Just for grins I thought I'd lay out a potential 2012 churning schedule for someone who is new to the game of applying for credit cards. As I start this post, I have no idea how many points I'll come up with or if I can find enough cards for a whole year. Remember, this is mythical as the card offers will certainly change. If you can't find two or three cards out of this list to put in your wallet permanently, you are not studying the products. Chase, Amex and CitI have some great card offers available. Ready? Let's go:
January 1, 2012
Chase SapphireSM Preferred Card, 50,000 points
Citi ThankYouSM Premier Card - $500 in Gift Cards, 50,000 points
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, 25,000 points (look for the 30K link as well, but I think it expired on 12/12)
Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines card, 35,000 points
Barclays US Airways Premier World Mastercard, 40,000 points
This is the churn I am currently recommending:
April 2, 2012
ALL-NEW United MileagePlus® Explorer Card, 40,000 and maybe more if it gets bumped up first quarter.
Citi AA Amex and Visa cards, 50,000 miles each using the two browser trick.
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card - 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, 30,000 miles.
Bank of America Alaska Airlines for 20,000 points. (Let's hope the 40K comes back.)
Barclays Spirit Airlines, 15,000 points.
July 2, 2012
Marriott Rewards® Credit Card, 50,000 points. (The 70k offer may still be around. Watch for it.)
Citi Preferred Thank You Points, 25,000 points.
American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card, 15,000 points.
Bank of America Virgin Atlantic, 20,000 miles.
Pentagon Federal CU Premier Rewards Card, 20,000 points.
Things getting thin yet? Running out of offers yet?
October 4 (my birthday -- don't forget!), 2012
Chase Priority Club Visa for 60,000 points, or alternatively Hyatt card for two free nights.
Citi Hilton Honors Visa card (Yep) American Express and Citi each have Hilton cards, 40,000 points.
American Express Hilton Honors card, 40,000 points sometimes more, and then the Surpass card.
Bank of America Asiana Airlines, 5000 miles and add the biz card as well for another 10K.
Oops: I ran out of personal cards? Naw, Barclays Choice Privileges card, 16,000 points.
So there you go -- a mythical 2012 churn. Five cards each 90 days. The mythical points total is =
646,000 miles and points per person per year.
Disclaimer; Some of these cards I get a referral on. Some I don't. I just picked cards based on the issuers to prove to you and myself that I could easily get to 20 cards in one year. Admittedly, the Asiana card and Spirit card may not work for all of you, so substitute something else or just skip it for that churn.
Some of these offers will change throughout the year. Some will increase, some decrease, and some will disappear, although I don't think many will.
Oh, by the way -- We haven't even taken into account the currently available business cards. Read my blog post of August 13, 2008, and we'll do a mythological business card edition in the near future. Below is a typical business card offer. Plug that into your January churn if you choose. Chase will allow one business and one personal card every 30 days.
January 1, 2012
Chase SapphireSM Preferred Card, 50,000 points
Citi ThankYouSM Premier Card - $500 in Gift Cards, 50,000 points
Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, 25,000 points (look for the 30K link as well, but I think it expired on 12/12)
Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines card, 35,000 points
Barclays US Airways Premier World Mastercard, 40,000 points
This is the churn I am currently recommending:
April 2, 2012
ALL-NEW United MileagePlus® Explorer Card, 40,000 and maybe more if it gets bumped up first quarter.
Citi AA Amex and Visa cards, 50,000 miles each using the two browser trick.
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® Visa Signature® Card - 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles
Citi® Platinum Select® / AAdvantage® World MasterCard®
Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express, 30,000 miles.
Bank of America Alaska Airlines for 20,000 points. (Let's hope the 40K comes back.)
Barclays Spirit Airlines, 15,000 points.
July 2, 2012
Marriott Rewards® Credit Card, 50,000 points. (The 70k offer may still be around. Watch for it.)
Citi Preferred Thank You Points, 25,000 points.
American Express(R) Premier Rewards Gold Card, 15,000 points.
Bank of America Virgin Atlantic, 20,000 miles.
Pentagon Federal CU Premier Rewards Card, 20,000 points.
Things getting thin yet? Running out of offers yet?
October 4 (my birthday -- don't forget!), 2012
Chase Priority Club Visa for 60,000 points, or alternatively Hyatt card for two free nights.
Citi Hilton Honors Visa card (Yep) American Express and Citi each have Hilton cards, 40,000 points.
American Express Hilton Honors card, 40,000 points sometimes more, and then the Surpass card.
Bank of America Asiana Airlines, 5000 miles and add the biz card as well for another 10K.
Oops: I ran out of personal cards? Naw, Barclays Choice Privileges card, 16,000 points.
So there you go -- a mythical 2012 churn. Five cards each 90 days. The mythical points total is =
646,000 miles and points per person per year.
Disclaimer; Some of these cards I get a referral on. Some I don't. I just picked cards based on the issuers to prove to you and myself that I could easily get to 20 cards in one year. Admittedly, the Asiana card and Spirit card may not work for all of you, so substitute something else or just skip it for that churn.
Some of these offers will change throughout the year. Some will increase, some decrease, and some will disappear, although I don't think many will.
Oh, by the way -- We haven't even taken into account the currently available business cards. Read my blog post of August 13, 2008, and we'll do a mythological business card edition in the near future. Below is a typical business card offer. Plug that into your January churn if you choose. Chase will allow one business and one personal card every 30 days.
New Ink Bold with Ultimate Rewards Card -- see the link below
•50,000 bonus points after you spend $5000 in 3 months – that's $500 in rewards of your choice, or $625 towards airfare when you redeem online through our Ultimate Rewards booking tool.
•No limit to the number of points you can earn – and points do not expire.
•5X points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually on eligible business purchases.
•No foreign transaction fees and Free Employee Cards.
•No interest or over limit fees.
•No Annual Fee in the first year – that's a $95 savings.
•50,000 bonus points after you spend $5000 in 3 months – that's $500 in rewards of your choice, or $625 towards airfare when you redeem online through our Ultimate Rewards booking tool.
•No limit to the number of points you can earn – and points do not expire.
•5X points per dollar on the first $50,000 spent annually on eligible business purchases.
•No foreign transaction fees and Free Employee Cards.
•No interest or over limit fees.
•No Annual Fee in the first year – that's a $95 savings.
34 comments:
I just think for most household these goals are mythical because trying to meet the minimum spend on 5+ cards in 4 months can be pretty tough. Even if you funnel all your spending into the cards that's a lot of money.
Rick,
There are *two* Citi HHonors offers out there (look on the FT thread), one for 50k/$1500 spend, one for 40k/$1k spend. You can do both at the same time; I just did.
msp2anywhere
How often can the SPG Amex be churned?
Hi Rick,
Could you please explain how you churning works. Did you cancel them prior to reapplying? I remember reading that you use the SPG card for everyday purchases, yet I see it on your list for new cards. How is that possible?
Thanks for any clarification,
Thanks a ton. I was always hoping to find a "churn" guide. Just two small questions. When do I cancel the acquired cards in the schedule (assuming i don't need them)? also, i was thinking of getting the chase continental card during the sapphire churn instead of the starwood since i have that one. any thoughts? have a great and healthy new year everyone!
Rick, For "Bank of America", I'd add the Bank of Hawaii's 35k Hawaiian Airlines card over some of the others you have for them at the end of the year. BofA (via FIA Card Services) is the one who makes the decision on it, and you can have both versions (BofA and BofH of the Hawaiian Airlines cards to double the bonus!)
Thanks for this helpful list of what a credit card churn could look like. I have a question about the Citi Platinum Select/AAdvantage card -- it looks like you are saying that the Visa and MasterCard are separate products. For some reason, I just assumed they were the same product for Citi and that you could only get one of them for the bonus. I learned something everytime I read this blog!
My favorite post yet, Rick!
It's like getting a Christmas present from FTG!
You didn't explicitly state it, but I am guessing that this is optimized for the different credit agency pulls? That's something this newbie is very hazy on.
Does the Spirit cc actually have any worth? I'm DCA and routinely go to FLL but have avoided Spirit and it's cc.I'd heard you can get more value from just joining the "$9" club and that Spirit miles expire quickly anyway.
I'd love to find a reason to get this card and use Spirit.
Quick question from a newbie!! Does anyone know if the Chase Sapphire Preferred points are transferable? Ex: Could my mother transfer her points to myself?
Rick,
You list 4 citi AA personal cards for the April churn. How does one get approved for 4? My understanding is the best you can do is 2 by using the two browser trick. Scott.
Are u getting the Sapphire card for the first time??? If not, how are you getting it again w/ 50k?? Similar question on the others:-)
And love the Spirit card, lol.
Brent agree you have to match your applications based on minimum spends.
Anon SPg can not be churned unless you closed previous one two years ago
Carissa: The two Citi cards are different products. use the two browser trick
Tasso. I get some email from people saying they have used the spirit card successfully.
Amy. Chase sapphire points are transferable
Ted. they are no by credit reporting agency as each state is different
Rick- What is the benefit of applying for all the cards on the same day? Does it only count as one pull if you apply on the same day?
Thanks, John
Your SPG link is going to a 10k offer for me...
If you are already a Priority Club member, watch your email as they continue to still send me the targeted 80,000 point offer after first purchase.
Rick,
Thanks for all the great tips. One quick question, I noticed you say that the SPG card offers 25K bonus, but when I click on the link it only shows a 10K bonus. Is there another link to the 25K bonus or has that offer expired?
There's still a 50k offer out there for the Virgin Atlantic card.
Rick, Perfect information that makes it easier for all of us - thanks! BTW, I churned a Starwood card in 60 days about 18 months ago. Has that changed since then?
anon: I only see two AA cards in April
isaac. can you send in that 50k virgin Atlantic card?
anon anon. the spg card is 10k first purchase then 15k after meeting spend.
John. applying for all cards same day hides other inquiries from other same day issuers
zippy Pam. two Years from closing pre iOS card before applying and diving sign up bonus again
Great list, except that I'd swap the Chase Sapphire Preferred to later in the year. In that case, if you plan not to keep the card and pay the annual fee, you still get the 7% bonus. Getting the card in January may jeopardize getting the bonus if you call to cancel on December 31st. (Remember that the 1-year date is from your initial application date, not the day you receive the card.)
Appreciate it, Rick. Here's to a 2012 of even bigger bonuses.
Thanks a ton Rick. When do I cancel the acquired cards in the churn schedule (assuming i don't need them). take care all.
Very help list.
My question:
Both my Citi Visa Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature AND Business AAdvantage Visa Signature cards are currently active.
In January 2012 I'd like to apply for the AAdvantage World Mastercard card AND AAdvantage World AMEX card AND the Citi Premeire ThankYou card. Three total.
Will I have a problem being approved for 3 new Citi cards, besides my current 2 active cards?
Should I only apply for two Citi cards at a time?
For those who are only seeing 10K for the SPG, I have heard of that problem a number of times. If you already have Amex accounts that you log onto from that computer, you may need to clear your internet cache by hitting ctrl/shift/delete. That usually works for me and brings it back to showing the 10K + 15K offer.
Hey Rick! Thanks for this GREAT post! 1 Quick Question, I plan on implementing something similar and letting you know how it goes, but you have a ton of citi cards on there. Can I realistically leave all of my citi cards from the first two churns open and then apply for 1-2 additional ones 3 months later and expect to be approved for all of them? Or should I cancel as many as I can (without sacrificing points of course) before applying? THANKS SO MUCH!
For those asking about cards that Rick already has, note that he said this is a "mythical churn schedule for a newbie", i.e. a person who has none or very few of these cards. So what he personally has or doesn't have is immaterial to this list.
jeff. Dont be in a hurry. Wait at least six months to cancel if it doesn't work for you or at the time the annual fee comes around.
Anon I have received two Citi cards at the same time. It took a call but it happened. YOu are spreading out your spending by category. Katy has FIVE CITI cards right now.
Thanks Mommy; It is the first I heard of it and I never remember that clear the cache thingy. See you at the MegaDO?
Rick,
Question, I see this is all imaginary, but I am curious, if one already has (or has canceled in the past 2 years) a Citi AAdvantage AmEx will they be eligible for the Visa/MC listed above? I took the 75k Offer last year, but I am thinking about churning those two this year?
anon: citi is unpredictable with getting a second bonus. Some do amd some don't. to be safe many wait 18 months between applications
Thanks a lot for not answering my question Rick, it is the only one you did not answer, that's what friends are for hey:-)
Some info on the AMEX bump fiasco & new policy:
It appears AMEX is now enforcing the "this offer is ONLY for YOU" new way of going forward instead of scamming on the bonus codes we all pounced on! I received an offer to apply for the Business Gold Reward card for 50k (spend of $5k in 90 days)...agent ASKED for my RSVP code! I was NOT instantly approved and may need to call back. I canceled this card 3 months ago and ranted at amex on twitter for not honoring the 6168 code (for 75k), executive office battles and all...Should be interesting, looks like they did not black list me...unless they turn me down:-)
Happy New Year, see you...somewhere!
George
gpop: one time bonus with sapphire preferred card afaik
I agree with @Brent . This is supposed to be the Frugal Travel Guy blog ... not the I-Fill-My-Pool-With-Cash Travel Guy blog. It would be much more useful if you take the minimum spends into account in some way. Right now, they're not even mentioned!
For example, I would value the United 60k offer much higher than these cards because I get 50k of those miles upon first purchase. That's a big deal to me with my limited budget.
Davin. Thank you for your opinion. When I wrote the post the 50k offer was not available to all as it is today on 1/6/12. Please note that this blog is the only one that lists all the low minimum spend cards in one place for all to review, but I guess you missed that part? look at the credit cards tab for all the low minimum spend cards. BTW if I had to redo the list today I probably would add this card, but you'll note the post was based on current information as of the posting date of 12/29/11
Hi Rick, just wondering is it a good idea to churn on Saturday or is it better to wait till Monday/Tuesday? Thanks
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