I would look for an offer which permits you to apply by phone, and then ask the agent whether expedited delivery is available if you are, in fact, approved for the card.

for your dentist I’d endorse hyatt business chase card. $5k spend in 3 months and 60k points SUB. That said my $5k spend just happened - I’m confident that I’ll receive SUB and I didn’t yet get it. Else another IHG to add to your points.
AS (BofA) has a cash and points SUB - I used my SUB from last year for 3 30k tickets Sfo>ORD in one-way F. Only 16 F seats. Most US3 airlines don’t have 3 award F tickets in the first place and once I torched 75k UA miles for sfo>ORD one way.

Fares can change quickly so for a flight ticket I would suggest paying for it now because that fare might disappear tomorrow and become more expensive.

Which airline benefits could you lose by transferring points from a credit card to a frequent flyer program?

I would consider Wells Fargo Bilt Rewards as it transfers to United, American, and Hyatt. It also has a sort of signup bonus of 5x on all spend for the first 5 days. If you can time the application with your need to spend big you can reap a significant chunk of points on the outset.

I was unclear-I meant hotel reward programs.

It's true that if you book a chain hotel through any credit card issuer's portal you are unlikely to receive points or elite benefits for the stay, but all of the major issuers have these portals, and there is no requirement to use them. This does not seem to be a basis to avoid a specific card.

However, for some there is a requirement to use the portal to get a credit offered by the card issuer. The Amex $200 credit and now the Cap One $300 credit would require use of their portal and possible loss of elite qualification and benefits. This diminishes the value of the credit (at least for me) as I then only use it for hotels where I don't have any status.

The Capital One credit can be used by booking airfare. Discussion here:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/capital-one-rewards-miles/2089201-c1-venture-x-300-travel-booking-credit.html

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Correct, I was focused on use of credits for hotel stays.

That pretty much sums up my concern.

And CMIIAW but if I use the portal to book a Delta flight instead of our Delta card we
might still have status but I thought we didn’t get first checked bags free.

So after searching around a bit, I think I'm honing in on the Amex Gold card for my travel / dining / groceries.

I'll keep any hotel card that I already have that pays for itself in terms of FNCs. I'll keep one premium card, the HH Aspire, for the Priority Pass and Diamond status benefit.

I feel like the only thing I'm missing is a general spend card. Categories that don't hit the common bonuses.

I'm trying to decide if adding CSR is worth it. I've never been a UR user to date, and I'm not sure what benefits it would add for me over Amex Gold, other than a slightly different transfer partner list. I could probably get the CSR card close to cost-neutral with the annual credits and benefits, but I'm wondering how much I'd actually *use* the card.

Is it just me, or is the AA MileUp card underrated? It has no annual fee, earns 2x on groceries, and the spend counts towards elite status. If you use it as your everyday card, the status you earn provides the free checked bags that the Platinum Select Card's main selling point is. Honestly the Platinum Select feels like a relic with spend counting towards elite status.

When paired with the Chase Sapphire Preferred, you get all your major categories (Dining, Travel, Grocery) covered. Not bad for a grand total of $95 a year in annual fees.

I understand there are sexier pairings out there with bigger multipliers, but this feels really efficient (which my wife appreciates).

Replacing Delta Amex
 

With the new Delta changes I will not spend enough for status. So once I use up my Skymiles I will be replacing my Delta Amex with a card that is not tied to a specific program. Amex, Chase, Citi, or Capital One. They have varying partner transfer options and I am leaning towards Amex MR as they have an option for Hilton transfers at 1:2 (?). I have had excellent experiences with Hiltons outside the US (domestically it is hit or miss - mostly miss) and a stash of Hilton points is nice to have. Not a huge CC spender (normally less that 1k per month unless traveling), so any sort of milestones are probably out of reach. I have Hilton Ames and Chase IHG, which also grant status just for having the card.
Or would it be better/smarter to forget points and just get a good cash back card?

CMIIAW = correct me if I am wrong

If i am reading this correctly the AMEX Gold Card gives you the following:

• Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $4,000 on eligible purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership.
• Earn 4X Membership Rewards® Points at Restaurants, plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.,
• and earn 4X Membership Rewards® points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases, then 1X).
• Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com.
• $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and each month automatically get $10 in Uber Cash for Uber Eats orders or Uber rides in the U.S., totaling up to $120 per year.
• $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings and earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, Milk Bar and select Shake Shack locations. Enrollment required.
• Get a $100 experience credit with a minimum two-night stay when you book The Hotel Collection through American Express Travel. Experience credit varies by property.
• Choose the color that suits your style. Gold or Rose Gold.
• No Foreign Transaction Fees.
• Annual Fee is $250.

But you get no points for any other purchases?
Also are you able to transfer miles to Airlines?