@olivia3636 wrote:I am trying to figure out which credit cards will provide the most benefit for airline perks. I currently travel almost exclusively with United, but I sometimes fly Delta internationally. If it makes sense then I will apply for airline specific cards for both airlines, but would like some feedback. Ideally if I am going to apply for the United branded card I would like the United MileagePlus Club Card.
Below are my credit stats:
Credit Utilization: 35%
Experian: 786
Equifax: 786
Transunion: 787
Income: approx $160K
Inquiries: 0
Credit Cards / Limits:
NFCU: $25,000
Capital One Venture: $3,500
Capital One Quicksilver: $1,800
So my questions are:
(1) Is my credit utilization too high to apply for cards right now?
(2) Which cards would be best considering I fly United and want the perks of no baggage fees and club access, specifically with United?
(3) If I am going to apply for more than one card should I do it all at once or space them out?
(4) What type of credit limit do you think I will get when I apply for the cards?
1) With your scores, it's probably not an issue with either Chase or AMEX. Both their co-branded cards, United and Delta, are relatively easy to get. The APR and beginning CL with Delta may be higher APR, lower CL, but those can both be fixed over time, and I only bring that up to not get hopes up too high. There should be no issue getting these cards, and perhaps no issue on reasonable CL to begin with.
2) If you fly United regularly, one of the Chase cards is good. The Explorer card currently has a 30,000 mile bonus for $1k spend, but I've got my second mailer this year for the Explorer, 50,000 miles after $3k spend. The Explorer card may be good to start with, because it has no AF the first year, no FTF, gets early boarding and a free checked bag, and two Club passes per year, so along with earning some miles it gets you off to a good start. The Club card may be worth considering, but I don't know if they run any miles for spend promotions. There don't seem to be any right now, just a cash back bonus. You can also consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which is a more general travel card, doesn't directly benefit you on United trips, but it has a 40,000 point bonus running, and those 40,000 points can be transferred to United.
The Delta cards from AMEX have good perks for direct Delta usage. I've got the Delta Gold card, and even though I'm no longer Silver status, it gets me the early boarding, free checked bag, and I can get in the Delta lounges for a reduced day fee if I choose. The Delta Silver AMEX comes with an annual companion ticket opportunity, and if you spend enough on that card you can get miles toward a higher Medallion status. The Delta Reserve AMEX has paid access to Delta lounges. The Delta Gold card has a 60,000 miles offer that some people have been finding, though the current public offer is 30,000 miles.
With both the Delta Gold card and the United Miles Explorer card, it's a good idea to shop and wait for those larger miles bonuses to appear. You only get one shot at the AMEX bonus, and the Chase United bonus you can only get if you wait 24 months after getting rid of the last version of the card that got the miles bonus.
Another option for Delta is to get the AMEX Platinum card. That earns MR points (and there are various bonus amounts available) and those MR points can transfer to Delta. The Platinum card also provides access to Delta lounges and others around the world. Not as many lounges as a few years ago, but a substantial number of airports.
3) The timing of apps for these cards depends on your spend flow. The larger bonuses generally require $3,000 of spend in 90 days, so if you do too many apps, you may find your self trying to spend nearly $10k in 90 days 
Also, it's advisable to wait for the best miles offers to reappear, or a targeted offer to be sent to you.
Are you a member of United Mileage plan? I refreshed some old miles, and got a mailer for 50,000 miles earlier this year, that I didn't take. Then I used the Miles Dining option to post a few more miles to my United account, and got another mailer for 50,000 miles that I'm contemplating and expires August 31.
Same question for Delta, are you a SkyMiles member? They may send you or you might be able to get the 60,000 miles promo that is going around.
4) Credit limit is not easy to predict.
With Chase cards, generally the limit you get initially is your limit, although they make it easy to transfer CL between cards. So, the strategy to apply for CSP and then the United Explorer (or the other way around), and thinking about moving to the United Club card later, even if you start out with $5k limits, or less if you get the United Explorer first, you can start moving those limits to the new cards to Build Your Own CL. And as your history with Chase gets constructed, the next cards you get will have much better CL anyway.
With AMEX cards, they start some people out with $1k limits. I got a $2k limit on my Gold Delta card in 2013, because it was my first Centurion AMEX in a very long time, and my utilization was sky high and scores were 715. With AMEX, however, you can work the card with spend/pay cycles, and there is an automated on-line CLI tool, so after 61 days you can request up to 3x CLI, then again after another 6 months. I went from $2k to $3k (auto CLI because I was using the card so much, right up to $50 within the $2k limit), then $9k in November 2014, then bumped it up to $12k just in July, so you can pretty much manage to the limit you want on AMEX cards. The Platinum is a charge card, so the "limit" is based on your spend/pay history with them as far as what they will approve.
With AMEX, you can also request APR reductions. Chase seems less likely to give APR reductions, but both the Explorer and Club card have only one stated APR.
Even a few trips with Delta can pay off with the first-bag-free, and early boarding. Works the same way with United, a few trips per year is all it takes to see the benefits from each $95 card.