Get two cards now and meet their minimum spending requirements. Then in a few months when the points post, book your Business Class award to Europe for Summer 2017.

The miles and points community, for valid reason, freaked out over the release of the Sapphire Reserve and it's 100k Ultimate Rewards sign up bonus back in August.

If you’re just getting started you need to get the most powerful combo of credit cards to earn miles. I’ve discussed the general strategy to maximize miles from credit cards over your lifetime recently, but let me be very specific for beginners.

Start with the Freedom Unlimited and Sapphire Reserve. While you’re at it, get the Ink Business Preferred if you have more spending capacity and a business. I recommend these 2-3 cards because:

They earn Ultimate Rewards, which transfer to seven types of airline miles, which can book over 60 airlines’ award space.
They complement each other.

The brand new Chase Ink Business Preferred offers 80,000 bonus Ultimate Rewards after spending $5,000 on the card in the first three months.

The card has replaced the Ink Plus, which you can no longer apply for. If you have an Ink Plus, at least for the time being, there are no changes to your card.