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I just applied for three cards:
I’ll earn 165,000 very valuable miles after spending $10,000 in three months on these cards. Miles that I value at around $3,000. Miles that can get me back into Cathay Pacific First Class or Emirates First Class.

It had been about three-and-a-half months since my last applications, and I always like to wait at least 91+ days between applications. (Last time I got the ThankYou Premier and Arrival Plus.)
I always suggest that people figure out how they would want to use their miles before they open any cards. Think about the exact trip you want to take including cabin class. Then work backwards from there to figure out the best type of miles for that trip and then the best card to open to get those miles.
Since I don’t have any specific trip goals in mind, and since I already have miles on hand, I just picked the best cards to pad my current balances.
- Why did I pick these three cards?
- What will I do about the high minimum spending requirements?
Why These Cards
AA Executive
My number one priority was to open the Citi Executive American Airlines card because it’s the number 1 current card on my top ten travel cards list. I was instantly approved online for the card.
The card comes with 100,000 bonus American Airlines miles after spending $10,000 in the first three months. It also comes with lounge access at Admirals Clubs worldwide.
The downside is that the card has a $450 annual fee. The card does come with a $200 statement credit after the first $200 in spending, though, so this year the effective annual fee is only $250.
I am willing to pay a $250 annual fee and spend $10,000 in three months to get that bounty of American Airlines miles. Right now American Airlines miles and US Airways miles are the most valuable miles because they are the last two airlines who haven’t devalued their award charts recently.
Downsides
Since American Airlines and US Airways have merged already, I expect their frequent flyer programs to merge in early 2015. At that point, I think we’ll see a combined, worse chart. I hope to use my American Airlines miles on the current chart for travel this year or next.
I normally only spend about $1,500 per month on credit cards, so $10,000 in three months will be a challenge. I’ll probably make a large deposit with Kiva in the third month of having the card when I know how much of the $10,000 I’ve gotten through with normal spending.
Alaska Cards
I wanted to earn more miles but I didn’t have more money to spend on minimum spending requirements. That’s why I chose to open another Alaska personal card (my third) and business card (my second).
Neither card has a minimum spending requirement. Miles are posted to your frequent flyer within a few weeks of account opening.
I was approved instantly online for the personal card.
For the business card, I got the screen that said my application was being processed. Normally I advocate calling in the bank’s reconsideration line immediately in this case, but I was busy, so I didn’t.
The next morning, though, I had a missed call from Bank of America. The reconsideration line proactively called me.
When I called back, I was connected to an analyst who asked a few questions about my business and put me on hold.
She came back and noted I already had an open Alaska business card and asked whether I wanted more credit. I said that I didn’t need more credit and was happy to split the first card’s credit line in half to approve this new card. She split my credit line into two halves for my two cards and approved me.
That’s 55,000 Alaska miles for $150 in annual fees.
The personal card is 30,000 miles with a $75 annual fee. The business card is 25,000 miles with a $75 annual fee.
I will soon have 140,000 Alaska miles, which I plan to use in Emirates First Class or Cathay Pacific First Class.
Recap
That’s 165,000 miles–after spending $10,000–in two very valuable mileage programs. I will get a few First Class trips out of the $400 in annual fees I’ll have to pay.
These cards were right for me, based on my travel goals, the cards I already have, and my spending levels. Different cards may be right for you based on your goals, current cards, and spending.
I recommend my Free Credit Card Consultation before you apply for any cards.
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!
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Scott, was this your first AA Exec card?
Yes.
How often can you apply for the Alaska Personal Card? Do you have to cancel each card or do you have three active Alaska cards? There has to be a limit right, you just can’t keep doing the same card every 91 days can you?
I applied this week, Feb 2014, and Nov 2013 without canceling any.
Have you put any spend on the other ones? BoA issues the miles on approval for the personal cards so you don’t have to put even a dollar on them. I got the personal and business about three months ago, wondering if I should try again for another personal.
I have not spent on any of the cards.
If you’re using Kiva to get your points, I suggest you donate (not loan) the additional 2-4 percent they get charged when you use your credit card.
I’m curious about the Alaska cards too. If you had been asked the reason for wanting additional cards (splitting the credit lines or not), what would that have been for the same card?
I’m interested too. Do you use these cards at all Scott? I really haven’t done anything with mine since I got them other than a couple of small purchases. I’d be curious what reason you would give if asked.
I am also curious if they ask this question!
fyi you are one crazy dude and a legit blogger!
When you open multiple cards with Alaska Air, can you use the same mileage plan number so all your points go into the same account, or do you have to get separate mileage plans for each card? If both my husband and I each get a card, can we use the same mileage plan number? (This way, we don’t have to transfer points around.)
Use the same Mileage Plan number for all of one person’s Alaska cards to get them all in one account. Use a different number for your cards versus your husband’s cards.
[…] Collecting Alaska Airlines miles is easy. Both the personal and business cards from Bank of America are churnable, meaning you can get the same bonus over and over. […]
[…] You can still churn Alaska Airlines credit cards. […]
How many Alaska miles do I need to get me from ATL to New Zealand with stopeover in Fiji in at least business class. Would like to do this in summer of 2017. Need to plan now.
Change “at least” to “at most” business class. It would be at least 55k Alaska miles each way, but there is almost never business class USA to Fiji –> https://milevalu.wpengine.com/how-to-book-a-trip-to-fiji-with-miles/
https://milevalu.wpengine.com/how-to-book-a-trip-to-fiji-with-miles/