Setting your *2022* Card Strategy

[Anonymous]

My only cc strategy was to do only sp cli this year and I accomplished getting all my sp cli.

[Pworld]

Getting back into the rewards game. After making a strong comeback this year, paying off balances and hitting the 800 club.

Just got approved for Amex Platinum with the Resy SUB.

My strategy this year is. 

1. Amex Plat SUB - Resy
2. Amex Gold to use the plat/gold combo for MR points. -Resy
3. PC my Chase FU to FF for Gas on bonus quarters, then use my CSP for Costco gas. Decided to stay CSP and not go for the CSR this year. Maybe in 2023. 
4. Cancel - My Amex Zync (Yes the white Amex card) and possibly my Amex Green finally and hopefully it won't mess with my AAoA 
5. Maybe - Venture X, if I meet the Amex SUBs by EOY
6. Maybe - Apple Card - Because all my digital products are apple, and well....it's just a cool card. Easy pickup. 

Both of the Amex will be Soft Pulls and retroactive 05' account dates so that shouldn't disturb the C1 sensitivity towards inquiries. I am not sold on the C1 ecosystem as I hear nightmares and my Player 2 is not fond of them. So I pushed them from #1 to the end. 

This is my strategy to Garden (No added HPs) and let my scores continue to mature My Player 2 wants to duplicate my moves so she can also have the signup bonuses and we can pool our MR points (hopefully over 250k by then) for some great international trips in 2024/25.

[Anonymous]

---

@Pworld wrote:

Getting back into the rewards game. After making a strong comeback this year, paying off balances and hitting the 800 club.

Just got approved for Amex Platinum with the Resy SUB.

My strategy this year is. 

1. Amex Plat SUB - Resy
2. Amex Gold to use the plat/gold combo for MR points. -Resy
3. PC my Chase FU to FF for Gas on bonus quarters, then use my CSP for Costco gas. Decided to stay CSP and not go for the CSR this year. Maybe in 2023. 
4. Cancel - My Amex Zync (Yes the white Amex card) and possibly my Amex Green finally and hopefully it won't mess with my AAoA 
5. Maybe - Venture X, if I meet the Amex SUBs by EOY
6. Maybe - Apple Card - Because all my digital products are apple, and well....it's just a cool card. Easy pickup. 

Both of the Amex will be Soft Pulls and retroactive 05' account dates so that shouldn't disturb the C1 sensitivity towards inquiries. I am not sold on the C1 ecosystem as I hear nightmares and my Player 2 is not fond of them. So I pushed them from #1 to the end. 

This is my strategy to Garden (No added HPs) and let my scores continue to mature My Player 2 wants to duplicate my moves so she can also have the signup bonuses and we can pool our MR points (hopefully over 250k by then) for some great international trips in 2024/25.

---

You should update your sig!

Any reason gunning for VX when u have Amex Plat? Sub?

[Pworld]

---

@Anonymous wrote:

---

@Pworld wrote:

Getting back into the rewards game. After making a strong comeback this year, paying off balances and hitting the 800 club.

Just got approved for Amex Platinum with the Resy SUB.

My strategy this year is. 

1. Amex Plat SUB - Resy
2. Amex Gold to use the plat/gold combo for MR points. -Resy
3. PC my Chase FU to FF for Gas on bonus quarters, then use my CSP for Costco gas. Decided to stay CSP and not go for the CSR this year. Maybe in 2023. 
4. Cancel - My Amex Zync (Yes the white Amex card) and possibly my Amex Green finally and hopefully it won't mess with my AAoA 
5. Maybe - Venture X, if I meet the Amex SUBs by EOY
6. Maybe - Apple Card - Because all my digital products are apple, and well....it's just a cool card. Easy pickup. 

Both of the Amex will be Soft Pulls and retroactive 05' account dates so that shouldn't disturb the C1 sensitivity towards inquiries. I am not sold on the C1 ecosystem as I hear nightmares and my Player 2 is not fond of them. So I pushed them from #1 to the end. 

This is my strategy to Garden (No added HPs) and let my scores continue to mature My Player 2 wants to duplicate my moves so she can also have the signup bonuses and we can pool our MR points (hopefully over 250k by then) for some great international trips in 2024/25.

---

You should update your sig!

Any reason gunning for VX when u have Amex Plat? Sub?

---

Updated! lol

Great question, TBH for the wrong reasons. I think i wanted to just obtain it since the approval seems to be so tricky. But other than that there really is no need for it. I have the CSP as a Visa in my wallet and i have plenty of UR already established from having the Trifecta. I guess it makes no sense to gun for it. Thanks for helping me type that out hahaha. 

[manbuckets]

---

@manbuckets wrote:

I won't be at 4/24 again until September so my plan is to pick up probably the Business Delta Gold Card sometime in April/May, whenever the elevated offers are back. In September, I'll be looking to pick up the CFF to finish off my Chase Quadfecta, then look to move on to the Capital One Venture X towards the end of 2022. Only thing keeping me from applying now is the spend + 5/24 status. And the AMEX BCE might be getting the boot due to the AMEX 5 card limit rule. A lot still up in the air though.

---

Well almost 3/4 through the year and my strategy changed dramatically lol. I ended up getting 4 new cards (Marriott Business, Barclays AA Business, Hilton Aspire, and Southwest Priority) and kept the BCE. My new plan is to get the CFF in December and have that be the last card I add in 2022. Delta Business Gold is off the wishlist. So the updated plan is to garden until December.

Also a tip with 5/24 that I recently learned, you're actually considered at 4/24 in day one of month 24, so I actually became 4/24 on August 1st which allowed me to get the Southwest Priority card this month and not September.

[unsungivy]

---

@manbuckets wrote:

Also a tip with 5/24 that I recently learned, you're actually considered at 4/24 in day one of month 24, so I actually became 4/24 on August 1st which allowed me to get the Southwest Priority card this month and not September.

---

Thank you for this DP, I for one consider that useful information, since I like to apply for cards on the "same days" annually, so to speak!

[Remedios]

---

@Remedios wrote:

@Aim_High  thanks! 

Strategy, well I don't have one. I know what I need, so I guess I can call that a strategy. I will be applying for CFF on December 1st lol. 

This is the first time I've fell bellow CHUNKY/24 in four years, I've gotten to 0/12, but that was always followed by an app or two, so yay me! 

I'm pretty much at Chase's mercy when it comes to CFF, and that's fine. If they say no, I'll see what the letter says and try again later.

Other than that, I really have no need for cards. It's not a grandiose plan but it's the only one I have. 

---

Yes, I know...I'm quoting myself but that's for context 🤷‍♀️ 

So, my lack of strategy ...I guess I don't/didn't have one because I really didn't need one, I had all the cards I needed for all types of spend other than CFU to complete "trifecta"  

So, instead of applying for CFU, I applied for CFF a few weeks after this post because it had grocery offer and it was also grocery quarter, so lots of UR farming there. 

I also have OG Freedom, so being able to max quarter on two cards works well. 

Then I thought I was done but about two weeks after CFF approval, I got pre-approval for Amazon card, I had use for that one but 5/24 was always in the way. Anyway, that one was approved, too. 

In February, applied for Connect, SUB was hard to resist, otherwise I have no use for it, but I would have used for second Cash+, so hopefully they will allow PC. If they don't for some reason, I'll pay AF and keep it. 

Then I applied for Active Cash, and since it was approved, CFU surely wasn't going to happen, I was neck-deep/24. 

This summer, Chase started droppin' pre-approvals in my account, cards varied from week to week, I thought they be kiddin' (two new Chase cards in November plus others), but apparently they weren't, so I finally got CFU (gas offer). 

Twas kinda anticlimactic, but I now have modified quadrifecta (Freedom, CFF, CFU, and CSR)🤷‍♀️  

So now ... well, now it's time for forced nothing. I have plenty of new accounts that need to age, if the best thing ever in terms of new credit cards was released, I'd probably get denied due to all them babies on my CR but I have no clue how long my resolve will last, hopefully at least until "2023 strategy" thread is started. 

[minski]

---

@minski wrote:

As with 2021, I have pretty much all the cards (and more) that fit my spend. I actually did not end up applying for any credit this year although I have been tempted (and AmEx won't give me SUB 😠).

So for 2022, will probably continue to garden since my credit reports are locked unless I anticipate big spend coming up and no changes have been made to USB Altitude Reserve. Have also been considering Chase IHG Premier card and either CSP or CSR.

I may also close my SDFCU Visa card. It expires that year, I believe, and I only got it for PIN priority. If it gets reissued to me without it, I don't want it. 

---

So, due to travel spend, I ended up applying for SEVERAL cards - AmEx Plat, CSR and Capital One Venture X. 😅

I got turned down for the Altitude Reserve. :/

I will now need to garden and decide which AF cards to cut because now I have too many. 😅

[Aim_High]

---

@Remedios wrote:

 ... I applied for CFF a few weeks after this post because it had grocery offer and it was also grocery quarter, so lots of UR farming there.   I also have OG Freedom, so being able to max quarter on two cards works well. 

 ... This summer, ...  I finally got CFU (gas offer). 

Twas kinda anticlimactic, but I now have modified quadrifecta (Freedom, CFF, CFU, and CSR) 🤷‍♀️  

---

Very interesting, @Remedios.  And here I thought all along you were dedicated to US Bank and your 'precious' (Altitude Reserve) and didn't even know you still had a CSR!  Are you shifting strategies here or playing on both sides of the fence?   

[CreditMarathoner]

---

@CreditMarathoner wrote:

I have no specific card strategy for 2022.  I have all the cards I need now, so no more apps.  My most recent app (CSP) was 10/1, so I need to let that age a while.

The only thing I may do, depending on what interest rates do, is refi the house mid-year or so.  And maybe shuffle/reallocate some of my Chase limits around.

---

Just revisiting to see if my 2022 card strategy has changed any.

Well, other than--after much hemming and hawing about it--scoring a nice SP CLI on my BofA Customized Cash Rewards, I haven't done much credit wise so far this year.  With interest rates higher, the refi won't be happening anytime soon, so I'll just garden and watch my scores.  I haven't reallocated any of my Chase card limits either, as I'm fine where they are right now.  Post BofA CLI, I may adjust what cards get various aspects of my daily spend, to optimize rewards.

I have noticed, since I got the CSP back in October, my scores seem a lot less affected by the new account then it was with prior new accounts.  Maybe because of AAoA being less affected as my profile grows, or because of my TCL being higher, or maybe 3 older + 1 newer account doesn't affect the FICOs as much as 2+1.  In any case, I'm not complaining, and my garden is doing well.  I'm curious if my scores will jump when the CSP hits 1 year, like they have in past new accounts.

Hmm... I just remembered I'd refinanced my mortgage in 2019 around the same time I got my CFU, so it was really 2 new accounts that time.  Now with the CSP it's just one new account.  That could be a factor too.  I forgot about the past refis.  Silly me.