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Hey there, you’re reading an outdated post! The updated series from April 2015 can be found here.
This is the eighth post in a monthlong series. Each post will take about two minutes to read and may include an action item that takes the reader another two minutes to complete. I am writing this for an audience of people who know nothing about frequent flier miles, and my goal is that by the end, you know enough to fly for free anywhere you want to go.
Continue to Post 9
Just getting started in the world of points and miles? The Chase Sapphire Preferred is the best card for you to start with.
With a bonus of 60,000 points after $4,000 spend in the first 3 months, 5x points on travel booked through the Chase Travel℠ and 3x points on restaurants, streaming services, and online groceries (excluding Target, Walmart, and wholesale clubs), this card truly cannot be beat for getting started!
Editorial Disclaimer: The editorial content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuers. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuers, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuers.
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Make sure also to keep in mind the time limitations of the bonus spend. I would organize it using the rules above, but starting with the rule of shortest time to spend clears before those which have more time. In the example above, I’d therefore order them as follows: BoA VS Amex, Amex Hilton Surpass, Chase Ink Bold MC, Citi AA Visa.
If you use your order, what happens when you clear the AA Visa before the Ink Bold, but then the 3 month mark comes? You miss out on the Ink Bold bonus, while you could have been putting the spend in that 3rd month towards the Ink Bold and using your 4th month to work on the Citi AA.
You’re right. Obvious oversight. I’m going to edit the post to reflect this logic.
This is one of those areas where I think “that’s simple” after I see it spelled out…..but never quite figured it out on my own. Thanks! Still waiting on that Facebook page to let me know there is a new post on here I need to read 🙂
Check every morning when you wake up. I post 1+ per day.
[…] Continue to Post 8 […]
Couldnt you just use one card for your monthly spending, pay that card off with another card, pay that card off with another,etc.etc. and then pay off the last card with a card you are trying to build points on ie Starwood Amex. Then you would just pay that card off with cash for the month. Would this not work?
How can you pay off a card with a card? If you mean a balance transfer, that doesn’t count toward a minimum spend requirement.