My Annual State of the Credit Address Part 2 — The Silver Lining New Year Style!

Am I the only one sitting in front of my laptop at New Year’s racing against the clock?

Well, no biggie. There is nothing else I’d rather be doing. 🙂

If this is the last thing you read today — Happy New Year!

And if you read it tomorrow, or … whenever, that’s cool, too.

Anyhow …

In my previous post I attempted to sum up the things that have gone wrong for the mile-and-point junkies community on the credit card front.

My Annual State of the Credit Address Part 1 — The Whining

And I didn’t even touch on other unsavory things that have happened this year; and there were plenty of those, too. Like devaluations “churned” by Delta with such intensity and disdain for its members that you’re not even mad anymore. You just shrug it off and move on.

We can focus on the bad all we want. We can declare it (for the umpteenth time) the “end of the game,” the “death of the hobby,” or come up with a dozen other metaphors to express our displeasure. OR we could toss the bad programs and players aside and — pardon the bad cliché — look at the bright side. And call me an optimist (or an idiot if you want), but there is a bright side indeed. End of the game — it ain’t!

There Are Great Earning Opportunities for Newbies

For those who are just entering the “hobby,” life couldn’t be better! No, seriously, how much better can it be with all the options lying wide open right in front of you? I’m not going to list all of them here — just kindly refer to the two databases that I’ve just updated especially for you.

Best Credit Cards for Miles — Free Flights

Best Credit Cards for Points — Free Stays

But here are some goodies you can get from JUST one of our “business partners.” LOL!

• Chase Sapphire Reserve 100,000 UR Points
• The AMEX Enhanced Business Platinum Card 100,000 Points (my affiliate link, and it happens to be a fantastic offer, too)
• Chase Ink Plus 80,000 UR Points
• Chase Southwest Airlines Plus 50,000 Miles
• Chase Southwest Airlines Premier 50,000 Miles 
• Chase Business Southwest Airlines Premier 50,000 Miles
• Now make your pick. You have 4 cards to choose from on this list.

And for those who are prepared to “exit” the hobby — well, I hope you’ll reconsider.

This is not a hobby for the inflexible

Look, if you must fly a particular airline, use a particular hotel brand, and go to a particular beach, club or restaurant, guess what — this hobby has never been for you to begin with.

I’ll go as far as to say that nothing should be set in stone, including destinations. Yes, I know how it sounds. In the end, it’s all about your dream trips. Your bucket list. Your travel goals. Right?

Wrong! Because have you been everywhere else in the world? Have you seen everything else on the planet?

I absolutely love this quote from Dia.

Focus on the experience, not the destination. Think “Beach” not “Hawaii”- think “Ski” not “Vail” and you’ll find an alternate destination that fills your needs and is both less expensive and less crowded.

I love it because it resonates with my own thoughts. I’ve never been to Prague, but I haven’t been to Budapest either, and I hear they’re both fascinating places. So if it’s harder, or more expensive, or takes more miles to get to Prague — I’ll happily go with Budapest. And vice-versa, of course.

Don’t get me wrong. I research my destinations and won’t waste my time on a place that doesn’t hold any interest for me. But I’m very flexible, and when you are flexible by nature, chips tend to fall into place!

Of course, it doesn’t mean that you can’t visit your bucket list destinations. Just don’t sweat it too much when things don’t go your way. Maybe find a better time when it’s easier and cheaper, and maybe it might require an extra work, a convoluted routing, or even a bus trip or a car share ride, but it’s all part of an adventure.

Everyone wants to go to Rome or Paris or other 10-15 of the most popular places in the world. So what do you do when you can’t get a ticket to Paris on a saver award?

You fly wherever you can, that’s what! Fly to Brussels, Berlin, or London, and hitch a ride from there.  All major cities in Europe are close and linked by air, rail, and bus lines. Everything is close.

I apply the same approach to credit cards. Just get what you can. You’ll find out later what to do with it. You already know it won’t ruin your credit score if it’s done right.

Can’t apply for another Chase United card? Get 60,000 miles from Avianca. IHG devaluations are getting you down? Get 85,000 points from Club Carlson. And 45,000 from Wyndham. And 120,000 points from Best Western. Although I would and did keep the IHG card, if only for the free annual night.

Can’t get another 50,000-mile AAdvantage bonus from Citi?

Wait! May I ask why?  😎

Think We Are Addicted? The Banks Are Too!

That Citi offer without the restrictive 24-month language is still working — 4 days after appearing on Reddit and every other blog out there. If you’ve been procrastinating all this time, you can still grab it (at the time of writing).

Citi American Airlines 50,000-Mile Offer

Just think about it! A month ago, there was another Citi “loose” link — for 75,000 HHonor points. It died fairly quickly, though.

But the fact that this AA offer is still alive tells me something. It tells me that they have a lot to GIVE, and with all the new rules, they can’t make us TAKE quickly enough.

Citi seems conflicted. It’s like George Costanza — divided against itself. But, unlike George, Citi is a master of ghost links. Always has been.  It’s like … it’s there … but not officially. Yet you can get it … but only if you read between the lines. Citi just leaves the links hanging up there on the Internet, as if just by accident, well knowing they will be “discovered.”

Of course, I’ve yet to receive the bonuses from Hilton as well as American Airlines — although they’ve been confirmed and I’m not worried. Well, not yet …

And guess what — even when this no-24 months-language link stops working — there will be 40,000 AA miles from the Barclaycard Red Aviator Card. And later next year Silver, although we don’t know the terms yet.

One path shuts down — others open up. Any which way you look at it, banks still need able bodies with FICO scores to match. Remember that it’s not just about the customers — they have shareholders to answer to.

My Next App-o-Rama

I’m still in favor of app-o-Ramas, although there are fewer reasons to use them nowadays, and I’ve found myself applying for credit right and left lately instead of doing 5-6 cards at a time.

But there is one advantage of an app-o-Rama approach that still holds. Doing it once every 3-4 months doesn’t test your organizational skills to the limit. It’s just easier, so I still recommend this approach, unless an offer comes around that is both “oh so good!” and time sensitive.

So here is what I’m thinking for my and my wife’s next round.

• Alaska: 30K +$100 credit, spend $1K/3mths.
• Alaska Business: 30K, spend $1K/3mths.
• Best Western: 70K, spend $1K/3mths for 50,000 points and $5K in 12 months for another 20,000 points.
• Best Western Business: 48K: $1K/3mths
• Whyndam: 45K, spend $1K/3mths
• JetBlue Business: 30K, spend $1K/3 mths (will get their personal card in the next round)

It’s not set in stone. I can still get Chase British Avios, Hyatt, Fairmont, and Marriott Business. But tomorrow is another day.

What I’ve been trying to say in this unnecessarily lengthy post is this:

The hobby isn’t dead!

AND

We shall prevail.  😀

And if you’ve made it to this point  – HAPPY NEW YEAR! HAPPY NEW TRAVELS!

And get drunk today!

Photo by: geralt / Pixabay,