What will my first AF card be(combo)?

[Anonymous]

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@Hoben02 wrote:

For domestic it's tough to beat the swa cards all have an annual bonus that covers most of the annual fee. Also, if you can get on their targeted list can get 5x quarterly for gas, grocery, etc. Also, with swa the ease to book and cancel flights with no penalty is great I will book multiple flights knowing that I may cuhange my mind and they refund the points back with no penalty unlike the majors. 

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Great selling points! Not sure how big SWA is at LAX but I did have a nice experience flying once! That quarterly 5x IS mucho tempting! No penalty for change sure is nice too. Problem is it's Chase..lol. I like United too but also Chase(does SWA have computer panel at the back of the seat for free movies? Now can't remember lol it was like 2018. I usually watch movies I haven't watched all flight long  for example 'Succession'!)

[h2oeng]

May think about an AMEX Green card, x3 on travel, transit and resturant spend plus a $100 credit towards Clear.  AF is $150.  Decent SUB at 40k points with a $2k spend over 6 months.  Give it a couple of months then pick up the Blue Business Plus at x2 on all spend up to $50k with no AF.  Good way to stack MR points withtout the larger AF's of the Gold or Platinum.  

[Anonymous]

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@h2oeng wrote:

May think about an AMEX Green card, x3 on travel, transit and resturant spend plus a $100 credit towards Clear.  AF is $150.  Decent SUB at 40k points with a $2k spend over 6 months.  Give it a couple of months then pick up the Blue Business Plus at x2 on all spend up to $50k with no AF.  Good way to stack MR points withtout the larger AF's of the Gold or Platinum.  

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Thx! I wonder if Loungebuddy is useful. My dream is to use airport lounges lol, hence I thought Surpass was terrific with Priority Pass for $95 per year. And yeah forgot BBP is a x2 card! I do see that a lot on sigs here

[h2oeng]

I've got a Platinum, Gold & BBP, Green will be in my wallet in December.  Each have their own use though my BBP card sees the majority of my spend.  Lounge access is nice but they are getting crowded.  As of Jan. 1 you won't be allowed to bring free guests into the Centruian Lounge without a $75k spend the year prior.  That will help some.  

[OmarGB9]

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@Anonymous wrote:

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@Hoben02 wrote:

For domestic it's tough to beat the swa cards all have an annual bonus that covers most of the annual fee. Also, if you can get on their targeted list can get 5x quarterly for gas, grocery, etc. Also, with swa the ease to book and cancel flights with no penalty is great I will book multiple flights knowing that I may cuhange my mind and they refund the points back with no penalty unlike the majors. 

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Great selling points! Not sure how big SWA is at LAX but I did have a nice experience flying once! That quarterly 5x IS mucho tempting! No penalty for change sure is nice too. Problem is it's Chase..lol. I like United too but also Chase(does SWA have computer panel at the back of the seat for free movies? Now can't remember lol it was like 2018. I usually watch movies I haven't watched all flight long  for example 'Succession'!)

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No screens on the back of seats on SWA unfortunately. Gotta use your own device.

[wasCB14]

Given Spirit's mediocre point value and the lack of a regular travel companion, I'd probably stick with something that provides flexibility...something that:

1. Lets you book travel through them with a variety of hotels and airlines (or take a statement credit for travel purchases

2. Has a big SUB (with a spend requirement you can meet)

3. Allows you to PC the card after a year to a no-AF product that has some value for you

[Anonymous]

United Explorer is grabbing my attention my now. I know my chance is slim to none lol with extreme credit seeking(which I just resumed from mid Oct lol after 8 month hiatus), but that $250 stmt credit appeals to my instant gratification lol.

$250 statement credit and 25,000 bonus miles.

Earn a $250 statement credit after your first purchase.* Plus, earn 25,000 bonus miles after you spend $2,000 on purchases in the first 3 months your account is open.*

If you're instantly approved you can use your card today to purchase your flight, and the statement credit will post on the same statement as the purchase.

This card product is available to you if you do not have this card and have not received a new Cardmember bonus for this card in the past 24 months.

Make travel easier*

Free first checked bag (terms apply)
2 United ClubSM one-time passes each year
Up to $100 Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® fee credit
Priority boarding
25% back on United inflight purchases*
No foreign transaction fees†
Earn up to 1,000 Premier qualifying points that can be applied towards your Premier status qualification, up to the Premier 1K level
Accelerate your rewards*

2 Miles per $1 spent on United purchases, dining, and hotel stays booked directly with the hotel
1 Mile per $1 spent on all other purchases
$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95†

The bolded is for me the biggest selling points for getting the card. Not quite Hilton Surpass which gives PP, but still.  And Chase also does some promos as well on co branded cards like gas?

Did scour here and reddit, and some say Explorer isn't such a good option, say compared to more versatile CSP. And if you're a regular UA traveler, more value from higher AF ones.

The thing is I apped for Premier Silver status via Bilt promo and got it lol. Which confers similar benefits to Explorer, so the point may be moot anyway. Status till Feb. next year or something, and it'll give x7 miles per booking flights.

Delta Gold also give stmt credit and getting sub is even easier, 1000 spend in 6 months but Delta, whether you have the card or not, don't give miles when you book Economy lol; that's a huge no no for a frugal traveler! 

[Anonymous]

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@Hoben02 wrote:

Based on your info I would say working with chase since they control swa. Is there a chase branch near you if so just walk in and see if you are preapproved for their core cards. I actually got my first chase cards when I was lol/24, maybe what swung it was that I had a existing checking account there.

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I walked in Thursday but no preapproved card offers 

But just checked SWA and it's a total eye opener, LAX to Harlingen so cheap compared to United and all! Does SWA flights NOT show on Expedia? Did I miss all those cheap-fares opportunities  Too bad SWA cards don't have no AF version but you can buy gift cards which also give x2 American miles via MileUp card   Was thinking of birding LRGV again(always disappointing per expectations but still, and it's warm there supposedly?!), and am now super tempted flying SWA(my 2nd time, 1st time was nice!)!

P.S. It is NOT cheaper lol, was too excited about one way ticket, they arrange to post it differently from other airlines on the webpage, had my hopes up 

[MrDisco99]

You mentioned Citi points only transferring to international airlines.  Citi points transfer to Air France and Virgin, both of which can be redeemed for codeshare flights on Delta.

Honestly, though, you don't sound to me like the target market for premium travel cards.  Would you make use of those perks if you had to pay for them outright?  If not, then it may not be worth paying for a card to get them.

[Anonymous]

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@MrDisco99 wrote:

You mentioned Citi points only transferring to international airlines.  Citi points transfer to Air France and Virgin, both of which can be redeemed for codeshare flights on Delta.

Honestly, though, you don't sound to me like the target market for premium travel cards.  Would you make use of those perks if you had to pay for them outright?  If not, then it may not be worth paying for a card to get them.

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Oh didn't know that, so there IS a roundabout way to use via Delta lol, thx.

And yeah, not really NEED it, since I'm a frugal spender anyway. That's why I pursued instant gratification with those airline cards, Barclays for 60k plus miles for a pack of gum, Delta Gold for 300 dollar instant stmt credit..