Just a place where I can track my credit card applications and airmile balances...Last updated Sept 2025
Current goal: accrue points/miles for annual US - NZ trips, and 2026 Islands + Iceland trip.
Note: To those wondering if all this churning affects my credit rating, my CreditKarma consistently rates my scores are >800. I've only ever gotten turned down by Chase, once, and just after they instituted the 5/24 rule* without my knowing about it. (*opening 5 cc's in a 24 month period) Barclaycard also seems to have a strict threshold, but I cannot tell what it is - I suspect it is 5/36 or 2/24? I keep getting turned down for their cc's - not until I had only opened 1 card in the past 24 months did they approve a JetBlue card, and I had to send in a TON of proof of identity, multiple times, to do so.
I have $336 in Delta eCredits that needs to be used up by Oct 2025! Use this trick.
5/24 US Credit Card Record: cc's opened in the last 24 months. Needs to be 4 or fewer to apply for new cc's. 2 year status: bold, underlined opened within last 2 years; BLUE indicates open cards
- Jetblue Plus. applied 28 July 2024. 50K points for $1K spend in 3 months. $99 annual fee. Aug 30 2024: My credit monitors are all saying something has changed with my credit score and that I have one new account, so maybe I got approved?! My mom hasn't said anything about a new card arriving, but I'll check this weekend. 2024 7 October: Finally officially approved! I had to send scans of my ID, bank statement, and social security card three times by mail and call 4x before they finally approved it (via the Hawaiian airlines call center??). Very weird process, but it's finally approved. :) I suspect I was rejected for the Alaska cards I applied for in the past (also handled by Barclay's) due to the number of 5/24 slots I had open? Need to charge $1K by Jan 1 2025. Miles awarded 24 Dec 2024. Need to cancel by Sept 2025. Autocharges TMobile, Countdown. Sent cancellation notice on 5 September 2025. CANCELLED 5 September 2025. Falls off of list Sept 2026.
- Alaska Air Visa Signature. Applied 14 Mar 2025. Instantly approved. 70K miles for $3K min spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee. Points rec'd June 2025. Nightmare to work with BoA - avoid in the future. Need to cancel by Feb 2026. CANCELLED 5 September 2025. Falls off of list March 2027.
- Capital One Venture Rewards. Applied 23 July 2025. Instantly approved. Card received by 1 August 2025. 75K miles for $4K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee. I applied for this card because I want to start building longer credit on more cards and I like Capital One. The points also transfer to many of my expiring mileage programs (BA, Qantas). I intend on getting the miles, then downgrading this card to the free VentureOne Rewards version, and keeping that card for a long while. To Keep - need to downgrade by June 2026; do not cancel. Falls off of list August 2027.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus. Applied 23 July 2025. Instantly approved. Card received by 1 August
2025. 40K miles for $1K spend in 3 months. $69 annual fee. I applied for
this card to reach my stretch travel goals - specifically, I can use them for inter-island flights in Hawai'i. Need to cancel by June 2026. Falls off of list August 2027.
- Open slot - for post-defense PhD travel. Ideally it will be a cc with big bonuses and maybe excellent travel insurance - a card on which to charge the expenses I incur during
travel, which will also go towards the minimum spend. Need to do some
research. Maybe Sapphire again?
Open US accounts
- Capital One Miles: opened Mar 25, 2008; keep for credit report longevity score. I use this card to charge most of my transportation costs: Uber, UberEats, and Lime auto-charges this card as a back-up payment method.
- Chase Freedom: Dec 11, 2005; keep for credit report longevity score. My gym charges to this card for add-on specialty workout classes, and Amazon auto-charges to this card.
- Capital One Venture Rewards. Opened July 2025. Downgrade in 2026 and keep long-term.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus. Opened July 2025.
New Zealand Credit Record:
Open NZ accounts
- ANZ bank Airpoints Visa Platinum: $150/year annual fee. Eligible for bonus after 1 year of not having a card open with them. Heart Foundation and Coastguard NZ auto-charge this card. Keeping this card for the good travel + medical insurance.
- SBS no fee cc. No fee, and cashback @ $1 per $150 spent. APPLIED 29 JULY 2023,
got conditional approval. Received card after a lot of rigmarole
sending bank statements and rental leases etc in Sept 2023 for $3.5K
limit. Mevo, Flamingo, Lime, Uber, UberEats, and Skinny auto-charge this card.
- Westpac no fee, no foreign fee cc. APPLIED 5 SEPT 2024 (for $500 worth of credit). Conditionally approved. Final approved 10 Oct 2014 for $3K, had to bring in my ID and documents twice. Received 23 Oct 2024.
- Wise Debit card 5 SEPT 2024. Have both physical and digital debit cards - need to add to Google pay to use digital version.
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Current Airpoints:
*Airmiles and points are usually worth between 0.009 to 0.02 (0.9 to 2 cents) each, so any points are ideally used when the normal cost of the flight divided by the # of points needed to redeem a flight work out to more than those numbers. E.g., my usual return flight to the US on United is typically ~$3000 or 80k points, giving a point value of $3,000/80,000 = 0.0375, or 3.75 cents each. This is a good test for deciding decide whether to pay for a flight or use miles.
United: 257,456 (never expire)
Delta: 43,314 (never expire)
Air NZ: 959.86 (never expire)
Hawaiian Airlines: 130,094 (never expire)
Southwest Airlines: 42,677 (never expire)
JetBlue: 58,353 (never expire)
Alaska Air: 73,305 (never expire)
American: 181,633 (exp Nov 2026)
Qantas: 34,483 (expire June 2026). Book AirBnB via Qantas site to earn points/renew expiry date. Or convert points from Capital One or buy 1,000 points for ~$56 AUD. Cheapest/easiest way is to buy a $10 gift card to Kobo. Currently I can get a round trip ticket to
Christchurch, Wellington using 16K points, or Queenstown for $40 NZD
using up 24K points (it doesn't give good value for the points!).
Singapore Krisflyer: 49,800 (expire June 2026 - MUST USE OR LOSE by booking a flight.)
British Airways: 162,434 Avios (exp Dec 2027; 36 months from activity; can convert points via Capital One)
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ALL ABOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE
In terms of credit cards, the Chase Sapphire Reserve apparently offers the
"best" travel and medical insurance for trips? But maybe not because
apparently there are major exclusions and also only $2500 worth of
coverage? I will likely need a separate medical travel insurance policy for most trips anyways. (More about travel insurance: one, two, three).
Blue Geo. It looks like my ANZ airpoints card
has unlimited medical insurance and travel coverage
up to 90 days of travel, with a $200 deductible. NZ citizens have
reciprocal medical agreements with UK and Australia, so no travel
insurance is needed when traveling to those countries.
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TRAVEL GAME PLAN (2025 - 26)
Upcoming Travel:
--NZ Summer/Fall 2026 Celebratory Post-Hand In, Pre-Defense Trip (Northland NZ + Rarotonga -- use Qantas + Air NZ points)
--Sept 2026 Post-PhD Trip to: Island (Hawai'i) + Iceland + London + France Trip
CC application plan:
2025
2025 update: Opened Southwest and Cap One Venture cc's in July 2025.
FlyerTalk Forum
To accrue a diverse array of useful points, esp ones with companion fares, here are my top options for cc's to apply for in 2025 and beyond, in preparation for future travel:
Some options:
- United Explorer Mileage Plus Explorer:
Applied 25 May 2022, supposedly pre-approved by Chase, but they gave me
a "we need more time to process your request" notice when I applied.
60K miles for $3K spend in first 3 months. No annual fee first year, $95
thereafter. Denied 26 May 2022 due to "Too many requests for credit or
opened accounts with us." (I only have 1 cc from Chase right now). Need
to wait 30 days then apply again, as I applied for the Chase Sapphire on
22 May and got denied due to it not being 48 months since I rec'd my
last CS bonus.
- United Club Infinite card: $5K spend for 100K points.
$525 annual fee. United Club membership to lounges. Two free passes to
lounges. $100 statement credit for TSA PreCheck fees (mine expires in
2024). 1st and 2nd bags free. Good card to get before traveling.
- United Quest card:
$4K spending for 70K points. $250 annual fee. Preapproved through my
United account. 1st and 2nd bags free. Good card to get before
traveling.
- American Express Gold card:
75K membership rewards points targeted offer (normally 60K points; need
to go through pre-approval process) for $4K spend in 6 months (not
three months as usual). $250 annual fee. These can be converted to Delta
(1:1); Avios (450:250 ratio); Singapore KrisFlyer miles (450:250
ratio), Qantas miles (450:250 ratio).
- Chase Sapphire Preferred: 80K
points for $4K spend in 3 mo. $95 annual fee. Eligible again: ~Sept
2022. Need to wait 48 months after meeting award spending to apply
again. Denied in May 2022. Can try again after 30 days.
- Citi Premier card: 60K points for $600 in gift cards or travel rewards for a $4K spend in first 3 months.
2026 plan: My PhD submission will take place in 2025, and then I have a year-long post-doc that ends in Sept 2026. Then - I'm free
to do what I want with no job obligations!
I want to take a sabbatical
from my job/life. I want to go to the islands! Cook Islands, Rarotonga, Samoa, Bali, Tahiti, wherever! Just
serious R&R. I am happiest in a tropical setting, in a shaded
lounger with an ocean to play in in front of me, a warm breeze and hot
sunshine, drinks in hand, fresh, healthy food on the menu, with hikes
and other activities to beautiful/interesting places available, and
plenty of free time to do it all in. Potential itinerary:
Auckland --> Rarotonga <--> Aitutaki --> Auckland (or sub in
Niue, Samoa, or New Caledonia for the destination). I should have
enough AirNZ miles (and saved up travel funds of $5K) to cover a very
nice, relaxing trip.
Post post-doc, it is time for serious travel. Islands + Iceland & Europe top my bucket list, but since I'm getting older, the idea of doing a big Europe backpacking trip (or any trip) alone is getting less and less appealing. If I can find someone to do it with me, I'd now want to do it in semi-luxury. Meaning: more expensive. I'd want to get a private room in a quiet hostel now, take the first-class, private bunks on the train, travel slowly, etc. rather than save a few bucks by bunking with a dozen 20-somethings and sleeping upright clutching my belongings. For Iceland, I'd want similar, but a big driving tour with a rugged vehicle to get to out of the way places, or maybe even a Winnebago campavan thing. I'd even consider taking a trip with a tour group now (actually maybe not, that sounds awful!).
Alternately, if the US has recovered from covid, I'd love to do a big driving tour of North America--USA, Canada, Mexico, as well as other places in Central America.
I have saved up $5K for a local-to-NZ trip to Raro and $13K NZD for a big trip post-PhD and post-post-doc. Current ideas are to do an island tour: Hawai'i, rest & move back to the US, stay with my parents for a respite and to apply for jobs, then head over to Iceland for 3 weeks or so before coming back to NZ and looking for a new job. All I want to do is have a few adventures and rest my weary brain and body after a grueling PhD and post-doc before having to get back on the treadmill again.
*2023 update: friend I banked all of the airpoints for is pregnant, so I need to find another use for those, and another travel companion. She is the perfect travel partner so I'm a bit disappointed I won't get to celebrate the end of my PhD with her and travel together again in the near future.
Potential Islands + Iceland Itinerary:
Auckland --> Honolulu --> Maui --> Hilo --> Kauai --> Honolulu --> Mainland (Home Base USA) <--> see friends in Boston/DC --> Boston/NYC/NJ/DC airport --> Iceland <--> London --> France --> London --> Mainland (Home Base USA)
Details:
I can fly to Hawaii from Auckland using 40K Hawaiian miles, and then use my Hawaiian or Southwest miles to fly around the islands. Each flight will cost 7.5K Hawaiian airmiles or 4556 southwest miles, and there are four flights (30K HI miles; 18,224 Southwest, each).
*I'd like to pay for my friend's flights using miles as much as possible, as she is just as skint as me, and it will be vastly more fun if she comes! If she is able to get to a West Coast US hub from her home in Canada, I can also use my airmiles to get her to/from Honolulu, either from Seattle, San Fran, or LA, using ~35K Hawaiian miles.
To get myself back to my parents' house on the East Coast from HNL, I cannot use Hawaiian or Southwest miles, as these airlines do not fly near my hometown.
I'll stay a while in my hometown. Accrue and use some JetBlue miles to see East Coast friends in Boston, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and DC.
After visiting my friend in Boston, I can fly directly from there to Iceland on Iceland Air. I can use 30K Alaska Air miles
for Iceland air flights:
https://www.icelandair.com/frequent-flyer/benefits/redeem-points/. (This
is why I need to get the Alaska Airlines cc). I could also use Singapore miles, again hopefully having enough to again fly a friend over with me. I want to thoroughly explore so I am hoping to do a 10-14 day trip around.
I have a friend in London and he has been begging me and another friend to visit him, and British Airways allows a free stopover in London. Stopovers can be as long as I'd like, which is perfect. I'll stay in London at his place for a few days to a week. I'm also sure
I can use his place as a home base if I end up flying around Europe!
Paris, Madrid, Rome, or Berlin, anyone? Maybe I will go visit my Dad's
side of the family to finally meet them! So, I will likely take one
airline to Iceland and one airline back to DC or New Jersey / NYC. Try https://www.seatspy.com/ Seat Spy to find BA reward seats.
Then I'll fly back home using American, JetBlue, Delta, or United...one of the US airlines. Shouldn't be too expensive or cost too many points, almost everywhere on the East Coast is easy to fly to/from.
Itinerary:
Home --> Boston
Boston --IcelandAir--> KEF
KEF --BritishAir--> London
London <--?train?--> France
London --BritishAir--> NYC/DC
NYC/DC --> Home
Then, after that grand adventure, I hope I will be starting to be refreshed after my hellish, Trumpish pandemic PhD. I'll start looking for jobs at that point, and spend my time taking fun courses to upskill, get in shape again, helping out my family, and volunteering. I particularly want to learn how to draw/paint/watercolor, code, use Adobe software, GIS, increase my Spanish fluency, take a ToastMasters course, and take a ton of fun dance/stretch/workout classes, as well as dive into therapy more. Crossed fingers a good, well paying, flexible job comes up in NZ sometime thereafter!
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NEEDS FOR THE ABOVE PLANS:
Current
goal: accrue points for US trips, 2026 South Pacific islands travel,
and 2026 Hawaii + Iceland trip. Need to do a cost-point analysis for all
flights/points schemes - maybe through Miles and More and/or Point.Me, however, it looks like I still need:
Southwest: 42,677 - DONE but apply for more cc's for stretch goals
- ~22K for inter-island Hawai'i flights: DONE
- ~5.5K HNL <--> KOA, OGG, LIH each way, wanna get away plus fares
- Can
go Big Island, then Maui, then Kauai'i and back to HNL for ~22K points.
- *Stretch goal: 22K more for friend's interisland flights
- *Extra stretch goal: need 47K more for friend's flight to/from SFO or LAX
Singapore Krisflyer: 57K - DONE but can apply for more cc's if these are lowest miles spend
- 17.5K miles to fly HNL --> Hometown US DONE
- 27.5K miles to fly Hometown US --> Iceland via EWR DONE
- Also look at Singapore air
points, 19.5K for a West Coast --> HI flight. DONE
- Convert other Chase/Citi/AMEX/Capital One points to Krisflyer points if these are the lowest miles spend available.
- Here is how to find award flights on Singapore Air. Link 2.
British Airways Avios: 162,434 - DONE but can apply for more cc's if they are lowest spend
- ~27K miles to fly Iceland --> East Coast US w/ a stopover in London to see friend: DONE
- stretch goal: 27K more to get friend from Iceland to East Coast. DONE
- can convert Capital One points to Avios at a 1:1 ratio.
- *Look into converting Capital One Venture points to BA Avios to
cover West Coast --> Hawaii flights for friend. Reportedly 13K miles
for flights instead of 35K Hawaiian miles. DONE
- can convert AMEX Membership Rewards points to BA Avios at 1:1 ratio.
- cc to apply for: British Airways Visa Signature card.
100K points for $5K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee. 10% BA flights
booked through specific website link. $100 statement credit for flight
to London. (latter two perks to be redeemed to get friend a cheaper
flight). Card eligibility: cannot have card or have rec'd bonus in past
24 months.
HawaiianMiles: 130,094 - DONE but can apply for more cc's
- 40K miles to fly from Auckland to Honolulu: DONE
- 35K miles to fly friend to/from West Coast and Honolulu, round trip: DONE but probably can use Krisflyer or BA Avios for cheaper flights.
- can convert AMEX Membership Rewards points to HI miles at a 1:1 ratio.
- cc to apply for: Hawaiian Mastercard. 60K miles for $2K spend. Eligible in 24 months. (From when?)
Air NZ: 928.89 - NOT DONE
- ~750 airpoints to get to Honolulu from Auckland one-way
- ~1000 airpoints to get round trip to Rarotonga (Cook Islands)
- Aitutaki round trip to/from Rarotonga: to be booked on Air Rarotonga
JetBlue: 58K - DONE
- ~40K
points to fly to cities directly from hometown to see J (~20K
roundtrip). May also be able to use other cc
points to fly on other airlines for same/better rates, so need to check
around. DONE
- Can convert AMEX Membership Rewards points to JetBlue at a 250:200 ratio.
- JetBlue Plus card: 60K points for $1K spend in 3 mo. $99 annual fee.
- JetBlue Business card: 80K points for $2K spend in 3 mo. $99 annual fee.
- Applied
Sept 29. conditional approval but got letter needing my ID too late so
they closed my app. Tried applying again and was instantly rejected. Not
sure what is going on?!
- Oct 2024: finally approved!! Just need to spend $1K in 3 mo and bank 50K points
- 50K points awarded 24 Dec 2024.
Alaska Air: 73K miles - DONE + Stretch Goal: DONE
- 30K miles to fly from East Coast US --> Iceland as they code-share with IcelandAir
- 17.5K miles to fly from HNL --> Vancouver for friend. Extra stretch goal.
United: always need more points - apply for more cc's
- 80K+ miles to fly round trip US and back to NZ. Best choice for US-NZ flights.
- cc: United Explorer Mileage Plus Explorer: 60K for $3K spend in 3 mo; $95 annual fee waived first year.
- United Club Infinite:
$5K for 100K points. $525 annual fee. United Club membership to lounges. Two free passes to
lounges. $100 statement credit for TSA PreCheck fees (mine expires in
2024). 1st and 2nd bags free. Good card to get before traveling.
- United Quest card: $4K for 70K points in 3 mo. $250 annual fee.
American: always need more points - apply for more cc's if needed
- 80K+ miles to fly round trip US and back. CC bonuses available from:
Delta: always need more points - apply for more cc's if eligible
- 90K+
miles to fly round trip US and back to NZ. Best used for flights w/i
US.
- cc's: the AMEX Membership Rewards points transfer 1:1 to
Delta, however, you can receive the bonus points only once per lifetime.
- AMEX Gold: 75K for $4K in 3 mo. $250 annual fee.
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Airline Conversion Partners / Good cc's to earn points
- Citi Thank You points: Singapore, Qantas, JetBlue
- Capital One Rewards Miles: BA, Qantas, Singapore
- Chase Ultimate Rewards: United, BA, Singapore, JetBlue
- American Express Membership Rewards: US: Delta, Hawaiian, Singapore, BA, JetBlue, Qantas; NZ: Air NZ
- US: AMEX Gold: 75K for $4K in 3 mo. $250 annual fee.
- NZ: AMEX platinum, spend $1.5K in first 3 months, get 500 Air NZ miles. Applied in 2022.
- They
all can be converted to Singapore KrisFlyer at a 1:1 ratio, then used
on any Star Alliance and many other airlines, like Air NZ. Here is how to find award flights on Singapore Air. But BEWARE - Krisflyer points expire 3 years after they are earned, with only one chance to extend the expiry by 6 months.
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Manufactured Spending Tips:
Can buy VISA gift cards at Staples to meet min spend, get 5X points, and liquidate via Walmart BillPay). Here are other tips for applying. Could also loan $$ to Kiva and pull out cash after 1 round. Also plan to charge work expenses to the card and get reimbursed. Here is the full guide to Manufactured Spending.
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Since Chase has some god-awful new rule about opening more than 5
credit cards every 2 years, plus you now have to wait 48 months between bonus awards for cards in the Chase Sapphire family in order to qualify again. I have to be much more careful now. I need to figure out how
many I've applied for and keep track of my cc apps:
CREDIT CARD HISTORY AND TRACKING LOG
2025
US
- Capital One Venture Rewards.
Applied 23 July 2025. Instantly approved. Card received by 1 August
2025. 75K miles for $4K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee. I applied for
this card because I want to start building longer credit on more cards
and I like Capital One. The points also transfer to many of my expiring
mileage programs (BA, Qantas). I intend on getting the miles, then
downgrading this card to the free VentureOne Rewards version, and
keeping that card for a long while. Need to cancel by June 2026.
- Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus. Applied 23 July 2025. Instantly approved. Card received by 1 August
2025. 40K miles for $1K spend in 3 months. $69 annual fee. I applied for
this card to reach my stretch travel goals - specifically, I can use them for inter-island flights in Hawai'i. Need to cancel by June 2026.
NZ
2024
US
I didn't apply for any cc's in 2024. Removed from 5/24 cc list:
- British Airways Visa Signature card approved 7 Dec 2022. 75K points for $5K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee. Spend to be applied to Nov US trip for family wedding for 3 people. (Was DENIED Alaska Air card (50K points for $2K spend, $75 annual fee) on Dec 6 2022.) Points awarded on Feb 17 2023. Need to cancel by end Nov 2024. CLOSED 19 June 2023. Remove from list Dec 2024.
NZ
Applied and received:
- Westpac no fee, no foreign fee cc. APPLIED 5 SEPT 2024
(for $500 worth of credit). Conditionally approved. Final approved 10
Oct 2014 for $3K, had to bring in my ID and documents twice. Received 23
Oct 2024.
- Wise Debit card 5 SEPT 2024. Have both physical and digital debit cards - need to add to Google pay to use digital version.
Applied and rejected:
- AMEX no fee cc. It
offers 1 Air NZ airpoint per $100 spent, with a bonus 50 airpoints with
a $750 spend in the first 3 months. APPLIED 24 AUG 2024. REJECTED 30 AUG 2024. They
do not include my stipend or any other 'non-payslip' income in my total
income, and plus I probably have too much credit available in the above
two credit cards, so therefore I was rejected. I give up on this for
now. I will use my ANZ airpoints and then close that credit card - I do
not want to pay for the annual fee any longer.
2023
US - no cc's applied for
NZ
Applied and received:
SBS no fee cc. No fee, and cashback @ $1 per $150 spent. APPLIED 29 JULY 2023,
got conditional approval. Received card after a lot of rigmarole
sending bank statements and rental leases etc in Sept 2023 for $3.5K
limit.
Applied and rejected:AMEX no fee cc. It
offers 1 Air NZ airpoint per $100 spent, with a bonus 50 airpoints with
a $750 spend in the first 3 months. This is a BETTER RATE than the cc I
currently have, which offers 1 Air NZ airpoint per $110 spent!! and the
fee is $150/year. Why? APPLIED 29 JULY 2023, should find out if
I'm approved in 5-10 biz days. Verdict: rejected. Need to apply again
after getting rid of high limit ANZ card.
2022
US
- Capital One Venture Miles Rewards: applied
26 May 2022. 75K points for $4K min spend in 3 mo. $95 annual fee. Can
convert points to miles (Avios, Qantas). APPROVED 26 May 2022. Need to cancel by end April 2023. Remove from list June 2024. [Applied
for Chase Sapphire (22 May 2022; denied - not 48 mo since last bonus
awarded) and then Chase United Explorer (25 May 2022; denied - applied
for too many cards too close in a row). So applied for this card on
26 May 2022]
- Applied Alaska Air cc, 50K points for $2K spend, $75 annual fee. applied 5 Dec 2022. denied.
- British Airways Visa Signature card approved 7 Dec 2022.
100K points for $5K spend in 3 months. $95 annual fee. Spend to be applied to Nov US trip for family wedding for 3 people. (Was DENIED Alaska Air card (50K points for $2K spend, $75 annual fee) on Dec 6 2022.) Need to cancel by end Nov 2024. Remove from list Dec 2024. CLOSED June 19 2023 by accident.
- Alaska Airlines Visa Signature card applied & APPROVED 30 Sept 2023. 60K points for $3K spend in
first 3 months (by end 2023). $95 annual fee. Need to cancel by end Aug
2024. NOPE - they closed my card due to "fraud" ??? V. odd.
- JetBlue Plus card awaiting
approval 30 Sept 2023. 40K points for $1K spend in first 3 months. $99
annual fee. They also needed me to verify my identity but I got the
letter requesting IDs too late and they closed my application. Oh well.
NZ
- AMEX platinum,
spend $1.5K in first 3 months, get 500 Air NZ miles. Eligible for NZ
AMEX bonus in June 2021 (closed AMEX account 4 November
2019); eligible for bonuses 18 months after closing date of last
statement on card: "Card Members who currently hold or who have
previously held any other Card product offered by American Express
International (NZ), Inc. in the preceding 18 month period are ineligible
for this offer."). Applied 26 May 2022. asked for follow up info that I didn't supply.
2021
US
- CLOSED; Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic: opened 25 Sept 2018 CLOSED Sept 2021 by Synchrony Bank
- Barclay AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard: Applied
25 July 2021 via Barclay. Approved instantly. 60K miles for first
purchase within 90 days (DONE), $99 annual fee waived first year. Points awarded 24 August 2021. Need to cancel by end June 2022. CLOSED 8 June 2022. Remove from list 1 August 2023.
- Barclay Hawaiian Airlines Bank of Hawaii World Elite Mastercard: Applied 25 July 2021 via Barclay. Approved 26 July. 70K miles for $2K spend in first 90 days, $99 annual fee. Need to cancel by end June 2022. Total spent as of 30 Sept: $2033 (100+%). Points rewarded 24 Oct. 2021. CLOSED 29 June 2022. Remove from list 1 August 2023.
2021 goals
The only travel for this year will be (at most) to the US to see my family. I will need to secure a place in MIQ before I can do that, though. I am trying to finish up my PhD and hand in my thesis mid-2023.
- Book US travel (flights to US done (but keep getting cancelled, flights back to NZ not done)
Book MIQ isolation hotel for 2 weeks after return to NZ. NO LONGER NEEDED
- Apply for new cc for trip
and use to book MIQ hotel.
Cancel Southwest card before April 2021. DONE. Cancelled 11 Mar 2021.
Barclay's AAdvantage Business (American Air): $1K spend for 65K points. $95 annual fee. AAdvantage® Aviator® World Elite Business Mastercard. Applied for 60K points for first purchas. Hawaiian airlines redo: 70K miles for $2K. Applied. $2K for 70K points and $99 annual fee.
Update: I did not travel in 2021.
2020
US
- CLOSED: Southwest Airlines: Applied
April 10 2020. Approved instantly. 40K points for $1K spend in first 3
months. $69 annual fee. Used to buy home office equipment. Points
awarded May 2020. Need to cancel end March 2021. CANCELED March 11 2021. Removed from list May 2022.
2020 Goals:
Use United points built up during 2019 spending. I'll apply
for maybe a BA card or something to get me around Iceland and Europe, as I plan to
do a big trip before moving back to the US in 2023. Assuming the world
hasn't ended by then...
--US work trip to Arizona, tack on 1 week trip home afterward.
Will need to use airmiles to get from AZ to East Coast and from East
Coast to the West Coast (work will pay for me to a) get to AZ and b) get
from the West Coast to NZ). canceled due to COVID
--Try to cancel AMEX card--ask for them to match this offer: 200 airpoints for sign on bonus ($195 annual fee, need to cancel card and wait 2 years to be eligible for sign on bonus).
--Accrue airmiles for a 2024 trip to Iceland/Europe. I have a lot of options for which cards to apply for:
Southwest (40K points for $1K spend),
2019
US
1. Chase Ink Business Preferred. 80K points for $5K spending in 3 months. 23 July = app date. 29 July = account added to online accounts. June 29 2020 = award miles added to United account.
2019 Goals:
Use 80K United points for 2019 US trip. Update: 40K
was used for 2019; there were no award flights in March for 3 +/- weeks
around my ideal travel date in Sept, so I bit the bullet and paid $1K
NZD for my ideal return flight, rather than 1. cut my US trip and time
with my parents short or 2. have to ask for 2 months off of work for the
second year in a row.Downgrade Chase Sapphire Reserve or cancel by May 2019 to avoid the annual fee ($450 annual fee). Update:
no--use $300 travel credit in June, THEN xfer air points and cancel
card. Update 2: Card is cancelled as of June 2019, after using up the
$300 travel credit.- Check all airmiles statuses and re-up in
June and
November. For Hawaiian, either buy 500 miles or make sure I do an online
survey to renew the date, or do a survey when in the US. Wipe sister's fraud off of my 3 credit reports. Sister
opened card and added me as authorized user August 2018. In the process
of removing this from my credit reports as this counts as an opened
account and counts against my Chase 5/24 limit. Feb 9 2019: my credit reports are now clean of this record.- In
mid-July 2019: applied for Chase Ink Business preferred for 80K points
for 5K spending in 3 months. Applied 23 July, account added online by 29
July. Earned 85K points on 22 Sept 2019.
2018
US
1. I applied for a card at
Barclay Elite Mastercard AAdvantage that gives 60K points with first purchase and $95 annual fee on 3
December 2017. UPDATE 19 Dec: they asked for proof of address; I sent
that in; should be approved within 30 days. Called and got approved 16 January 2018. Points awarded Feb 2018. to cancel after July 2018 credit card app. Sent notice of closure message on 5 August 2018.
2. On 30 May 2018, I applied for chase Sapphire reserve that gives 50K airmiles for $4K spend in 3 months; $300 travel credit; $100 towards Global Entry app; $450 annual fee. Will use for LASIK charge of $5800 NZD to meet min spend. Approved 5-7 June; activated card 22 June. Met spending requirement $4K with LASIK. Eligible for Chase Sapphire again: ~August 2022.
3. On 25 Sept 2018, I applied for an Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic card to save $300 on a shop. This was not the plan and out of the ordinary--my dad has leukemia and I think I was slightly out of it when I agreed--I definitely forgot about my CC Plan and the 5/24 rule.
Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic opened 25 Sept 2018.
2017
US
1.
Chase Ink Business Preferred. Applied for 3 April 2017, approved 12 April 2017. $5K spend for 80K Chase points done and earned by July 2017. DONE.
2016
US
1. Dec 21 2016: Applied for
Chase United Mileage Plus Explorer for 50K points for a $2K spend. DONE.
2.
Hawaiian Airlines World Elite Mastercard. Applied 23 July 2016. 50K points for $1K spend in next 3 months. Instantly approved. DONE.
CLOSED: Barclay's US Bank/HI card: Jul 23, 2016
15 July 2016. DENIED DUE TO TOO MANY OPEN CARDS IN PAST 2 YEARS:
Chase MileagePlus Explorer: $2K min spend for 50K airmiles.
2015
US
1. Chase Sapphire Preferred (min. spend met! 45K points). Opened July 17 2015; Points awarded October 2015
2.
LANpass Visa Signature (min. spend met! Sept 2015; 20K points) Opened Aug 2015; Points awarded October 2015; CANCELLED May 2016
3. Chase
Explorer Business ($2K min. spend; applied Oct 11 2015; APPROVED 14
October; 50K points) Min. spend met November 2015. Points awarded Dec
2015. CANCELLED May 2016; Re-eligible Dec 2017 [Note: Biz cards apparently don't count towards the 5/24 rule.]
New Zealand
ANZ Air NZ airpoints card. Cancel by Oct 2016
Qantas ANZ Visa Platinum:
applied Nov 13 2015. (20K points; $1K NZD min. spend; apply by 31 Dec;
first year fee waived). Approved 25 November 2015. Min spend half met
mid-December. Cancel by nov 2016
2014
AMEX Delta SkyMiles opened Sept 2014
Citibank AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard opened Nov 2014 (closed 17 Oct 2015)
Barclays US Airways Premier World opened Aug 2014
AMEX Delta SkyMiles Business opened Sept 2014
2013
Chase United Mileage Plus Explorer Business (reward: Sept 2013)
Chase United Mileage Plus Explorer (Reward: April 2013)
2012
Chase British Airways
2011
Chase United Mileage Plus
Chase Sapphire Preferred
Closed accounts:
- Churnable now as bonus was awarded >24 months ago:
- Chase British Airways: opened July 2012; second wave of bonus points hit
account maybe July 2013; closed June 2014. Eligible for bonus after July
2015.
- Churnable at a later date?/After a few years/account closure:
- Unchurnable (aka You're Dead To Me):
- AMEX Delta SkyMiles: opened Sept 2014. CLOSED
- AMEX Delta SkyMiles Business: opened Sept 2014; CLOSED SEPT 2015
Other closed accounts (for record-keeping):
- Barclays US Airways Premier World: opened August 2014; CLOSED OCT 2015
- Citibank
AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard: opened Nov 2014; CLOSED
OCT 2015; Eligible 24 months after account closure, in November 2017.
- CLOSED: Chase Ink Biz: Apr 3, 2017. 80K points earned July 2017. Eligible for bonus July 2019. Remove from list July 2019.
- CLOSED: Barclays AAdvantage card: December 3, 2017 (approved 16 Jan 2018) AAdvantage
that
gives 60K points with first purchase and $95 annual fee on 3
December 2017. Called 16 Jan and got approved. POINTS awarded Feb 15
2018. Close after approvals for 2 cards in May & September 2018.
Sent message to close account 5 Aug 2018; account finally closed January 2019. Remove from list Jan 2020.
- Chase Ink Biz: Reapplied 23 July 2019. Accepted by 29 July. Need to spend $5K by 23 Oct
for 80K points. Re-eligible
24 months from bonus awarded. Advice sites say it does NOT count toward
my 5/24 count (but they check that before they approve your app--it just
doesn't count going forward for other Chase card apps) Bonus received
22 September 2019. CANCELLED 21 June 2020. Eligible for bonus again in October 2021.
- Chase United Explorer - applied 29 June 2022. 60K points for $3K in 3 mo. $0 annual fee for first year. Activated 31 July 2022. [Applied for JetBlue Plus Mastercard: applied 25 June 2022. 50K points for $1K min spend in 3 mo. $99 annual fee. check status. (Was DENIED
JetBlue World Elite Business card, applied 21 June 2022, 80K points for
$2K spend in 3 mo, $99 annual fee - not sure of reason).] CLOSED 20 JUNE 2023. Remove from list August 2024.
