It’s funny, just a few years ago I was debating whether I should open a second credit card. Now, I am signing up for cards left and right. OK, that sounds just a tad irresponsible. What I mean is, I am signing up for cards that have good terms and great signing bonuses, while making sure I am paying all of my bills on time so I can enjoy the rewards guilt-free. There, much better! 
Now, I have 3 current credit cards:
- Citi ThankYou Visa: This is my first – and for many years, my only – credit card. I trade all my ThankYou points for gift cards to Sephora or Banana Republic. At 10,000 points to $100 gift card, it’s not the greatest conversion, but it’s not the worst either. No annual fee. I keep this card because it’s my card with the longest credit history.
- British Airways Visa (issued by Chase): I got this card a few months ago for the 100,000 miles British Airways miles bonanza it had. It has $95 annual fee, so I may cancel this card in March before I get hit with the fees for the second year. I do feel like I got my money’s worth with the $420 round-trip tickets for CB and me.
- Starwood Preferred Guest American Express: This card is a perennial favorite among credit card bloggers and review sites. CB and I both got it for the 25,000 points promotion with a mind to cash in the points when we travel. We need to complete our $5,000 spend by the end of March. The clock is ticking! I just checked the rates at Sheraton Iguazu at Iguazu Falls. Rack rates are $225 per night, but we will be able to get the room free for 12,000 points or 4,800 points plus $90. Either way you look at it, “free” or $90 sounds a whole lot better than $200+.
Credit cards I am considering:
- Hyatt Visa Credit Card (issued by Chase): 1 free night at ANY Hyatt property with first purchase, and 2nd night free with $1,000 spend in 3 months. $75 annual fee, not waived for first year. I’d like to apply for this card and have CB get it as well so we can cash in on 4 nights in Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, where rooms go for $500+ a night!
- TBD card with a great mileage offer (So bummed we missed the 75,000 points Citi AAdvantage deal!). We are not considering taking an international trip other than the honeymoon, so I am waiting for some good offers to come around. There’s also the minimum spend that I have to make on the credit cards to get the bonuses, but honestly, I am traveling (and spending) so frequently right now that I don’t see a problem making my minimum spend. Plus, more wedding expenses coming up! I am trying to figure out a way that we can get to Turkey – Istanbul and Cappadocia might not be our honeymoon destination any longer, but gosh darn it I am going to find my way to that country come miles or high water.
- Hilton American Express: With this card (which has NO annual fee), I can earn up to 62,500 HHonors points. I am a Hilton Silver member – just ONE more stay until Gold status! – so it’s probably beneficial for me to get the card. Also, as a Hilton Amex member I will be eligible for AXON member-only redemption rates that can get me into highly-rated properties for fewer points.
I’ve also pulled two free credit reports and I’m still lookin’ good. With judicious use of credit cards, I know I can take advantage of the great rewards, save money, and stay in nice hotels and go to fun places. The only thing I regret is that I’ve waited THIS LONG to get into miles and points. Seriously! I’ve always appreciated credit cards, but now I really appreciate them. I do have to be careful that I am still spending what I would normally spend. If you know you can use credit cards responsibly and aren’t afraid of (or even find some fun in) finding bonuses, signing up for membership programs, and doing some research on how to maximize your rewards, I think credit card points and miles can be well worth your time.
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I recommend the Southwest Airlines Chase Visa. The offer has changed slightly since I signed up for it, but I got 2 free domestic flights when I signed up, and after 9 or 10 thousand in spending, I'm about to book my next free domestic flight.
I think the signup bonus now is 50,000 points, which can get you 4 or 5 short trips (like Philly to Boston distance) or 2-ish longer flights (NY to California or so).
I live in Canada and we really like the CIBC Aerogold visa. We use it for our bills and pay it off in full each month. Doing this really helps us add up the points. In the last year alone we have flown for free 6 times. It has been a great way to save on travel. Best of luck with your search.
It can totally work while not going wild! I have 2 cards – Macy's for the coupons, and a MasterCard for everything else. I only spend when it's in my budget, so whatever I place on the card is paid off immediately, and then I get the points! I even use my card for utilities. It works very well – on my MC I earned enough points to get $200 cash, and paid $0.26 in interest. It is so worth it!
I only have 1 credit card because I am pretty sure I would lose track of more than one bill or spend way to mcuh time trying to decide how to make the most of the points. I have a cashback card that's purely based on how much I spend so I use it pretty much everywhere!
Since it is your honeymoon, you may want something nicer/fancier, but I stayed at the Hilton in BA for half that price (taxes are 21% IIRC). It's a nice enough area. I went for a run towards the park. Walked to many areas. The concierge can set up a tour to Uruguay for a day, too.
I love Hiltons, but if I can't stay at the Park Hyatt I am probably going to go with a local hotel, especially as the nice hotels are so much cheaper than they would be in, say, Europe.
Even though you missed the chase 75k aa deal, you can still net out 100k aa miles if you apply for the chase AA visa and the AA American Express. You may be able to get another 50k miles for applying for the small biz visa, but you have to have a company name/address for that, and I dont know if you do. If you want a post I've found describing how to do it with minimal credit pulls, email me.
Yes I'd definitely be interested in the article.
I have a travel miles visa. My husband and I are saving them up for when we travel. My canadian tire master card offers dollars as well. it is awesome
The Sheraton Iguazu is the only hotel within the park. What this means is that if you jump over the rope which says the park is closed before 8:00 am, you'll have the whole park to yourself. I did that and it was terrific!
The Southwest offer for 50K miles is another nice offer currently available since you can do a lot of domestic travel with it!
I love your blog! It's the most helpful miles blog I've come across, especially for newbies. I am concerned about getting too many Chase cards and getting on their blacklist,, so I'm being a little bit careful right now. I got the BA card earlier this year and just applied for the Chase Hyatt Visa, but they won't tell me if I qualify for a few more days. I think my next card will be the Hilton American Express.
I love my Citi platinum that gives me a great deal of cash back, but I've also been considering switching to something that could net me more travel-related rewards. I'm definitely going to check out some of the cards you've listed here!
More travel = happy.
I loved your Greece pictures, btw. I've been to Greece once in the winter, but I want to go back when it's warm.
I have the HHonors card, got one for me and my husband. That covered 1 week stay in Cancun Hilton last year. One thing I like about Hilton card is if you let them know about the special occasion they go above and beyond to upgrade your stay (may be other hotels do this too and I have not tried. But I know Hilton upgraded us to a fabulous ocean front room and provided us with all the free drinks/dessert vouchers)
I am thinking about getting Chase Sapphire preferred as we don't have a favorite airline right now. We could convert the points 1:1 to different airlines and hotels (including Hyatt, Hilton).
Just a quick tip, having around 5 to 10 cards is good as long as you pay off your balances every month. The main reason to have multiple cards is odds are those credit card companies will piss you off so much that you will want to cancel them. Don't be held hostage by a single card. Keep your options open. Unfortunately, having a good credit score is important these days.
I have reached a point in my life when I had 3 credit cards. I got problems handling the bills and making payments, until I decided to drop off the other two and keep only one, which I am using until now. So far, so good.
I have already experienced having three credit cards but I had issues keeping the bills and handling the payments. So I decided to drop off the other two and keep only one, which I knew is one of the best decisions I made.
Three credit cards is increasing your monthly payments. It is wise to use one credit card. To speak honestly it is wise to use debit cards.
Regards
Jacob http://www.pluginrealty.org
If you're being judicious with Chase applications…why not do the Sapphire Preferred instead of the Hyatt? The 50,000 point intro bonus is also good for 2 nights at any Hyatt (25,000 points per night is the max there) and there's no annual fee first year.
You also get 2x points on all travel and dining purchases (even things like cab rides and McDonald's).
Or plug in your spending here http://milecards.com/12/mile-credit-card-calculat… and see which one ranks highest.