Credit Card Application Batch – 2018
During 2018, I decided to apply for 2 more credit cards as I continue to diversify & build up my point/mile balances. I applied and was approved for the following cards:
American Express Gold Card ($250/yr, not waived 1st year):
- 50,000 AMEX points after $2,000 spend in 90 days
- 20% back on US Restaurants during the first 90 days, up to $100 back
- 4X AMEX points on US Restaurants and Supermarkets (better than Chase Sapphire Reserve)
- $100 Annual Airline Fee Credit (worked for Alaska Airlines flights under $100)
- $10/month credit towards specific Dining options (ex. GrubHub)
Top Reason for Applying: To build up my AMEX points balance as they are great for ANA & Cathay Pacific redemptions. I also downgraded my Chase Sapphire Reserve to Preferred as I had too many overlapping benefits and deemed this a more valuable card to use for my Dining charges.
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- AMEX Gold
American Express Starwood Luxury Card ($450/yr, not waived 1st year):
- 100,000 Marriott points after $3,000 spend in 90 days
- 6X Marriott points on Marriott & Starwood hotel stays (equivalent to 2 SPG points in the old program)
- $300 annual statement credits for purchases at Marriott & Starwood hotels
- 1 Annual Free Night (up to 50,000 points) after card renewal
- Automatic Gold status and the ability to earn Platinum after spending $75k in a calendar year
Top Reason for Applying: To build up my Marriott points balance as I’m running low due to less business travel. Given Marriott/Starwood is my primary hotel program, the annual fee is easily offset with the annual free night as $300 hotel credit towards my stays.
AMEX SPG Luxury Card
With these new cards in my wallet, I’m using the following cards for these spending categories:
- Airfare – AMEX Platinum (5X Points)
- Gas – Citi Costco (4% Cashback)
- Grocery – AMEX Gold (4X Points)
- Uber & Parking – Chase Sapphire Preferred (2X Points)
- US Restaurant – AMEX Gold (4X Points)
- Marriott & Starwood Hotel Stays – AMEX SPG Luxury (6X Points)
Have you applied for any new cards during 2018? Comment below.
We got the American Express Gold Card for the exact same reason – hard to beat 4X points on dining. We also opened a Chase Ink Business Cash card for phone/internet services and office supples.
The sign-up bonus is appealing for the SPG Luxury, but based on our usage we’ll need to run the numbers for the break-even point. Curious to hear about your experience with it.