I have written extensively about churning (review), and the best combination of credit cards to earn transferable points (review). I was asked by readers to write a concise review of the suggested order for opening travel credit cards. This review contains NO affiliate links and all the recommendations are based on my experience.
Credit card churning principles
I would like to summarize a few things below:
- Pay off your personal credit card balance before the statement closing date. Don’t let the credit bureaus see that you are a big spender.
- DO NOT leave balances on personal credit cards. Your approval chances and the credit limits will decrease once the banks notice that you are leaving balances.
- You DO NOT need an established business (with a name) to apply for business credit cards and almost anyone can be a sole proprietor.
- Business credit cards don’t report credit balances to the personal credit bureaus (unless you default).
- Business credit cards are ideal for zero percent APR offers and transferring a balance from other credit cards.
- If you must leave a balance (unavoidable), plan to do so on a business credit card.
- Business credit cards opened under a sole proprietorship may only get a small line of credit (e.g., Chase Ink cards approve only a 5-6K credit line).
- In general, apply for no more than one personal card and one business credit card per month per bank.
- Meet the spending requirements: Pay monthly rent (3% extra fee), day care/tuition/taxes, load up your Amazon account, prepay the cable, cell phone, electricity bill, auto insurance and any other large home improvement purchases.
- Manufactured Spending: Experienced churners use Buying Groups, but be prepared to lose some money in lost shipments.
- Your credit score improves after opening more credit cards due to an expanded line of personal credit (assuming you are not leaving balances). See the image below of my credit score after opening over 50 credit cards.
Suggested Order of Point Earning Credit Cards for Churners
The table below assumes that you have zero credit cards in the last 24 months. I recommend churners start new credit card applications with Barclays and Capital One cards as they are sensitive to the number of credit checks. After that, I suggest getting some of the Chase cards before going for Amex, Citi, and BOA credit cards. Some of you may think AA miles are not useful, but they can be used to book several domestic and overseas partner redemptions.
| 1st Order of applications for credit cards | Typical sign on bonus | Notable Benefits | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Venture X $400 Includes 10,000-point annual bonus. Long term keeper card. | 75k Capital one points after 4k/3M | 2 points for every purchase with no foreign transaction fees. $300 refund after booking on Capital One travel portal. | 4 authorized users can get access to Priority Pass cards; Global entry credits every 4 years. Lifetime keeper card. |
| Capital One Venture $95 | 75K points after 4K/3M | 2 points for every purchase | Global entry credits every 4 years. No foreign transaction fees. |
| Barclay AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Personal $95 | 60-70K AA miles after first purchase | Make a single purchase (e.g., $1) to get the bonus points. | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 2 years. |
| Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select Personal $99 | 50-70K AA miles after 2K/3M | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 4 years. | |
| Barclay AAdvantage business $95 | 60-80K AA miles after $1-2K/3M | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 2 years. | |
| Citi AAdvantage Business $99 | 65-75K AA miles after 4K/4M | Business -2X miles on cable, satellite, phone, car rentals. | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 4 years. |
| Chase Ink Unlimited Business $0 | 75-100 UR points after 3-7.5K/3M | Earn 1.5 X points per $ spent. | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 2 years. |
| Chase Ink Business Cash $0 | 75-100 UR points after 3-7.5K/3M | 5X shipping, cable, internet and phone.5X office supplies including gift cards. | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 2 years. |
| Chase United Business Card | 100-150K United miles after 5-15K /3M | Two free United club passes. Special access to United saver awards. | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 2 years. |
| Chase Ink Business Preferred $95 | 80-100K UR points after 5-15K/3M | 3X Travel (Airfare, hotels, car rentals, Uber), shipping, cable, internet and phone. $600 cell phone damage/theft coverage. No FTF | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 2 years. |
| Chase World of Hyatt business Credit Card $199 | 60K points after 4K/3M | None | Cancel after 1st year. |
| Amex Business Platinum $695 | 150-250K points after 15-20K/3M | Dell $400 annual credit; Cellular Phone bill $120 annual credit; $200 Airline Incidental credit. | Cancel after 1st year. |
| Amex Business Gold $375 | 150K after 10K/3M | $20 Grubhub monthly credits; 4X points for gas. | Cancel after 1st year. |
| Capital One Venture X Business $395 | 150K points after 20K/3M | 2X points for every dollar spent with no foreign transaction fees. $300 refund for bookings made on Capital One travel portal. | Cancel after 1st year. |
| Amex Blue Business Plus $0 | On/off 10K MR points after 3K/3M | 2X on all purchases up to $50,000 per calendar year (resets every January). 3% FTF. | Lifetime keeper card. |
If you are successful in getting the first order of credit cards, you would have a total of 4 personal cards and 11 business cards. However, your credit history will only show 4 personal cards.
At this point you can either choose to be under 5/24 forever and apply only for business credit cards (https://awardcracker.com/how-to-earn-points-stay-under-5-24-forever/) or keep exploring other available credit card options below:
| 2nd Order of applications for credit cards | Sign on bonus | Benefits of daily use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Sapphire Preferred $95 | 60-80K UR points after 4K/3M | Primary auto rental insurance. Overseas travel/dining 2X. | Best card for rental car damage coverage: Llifetime keeper card. |
| Chase IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card (long term keeper card) | 125K Point Welcome Bonus | IHG Rewards Club Platinum status. Cell phone repair coverage | One Free Night Award every year (40K points or less). Fourth Night Free on Award Redemptions. Global Entry or TSA Pre-Check credit once every four years. |
| Chase World of Hyatt Personal Credit Card $95 (long term keeper card) | 50-60K World of Hyatt points | None | Anniversary free night certificate every year, valid at a Category 1-4 Hyatt property; |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve $550 ($300 annual travel credit) | 50-80K UR points after 4K/3M | 3X points on travel (airfare, hotels, car rentals, Uber) & dining. Primary auto rental insurance. Priority Pass. Global Entry $100. | Chase will not approve having two personal Sapphire cards at the same time. |
| Chase British Airways, Chase Aer Lingus and Chase Iberia Visa cards $95 | 75-100,000 Avios for each card after 3k/3M. | Combine all Avios and transfer as needed. | Cancel the cards after 1 year and reapply every 2 years. |
| Amex Gold $325 ($240 dining credit; $100 Resy credit; $84 Dunkin' credit annually) | 50-90K MR points after 2K/3M | 4X Dining. 4X Groceries max 25K/year. 3X Flights booked direct from airlines. | Best card on the market for groceries and dining. It's easy to purchase gift cards at grocery stores e.g., gas, Amazon) to maximize point earnings. |
| Amex Platinum Card $695 $100 Saks credit; $200 Uber credt; $240 Digital entertainment credit; $200 airline credit. | 100-150K MR points after 6K/6M | 5X flights/hotels booked direct/amex travel. Priority Pass & Centurion lounge access. Global entry $100. Complimentary Marriott Platinum Elite and Hilton Gold Status. | Try several other Amex platinum versions to maximize MR point earnings (Charles Schwab, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and Ameriprise). |
| Amex Hilton Surpass $95 | 100-125K Hilton points after 2K/3M. | None | Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold. 10 Free Priority Pass Visits |
| Amex Hilton Honors Business Card $95 | 100-125K Hilton points after 2K/3M. | None | Complimentary Hilton Honors Gold. 10 Free Priority Pass Visits |
| Amex Hilton Aspire $550; $400 statement credits annually ($200 every six months) toward spending at Hilton resorts; $200 annual statement credits ( $50 quarterly) toward flights. | 150K Hilton points after 4K/3M. | None | One free Hilton Night Reward annually; $100 Hilton On-Property Credit at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad; Complimentary Hilton Diamond status. |
| Citi Double Cash/Points Card $0 | None | 2 points for every purchase without CAP | 3% FTF. Needs either Premier or Prestige to transfer miles to partners. |
| Citi Premier $95 | 60-80K TY points after 4K/3M. | 3X dining/groceries/ travel/Gas/Cruises | Good card to use with Citi Double cash/points card. |
| Bank of America (BOA) Alaska Mileage Personal Card $75 | 50-70K Alaska miles after 1K/3M | 3 miles for every $1 spent on Alaska Airlines purchases. | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 1-2 years. |
| BOA Alaska Mileage Business Card $75 | 50-70K miles after 2K/3M | 3 miles for every $1 spent on Alaska Airlines purchases. | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 1-2 years. |
| BOA Virgin Atlantic personal card | 60-75K miles after 2K/3M | None | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 1-2 years. |
| BOA Air France personal card | 60-75K miles after 2K/3M | None | Cancel the card after 1 year and reapply every 1-2 years. |
Conclusion
Signing up for new credit cards with bonuses is the fastest way to accumulate millions of miles & points and must be attempted by travel enthusiasts living in the U.S. Several people have misconceptions about opening many credit cards and they miss out on easy opportunities to earn points.