recommend going with the Chase Sapphire Reserve if you can stomache the $450 annual fee. I just buy a $300 Southwest gift card and it really turns into $150/annual fee making all of the other benefits well worth it. I have both, but the reason I recommend the CSR is that you can only have 1 of these products now. I plan to downgrade the Preferred to Unlimited next year. Basically - if you get the Preferred you can't get the Reserve, which gets you lounge access, primary rental insurance, &
3x on dining/travel with 1.5x value on the UR portal if those things are important to you.
Gold Delta Skymiles - I have many plans to travel through Asia and Delta has multiple partners that are useful for that. Furthermore they are partnered with Virgin Airlines and I frequent that airline whenever traveling between the East or West Coast.
Had to get it for the free checked bags for work, seems worthless to me since I don't fly Delta. I hit the bonus spend back in May and am still waiting for my sign-up bonus and $100 credit due to a "system glitch" on their end. They do have an elevated sign-up bonus of 60,000 points right now though.
Citi Aadvantage Platnium- I usually fly American Airlines whenever I am traveling within the United States when I am not using Virgin Airlines.
Can't speak on this card, although I did just recently hit the Citi Premier card elevated bonus. I was able to book 3 flights on Southwest with those points and add my companion pass to them. It did take 2~ hours to book the flights on the phone.
Starwoods Perferred Guest- I would of picked the Chase Marriott, but I read on the usability of the Starwood. Furthermore I am afraid that Chase will deny me if I try to go for two Chase cards at once when I have never banked with them before.
Not a loyalty member, I will probably get this card and the SPG biz card at some point. AMEX has an elevated bonus right now but the cost benefit didn't seem worth it based on what I had to spend to hit the threshold. I'll just keep racking up my Chase UR. I guess it depends on where you want to stay, obviously SPG/Marriott properties are much nicer, they also cost more. I signed up for the Citi Hilton & Amex Hilton and was able to net 170k points between the two for free. Choice has a free credit card through Barclays and they have some good redemptions outside of the US.

Anyways, good luck. I would recommend doing some more research on what cards fall under the Chase 5/24 rule so you can plan your applications accordingly.

FlyingChuck

Note that Delta is *not* partnered with Virgin America, but with Virgin Atlantic & Australia.

freeflyin

You mentioned the airlines that you typically use,but not any hotel programs that you may frequent, other than your comment about the Marriott card vs SPG.

You also don't mention if you travel often or casually, so elite status could possibly play a role here also.

My suggestion is to begin by focusing on 1 airline alliance and 1 hotel program and see if they fit your actual travel patterns.

I would also suggest a decent general card if you don't already have one. If you don't want to commit to the expense of the CSR, CSP seems to fit your initial intentions here.

asa127

Okay... first post... here it goes.

After way too many years using my debit card or a no-frills 1 point per dollar low-end Amex credit card, I now understand how beneficial earning and maximizing points can actually be. Now, I'm excited to jump into the game.
However, I know there's a strategy to this and I want to do it the right way. The consensus seems to be that Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card to start, which I plan on applying for. But where do I go from there?

I currently have a Chase Freedom (which I've had since I graduated from college) and an AmEx Blue Sky (which I've had for 9 years, and I don't even think they offer it anymore!), but haven't applied for a new card in 9 years. So, what's next? Do I gradually increase my earning power by applying for the AmEx Premier Rewards Gold Card? Or do I dive in head first and go for the AmEx Platinum (Amex has sent me multiple offers for it)? Do I need a card tied to a specific airline (I'm loyal to no airline.. you hear that, airlines??)? How soon after I open one card should I apply for another (are there time intervals that work best?)?

I'd like to upgrade the CSP to the Reserve eventually, but I'm familiar with the 5/24 rule so I'm wary of opening too many cards. Overall, my goal is to travel for free (I don't travel with my job, so all of my travel is for pleasure). Of course I'd love to experience flying in the lap of luxury for the price of an economy seat (or less) in the future, but for now, I'm happy to travel as often (internationally, especially) as I can for as little as possible.

So, community, tell me... What mix of cards did you start out with? Do you have any road maps for us newbies to earn and make the most of our points in the beginning? I'm sure there is a thread like this buried somewhere, but I'm a little overwhelmed. Would love to hear about your experiences getting into the game!

Diplomatico

Go here and start the "basic reading" on the right hand sidebar:

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/