For 2025, my strategy for now is to just garden. In April I'll be 0/12 on new accounts/inquiries for the first time since beginning my rebuild just over 3yrs ago. I haven't asked for a CLI in about 9 months and I'm unsure on whether to bother asking for one on any of my cards. Current situation with each card is:
Discover It Chrome: $3800 CL opened 11/2021 -last CLI was $1500 3/2024. Barely gets used
C1 QS: $2300 CL opened 2/2022 - no CL movement since I moved $1200 away from this 8/2023 - barely gets used
C1 Savor (formerly SavorOne): $1000 CL - no CL movement CL since moving $3500 to VX 4/2024 - barely gets uised
Amex BCP: $5k CL - no movement since CLI denial 3/2024 . This was the 2nd CLI denial referencing the BK. BK7 still reporting for almost 3 more years but considering trying for a CLI again since it's been 9 months from the last request and I'm no longer relegated to the lowest sub offers (getting better Gold offers now). Primarily used for grocery, gas, and streaming, sometimes Lyft
C1 VX: $15k CL no CL movement since moving $3500 to it 4/2024. Used as catchall and for travel.
C1 Savor (no longer available $95AF version): $20k CL Opened 4/24. Gets nearly all my dining/entertainment spend. Not convinced C1 would give me a CLI based on my usage, utilization and total CL with them relative to income..
If I were to open a card it would still likely be something from NFCU to diversify ahead of the C1/Discover deal, but no plans immediately. On that note Merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate and WTH does it say that I'm here posting at almost 3am on Christmas morning after logging off of PC games.
@Casper476 wrote:I will be gardening in 2025 unless I decide to get a new car. I just applied for (and was approved) for two credit cards (US Bank Smartly and Fidelity Rewards) so I won't be applying for any credit cards in 2025, barring any unforeseen events in which I need the extra credit.
What kid of data did you have when you applied for Fidelity? How many recent cards and inq?
I didn’t post in the 2024 thread before it was closed, so this post is a response to my 2024 tl;dr. The below sections have what I said in my 2024 tl;dr in bold, then whether this proved true throughout the year, then ends with whether I believe this will continue in 2025. I’ll do a separate post with all of my 2025 plans.
Stay in the garden until mid-March, apply for Citi Rewards+ (and possibly one other), then go back in the garden
This has not proved true: My 2024 strategy was to apply for one or two personal cards so that I would be under 5/24 in February 2025, but I ended up opening four personal cards and will be under 5/24 in August 2025. This probably looks like a gardening fail, but it came down to the timing of selling our house and having lots of expenses with selling/moving - as much as I do want the Chase Marriott personal card, two more sign-up bonuses were worth pushing it back six more months.
For 2025: I am still looking for a Rewards+ but applied in August of this year and was denied, meanwhile I have an AAdvantage Platinum with a $13.7k limit and a Strata Premier with a $6.2k limit. I will PC the Strata Premier to Rewards+ and then the AAdvantage Plat to Strata Premier. This will give me the four (core) Citi cards that I want, all at limits I am happy with.
Focus more on earning Citi TYP through spend, given earning Amex MR through other methods and having closed Gold
This has proved true: I am still focusing much of our spend through Citi cards, ending the year with 66k Citi TYP, as well as 72k Choice Privileges, which is what I transfer points to (at 1:2 ratio). This means I can redeem at least two nights in NYC or Boston with my current Choice balance and can wait until ready to product change to Rewards+ (as mentioned above) before transferring any additional TYP. Maxing out two Custom Cash’s at $500/month gives 60k TYP per year, and I have come pretty close to the cap the majority of the time.
I’ve earned roughly 56k Amex MR overall this year, with 24k coming from Rakuten and 17k from flights earning 5X on CS Plat, leaving 15k from all other sources, mostly BBP for 2X non-category. This leaves my Amex MR balance at 171k towards the end of the year, a decent spot and pace in terms of future plans.
For 2025: Will continue the same, around 55-60k Citi TYP and Amex MR per year works out to be a great pace for both points pools, for us.
Embrace hotel cards for $20k of primarily non-category spend annually (Hilton Surpass and Best Western Premium)
This has proved true, but tweaked: Best Western Premium is no longer offered by FNBO, and while existing card holders have been grandfathered in so far, I decided to close it, didn’t want to be halfway into a spending requirement and have the terms change. However, P2 added the Sonesta card, which gives a bonus at $7.5k spend every anniversary year (very similar idea to Best Western), and we plan to keep that at least a year or two to get a feel for the system, including committing the spend.
For 2025: It will be $22.5k combined primarily non-category spend between Surpass and Sonesta, not much higher than the $20k we did in 2024. I also have the option of dedicating $10k in spend on Delta Gold Business for the $200 certificate - don’t need to do so to recoup the annual fee (nor would I have to on the Surpass for that matter), but it is an option, depending on how much non-category spend we have.
Make it easier for P2 by tracking the vast majority of our split expenses for her and keeping her system simple but strong
This has not proved true: We had been splitting our joint expenses 50/50, but we decided a few months back to go all-in on joint finances. We are already married but both of us had negative experiences in the past where a significant other was very controlling with finances, so splitting everything 50/50 worked for us for many years. In the end it was a lot of effort to track expenses, plus splitting things 50/50 meant half of our spend was much less optimized, as I enjoy juggling cards but she does not.
For 2025: This will continue, for the time being she has just been paying her bills then transferring the extra to our joint account, as more spend goes on my cards. While we’ll set-up direct deposit at some point, it certainly has been working, and not digging through account activity has been great!
P2 
P2 Future 
Chopping Block 
@Aim_High wrote:It's that time again for what has become a standing My FICO tradition. We're almost into the last two weeks of 2024, so it's time to consider our credit and financial plans for 2025!
As we approach the new year, and with the goal of making credit changes a premeditated and mindful decision, what are the planned changes for your card lineup in 2025?
'25 credit goals: Maintain access to a zero or low-rate purchase APR CC covering 2025 and into 2026.
'25 New accts: App for BofA UCR and Citi Costco.
Existing accounts: Challenge myself to close PPMC and possibly PenFed & Synchrony AMZN.
As my credit goals simply, it's easier to meet them. Fortunately, my credit standing is good (and I'm over app sprees). I pick up one or two cards every 18-24 months to maintain access to low-rate purchasing power.
In a perfect world, a five card wallet wld work: BofA UCR/CCR duo, AMEX BCE, a 2% CU card and a versatile travel card. I'll get there eventually, but it'll take time to breakup with longstanding accounts. Let' see what happens in 2025!
2025 is definitely the year of trimming for me. Need to consolidate Chase cards and get rid of a few others as well.
My 2025 strategy/goal is to get off my tushy and update my signature with all the unplanned things I did in 2024!!! (IHG card, NFCU Flagship card, Smartly card, etc.)
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