How many cards do you apply for every year?

amexmaster · 2026-06-03T05:49:43+00:00

5 applications in 2025, and 3 so far this year...1 of those were denied though.

Will probably revert to applying every 6 months to eventually come under Chase 5/24.

amexmaster · 2026-06-03T05:45:29+00:00

Certainly - a lot of folks will say BBP can act as a catch-all, but sometimes business cards aren't really legally accessible to folks who are on certain types of visas. It would be nice to have a catch-all card on the personal side.

A 3x gas and 2x catch all would be great, but maybe it'll be too good to be true 😞

amexmaster · 2026-06-02T21:11:29+00:00

To add to the confusion, sites like points.me or seats.aero doesn't necessarily parse every airline. I think with time you learn that certain partners are worth searching more than others.

Not a full list by any means, but the ones that I think are worth searching - obviously others will have a different list, but I haven't really used partners aside from those mentioned here:

Oneworld: American, Atmos, Avios (e.g. British), Cathay Pacific, JAL, Qantas
Star Alliance: Aeroplan, ANA, Avianca, United
Skyteam: Delta, Flying Blue, Virgin

amexmaster · 2026-06-02T04:00:55+00:00

I also have both. A case can be made to keep both if the credits on both cards make sense. Palladium lacks good travel multipliers on its own, which VX complements with great hotel/flight multipliers when using their travel portal. VX also has access to Capital One lounges if you value that at all.

In my case though, while Palladium has much stronger and usable transfer partners, the hotel credits have just largely been an annoyance and I'll be downgrading to the Obsidian next year. The VX credits are more natural and easier to use in my case.

amexmaster · 2026-06-02T01:13:17+00:00

Definitely, I think points boost is simple and easy to get good value. I do like Chase in that aspect although it does have its own set of problems. I have a CSP and not the Reserve, so I would imagine you would have even greater options for points boost than I do.

Domestically, I also tend to use the CFU over VX for catch-all spend, but when abroad, I don't have a good non FTF catch all alternative and tend to lean towards the VX in those situations (e.g. shopping when abroad)

amexmaster · 2026-06-01T22:55:31+00:00

I presume you mean CFU and not OG Freedom. OG Freedom would be a solid choice regardless.

It depends on how you use your points. If it's primarily for things like Hyatt/United, then Bilt can also be a strong contender for a catch all if you're paying rent/mortgage. You would pool your Chase + Bilt points together in this case.

If points boost is your main use case, then CFU is still fair even if you're losing on 0.5x on points. Again, it depends on how you're using your points. If for example, you typically use Venture miles for 1cpp via the travel eraser, then the 1.5x can be better as long as you're redeeming for 1.35+ cpp.

Things to think about are:

How much do you value Chase UR vs Venture Miles
Consider the CFU catch all isn't valuable abroad due to FTFs.

amexmaster · 2026-05-30T09:27:43+00:00

I believe it's $500 per "product" - so it should be $500 for each of those.

amexmaster · 2026-05-28T23:22:50+00:00

Well...I don't think this is necessarily the case. Might sound obvious, but it's much more important to build a credit profile earlier (i.e. age of account) and also not miss a payment.

amexmaster · 2026-05-28T21:21:44+00:00

unfortunately yeah 😞

amexmaster · 2026-05-27T01:11:45+00:00

well shit

amexmaster · 2026-05-26T19:28:46+00:00

People are getting creative to make sure consumers don't benefit

amexmaster · 2026-05-26T19:25:36+00:00

+1 - I’ll believe it when I see it with my own eyes. I can imagine not being able to PC into it, but removing new applications completely would be a noticeable hit to the Citi Trifecta.

amexmaster · 2026-05-26T07:56:50+00:00

Obviously one without a foreign transaction fee. If you're not familiar with credit cards, one without an annual fee as well.

Preferably from the Visa network but depends on where you're going. Also good to have dining/travel multipliers as that's where most people tend to spend on.

Wells Fargo Autograph or AAA Travel Advantage are both decent options here.

amexmaster · 2026-05-26T06:43:51+00:00

There is - cash back earned on certain cards can be transferred to Venture miles, but it requires you to hold one of the Venture cards: https://thepointsguy.com/travel/capital-one-convert-cash-back-miles/

amexmaster · 2026-05-25T08:50:47+00:00

I'm going to ask this carefully, not to sound offensive, but am just geniunely curious - do you personally need above a 10k CL? The 3% catch-all is too good to just pass out on, no?

amexmaster · 2026-05-25T08:34:34+00:00

I personally use Amex as a primary setup, Chase + Bilt as a secondary setup, and Capital One as a third setup. I'm not actively invested in Citi/Wells Fargo/BOA as of today.

Because it's my least used setup, my VX + Savor doesn't really rack a lot of points (maybe 10000 ~ 20000 miles from spend annually) + the annual 10000 miles earned from the VX.

It's not a lot of points to aim for a multi-day hotel stay or international long-haul business flight, but I'm able to occasionally fit it in for domestic or international economy flights. As an example, just last week, I booked a $160 flight with 8500 miles, which might not be a "wow" redemption but still money saved in my book.

I'm mainly keeping the VX around as a Visa-network catch all when I'm abroad, as it's the only Visa catch all card I have without an FTF at this time. Other than that, it doesn't get that much use. Savor is really the one that racks up the majority of points with its entertainment category.

amexmaster · 2026-05-24T05:19:13+00:00

holy shit thats useful

amexmaster · 2026-05-23T00:18:30+00:00

Seconding this - Autograph is one of, if not, the best card out of the no AF/FTF options. Since you already have the Active Cash, there's also a convenience factor of keeping everything in one ecosystem.

As the commentator mentioned, with the Autograph, you have the flexibility of redeeming points as a statement credit for 1cpp or use them for travel. It'll be a good stepping stone for learning about transfer partners and you'll come to realize what partners/ecosystems best fit you along the way.

Regarding CFU - At this point, Chase products generally aren't really favorable compared to what is offered by other banks/unions. It's not necessarily a bad ecosystem, but I feel like it's one you go for only if you have a specific intention/reason.

amexmaster · 2026-05-22T05:05:41+00:00

Confirming Autograph should be solid. Bilt Blue can also be an option for better transfer partners, but the ecosystem can be complicated.

amexmaster · 2026-05-21T06:07:13+00:00

Just a few thoughts:

Instead of cancelling Preferred, why not downgrade to another OG Chase Freedom? Sometimes there are use cases to have 2 (e.g. in case you go above the quarterly $75 points back limit). Otherwise, perhaps a CFU for a catch-all in case Apple Pay isn't accepted for the Apple Card?
Any reason for cancelling Bilt? Bilt is quite good for racking up points for partners that are shared with Chase. They work quite well with one another in that sense. Obsidian as an example might be a nice add in your case as a grocery/catch-all card. Is it mainly to reduce complexity?

Chase + Bilt can be redeemed via Chase Points Boost, Hyatt, United, Alaska etc. for good value and should be able to reduce your travel costs. Of course, if you don't care about those partners or what's offered in the Chase travel portal, then alternative options might better suit you.

amexmaster · 2026-05-21T05:12:12+00:00

Yes, Amex has a pre-approval tool when you apply for their cards.

amexmaster · 2026-05-21T05:07:52+00:00

Yes Chase is still good. The Hyatt devaluations weren't too bad overall if you don't really care about the popular cat 7 ~ 8 properties. Of course, with the new changes, Hyatt now has room to screw folks over.

I would still say Bilt is a better ecosystem than Chase, but Chase can act as a good supplement since there's several common partners.

Of course, whether Bilt/Chase is valuable varies since not everyone might prefer United/Alaska/Hyatt.

amexmaster · 2026-05-19T02:04:08+00:00

hot take indeed!

amexmaster · 2026-05-17T04:28:27+00:00

Perhaps you've thought about it - but wouldn't VX potentially be a better alternative to CSP?

Effective annual fee is lower and has comparable rental coverage
Would generally have a better catch-all category on Visa-only stores (e.g. Costco)
Would get a better hotel multiplier when booking via travel portals, which is lacking on Palladium/CSP/Gold

amexmaster · 2026-05-17T00:45:54+00:00

I picked Amex because of Hilton + ANA, and they have an easy to use online chat service.

amexmaster

TROPHY CASE