The Top 25 Credit Cards

(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:
-Weird Marriott Premier link added. Citi Thank You 50,000-point link added.
-Some readers seeing 100,000 for American Express Platinum via CardMatch again.
-Aeromexico card added.
-My current girlfriend JetBlue increased to 60,000.
-Hilton Surpass back up. To 125,000 points.
-Barclays Business American card added. No spend. 40,000 easy miles.
-Citi Prestige added back.

 

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 It’s a little outdated but many basic questions can still be answered there.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.

Miles and points are far from an equal currency. 50,000 Delta SkyMiles are worth less to me than that amount from Alaska Airlines. 25,000 Hyatt points mean way more than the same number from Hilton. And so on. These links work right now (December 1st at midnight). If you read this later, many of the offers will have changed. Things move fast so read offer details and terms before applying. Especially all that small print when you’re trying to get bonuses more than once on the same card. Ok, enough chatter…here we go! My “Top 25” current credit cards are below.

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Charity Miles

At this point, I don’t think I know a single person who has stayed untouched by cancer. It has certainly touched my life. If you’re interested in making a donation before mid-December, you’ll get 25 American miles per dollar for it.

 

Wednesday Stuff

Some AAA offices are selling fee-free Visa gift cards again (through Christmas), there are sales at Southwest and JetBlue again (not shockingly), and Delta has some new card links up again (60,000 dongs for gold).

United Promo

It’s hard to imagine someone loving anything as much as I love Hawaii.

Maybe Michael Jordan with basketball. Or Picasso with art. Or miles and points bloggers with lying.

Anyway, I really love Hawaii.

Interesting promo – 20% savings on United award flights there.

This is probably best for someone on the east coast or those with island-hopping plans.

British, Korean, Singapore, Hawaiian, and Alaska are the currencies I look at for Hawaii trips.

This promo doesn’t change that. At least for me.

Gift Card Discounts

Save $10 when spending $100 on already discounted gift cards from Raise today.

Also save $20 on $100 gift cards in-store at Office Depot for a couple of weeks. The gift cards are those for GameStop, Ruby Tuesday, Domino’s Pizza, Michaels, Catherines, the Olive Garden family of restaurants, Chili’s, Gap, Banana Republic, and Old Navy. As usual, this is especially attractive for those earning 5x points with Ink cards. Non-Ink nerds should check their American Express Offers to see if there’s an Office Depot deal there to save another 10 bucks.