I am fairly new to CC strategies to maximize on travel awards. I recently got both the AA card and the United card (50,000 bonus miles each) and I'm trying to see whether there are other cards I should get to maximize my travel awards.
My priorities/goals are:
1. Redeeming miles for award travel domestically and internationally
2. I travel with a lot of baggage so free baggage is a nice perk, and typically saves me around $50 roundtrip (1 free checked bag on United & AA)
3. I don't need lounge access, but it would be nice
Current CC cards:
1. AA Citibank Platinum card (4 months old)
2. United Airlines Mileage Explorer card (4 months old)
3. Capital One Cash Rewards (1.5% cash back, 3+ years old, no longer using, keeping for credit history)
4. 3 other non-rewards credit cards that I am no longer using but keeping for credit history
Credit:
- According to Credit Karma, credit score is ~780
- Average of 6 years of credit history
- No balances are carried on any credit cards
- Credit utilization is around 8%
- 2 hard pulls on credit in 2014 so far
Current travel:
- Fly about 10 times a year, usually domestic, red-eye, cheapest fare available that also collects mileage
- Fly out of LAX or other LA area airport (i.e. ONT, SNA, BUR)
- Typically need to check 2-3 bags per trip
- Destination cities vary, but at least once a year, I travel to: Seattle, San Francisco, Manchester (NH), Atlanta, and Orlando.
- Usually stay at a con-rate hotel or hotel booked from Hotwire, so I tend not to get any points or mileage for hotel stays
- Sometimes rent a car, also booked cheaply through Hotwire
Current FF Programs:
United: 81,000 miles
American Airlines: 27,000 miles
British Airways: 18,000 miles
Delta: ~5000 miles after 2/2014
Jet Blue: 1000 miles
Typical spending:
My part-time hobby/business is registered as a sole proprietor. I spend relatively little on groceries, gas, and office supplies. I only spend moderately on restaurants (approximately ~$100-$200 a month).
My bigger purchases tend to be inventory purchases for my business (i.e. t-shirts) and travel (i.e. hotel, airfare, etc.). I spend approximately $2,000-$4,000 across 2-3 credit cards per month.
Research:
In 2013, I reviewed my airfare purchases (I almost always chose cheapest economy, red-eye flights) and noticed my flights tended to be on American Airlines and United. This is why I decided to go with the American Airlines Citibank Platinum card (got 50K bonus points) and the United Mileage Explorer Card (also got 50K bonus points).
Questions:
Should I continue my strategy of choosing mostly American Airlines and United flights and keeping my AA and United cards? Or should I sign up for a non-airline card such as Chase Ink?
I've also been considering the merits of signing up for the US Airlines card for 40,000 US Airlines miles because I like the companion pass feature, and also because I am potentially booking a flight in 2015 on US Airlines.
Thanks for any advice!
(Sorry, title is technically a typo: should be ~5-8 times a year)
My priorities/goals are:
1. Redeeming miles for award travel domestically and internationally
2. I travel with a lot of baggage so free baggage is a nice perk, and typically saves me around $50 roundtrip (1 free checked bag on United & AA)
3. I don't need lounge access, but it would be nice
Current CC cards:
1. AA Citibank Platinum card (4 months old)
2. United Airlines Mileage Explorer card (4 months old)
3. Capital One Cash Rewards (1.5% cash back, 3+ years old, no longer using, keeping for credit history)
4. 3 other non-rewards credit cards that I am no longer using but keeping for credit history
Credit:
- According to Credit Karma, credit score is ~780
- Average of 6 years of credit history
- No balances are carried on any credit cards
- Credit utilization is around 8%
- 2 hard pulls on credit in 2014 so far
Current travel:
- Fly about 10 times a year, usually domestic, red-eye, cheapest fare available that also collects mileage
- Fly out of LAX or other LA area airport (i.e. ONT, SNA, BUR)
- Typically need to check 2-3 bags per trip
- Destination cities vary, but at least once a year, I travel to: Seattle, San Francisco, Manchester (NH), Atlanta, and Orlando.
- Usually stay at a con-rate hotel or hotel booked from Hotwire, so I tend not to get any points or mileage for hotel stays
- Sometimes rent a car, also booked cheaply through Hotwire
Current FF Programs:
United: 81,000 miles
American Airlines: 27,000 miles
British Airways: 18,000 miles
Delta: ~5000 miles after 2/2014
Jet Blue: 1000 miles
Typical spending:
My part-time hobby/business is registered as a sole proprietor. I spend relatively little on groceries, gas, and office supplies. I only spend moderately on restaurants (approximately ~$100-$200 a month).
My bigger purchases tend to be inventory purchases for my business (i.e. t-shirts) and travel (i.e. hotel, airfare, etc.). I spend approximately $2,000-$4,000 across 2-3 credit cards per month.
Research:
In 2013, I reviewed my airfare purchases (I almost always chose cheapest economy, red-eye flights) and noticed my flights tended to be on American Airlines and United. This is why I decided to go with the American Airlines Citibank Platinum card (got 50K bonus points) and the United Mileage Explorer Card (also got 50K bonus points).
Questions:
Should I continue my strategy of choosing mostly American Airlines and United flights and keeping my AA and United cards? Or should I sign up for a non-airline card such as Chase Ink?
I've also been considering the merits of signing up for the US Airlines card for 40,000 US Airlines miles because I like the companion pass feature, and also because I am potentially booking a flight in 2015 on US Airlines.
Thanks for any advice!
(Sorry, title is technically a typo: should be ~5-8 times a year)