Giving in to the MR Ecosystem

[Caught750]

I feel like I’ve kept going back and forth on this but a few things kinda tipped the scale. Warning; this post may be on the longer side. I’m also completely open to input and thoughts on my thinking and plans going forward.

-My family is growing, by the end of the summer (between DW and I and my in laws) we will have 3 boys within a year and a half of age. We will also be traveling together quite a bit and my brother in law is FULLY invested in the MR ecosystem (like Black Card FULLY invested in MR). Being able to redeem for the same flights and hotels weighs on this decision for sure.
-AmEx has some difficulties (their harder to use credits primarily) but they’re easier to complete a bi/tri/quad-fecta with
-Horrible Marriott experiences in the past
-Fantastic Hilton experiences
-Delta is a great airline (IMHO) and I can easily get behind a company that treats their employees the way Delta does (I also have plenty of points in other currencies for short little trips UA, AA, JetBlue)

Unfortunately I also really like Hyatt and they are my favorite hotel chain. That said the small footprint makes it difficult. I suppose I could take advantage of the Chase Shopping Portal for some of the higher multipliers or just use my AR for Hyatt stays. To this end; AR will stay and I have the Hyatt card. Hyatt free night+AR credit+25k UR per year will cover most of if not all of a 3 night stay yearly.

My plan is;
-Gold Card (already have) for 4x
-BBP (already have) for the rest
-Hilton Surpass or Aspire (already have Aspire) depending on whether travel is domestic or international
-Delta Platinum (will get after closing on house) for companion certificate
-I also have an Everyday that can upgrade to EDP but I don’t think I’d benefit enough vs the super simple Gold and BBP duo
-I don’t believe that our spend would justify the Platinum unless gift cards came back.

Thanks if you made it this far. Like I said completely open to thoughts and input. Also I could do Biz versions of Delta or Hilton if there’s a good reason to. I have no need to hide utilization though.

[Brian_Earl_Spilner]

Sounds like you've pretty much made up your mind and all you have to do is move your spend over. Not sure what feedback you're looking for. 

[Caught750]

Thanks Brian, mostly making sure I haven’t overlooked something!

[Brian_Earl_Spilner]

You can add skymiles shopping, skymiles dining, and rakuten to boost MR and skymiles earnings.

[Caught750]

Good call! I do have Rakuten and have like 10k points coming and I linked Lyft. I’ll add dining and shopping to the list for sure!

[Anonymous]

I don't think "eco-systems" really matter.  I like using all the systems.

[Caught750]

Chiclet, They don’t matter as much for cash back, ignoring minimum redemption amounts, but they do matter somewhat when it comes to transfer partners. Spend spread too thinly never equates to much. Also who has which travel partners is a consideration.

[redpat]

PC to no AF Hilton, close or PC US Altitude Reserve and get Amex Plat.  Hilton gold is just as good as diamond and you will have delta lounges among many other lounge access that is better than Altitude.  The card will pay for itself if you travel a lot plus 5x on airfare. 

If you are going all in on MR then you really don't need your other cards with AFs and get one of the best travel cards that matches your travel with the airline that you are going to fly since you are getting a delta card.

I tried Hyatt too and gave up.  As you said "Their footprint is too small."

[Caught750]

Redpat, I 100% agree with your summary. It’s a plan, just not a plan today. For a year or two I’ll build points with Gold and BBP. We can do some small not flight related trips now but it’ll be a year or two until the kids will be on a plane. Once they’re old enough to take or old enough to leave with family for long enough to justify air travel the Platinum will be coming.

I’ll be sure to snatch up a sweet little 75-100k SUB for it too!