Quote:
Originally Posted by JL514
Get the CSP in a few months and have 150k!
Keep the AA Visa open if they'll waive the annual fee, but I'd ask about bonus miles instead (they usually have one or the other), and/or ask about a spending challenge for miles (like spend $500/month for 3 months and get 6,000 bonus miles etc). There is a big thread on flyertalk that you can read the last few pages to see what people are getting offered. Google "flyertalk citi retention offers".
Will you ever fly Delta? Their miles are notoriously hard to use. I wouldn't get them unless you have a specific trip that you know you want to use them on or you already fly Delta a lot. There are plenty of other Amex cards to start with, and the Starwood card is currently offering its 1x/year signup increase. The Blue Cash cards are good, or you can wait for another big signup offer on the Premier Rewards Gold.
With scores like that you don't have to be that careful. That sounds a lot like my situation and I open 2-5 cards every 3 months and cancel a similar amount of cards as well.
Cool, thanks JL!
I've heard that Delta points are PITA to use. I think I'll stay away for now and wait to get Chase Sapphire Preferred. Hopefully a bigger bonus than the 40k will appear, but I'll get it if not anyways. I wouldn't use it that much after the bonus, so may convert to a regular Sapphire if they don't waive the annual fee during the second year, especially since I can transfer points to my Ink Bold to then transfer to partner airlines.
I was thinking of dropping the Citi AA also for a possible churn down the road. I asked about any bonus miles etc and they said no (probably because I haven't used it much in the past year).
I would have gone for the Southwest double 50k miles cards and gotten the Companion pass, which is probably the best bonus you can get, but I'm not travelling much in the foreseeable future, oh well.
I'll probably go for the CSP and 30k Starwoods Amex offer (I think I'm still a Gold member due to my time in mgmt consulting). Thanks again.