It’s been awhile since I reported on it, but I thought I would update you on some of the recent credit cards that I have applied for. As always, just because you read that some guy on the Internet did it, doesn’t mean that it’s right for you. If you’re just starting out in the miles and points game, I encourage you to read up on the Beginner’s Guide first, and if you have any questions, I’m happy to help!
So, here are the cards that I have applied for recently
Chase Hyatt card
A few months ago, Hyatt announced a promotion where all award redemptions would earn a 20% rebate. So a hotel that cost 5,000 points a night would generate 1,000 Gold Passport points in return, making your net cost only 4,000 points.
We’re also going to Europe this fall, and the 2 free nights at ANY Hyatt are also looking attractive – currently we’re looking at staying at the Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée.
Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée
My wife applied and was initially put in pending status. Following the rules of why you should NOT call the reconsideration line, we just did nothing, and the card came in the mail. We’ve already met the minimum spending on this and had the 2 free nights deposited into her Hyatt account.
Chase Amtrak card
I applied and was approved for the Chase Amtrak card back in February, shortly before it was pulled from the Chase website. While we do have a (free) $6500 trip planned on Amtrak this summer, its real benefit lies in being able to transfer points 1:3 to Choice Hotels
(SEE ALSO: Why you want to transfer Amtrak points to Choice Hotels)
We got the 18,000 Amtrak Guest Rewards offer and transferred those plus a few more (20K) into 60,000 Choice Privileges points, which we are going to use on our Yellowstone trip this summer.
American Express Hilton Surpass card
I also applied for an American Express Hilton Surpass card at the end of February, just before the signup bonus went down. My signup bonus was 80,000 Hilton HHonors points (already received) but I was really looking at the card to get Hilton Gold status (mine had recently expired)
In addition to using some of those Hilton points at hotels in Europe, the gold status also gives free breakfast, which will be a nice perk while in Europe.
Citibank ThankYou Premier cards
We both signed up for Citibank ThankYou Premier cards as well.
The offer we signed up for has 50,000 ThankYou points after spending $3,000 in 3 months. The $95 annual fee is waived for the first year. ThankYou points are worth at least 1 cent / point, or 1.25 cents / point on airfare, or potentially even more by transferring them to airline partners.
If you want to sign up for this and support PWaC, you can find a link to signup for the Citibank ThankYou Premier card here. As far as I know this is the best offer out there.
American Express Ameriprise Platinum card
This was my first of the “Platinum” cards. Normally this is targeted to clients of Ameriprise Financial, but that is not typically enforced. Generally it does not have a signup bonus, but the $450 annual fee is waived the first year.
For a limited time, there is a signup bonus of 25,000 American Express Membership Rewards. The other benefit we were looking for was a $100 rebate on Global Entry, which we’re also using for our trip to Europe this fall.
Bank of America Alaska Airlines cards
I first applied for Alaska Airlines cards back in November, taking advantage of the offer that gives 25,000 bonus miles and a $100 statement credit. Bank of America is one of the few banks that hasn’t super cracked down on people who sign up for lots of credit cards, so a few weeks ago, when I was planning on signing us both up for new cards, I noticed that the offer for the $100 statement credit had DISAPPEARED!
The good news is that as of a few days ago this offer is back. If you’re interested in it, I encourage you to sign up soon, since I think it’s not likely to last soon.
We just applied and were both approved – Carolyn immediately and me after a phone call in. We haven’t gotten our cards yet but the minimum spending shouldn’t be a problem (only $1000 in 3 months)
Conclusion
Do you notice the pattern between these signups? They all (well, almost all) have a reason for applying for the card – as part of upcoming trips and vacations.
This is the number 1 thing I tell beginners to the miles and points game – you MUST have a plan for what you are signing up for. Don’t just sign up for a card because you got a flyer in the mail offering some seemingly high number of points.
First, figure out where you want to go, and only THEN find out the cards that will help you make that trip happen.
What have you been applying for?
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
I just got the Amex Ameriprise Platinum too for the first time. I would never pay the $450 annual fee but could not resist it with fee waived.
Right! Plus a perfect chance for us to get some free Global Entry credits with free authorized users as well
I was approved too. How long until you got the card? By regular mail? I am travelling and having my mail re directed.Hopefully it get here.
It came pretty quickly (within a week or two) and yes, it was just regular mail I believe.
How were you able to transfer Amtrak points without status to Choice? I read that you have to spend $300 to get to 1st tier and ONLY then.I have the card and the points and will have to get GC’s I suppose. I could NOT do the transfer to Choice!
I spent the $200 on Amtrak to be able to transfer. Email me for more details if you’d like
Congrats on being one of the lucky ones to get that Chase Amtrak card before they mysteriously pulled it. Since you’re “on board” with them, please DO keep an eye out for us as to when it appears again. (Amtrak tells me it’s coming…. right, just round the bend)
i just applied for Chase SP and Hyatt. Got the “application will be reviewed” response. Is it better to call them and be proactive, or wait for a response?
With Chase, I tend to just be patient. See also Why you should NOT call the reconsideration line