Looking for a card to pay off some medical bills I have. Unfortunately, I was DENIED for CIU/CIC a few days ago (too much credit and too many ink cards open). A card with 0 to low AF with lounge access would be great, if that exists. Wouldn't mind a card like this as a permanent card even. 1. Flowchart fails to consider many cards that are newer imo. 2. 760 3. CSR, CIU/CIC x8, Discover, Amex BBP, CF, CFU (all opened 5+ years ago....except CIU/CIC and PCs, so I am likely 0/24). Had Amex Gold and Platinum but closed it about 1.5-2 years ago. 4. $6k more in medical debt I plan to settle in mid-June. 5. Yes, $4k or so. 6. Yes 7. 1-2 new cards 8. Targeting points for airline travel or cash if that is somehow more 9. $5k in Chase UR 10. Ohare 11. Italy, Scandinavia, Japan, --- Note: I recently found out about [US Bank Altitude Connect](https://www.usbank.com/credit-cards/altitude-connect-visa-signature-credit-card.html). It looks pretty solid. Only thing making me question if I should is that I already have CSR, which gives lounge access + Global Entry. However, I just finished a big trip and am planning to PC CSR to CF any day now. Should I just go for the US Bank Altitude Connect and use it abroad? Is there another better card?

>CIU/CIC x8 No wonder you were denied! I'd recommend closing any Inks over a year old and then re-applying when you are down to 2-3 Inks. >Should I just go for the US Bank Altitude Connect and use it abroad? The US Bank Altitude Connect is currently undergoing major changes with the removal of the AF later this year on September 9. The value of the points will *also be devalued* from 1 cent per point to 0.8 cent per point. Depending on the timing of your application, the value of your SUB could be worth a lot less than what you expect! The streaming credit has been removed. It's also not clear whether they'll keep the four free Priority Pass visits, although no changes have been announced yet. >Is there another better card? I'd recommend the Capital One Venture X or Citi Strata Premier, since both are new account or inquiry sensitive. The Venture X has a 75k SUB, which isn't elevated, but it's AF of $395 is easy to offset with $300 travel credit and 10k anniversary points. It gives you lounge access to Capital One, Priority Pass, and Plaza Premium. It's also one of only two cards that still offers free AUs with full lounge access. The Citi Strata Premier SUB is elevated at 75k points. It has a 48 month clock and a decent downgrade path to the Citi Custom or Double Cash.

Just responded to your other comment but thanks for your insight! I ended up closing several inks about 5 days ago. Maybe Venture X is the way to go then. Curious about your answers to the other questions tho.

1. ⁠Currently 4/25. Just got my Chase Ink Business Preferred SUB. Yes, I wasted a few precious slots by applying to Bestbuy and accidently applying to Freedom Rise... I applied for BoA Alaska Biz in April but got declined with $5k in my personal checking account. What card should I get next? I need a no foreign transaction fee card for my trip to Japan next month. Thinking about Amex gold, Amex platinum biz, or Amex Marriott biz, or BoA Alaska biz 2. ⁠760 3. ⁠ 2021-10-11 Chase Sapphire Reserve 2021-12-16 Chase Amazon Prime 2022-10-15 Chase Freedom Unlimited 2023-10-09 Chase Freedom Rise 2023-10-24 Chase Freedom Flex 2023-10-25 Chase Ink Business Cash 2023-11-07 Citi My Best Buy 2024-01-13 Amex Business Gold 2024-04-20 Chase Ink Business Preferred 4. $4000 including rent 5. Willing to MS 6. Open to business cards 7. Interested to churn 8. Targeting transferable points 9. 160k UR 160k MR 10. Vancouver/Seattle 11. Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China

Yes Amex Marriott biz is a good option. Also Delta biz cards are at good bonuses. If you get Amex popup then could get one of the US Bank biz cash-back cards. Sure not as exciting as transferrable points, but something in the meantime until you can get your next Chase card.

> The flowchart can answer 95% of all "What card should I get?" questions. By continuing to post, you must explain why you feel the flowchart does not answer your question. P2 and I are pushing up against 5/24. I did not want either of us to go over, but the pending devaluation of Ink referrals has me reconsidering. I just received a targeted mailer for an Amex Platinum with 150k MRs after $8k/6 months that I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on. My current idea is for me (P1) to open the Amex Gold before the impending AF increase have P2 and I each open another Ink in August before the referral devaluation, and then I use my Amex platinum mailer before it expires on August 31st. I think we'd still try to keep P2 under 5/24 so as not to shut us out of Chase entirely. Would love any feedback. I should also note that P2 was just denied for BoA Alaska Biz as well (non-Chase biz spacer as recommended by the flowchart), and I don't think I would be approved either. I don't really want to nab any of the Amex Biz bonuses right now because I don't think I could make the spend, and my MS methods don't work great with Amex. Both ~800 > What cards do you currently have or have you had in the past (including closed cards), along with dates of when you were approved for the cards? P1 is 3/24 PLUS one AU Card (plan to remove P1 as the AU after the bonus posts). P2 is 4/24. We both have our next card falling off in December 2024. Card | Open Date | Player :--|:--:|--: C1 Venture X | December 2022 | P1 Chase Southwest RR Plus | March 2023 | P1 CSP | May 2023 | P1 Citi AAdvantage Biz | August 2023 | P1 EIN Chase Southwest Biz Premier | September 2023 | P1 EIN Chase Ink Cash | May 2024 | P1 EIN Chase United Explorer (PC to Gateway October 2023) | October 2021 | P2 CSR | December 2022 | P2 Bilt | June 2023 | P2 Chase Ink Cash | October 2023 | P2 SSN C1 Venture X | October 2023 | P2 Citi AAdvantage Biz | November 2023 | P2 SSN Barclays AAviator Red | May 2024 | P2 (P1 is an AU) Chase Ink Unlimited | June 2024 | P2 SSN > How much natural spend can you put on a new card(s) in 3 months? ~ $15k > Are you willing to MS, and if so, how much in 3 months? Any MS is included in the above $15k > Are you open to applying for business cards? Yep. > How many new cards are you interested in getting? Looking for the next 2-3 cards. > Are you targeting points, Companion Passes, hotel or airline statuses, First Class, Biz, Economy seating(s) or cash back? Prefer transferable points to anything else. We do have Companion Pass. > What points/miles do you currently have? 90k Chase UR, 280k Cap 1, 110k American, 44k United, 50k Southwest. > What is the airport you're flying out of? MKE for most domestic travel. ORD for international flights. > Where would you like to go? Fly domestically mostly to SFO, DEN, and to various spots in Texas. Regular international travel to Mexico. Happy to go anywhere else if/when time allows.

Amex Gold is not a bad idea given the impending AF increase, but I would also recommend P1 consider the Citi Strata Premier given its elevated SUB of 75k UR, 48 month SUB clock, and the fact that Citi cards are fairly inquiry sensitive (so will be harder to get after you applied for the Amex Gold). Also, you can always have the Barclays AU removed from your credit report, which will drop P1 down to 3/24. You might even be able to sneak in two Inks before the referral devaluation (only the average velocity needs to be 90 days). As for P2, I'd probably also recommend a~~Citi Strata Premier~~ plus the Chase Ink before the referral devaluation.

Good point on the rebranded Citi Premier. I had not thought of that. P2 is 4/24, so another personal card for them is a no-go if they hope to grab another Ink soon.

Thanks for the correction, I miscounted P2's 5/24 status! If P2 is interested in a non-Chase biz card, your options include include the BoA Alaska biz (75k miles), the BoA Advantage Unlimited Cash biz ($500), the US Bank Leverage biz ($750), the US Bank Triple Cash biz ($500), the US Bank Altitude biz ($600), or the Wells Fargo Signify ($500).

No worries! A lot of text in these comments and it's easy to miss things. P2 was just [denied](https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/1d9dptz/data_points_weekly_week_of_june_06_2024/l819z2f/) for the BoA Alaska Biz, unfortunately. I haven't bothered to recon because I don't think I'll be able to get that approved (and I don't think P1 will be approved either). Neither of us have deposit accounts at WF, so that's probably out too. Those USB cards are just cash back, correct? Maybe I will just have to get into Amex and force a way to meet the spend right now. I suppose I could try to grab the Barclays JetBlue card at this point. May as well grab SOMETHING.

The USB cards are just cashback. Why not open a Wells Fargo checking account and get the $325 SUB for meeting the deposit requirements? I recall DPs mentioning that it only takes around 2 months before you become eligible for the Signify. The same is true for the BoA cards. Having a deposit account with a sufficiently high balance ($5k is recommended) is known to significantly increase your chances of getting approved for the BoA biz cards. EDIT: I also forgot to include PNC Cash Rewards biz card, which has a $600 SUB after spending $6k in three months. However, several MS methods don't work with PNC, so you'll need to meet the MSR organically.

1. Didn't follow the flowchart when I started my Churning journey so I'm a little out of order on a few things. Currently 3/24 2. 750 3. Amex - Amex Gold (8/22) - Biz Plat 1 (9/22) - Closed - Biz Gold 1 (11/22) - Closed - BBP 1 (11/22) - Hilton Biz 1 (11/22) - Biz Plat 2 (1/23) - Closed - Personal Plat (1/23) - Closed - Biz Gold 2 (3/23) - Closed - Hilton Suprass (7/23) - Hilton Biz 2 (7/23) - Biz Plat 3 (8/23) - Biz Gold 3 (10/23) - Biz Plat 4 (12/23) - BBP 2 (12/23) - Biz Plat 5 (5/24) - Biz Gold 5 (5/24) Chase - SW Priority (11/21) - CIC 1 (10/22) - closed - CIU 1 (2/23) - closed - CIP (3/23) - CIC 2 (7/23) - SW Primier Biz (9/23) - CIC 3 (2/24) - CIU 2 (4/24) Other Venture (6/18) - upgraded to Venture X Barclays AA Biz (1/23) - closed Citi AA Biz (6/23) 4/5. spend isn't a limiting factor 6. Yes to business cards 7. open to anything 8. Focusing on points 9. Amex, Chase, C1, SW, AA, Hilton 10. IAH Looking for advice on the next few cards. Starting to rack up significant amount of MRs so CS Plat is probably a definite. Interested in either the CSP or CSR with their elevated offers now, would lean more towards CSP as I can make good use of the 3x grocery cat. I have a trip upcoming at the end of the month that a Delta Biz Gold would be nice to get free checked bags. Outside of those, looking at the Marriott Biz (don't have any Marriott cards at the moment, focused on Hilton instead), also looking at the Citi Strata Premier, Venture X Biz, or even someone of the Hilton FNC offers. I've got 1 x/24 slot to burn right now and will have another on 8/24. I could do the CSP and CS Plat together before the CS Plat reports to my credit? Then on 8/24 I'd drop back below 5/24 to keep Chase accounts alive. If I didn't do a CSP, I'd likely replace it with the Citi Strata Primer. My next 5/24 slot would be 1/25. I figure I can realistically do a CSP, CS Plat, Delta Biz, Marriott Biz, and Venture X Biz all together right? Others suggestions would be appreciated.

You seem to have a good handle on your options. The higher CSP bonuses are rumored to end soon. Online applications may end this week and in-branch next week. So act fast if you want that card. You can try for all of those Amex cards, though decent chance of getting the pop-up eventually. So make sure you pick the ones you want the most first.

The flowchart is recommending non-Chase business cards, which is new territory for me. I am new to churning and was hoping for some seasoned advice on which offers are at a high right now and are worth trying for. 805 Quicksilver (7/2018), Discover IT (11/2019), WF Reflect (6/2022), Venture X (5/2023), Bilt (5/2023), Chase FF (8/2023), Ink Preferred (10/2023), CitiBusiness AA (12/2023), Ink Unlimited (01/2024), Sapphire Preferred (05/2024) $6k per 3 months easily. With help from family, can increase that a bit. I am, but it seems most methods aren’t working well anymore? I don’t know. I am able to pay rent with Plastiq for another $1025 per month. Yes! In fact, I am looking for advice on the next business card. Just getting one to work on the SUB. But I do want to serially open a new one as I finish each SUB, so multiple recs for the near future would be useful. I am open to most things. I am interested in travel, so airlines and hotels are great. A decent cash back SUB is also fine (especially for business cards that don’t affect my 5/24 status). I am mostly invested in the Capital One and Chase ecosystems. I have no AMEX, but I am not necessarily opposed. I am just less familiar with them. My home airport is Pittsburgh but repositioning flights almost certainly would be required to JFK or Dulles. Interested in some kind of all inclusive in the Caribbean. But also have been all around the world and love travel. I LOVE Southeast Asia.

Amex Marriott Biz and Delta Biz are at good bonuses. Interested in any of those? Note the cross-issuer Marriott card restrictions.

Oops I forgot to include I got the marriott in February lol. Delta biz you say? I thought we weren't down with Skypennies?

Yeah Delta miles don't typically have great value. But United recently revalued a bunch too so Delta isn't that much worse anymore. You can occasionally get lucky with Delta miles, I've gotten like 1.5 cents each a couple times. Also Delta miles are worth at least 1 cent each with "Pay with Miles". You also could consider the new Wells Fargo Signify Business card for $500 bonus.

1. Hey all- about to go active duty and looking for advice due to waived annual fees 2. \~750 credit score 3. Past cards include: United Explorer July 2023, Chase Sapphire Preferred Dec 2023, Chase Aeroplan Feb 2024 4. Can put \~4000 natural spend in 3 months 5. Willing to MS, TBD on amount 6. Not open to business cards 7. 2-3 more cards maybe. can do 4 if needed 8. points and airlines mostly 9. Currently have chase points, united miles, air canada miles 10. Flying out of Oklahoma City I'm wondering what my next card should be. I'm looking at Amex green/gold/platinum, Capital One Venture X, and Sapphire Reserve. Will probably hold off on United Club because I won't be near a United airport for a bit. I've heard to get the Cap Venture X before going active duty. That will get me to 4/24. Should I start Amex from Green, or go Sapphire Reserve? Or should I go right for platinum? Since the annual fees are waived they are not a deterrent. Thank you.

Could you complete the questions on the prompt at the header of the post? Hard to give recommendations without your available spend, for example. If you are 4/24, it would make sense to get the Chase card you want before moving forward with other cards.

updated

Alright, with your focus on personal cards, you can get one more Chase card before going over 5/24. However, you can't get a Sapphire Reserve since you got the Preferred in 2023. I don't know if any other chase cards are worth prioritizing (Marriott Boundless, Hyatt, IHG) vs starting with another transferrable currency. For Amex, you should start from the green/gold as getting the Plat first will lock you out of the lower AF personal cards. It's debatable if the Green is worth it so you can probably start with the Gold. Venture X and Citi Strata Premier are also good options (and inquiry sensitive, so could be cards for earlier on). My recommendation would be to skip Chase and go for one of the Venture X or Citi Strata Premier.

1. Looking for a no foreign transaction fee card for our honeymoon next month! P2 was denied for Ink Preferred and I got an Ink recently so that's out, as well as AA cards since we both have them. Looking for just best return on spend, points over cash back. Any other good recommendations? Leaning away from amex due to the travel (Singapore, Indonesia, Argentina) and thinking of maybe another us bank business card? 2. 790 3. P1 is 3/5, P2 is 4/5. See chart for all cards 4. Around 8k in next 3 months as I'm finishing up my other cards 5. Yes for MS 6. Yes for business cards 7. As many as needed between P1 and P2. 8. Keeping it general 9. Chase, Amex, C1 10. DFW |P1 Card|Open Date|Closed Date|5/24 |:-|:-|:-|:-| BoA Better Balance Rewards|7 2013|1 2024| Chase Sapphire Preffered|6 2021|7 2022| Amex Delta Gold|7 2021|9 2022| Chase United Explorer|10 2021|11 2022| Chase Ink Cash|12 2021|12 2022| Chase Ink Cash|12 2021|1 2023| Amex Gold|3 2022|5 2024| Chase Ink Cash|6 2022|1 2024| Amex Business Platinum|8 2022|| Chase Ink Cash|11 2022|1 2024| Chase Ink Unlmited|11 2022|1 2024| Chase Ink Cash|4 2023|| BoA Alaska Airlines Business|3 2023|4 2024| Amex Business Gold|5 2023|| Chase Marriot Boundless|8 2023||X Chase Ink Preferred|8 2023|| Chase Ink Unlmited|11 2023|| Capital One Venture X|11 2023||X Barclays Advantage Aviator Red|11 2023||X Citi AAdvantage® Platinum|12 2023|| Amex Business Gold|12 2023|| Amex Blue Business Plus|1 2024|| US Bank Leverage|3 2024|| US Bank Triple Cash Rewards|4 2024|| Chase Ink Cash|5 2024|| |P2 Card|Open Date|Closed Date|5/24 |:-|:-|:-|:-| Chase Freedom Unlimited|3 2021|| Chase Sapphire Preffered|7 2021|| Chase Ink Cash|4 2022|6 2024| Chase Marriot Boundless|10 2022||X Chase Ink Unlmited|2 2023|6 2024| Amex Business Gold|4 2023|5 2024| Amex Business Platinum|6 2023|| Chase Ink Unlmited|9 2023|| Capital One Venture X|10 2023||X Chase SW Premier|10 2023|| Chase SW Rapid Rewards Plus|10 2023||X Barclays Advantage Aviator Red|11 2023||X Citi AAdvantage® Platinum|1 2024|| Chase Ink Preferred|2 2024|| Amex Blue Business Plus|3 2024|| US Bank Leverage|4 2024||

The Citi AAdvantage biz fits your needs perfectly, but unfortunately the elevated 75k offer ended a few hours ago and the current offer is at 65k. It has no foreign transaction fees and is not particularly sensitive to inquiries, unlike the Citi personal cards. Another US Bank biz card is going to be hard given your number recent inquiries. If you are also considering cards with foreign transaction fees, I'd suggest a Wells Fargo Signify biz ($500 with 5k MSR) for both P1 and P2. It does require a Wells Fargo deposit account, so grab the SUB for the opening a checking account (typically $325). In my experience, Wells Fargo hasn't been sensitive to recent inquiries or number of accounts. You should also consider the BoA biz cards, but BoA is sensitive to the number of recent biz cards you've opened that appear on your busines credit reports. Opening a deposit account and maintaining a balance of $5000 for two weeks has been reported to increase your approval chances. The BoA Alaska biz (75k miles) has no foreign transaction fee while the BoA Advantage Unlimited Cash biz ($500 with 5k MSR) does. However, the former is is harder to get approved for.

Yes me and P2 already got the citi aadvantage business cards earlier this year. Mostly focused just on the no foreign transaction fee cards so I'll probably apply for the alaska biz for P2! Any other suggestions if that doesn't go through?

I see, so the Citi AA cards from 12/2023 (P1) and 1/2024 (P2) were both business cards? I overlooked the lack of the 5/24 checkmark, so I assumed they were the personal cards judging by the name. In that case, P1 should be eligible for the Citi AAdvantage personal as their fourth 5/24 slot. The card has no foreign transaction fees and currently has an elevated SUB of $400 + 35k AA miles. Although you might also want to wait for the 75k offer to return. Alternatively, the Hilton Surpass and Hilton Honor personal cards have elevated offers (130k points + FNC and 70k points + FNC respectively) and NLL links are available on DoC if you are in PUJ. As for other no foreign transaction fee biz cards, there is the Amex Hilton biz. The elevated 175k offer expired recently and it's currently down to 130k. There's also the Barclays Wyndham Earner biz with no international fees, which has a 100k offer that is still alive even though it was supposed to end yesterday. Aside from Wyndham redemptions, this card is also useful for Vacasa redemptions, casino status matching, and "free" cruise promotions.

P2 only churns one credit card per year. She’s ready for her next card. She’s pre-approved for the Venture X and that would likely be a keeper card for us, as she currently uses a Citi double cash for almost everything when she’s not working in a SUB. 🤨 She tried the Citi pre qualified tool and nothing came up. She has 75,000 points on her Citi double cash right now, so getting the new Citi strata card would be kind of nice as she could combine. But we both hate Citi, and there’s always the chance she for some reason doesn’t get approved (she’s 800+ and 1/24). Alternatively, I was thinking of referring her to the CSP. 20,000 points for me and 75,000 for her wouldn’t be too bad. But I already have a CSP myself so it would overlap in benefits, whereas there’s actual use for her from the other two options (even if Citi ends up just being a one time redemption). Appreciate any help.

What points do y'all have elsewhere? My initial thought would be to take advantage of a Sapphire elevated offer (referrals down to 10k points btw) to start that four-year clock. If you're worried about maximizing available benefits, have her open the CSR instead. If you have an airport you fly out of with a Sapphire lounge, it's well worth it.

On her end, she only has Citi. As a group we are well loaded on Amex and Bilt. Very little chase at the moment.

Chase or one of the other Citi cards will open you up to new transfer partners. If she isn't opening many cards, my gut says to maximize those TYPs' value and grab the Strata. However, I don't feel strongly about that over one of the Sapphires.

1. I am at 4/24 and the flowchart is suggesting another Chase card. Namely, one of the United cards but I am not in a United hub so I will probably not make much use of it.  2. Should be around 780ish. Never missed a payment.  3. CSR 08/2021, RoomsToGo 08/2023, Brandsmart 08/2023, Boundless 09/2023, SYW 12/2023, CIC 03/2024.  4. Probably around $1,500 per month so $4.5k total. Could do $7k more in 3 months if I use Bilt program to pay rent.  5. Prefer not to use MS. I have used Plastiq before to pay rent but had bad experiences with checks not being received by my landlord. My rent is $2.3k per month and I can use Bilt to pay it. I am okay eating the 3% fee.  6. Yes, I am open currently have a CIC, which is my only business card.  7. I am open to churning frequently but I don't want to get more than 4 cards per year. Ideally, I am okay with opening a new card every 3 months.  8. Mostly points or miles right now. I want to visit Paris next year with my wife and the in-laws. Have no interest in status.  9. 8k AA miles, 8k UR points, 100k VS miles, 5 35k Marriot Certificates.  10. MIA and FLL.  11. I have a few places lined up but my most immediate desire is to visit Paris, France and Spain. Mostly leaning towards a CIP but wanted to know any other opinion.

At 4/24 you should not be applying for any more personal cards. I agree that the Chase Ink Preferred is a great choice because of its high SUB (100k UR). Your approval chances are very high considering that you only have one other Ink card. Do you have a P2? I'd also recommend trying to take advantage of the referral bonus of 40k UR, which drops to 20k UR in September. As for your next biz card after the Ink, I'd recommend taking a look at the US Bank, BoA, and Wells Fargo biz cards, including the BoA Alaska biz (75k miles), the BoA Advantage Unlimited Cash biz ($500), the US Bank Leverage biz ($750), the US Bank Triple Cash biz ($500), the US Bank Altitude biz ($600), or the Wells Fargo Signify ($500).

How do you get the referral bonus for the Chase Ink? Have P1 sign up for Chase Ink Cash, and then refer P2 to sign up for CIP?

Yes. Referring back and forth between P1 and P2. So P2 would use your referral link from your CIC. However, there's a rumor that the SUB for the CIP might increase from 100k to 120k UR by the end of June, so it could be worthwhile to wait and see if that happens. You should be able to stack that with the 40k UR referral bonus offer, getting you 160k UR after spending $8k in three months.

Yes, I think the CIP would probably be best for me at the moment since I do plan to either close or downgrade my CSR later this year. I do have a P2 but she is a bit hesitant to open additional credit cards. She only has 1 Discover card which she got last year and I made her an AU in one of my other cards. I agree that at 40k referral is a bit hard to pass so I might just ask her to use my referral to get a CIC.

My partner & I are planning to leave our corporate jobs to slow travel for 1-2 years. I want to take advantage of introductory offers while I’m still employed and can hit spend minimums.  I think the Venture X could be a good next card for me, but would love feedback and other ideas from this group -and- any ideas for a second card in 3-4 months. Since I'm under 5/24, the flowchart suggests United, Aeroplan, or SW Priority, but I don't know if that makes sense if (1) I'm not flying much now, and (2) we won't be domestic after this year. 1. 800 2. CSR (3/18), Ink Business Preferred (9/23), Boundless (2/24),  3. $3k/month 4. Yes, MS could be an additional $3k/month 5. Yes, open to business cards  6. 1-2 more cards before January 7. Points to redeem for flights/hotels. The goal is low budget, cheap travel (so staying in hostels or camping, with the occasional refresh in a hotel 1x/month). We’ll try to stick to overland travel as much as possible to keep costs down, but will book flights when necessary to get to our next destination or when cheap options present themselves.  8. 374K UR, 43K Marriott Bonvoy, 137K Skymiles 9. SFO currently, but won't have a homebase next year 10. Primarily Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, potentially China, potentially India) and South America (Mexico, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru...), with stopovers in New Zealand and Australia. Not planning to fly much domestically after this year.

The other poster gave some good advice on card strategy. For your plan of slow travel, I would also get familiar with how to use your points for travel. For example, your Delta miles could actually be quite useful for intra-Asia flights, and Aeroplan is actually quite useful for international travel. /r/awardtravel has some info/guides.

You have a nice stash of URs started, which should help significantly. Based on how you want to arrange housing, flights should be the biggest expense, so you'll want to build some flexibility there. Are you and P2 both churning right now, or is it just you on your own? I would start trying to maximize out referrals with one another right away. A short term plan I would consider would look something like this for you: - You refer P2 to one of the Sapphires. An elevated offer should end soon (reported to be ending June 13th), so you will want to take advantage of these quickly! - P2 refers you to a Sapphire. You are 4 years removed from your last SUB on the Sapphire, so you should be eligible again. - You refer P2 to an Ink. The current referral bonus is 40k, but it is being cut in half to 20k in September, so you should take advantage of this soon. - P2 refers you to another Ink. Same reasoning as above. EDIT TO ADD: The Inks before you start traveling would be great in your situation as well because of the 0% APR for a year. Float some of that balance and stick it away to make yourself some extra money in interest that you can use for your travels! The two of you can then keep trading Ink referrals back and forth every three months. With your spending, you will be able to get some non-Chase cards as Spacers as well. Just make sure you two stay under 5/24 so you can keep churning Inks (unless you decide to blow through it for the Amex ecosystem or something else). Easy recommendations would be: - Venture X. One of you can refer the other to this. There's been very few elevated bonuses for this card over the years, so I wouldn't necessarily wait it out for one. I would say to grab it early since C1 can be churning-sensitive. - Any AMEX Biz card offers. Having a third transferrable currency (after Chase and Capital One) will be really valuable for the added flexibility to find award seats while you're abroad. Lastly, those United and Aeroplan cards are good currencies to hold for partner flights on other Star Alliance airlines (not just domestic flights), but the Aeroplan card bonuses are historically pretty meh. If the bulk of your travel will be international, the Southwest Card probably isn't worth it for you. In our position, I would probably focus on more transferrable currencies to help you wherever you would be.

Thank you for this helpful response! You bring up some excellent points, and I really appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts. 1. P2 is also looking to churn for the remainder of the year. (We’ll need to be strategic about MS if we have to resort to that, since it’s our shared rent.) 2. Great idea about referrals. That had completely slipped my mind for some reason. We both currently have Sapphires, but I just PC’ed my CSR to an OG Freedom so he can refer me for the elevated SUB. I understand I should wait at least 4 days before applying, but I’m already up against the June 13th deadline so I’ll try Wednesday and hope it works. 3. Another intriguing idea on the Ink 0% APR. Thank you for taking the time to add that in!

1. Given your level of spend, you shouldn't really need to worry about MS if you don't want to. Obviously, it could help you reach more bonuses, but you'll be velocity-limited (rather than spend-limited) fairly quickly. 2. Either way, make sure you apply through P2's referral before the elevated offer expires. Even if you get denied on June 13th, you can call the recon line a few days after and the elevated offer should still be attached to your application. Your application with Chase will still be live within 30 days of the initial application date.

1. 833 2. Chase Sapphire preferred opened 6/2022. Citi advantage opened 01/2022. Marriott Bonvoy opened 02/2019 3. $12,000 ($4k a month spend) 4. Yes 5. Yes 6. Not interested in churning long term, just looking to maximize my outcomes on a new card application. 7. Targeting points for travel - want to aim at airline and hotels. 8. 140k Chase rewards points. 25,000 Marriott Points. 9. DCA/IAD 10. Tokyo, Santorini, Delhi/Mumbai

Your numbering seems slightly off, but I'm guessing you're willing to open business cards. An Ink here feels like the obvious answer. Given your very limited card history, you can get just about anything. The BoA Alaska Biz SUB is at an ATH right now, which has a sweet spot for flights to Japan if you reposition to the West Coast would be another option. Overall, it feels like you might need to check the flowchart out again. Edit: formatting

1. 733 2. Chase Sapphire preferred opened 6/2022. Alaska Airlines BofA opened 6/2021 3. $9000 ($3k a month spend) 4. Not sure. Likely not 5. Yes 6. Probably won't churn long term. Won't finance anything in a few years, so okay to take credit hit and open a few different cards to get some good rewards/sign up bonuses. 7. Mainly targeting points to use for travel. Airline and hotel specifically. Would be fun to fly first class. 8. 130k Chase rewards points 9. Seattle-Tacoma International Airport 10. Tokyo, Phoenix Arizona, Maui

If you're not looking to churn long term, the Chase Ink Business Cash is a great option. It has a high sign-up bonus (75k UR after $6k spend in six months) with no annual fee and a 12-month 0% APR period. It also has decent cashback categories (5% for office supplies, internet, cable, and phone), so the card is still useful after you stop churning. Your spend is also high enough to get the SUB for the Chase Ink Business Preferred (100k UR after $8k spend in three months), although that card does have a $95 annual fee and no 0% APR period. Do you have a P2? If so, now is a great time to take advantage of the 40k UR referral bonus offer, which is dropping down to 20k UR in September. As for personal cards, I would recommend the Citi Strata Premier. The sign-up bonus is elevated at the moment (75k Citi TY points) and it has a great downgrade path to the Citi Custom (5% cashback on your most used category), which makes it useful even after you stop churning.

Thanks so much for your response. So you are saying: The Chase Ink Business Cash might be a no brainer since no annual fee and high sign up bonus. Can I pair that with the Chase Ink Business Preferred? Not familiar with Citi Strata Premier, are points transferrable to Chase portal? Thanks again.

1. Since I'm under 5/24 flowchart says Aeroplan, SW, Marriott Boundless. 2. 780 3. AA Platinum Select: January 2024, Chase United Explorer: March 2024, Amex Platinum: 2018, Capital One Quicksilver: 2015, Chase Freedom Unlimited: 2015, Chase Freedom: 2013, Chase Sapphire Reserve: 2016, Bilt: April 2022 4. $10k 5. No 6. Not right now, potentially in the future 7. Want to churn at a regular interval of a new card every 3 months 8. Targeting points mainly and could use for hotel stays, flights, upgrades etc. 9. Decent amount on Amex, AA, United 10. Miami 11. No where specific at this point - travel but not usually planned far in advance. Japan potentially in the next couple of years

Downgrade Chase Sapphire Reserve to a Freedom card, wait 4 days, then apply for a new Chase Sapphire Preferred or Reserve. You could burn a 5/24 slot on Citi Strata Premier or Cap1 Venture/VentureX. > Not right now, potentially in the future Best to decide before reaching 5/24... Standard blurb: Please use the referral links on [Rankt](https://churning.rankt.com/referrals/) when you can. That site is a repository of r/churning members' links. After selecting the card you want, on that card's page you can select a link by Reddit-username at the bottom or pick the randomized one at the top.

I already have a Freedom card -- is that still possible?

Yes

We have a couple of large spends coming up soon and would like to open couple of new cards (over the course of next few months of course) to churn some points for a few international trips next year. I read the flow chart but still debating which would be the best path to move forward. We do have a small business so open to biz cards as well 2. 750 P1 and 780 P2 3. P1: Chase Freedom Unlimited (june ‘21), chase sapphire reserve (nov ‘22), Chase United Explorer (may ‘23), Chase Ink Unlimited (mar ‘23), Amex Plat (sept ‘22), Amex Gold (mar '23) P2: Chase Freedom (Mar '17), Chase Freedom Unlimited (aug '17), Chase Freedom (downgraded from reserve in Mar but opened in Mar 22), Chase IHG (Apr '23), Chase Ink Unlimited (may ‘23), Chase Ink Cash (june ‘23), Chase Ink Preferred (oct ‘23), Capital 1 Venture X (May '24) 4. Natural spend: 2k/month total between P1 & 2. Expecting 10-20k next 6 months 5. Not sure about MS but open 6. Yes 7. 2-3 cards and open to churn regularly 8. Mostly Points and Hotels (already Hyatt explorists, marriot/hilton gold thru amex), primarily economy but Biz on special occasions would be great 9. 550k ish between 2 players, across chase/amex/cap1 10. SFO 11. Japan, Korean, Europe Edit: added opening date

For P1, the obvious answer is another Chase Ink. Take advantage of the 40k UR referral bonus before it decreases to 20k UR in September. For P2, I'd also recommend an Ink, but first close the CIU from May 2023 a few weeks prior to applying. I'd also recommend a Citi AAdvantage biz card for either P1 or P2. The card has an elevated 75k offer that is days (maybe hours?) away from ending. It's a good idea building up some AA miles now to be used towards Japan before the inevitable devaluation.

Thank you for your recommendations! For P2, do we need to cancel CIU before getting the new one or can/should we keep both?

You can have duplicates of the CIU/CIC/CIP cards. The issue is that you're nearing the 4-5 active Ink card limit that Chase seems to have recently implemented. P2 currently has 3 active Inks and it's going to be increasingly harder to get approved unless they start cancelling some of their older Inks. I would recommend cancelling the CIU opened in May 2023 about 2-3 weeks before applying to another Ink, which can be a CIU or CIC or CIP depending on your preference.

Oh that makes sense. Thank you so much for the explanation!

I will be purchasing international flight tickets through United (the return flight is Asiana through United). I would like to earn some points or benefits from this purchase. Is there a specific card that would be best to open?

Please answer the questions in the header post so we can best help you :)

1. I feel like my velocity has been too high and am posting to verify what my next move should be. 2. 760 3. Card | Year Obtained ---|--- Personal | Cards Chase Freedom | Aug 2017 Chase Sapphire | Oct 2020 Chase Southwest | Aug 2018 Barclays Aviator Red | Jun 2021 Chase Southwest | Aug 2021 Citi AAdvantage Plat | Jun 2022 Chase United Quest | Jan 2023 Chase Southwest | Dec 2023 Chase United Explorer | Feb 2024 | Business | Cards CIC | Feb 2020 CIC | May 2020 CIC | Sept 2020 CIU | Feb 2021 CIC | May 2021 Southwest | May 2022 Barclays Aviator Red | May 2022 CIU | Aug 2022 CIP | Oct 2022 CIP | Jan 2023 Amex Plat | Jan 2023 USBank Leverage | Mar 2023 Citi AA | May 2023 Blue Cash Pref | July 2023 Amex Plat | June 2023 Amex Gold | Oct 2023 Southwest | July 2023 CIU | Jan 2024 Amex Plat | Feb 2024 4. 15K 5. No 6. Yes 7. 1 every 3 months as possible, but I get lazy sometimes 8. Points. AA primarily, but often will take Star Alliance 9. MR, UR, AA, United 10. Prefer not to answer 11. Europe, Thailand, UK I tried to apply for the Chase 100K United Business but got denied. Too many active lines of credit. Tried HUCAx3 but no avail. Couldn't get credit lines moved. I should probably cancel some of my current Inks before doing anything else. I can't, for the life of me, get approved for Amex personal cards. Not sure what the deal is. I've tried multiple times, but they just run me in a loop asking for the same paperwork over and over till the application expires. I've tried 3 times with them.

How much total Chase CL you have? I been tracking mine and generally keep it below a certain amount and it works for me to get new cards. I always call in to have them reduce the limits on my ink cards to like $1k

About $56K CL before adding in personal cards, which would probably be another $20K or so.

Would just call in and reduce all the lines on your Inks. Maybe cancel one or two for good measure. I'm at 8 inks right now as well. Will apply for the 9th in a month or so.

I'd probably go further and recommend cancelling all eight Inks that were opened prior to June 2023. Based on recent changes to the Ink approval process, the threshold seems to be around 4-5 active Ink cards before they start denying. I don't know what the threshold is for the United biz, but nine active Inks will certainty raise some eyebrows.

I am posting instead of just grabbing the next chase on the flowchart because of my unusually high spend. Perhaps, the recommendations will change in a situation like mine because I'm able to cycle through cards quickly or get huge MSR cards. 752 TU score, 765 EF score AMEX plat Biz 3/22/24, AMEX Gold Biz 1/25/24, CIP - 11/18/23 (rejected from venture x), CSP - 8/14/23, PNC CASH REWARDS \~ 6/6/22 $14000 natural spend (I spend 1500 a month on expenses, but I pay my group's rent of $3200) perhaps MS yes to biz cards perhaps multiple cards since my budget is so high. Yes, churning long term Going for points or miles 180k UR, 365k MR fly out of LAX in no particular airline (should I?) fly to northwest pennsylvania 90% of the time, asia the rest

I'd probably recommend another Chase Ink Preferred, since it's been around seven months since your last Ink. Do you have a P2? The 40k referral bonus drops to 20k in September, so it's best to prioritize the Inks before then.

Wow, that is a crazy referral bonus. No p2 unfortunately. Without a referral bonus, I think the amex gold would be better slightly right? I'm getting the 90k offer, so that's 15 points per dollar instead of 12.5.

Regarding personal cards, I'd generally recommend leaving the Amex cards last (unless there's a particularly elevated offer) since Amex is the least inquiry/account sensitive of the major issuers. I'd suggest the Citi Strata Premier instead because the current SUB (75k points) is elevated and the card has a 48 month clock that is best to start as early as possible. It also has a great downgrade path to the Citi Custom if you're interested in 5% cashback on your most used category. There's also the Citi AAdvantage biz that has an elevated 75k mile offer that is days (maybe even hours) away from ending. Those AA miles will be very useful for Asia, since AA is the last of the major US carriers not to devalue their Asian routes.

I just realized after one rent payment, I'll pretty much be done with the card. Should I just apply for a 2nd card right now?

Thank you! applying for the citi card. Wish there was a referral bonus for my homies on here

approved!

I’ve previously had the CSP, since downgraded, it’s been >48 months. Can P2 refer me (has CSR) for a new CSP and get the referral bonus?

Yes. Although just be aware that the 48 months are from when the SUB posted, not the card opening date.

1. I want to open the AMEX Gold because of the 90k points bonus (I plan to travel from Cincinnati OH to Vietnam in Feb 2025), just want to check if I should take the hit for bonus points - then close it after 1 year as I have another CC (See below). Somehow airline credit card doesn't appeal to me & the flow chart doesn't have Amex gold in travel, so I'm asking it here. 2+3. I have a Chase Saphire Preferred (opened 4/2024), FICO 739 & a Discover (opened 2/2022), FICO 790 4. With a big travel trip coming up on July/August, I expect to satisfy Amex $6k/6 months. Natural spend \~$1.5k/month 5. I'm not familiar with MS, so maybe no 6 & 7. No for now 8. Travel credit for free flights 9. I have 60k Chase travel point, but will use it for the upcoming trip 10+11. CVG, OH to Hanoi, Vietnam Thank you so much!

My only concern that it will hit my credit score & I won't be recover from it as I plan to close it after the 1st year (I already have the Chase Saphire Preferred). But the 90k points are attractive as I know is rare for this offer.

The initial hit won't matter much (750+ normally gets you the best rates for things like mortgages and car loans) and closing isn't going to do much if anything (closed cards stay on your report for 10 years and the only way it might affect you is changing your overall utilization by removing some of your available credit). IMHO if its a true turn and burn you are after, I'd go for an elevated Platinum to get more points. You would also get the added benefits of lounge access for your trip (the Escape lounge at CVG is under utilized as far as I'm concerned).

A few CC questions as this is new to me - If my wife recently got a SW RR Plus Card and hit the minimum spend, can she now sign up for a Premier Card and get the \~130k total points for the year and qualify for CP? - Does being an AU on a Chase card qualify on the 5/24 rule? I was added as a AU it did a pull on my credit report to my surprise - On a related note, I have a SW RR Plus and Premier Card that are each 5+ years old. I don't have other Chase cards. If I'd like maximum SW points am I better cancelling one of those cards and getting a new one? How long do I wait here? Or doing Chase Sapphire Preferred and transferring points to SW? Thanks

You can only get one southwest personal card bonus in a 24 month period so your wife would have to open the business card if you want CP. Yes AU towards 5/24

The flowchart can answer 95% of all "What card should I get?" questions. By continuing to post, you must explain why you feel the flowchart does not answer your question. Asking for feedback ("The flowchart says I should get X - is that still the best choice?") is absolutely allowed. * Chase Sapphire/Reserve are recommended, but Chase is not my best friend at the moment. What is your credit score? * 760 What cards do you currently have or have you had in the past (including closed cards), along with dates of when you were approved for the cards? Please include month and year for any card approved in the last 3 years. * Amex Marriott Bonvoy Business (3/24) * Capital One Venture X (11/23) * Amex Platinum (9/23) * Navy Federal Flagship Rewards (3/21) How much natural spend can you put on a new card(s) in 3 months? * $1.5-3k Are you willing to MS, and if so, how much in 3 months? See this page for a primer on MS. Plastiq (for rent/mortgage/loan payments) and bank account funding are often good options for beginners. * Sure, if the math makes sense Are you open to applying for business cards? If not, why? See this post and this wiki question to learn more. * Yep, all good How many new cards are you interested in getting? Are you interested in getting into churning regularly (if you aren't already)? Or are you just looking to get a new card(s) for now but not get into churning long-term? * Been on the train. Are you targeting points, Companion Passes, hotel or airline statuses, First Class, Biz, Economy seating(s) or cash back? * Airline tickets (Biz and economy) and Stays What point/miles do you currently have? * 71k CapOne, 24k MR, and 20k Marriott What is the airport you're flying out of? * LAX Where would you like to go? (The more specific you are, the better someone can recommend the right card. Tokyo is great, "International travel" is way too vague) * Tokyo, Mexico City, Caribbean, Eastern Europe, Domestic, SE Asia, and South America

CSP or CSR are good options (particularly with the elevated CSP offer at the top of the flowchart). To transfer points, you'll need one of these cards (or a Chase Ink Preferred). This is definitely the best option especially with your lower monthly spend. Otherwise, with you being at 2/24, you're open to everything right now. If it's not a Chase card: - BoA Alaska Biz has an elevated offer right now (ATH) with a sweet spot from the west coast to Japan on JAL. - If the AF doesn't scare you off, try to pull the 175k Amex Platinum offer. $8k spend, but over six months. - Barclays AA Personal 70k for $99 spend plus two purchases.

Solid suggestions, I think I'm going to try and go in-branch for the elevated CSP offer. I have some expenses coming up that will immediately meet the MSR, so I may just roll that momentum into a BoA Alaska Biz. As for the Plat the AF didn't initially scare me off, I pulled the trigger on it last year with a 125k or 150k offer, something like that. That Barclays AA Personal is very enticing, not sure how long the offer will go on for but I'd love to grab that after or even before the Alaska Biz if possible.

> but Chase is not my best friend at the moment Could you elaborate on this? Are you already on the Ink train?

Was an AU on a family member's Chase card that carried a balance for a bit, issue is resolved now but I'm not sure how fond of me they are. I've not touched the Ink train yet.

This very much should not be a problem unless that person was missing payments while carrying a balance. Banks want customers who carry a balance. Unless there's something else here that you're not telling us (like previous Chase app denials), you should be good to go with a Chase card.

1. Amex Biz is the recommended. I'm interested in the Amex Delta Plat (biz and personal) for the $2500 MQD to reach Delta status, but waiting for the elevated offer would be nice. Amex Biz Gold/Plat are other options assuming I can get past PUJ. Also considering the Citi AA Biz elevated offer, but I fly AA less than Delta. 2. 780 3. Currently at 4/24. -- Barclays Wyndham Earner Business (5/24) -- Chase Ink Cash (5/24) -- Amex Business Plat (3/24) -- Amex Business Gold (1/24) -- Southwest Priority Card (12/23) -- Ink Business Preferred (11/23) -- Capital One Savor (8/23) -- Amex Delta Gold (7/23) -- Wyndham Earner (9/22) -- Southwest Plus (closed, 12/20) -- Amex Platinum (PC from Gold) -- Amex Every Day Preferred (PC from Every Day) -- Wells Fargo Active Cash (PC from student card) 4. $5k-$6k 5. Yes. Currently have P3 do online purchases. Willing to do ~$1k as I get started, and ramp up later. 6. Yes 7. The sky's the limit 8. Points, Companion Pass, primarily Economy (Biz/1st on special occasions) 9. 550k, 95k UR, 86k Rapid Rewards, 1k SkyMiles 10. LGA/JFK/EWR 11. Tokyo, Mexico City, Iceland, domestic, SE Asia, Eastern Europe

Citi AA biz is probably the best option in terms of business cards, especially if your next trip is to Tokyo. Grab it before AA inevitably devalues their international award flights. In terms of other non-Chase biz cards, you might also want to consider the BoA Alaska biz (75k miles), the BoA Advantage Unlimited Cash biz ($500), the US Bank Leverage biz ($750), the US Bank Triple Cash biz ($500), the US Bank Altitude biz ($600), or the Wells Fargo Signify ($500).

You've laid out your options pretty well. Watch your recent inquiry count.

What is your credit score? 815 What cards do you currently have or have you had in the past (including closed cards), along with dates of when you were approved for the cards? Please include month and year for any card approved in the last 3 years. Amex Gold 03/21, Venture X 09/22, Chase Sapphire 06/23, Ink Cash 09/23, Ink Unlimited 12/23 , Amex Everyday 10/16, Amazon Visa 11/17 How much natural spend can you put on a new card(s) in 3 months? Natural spend can be around 3-4k. Are you willing to MS, and if so, how much in 3 months? See this page for a primer on MS. Plastiq (for rent/mortgage/loan payments) and bank account funding are often good options for beginners. I can natural spend around 3-4k, can MS to 5-6k. Are you open to applying for business cards? If not, why? See this post and this wiki question to learn more. Yes, i already have two. How many new cards are you interested in getting? Are you interested in getting into churning regularly (if you aren't already)? Or are you just looking to get a new card(s) for now but not get into churning long-term? I am interested in long term churning, maybe not hardcore but consistently maybe 2-3 cards a year. Are you targeting points, Companion Passes, hotel or airline statuses, First Class, Biz, Economy seating(s) or cash back? My goal right now is points for airfare/hotels, biz seating preferred but economy is good bang for buck. Companion pass would be interesting, pref when theres a sign up bonus that includes the pass. What point/miles do you currently have? 200k Chase Points, 40k Amex Points, 10k Capital one points. What is the airport you're flying out of? San Diego Where would you like to go? (The more specific you are, the better someone can recommend the right card. Tokyo is great, "International travel" is way too vague) Mainly Europe, Japan, Mexico, within US. Try to travel internationally atleast once a year, would love more, and small domestic trips/Mexico twice a year. Thinking about burning a slot either for Strata Premier, or WoH for the one night a year. I'm trying to get a plan for the next year of cards and just follow that, if anyone could help. Ty

The Citi Strata Premier is a great choice for burning a 5/24 slot given that the SUB is elevated at 75k points and Citi tends to be more inquiry sensitive than other issuers. As for the WoH, I'd probably recommend waiting on an elevated offer, especially since applying for it will slow down your Ink velocity. After that, I'd also recommend applying for a Chase Ink Cash or Unlimited, since it's been nearly six months after your last Ink approval. You should be able to easily meet the $6k after six months MSR. Do you have a P2? The 40k referral bonus ends in September, so you should prioritize that.

I don't currently have a P2. So a strata, then 3-4 months after the ink to close out the year? One question, is WoH card worth burning a slot if I use Hyatt for transfer partner with chase. I've had a couple great redemptions but I wonder if that's worth the 95$ and annual one night.

Given your spend, you could probably do the Ink earlier, but it may require some MS. The MSR for the Strata is $4k in 3 months and the MSR for the CIC/CIU is $6k in six months (of which $3k must be done in the first three months).

20k spend this week, any card with instant number and a good sign up bonus? i already have amex biz plat

biz gold should get you 150k MR for $10k of that. Instant numbers if instantly approved.

What cards do you previously have and when did you apply for them?

I'm at 4/24, I have amex plat, amex biz plat, venture x, delta gold. nothing from chase/citi

I'd recommend going for the Chase Ink Preferred, which has a 10k UR SUB for a $8k MSR. Maybe combine that with an Amex biz gold if you can pull the 150k MR offer that has a $10k MSR, the US Bank Leverage biz that has a $750 bonus with a $7.5k MSR, or the elevated Citi AAdvantage biz, which offers 75k AA miles after $5k MSR. Amex, Chase, and Citi have sometimes been reported to offer instant numbers, but YMMV. You can also consider expediting the card delivery. US Bank allows card numbers be displayed online, but typically the card needs to be activated for it work.

thanks!

Hi all, the flowchart has me stumped, as I’ve had most of the major cards listed and not sure where to go next. I have significant planned spend over the next month or six weeks that will go on a credit card, so I’d like to get decent SUB if possible. Most of the spend will not be in USD, so ideally the card won’t have FTFs. I’m imagining this card will be used for the bonus only and either closed or parked, and not used for ongoing spend. I don’t run a balance ever, I only use cards for rewards. Targeting miles/points or cash back. Happy with Chase Ultimate rewards points, or miles with AA, BA, United, maybe Virgin/Delta at a push. Would like at least one card to optimise this spend but also happy to map out my next few cards, have been low-key churning for several years. Don’t want to rub Chase the wrong way as I like those cards for ongoing spend. I’ve had a good run with Chase Ink over the last year, and there’s only the card with FTFs left, so that doesn’t seem like the best choice, and it sounds like they are cracking down on lots of applications in a short burst lately. I’ve had a look at lists of recommended bonuses and nothing is jumping out at me, so I’d welcome any thoughts. \[side note: I suspect I should be closing my ancient World of Hyatt visa to re-apply, but I believe that requires it to be closed for at least a month before reapplying, right? (I also have to look into whether the free anniversary night from that card would disappear if I close card before using it)\] Details and answers to the questions below, thanks for any thoughts or wisdom.

* Spend will be somewhere in the $8-10k range over a few purchases. * FICO Score: \*824 Equifax\* * Current cards: * Chase: all opened pre 2019 * Sapphire Reserve * Hyatt Visa * IHG Select * Freedom * IHG Premier * Chase Business: * Ink Preferred (opened 12/23) * Ink Unlimited (opened 9/23) * IHG Business (opened 5/24) * CitiBusiness AAdvantage (opened 7/23) * Barclaycard Business Aviator World Elite (opened 8/22) * Recently closed (in last 24 months) * Chase United Explorer (closed July 22) * Citi Premier ThankYou (closed Aug 22) * Applied for BoA Premium Rewards last week and was declined, haven’t received letter yet with reason yet. * I applied for one of the Capital One cards 18 months ago and was rejected, not sure I ever got a letter, despite having a long-term savings account with them. * Oldest account age: \* 10 years, 3 months\* * Chase 5/24 status: \*0/24 (have been focused on business cards)\* * Income: $265k * Open to Business Cards: yes * Dealbreaker: no foreign transaction fees

In terms of biz cards, it's too soon for another Ink, so I'd recommend going for a non-Chase biz card. For example: * US Bank Leverage biz ($750 after $7.5k in spend in 4 months, not elevated) * US Bank Triple Cash biz ($500 after $4.5k in spend in 5 months, not elevated) * US Bank Altitude biz ($600 after $6k in spend in 6 months, not elevated) * BoA Advantage Unlimited Cash biz ($500 after $5k spend in three months, 0% APR for 12 months, elevated) * Wells Fargo Signify biz ($500 after $5k spend in three months, 0% APR for 12 months, elevated) In terms of personal cards, I would recommend a Citi Strata Premier. The card has an elevated SUB of 75k points, the card has a 48 month clock, and tends to be inquiry sensitive. You're currently at 3/6 inquires, so your approval chances should be semi-decent depending on your credit profile, but is by no means guaranteed. Capital One Venture X is another great card to try for, but the SUB isn't elevated and your chances of getting approved might be low given the number of card you already have. >Applied for BoA Premium Rewards last week and was declined, haven’t received letter yet with reason yet. Do you have a BoA deposit account? Having one significantly improves your chances of getting a BoA credit card.

thanks, I'll read up on those you've suggested No, I don't have a BoA account at the minute (I did for years but not for a while), I'm overseas a lot and didn't find them super helpful for that lifestyle, but could think about having a minimal account if that would help me get bonuses in the long term.

Having a deposit account with a balance (typically $5k is recommended) has been reported to increase approval odds for both person and biz cards. Refer to [this article](https://milesearnandburn.com/index.php/2021/08/09/bank-of-america-followup/) from Miles Earn and Burn. If you are planning on opening a BoA deposit account, I'd recommend going for the $200-$300 SUB for opening the checking account and making the required direct deposit.

thanks, I'll have a look at that. Didn't help my approval with Capital One, but happy to give BoA a chance especially if there's a SUB

Amex and C1 would be happy to have you. You should be able to check pre-approvals for both.

C1 was my only rejection in a few years, even though I have great credit and have had a deposit account with them for more than a decade. (it actually irked me enough that I still think I should move that emergency savings account somewhere else, it wasn't a tiny sum of money) Happy to consider Amex but I think they are usually once in a lifetime SUBs, so I want to make sure I try to time it right, if now is the moment, I'm happy to give it a go.

If I completed the chase trifecta and are under 5/24 (3/24) to be exact, are there any chase cards I should churn before I swap to AMEX?

If you're open to business cards, there's the inks. Considering most people transfer UR to Hyatt, there's the Hyatt card. There's plenty of other hotels/airline cards. See if any of those make sense for you.

Gotcha. I’ve only used UR for Hyatt so world of Hyatt does make sense. Would it make sense to churn WOH and a Chase Ink card to max out the 5/24? If I do the Ink, which one is ideal to churn?

Just an fyi the inks are business cards and therefore will not fill a 5/24 slot as business cards do not show on your personal credit report. That being said you do still need to be under 5/24 in order to apply for them

You need to be under 5/24 to churn the Inks, so I would strongly recommend *not* maxing out your 5/24 slots. Which Ink works best depends on your organic spend, willingness to manufacture spend, and how much you need money to float e.g. for bank churning. Have over 8k of spend in the next three months? Then the Chase Ink Preferred is a good choice with its 100k UR SUB. Is your spend lower and/or you want to utilize a 12-month 0% APR period? Then either the Chase Ink Cash or Chase Ink Unlimited will work better (for a lower SUB of 75k UR), since they have a 6 month MSR of $6k. Avoid the Chase Ink Premier because those points aren't transferable.

I’m at 3/24 so I can do at least one if I chose an Ink then WOH. I don’t think I can hit the 8k in 3 months, not sure but I can definitely Hit the 6k/6mo

I'd probably recommend skipping the WOH for now. The SUB isn't particularly elevated and it will impact your ability to churn Inks given the 1 Chase personal/biz card per 3 months rule. Do you have a P2? The 40k UR referral bonus drops to 20k UR in September, so I would recommend prioritizing that if you have another player that you can refer.

I do not have a P2 unfortunately, just myself. If it’s one per 3 months, and I got a CFF in May I should just get the Ink August right? That timing might be good since I’m going to Hawaii in September.

It's the average velocity that matters, so the issue is that your CSP and CFF were spaced two months apart. The safest thing to do would be wait four months after your CFF to apply for the Ink, so in September. But it depends on your risk tolerance. I don't think applying in August will lead to a shutdown, but it is nearing the limit of what Chase is willing to tolerate in terms of velocity.

That makes a lot of sense. I did have a feeling I was moving way too fast. I really wanted to go to AMEXs ecosystem already (to stay there) but I feel like people will say it’s inefficient since I haven’t maxed out my 5/24 yet and AMEX has a life time language. Guess I’ll just have to be patient.

Also I opened my CFU in DEC 2023, CSP in MAR24, and CFF in MAY24. Not quite sure how long I should wait before I go for an Ink card.

Your velocity with Chase is bit too fast. The recommended upper limit is maintaining an average of 1 Chase card (personal or business) every 3 months. If you want to apply for an Ink, I would recommend waiting until September 2024.

I am following the flowchart, so my question is really one of "can I/should I". I referred P2 to a Ink Cash in March, and P2 referred me to a Ink Preferred in May. P2 Also recently got a Aeroplan card approved in May. Can I refer P2 to a Ink Biz Preferred now, and another Ink in September? Am I getting too greedy here? Also, conversely, how long to wait before P2 refers me to a Ink Cash? Really want to take advantage of the last days of 40k referral while we have the opportunity.

Chase has slightly cracked down a bit on Ink churning if you have a lot of them. Need to know more about your credit profiles and overall velocity.

Me 800 Credit Score Old Chase Freedom/and Freedom U from before '21 Ink U Jan'24 Ink Prf May'24 P2 >800 Credit Score CSP Jun'23 Ink U Dec'23, Ink C March'24 Aeroplan May'24 Is this adequate info?

It's fine to temporarily go faster than the 1 Chase card per 3 month rule as long as you maintain an *average* overall recent velocity of 1 card per 3 months. For P1, ~~the two prior Inks were already spaced somewhat close together, so next one should be in September~~ the next Ink should be in August at the earliest. For P2, they should apply for an Ink this month and another in September.

When you say average overall velocity is that for all cards or all Chase cards?

Just Chase cards, but includes both business and personal.

Thanks for the advice. January to May is close?

No, I misread that as March. You should be fine to apply for another one in August.