First Personal Credit Card App of 2019 (X2)

For folks like me who have been collecting miles and points for years, there is no doubt that this hobby is getting more difficult. Banks keep adding restrictions, and our selection of new miles and points credit cards is dwindling.

Yet, we persevere! At Miles For Family, we like to be honest and keep it real about how we afford to take our vacations. Here is a glimpse into my miles and points accounts.

Last Year’s Credit Cards

Last year, I was approved for 8 credit cards. That number surprises even me, and I think it is a new record for me in one year. My credit score is still in the low 800s.

Some of these cards had very low minimum spending requirements to get the bonus (like just one purchase or $500), which is why I was able to open so many. The cards I got in 2018:

U.S. Bank FlexPerks Visa (during Olympics promotion)

Amex Premier Rewards Gold

Banco Popular’s Avianca Visa Vuela

Barclaycard Aviator Business Card

Hilton Amex

Hilton Amex Ascend

Chase World of Hyatt

Chase IHG

I also applied for two more cards, but I was denied. Those cards were the Capital One Savor card and the Bank of America Premier Travel Rewards card. In both cases, I was denied due to too many recent credit inquiries. You win some, you lose some. (Note: If you are new to the miles and points hobby, I do not recommend that you apply for that many credit cards in the first year. Start with one at a time to ensure you can meet the minimum spending to get the bonus without going into debt).

My husband got 4 new cards last year: U.S. Bank FlexPerks Visa, Avianca Visa Vuela, World of Hyatt and IHG. Having another points-earning adult in the household definitely helps our situation. Between the two of us, we earned 765,000 miles/points just from the bonuses.

What’s crazy is that I’ve already spent almost all of the miles and points I accumulated in 2018. I have no issue with earning and burning!

I used the miles and points from three of those cards for flights on our upcoming summer trip to Australia and New Zealand. I’m using my Hilton points for our upcoming spring break trip to Arizona, and I spent my IHG points on a hotel in Sydney, Australia.

The only points we haven’t spent or earmarked for a specific future trip are the Hyatt points. But we have a few ideas that will likely need to wait until 2020.

Citi Premier Card…Again

Last November, I wrote about two targeted credit card offers my husband and I received in the mail. Since we still had a few gaps in our travel funds for our trips this year, I decided that the flexible points from the Citi Premier Card make the most sense. My husband and I both applied through our targeted snail mail offers, and we were both approved.

Our targeted offer has a bonus of 60,000 ThankYou points (worth $750 in airfare) after spending $3000 in the first three months. The annual fee is waived the first year. This offer is better than the current public offer of 50,000 points after spending $4000 in the first three months. You could previously get the higher offer of 60k points through public links and then referral links, but that offer appears to be no longer available. Hopefully the public offer will go back to 60k at some point. (Note: This card is in our affiliate network. See How This Blog Makes Money).

The card earns 3X points on travel (including gas stations) and 2X points on dining and entertainment. Note that you are not eligible for the bonus if you have opened or closed the Citi Premier or Citi Prestige card within the past 24 months (unless you receive a targeted offer without that language.)

My husband and I have each had the Citi Premier Card before. We got the cards in 2015 and used the points to pay for an all-inclusive resort in Puerto Vallarta in October 2016.

After we earn the bonus points this year, we should have over $1500 in points to use toward travel. We plan to use the points to cover our flights between Sydney and Auckland and flights from Dallas to Newark for our cruise on Anthem of the Seas.

What Cards Are Next?

It’s hard to say what card(s) I will apply for next in 2019 because I don’t have solid travel plans for 2020 yet. Shocking, I know! I usually have the next year planned by now.

In 2020, we may go to Japan, or we may stay in the U.S. to visit Disney World or burn our Hyatt points. In any case, we could use more airline miles.

If I get another snail mail offer for a Delta credit card that doesn’t have the lifetime restriction, I will apply for that. I’m also considering the Hawaiian Airlines card (which we can use on American Airlines flights) or even the Terps Visa.

What will be your first new credit card for 2019? How will you use the miles and points?

Click here to view various credit cards and available sign-up bonuses