At first I ignored this thread for the most part. I mean, I read the first few posts and peeked in from time to time, but the question didn't seem right. My answer (in my head, at least) was simple ... you get all of the previous cards again! That's worked well for me up until now, but things are changing a bit, yes?
Long before I was serious and read forums like this, I had a small Chase UA churn system in place. Every 2 years, when a previous Chase card would drop off my "permanent record" (it was no longer available to display online), I'd get a new one. Low risk and it worked. I did this once with the Priority Club/IHG and Marriott card too. This seems to be dead now ... well, dead to me because of the 5/24 rules and its expansion.
I have a todo for 7/2016 to get the SPG Business card ... again. I'm now not so sure this will be possible, but I'll watch for my chance. I had other AMEX Biz card plans. These are probably on hold now.
Still have a machine running with Citi, but there seems to be trouble in paradise there. Half expecting my next turn to fail. We're in slow motion with the Alaska card machine, but that's still running. As I said, slowly.
I checked the Barclays card page this morning. They don't list all of their stuff under "All Cards" (no Hawaiian or Wyndham). I was looking at the Arrival+ terms which does say "new cardmembers only". Checking, I canceled my previous card mid 2015. I thought it had been longer ago than that. Has anyone had success getting a second Arrival+ card? Recently?? What about the base Arrival card @20k? Is that considered a different product? Barclays is of low interest to me; it's almost a case of looking for "something to do" with them
.
Why am I babbling so? Well, I've got a small CC todo list to tend to in the short term. #1 is to get my wife a Chase card before we can't. I've picked the Hyatt card based on the short set she already has. A couple of other cards are on her list, one because of a direct offer and another.
My list is ... well ... empty for now. I guess I've "gotten all of the top cards" and many of the avenues to get them again are not there or carry heavier risk than in the past.
But wait. My notion of "all" isn't inclusive. I've purposely ignored Delta and SW Airline cards. Of course the latter may still be problematic because they are Chase cards. Maybe there are others ... I need to expand my vision and see how usable previously-ignored vendors might be.
Long term plan was to shoot for the SW CP "in the future", picking a 1-2 year period where we could take full advantage of it. Currently we're traveling for fewer, bigger trips and to places SW doesn't go. I really haven't found a SW paid flight that worked for me, one where I couldn't find cheaper and shorter from another carrier. But "free" or nearly is always good. However, with the rule expansion, a CP probably isn't in my future either.
We've flown Delta once. It was recently via tickets I won in a work raffle; any RT domestic flight, we picked Portland. It was a good flight and no problems. I've always looked down on Delta's FF program, mostly from reading comments of others. Yet some folks like them, and while I understand the uncertainties of using Delta miles ... it couldn't hurt to have some, eh? Perhaps this is the ticket for me next (pun intended). I could use the same thought for SW ... it wouldn't hurt to have some miles. Unless they expire, which makes me sick (lost a few Airtran points and a certificate this way; found them hard to use).
I guess there was a question or 2 in there; good luck finding them! I guess I just had some pent-up pondering to get out. Thanks for listening.
