2016 Next Credit Card App Help

[sungchiahao]

1. FICO 790
2. Premier Rewards Gold AmEx 4/19/2015
   Sapphire Preferred Chase 4/21/2015
   Alaska Airlines BoA 5/15/2015 - closed
   Alaska Airlines BoA 5/15/2015 - PC to BoA Cash
   Citi ThankYou® Premier Card. Citi 5/29/2015
   Citi AAdvantage Platinum Citi - upgraded to WE 7/21/2015
   Amex SPG Personal AmEx 9/5/2015
   Citi AAdvantage Platinum Citi - upgraded to WE 10/22/2015
   Amex Hilton HHonors (no AF) 12/7/2015
   Chase United Exp 12/7/2015
3. I will need a strategy for all of the AF cards that are coming due this year. I didn't get retention offers on PRG and CSP, so I think I will need to get AMEX Everyday to keep my MR alive, and downgrade CSP to Freedom and wait until either I can get INK+ or my wife can get her own CSP and I can transfer my UR to her account.
4. Already booked airfare on 09/2016 for US to Taiwan and stopover @ HK with AA and AS miles - No need to get airline cards. I need a plan for Hotels and Activities. I have 12K SPG left. I can either go for hotel cards like IHG/Hyatt or go for cashback/miles with Arrival+. I got the AirBnB GC from the AMEX offer last year, so I have AirBnB as my backup plan also.

What should I do to maximize my applications between now and Aug 2016 to best prepare for my trip?
List of card I am considering:
Amex Everyday - keep my MR alive and close Amex PRG/ Not useful for trip, might not need to do apply now
Chase IHG/Hyatt - Good signup bonus, Useful for hotels in Taiwan and Hyatt Hong Kong / Might be declined for recent Chase card
Arrival + - Good signup bonus, First card with Barclay, can be used for non-chained hotel and motels.

What are your thoughts? Are there other cards I should consider?

 

[spamman808]

I just got targeted a few weeks ago for an IHG 80k point offer. I had just signed up for the 60k plus $50 and messaged Chase for a successful match. Mentioned it on flyertalk and it looks like people are getting approved for the public offer and then secure messaging Chase to get the 80k offer successfully as well. Even if you aren't targeted for it there's a good chance you'll get the match.

I also had the same idea on the PRG to Everyday. Got the Everyday and I am going to try to call in to get a retention offer (I have no shame!) before closing it out soon...although I got the Everyday at the 25k bonus back in the fall. Might be worth waiting around for that to happen again.

 

[Arnold]

The everyday 25k is still around via incognito (usually only 15k comes up, but don't give up till you hit 25k), or 30k for the EDP. I'd suggest the EDP if you can make the 30 transactions in a month. Just the extra 5k from the bonus plus the extra spend category points from the minimum spend, assuming you hit it through grocery category spending, already pays for the AF (2k x2.4= 4.8k, vs 2k x4.5 =9k, a 4.2k difference). 4.2k+5k = 9.2k, so that's the AF covered right there. Now you have a better card than the ED for any grocery spending you might do in the rest of the year, for the next 4k.

 

[raenye]

When applying for the ED/EDP, hit also a Green or Gold charge card for 25k MR. No AF first year, no extra HP.

 

[sungchiahao]

So most people think I should go for the ED/EDP first?

 

[raenye]

So most people think I should go for the ED/EDP first?

• How about a US Bank Club Carlson? does it work for your plans?
• You're using two Amex slots out of four. Have a look at all their cards and decide which ones you see yourself churning or keeping long term. A Green/Gold charge card is sufficient to keep your points, so you can cancel the PRG, but in the long term you probably want an ED/EDP so why not take one now when there's a nice bonus.
• IHG is a keeper IMHO, if you can get 80k points go for it.
• Arrival+ is a fine card, but instead of a travel card you should think of it as a 2.105% everywhere chip&PIN no-FTF card with a nice signup bonus and an annoying mechanism of redeeming cashback.

 

[MickiSue]

An additional benefit to Amex charge is that it doesn't use up one of the four places, only Amex credit does that.

 

[sungchiahao]

• No Club Carlson @ Taiwan
• Green/Gold charge card also have AF do they not? The only no AF Amex MR card is ED as far as I know
• IHG looks good. I called in and got the 80K but no $50 SC offer immediately. No need to wait for matching. I basically just need free wifi and breakfast at my hotels to satisfy me. Taiwan has a few cat 1 and 2 hotels that would fit my plans.
• Arrival + is one of the few cards that I can still get no AF 1st year and good signup bonus for travel spending. I don't plan to keep it more than 1 year, probably downgrade. Please let me know if there are other cards that fit the category that have escaped my mind.

I got the IHG card, and it should take me a month to complete the $1000 min spend.

 

[raenye]

Green/Gold charge card also have AF do they not? The only no AF Amex MR card is ED as far as I know

Waived first year, as I wrote above.
I wouldn't apply to these by themselves, but if you decide to get a non-MR Amex revolver (such as Blue Cash), you can apply on the same day for a charge card and the pulls will be merged.

There's also Amex Blue with no AF and reduced MR functionality, nevertheless it's a stupid choice when ED is superior in every possible way.

 

[Beltway Explorers]

• Arrival + is one of the few cards that I can still get no AF 1st year and good signup bonus for travel spending. I don't plan to keep it more than 1 year, probably downgrade. Please let me know if there are other cards that fit the category that have escaped my mind.

Capital One Venture usually has a waived annual fee offer for 40,000 bonus points on creditcards.com. The bonus is worth a little less than A+ since you don't get the bonus when redeeming, but they don't have a minimum amount for point redemption so you can use it for smaller items like a subway ticket. I also find Capital One isn't as stingy in handing out cards as Barclays can be. Of course you could get both, assuming you can hit the required spend.

 

[Jawa]

Capital One Venture usually has a waived annual fee offer for 40,000 bonus points on creditcards.com. The bonus is worth a little less than A+ since you don't get the bonus when redeeming, but they don't have a minimum amount for point redemption so you can use it for smaller items like a subway ticket. I also find Capital One isn't as stingy in handing out cards as Barclays can be. Of course you could get both, assuming you can hit the required spend.

I agree venture is underrated. You can get two cards for one pull (effectively doubling the sign on bonus) AND redeemed charges do not get removed from the list of redeemable charges (so all it takes is one travel charge to redeem all your points).