(If you see any errors, please let me know. I try to keep a full list, but it’s a lot of information and I do make mistakes)
Significant Changes Since Last Month:
-JetBlue, Wyndham, and Delta removed (for now).
-Updated Southwest, Alaska, and Hawaiian links.
-New Hilton cards all added.
-$500 bonus on SimplyCash Plus card.
-Increased bonuses on BMO Harris cards.
-New Citi ThankYou Premier link.
-New Marriott links for 75,000 points.
-Dummy booking on IHG is bringing up 80,000-point offers.
-LAN changed to LATAM and bonus went up.
-FlexPerks up to 25,000 from 20,000. Also, the better Olympic bonus is available in-branch.
Before Playing This Game:
-Find a new hobby until you can pay off all balances each month.
-Take a second to look at what you’re applying for and confirm a bonus is what you expect.
-Get a screenshot of the bonus description in case you have issues collecting it later.
-Take 2 minutes to read the small print before applying.
(Look for “once in a lifetime,” “no bonus for cardholders in last 24 months,” etc.)
-Keep everything very organized in a spreadsheet. You’ll thank me later.
Time for my monthly Top 25 Credit Cards. It’s called “Top 25” out of tradition, but you’ll get many more links than that below. Again, if you’re a rookie, make sure you read The Newbie Guide. It’s a little outdated but many basic questions can still be answered there. For people running out of cards, remember there’s often a Business card option. Also, “churning” (getting the same card more than once) might be an option. The dates here were a guideline but things always tend to vary individually. If you’re new, it might be wise to start with Chase cards because of the limitations they’ll place on you soon.
If you don’t have a KrisFlyer account from Singapore Airlines yet, this is a good time to get one. Pick up 1,000 miles for signing up before the end of March. The miles do take a few weeks to show up (for some reason). It’s so slow that I’m remembering “yo mama” jokes from the nineties:
KrisFlyer is so slow, they get a parking ticket when they cross the road…
KrisFlyer is so slow, it takes them two hours to watch 60 Minutes…
Yeah, I’ll stop now.
Unless you have unique superpowers…getting approved for credit cards is a bigger challenge than it used to be. With American Express, a big part of the annoyance has been the growing number of “once in a lifetime” bonuses.
This trend sucks, but it’s the reality of our situation now. And it (hopefully) brings up the same question for all of us…what does Amex consider a lifetime to be?
Yes, multiple readers have gotten repeat bonuses that are supposed to be “once in a lifetime.” The unofficial length of time between “lifetimes” on an Amex card is 7 years. You have a card, close it, wait 7 years, and a new “lifetime” begins. It isn’t written in stone, but after 7 years, it’s certainly possible that you’ll be able to get another bonus on that same type of card.
But, here’s a thought…
Even if you have an accurate spreadsheet keeping track of dates…why not just ask?
Instead of looking at that 7-year mark as brick wall that stands between you and another bonus…why not spend ten minutes on the phone? Pretty simple question – what cards have I had with you guys in my lifetime? I asked it on the phone recently and then repeated the question the next day via online chat.
The answer was interesting.
3 Amex cards I’ve had within the last five years weren’t in my history. I have no clue why they aren’t showing up in the system…but they’re not there.
Do I think this answer from a customer service rep is an “official” recap of my history? Does it guarantee me future bonuses on those 3 cards?
Hell no.
But, worst case, I’ve got a screenshot from my chat that says I never had those cards. It gives me some ammunition if I need to fight for a “once in a lifetime” bonus down the road.
