January 2016: 220,000 Points, 4 Cards
Category : Uncategorized
2015 Ended strong, with over a million miles and points earned via credit card sign-ups. To match that, or overcome that, I need to start off 2016 strong.
I managed to get my hands on a coveted American Express Business Platinum 100,000 sign-up bonus. Because AMEX merges credit pulls, I was also able to apply for two more cards: the Hilton Surpass (80,000 points), and Everyday Preferred (15,000).
Finally, because Bank of America allows you to earn the bonus on their products multiple times a year, I applied for another Alaska Airlines card, 25,000 points.
Unfortunately, all of these cards carry an annual fee. The Alaska cards annual fee is $75, but there is a backdoor method to receive 25,000 bonus points and $100 statement credit after spending $1,000 in three months, giving you a net gain of $25.
Here’s the total haul and rationale for applying for each card:
| Card | Sign-Up | Minimum Spend Requirement | Annual Fee | Other Benefits | Rationale |
| Everyday Preferred | 15,000 | $1,000 | $95 | 30 purchases a month = 50% bonus up to $6,000 a calendar year | After one year can downgrade to no-fee version and still have the ability to earn and transfer Membership Rewards to travel partners. |
| Platinum Business | 100,000 | 10,000 | $450, but $200 airline credit | Nothing particularly useful for me except the $200 airline fee credit | After earning the bonus, may cancel card for pro-rated annual fee. |
| Hilton Surpass | 80,000 | 3,000 | $75 | Access to more AMEX offers | Hilton Diamond this year; Hilton points are easy to come by & this card will jumpstart my Hilton balance. |
| Alaska Airlines | 25,000 | None | $75 | $100 statement credit after spending $1,000 | Very useful points (and easy to earn) |
Here are non-affiliated links for these above offers, except the Platinum Business, which is targeted:
- American Express Everyday Preferred – 15,000 points; open this in Private Browsing or Chrome Incognito for possibility of 25,000 point offer.
- American Express Hilton Surpass – 80,000 points; open this in Private Browsing or Chrome Incognito.
- Bank of America Alaska Airlines – 25,000 points, $100 statement credit
-The Miner
Tomorrow, on Mining for Miles, “Credit Card Churning 101”
