Travel Rewards Credit Cards “App Run” for 138,000 Miles and More

The dust has settled on a frenetic day of credit card applications. Piles of notes strewn all across my floor. A cold mug of coffee that has lingered, largely ignored, beside my laptop. Excel tables updated, turned into charts and formatted for today’s work were left frozen on my laptop. It was chaotic.

Finally a day later I can look back on that morning with a smile. Because only in retrospect do I find joy in the events dedicated to credit card applications. The sick thing is, thats why I like it. After all the research on my credit score, all the valuation of the best available offers, It’s still an unknown. Accepted or Declined? It is still a risk; a risk whose cost I know and am willing to take for these miles.

This round of CC applications did not have the largest bounty of miles but it was an important round. This round is a pivot. I am positioning myself for the coming year of CC applications but unwilling to skip on the good offers.

If you have been following the lead-in to my application date you will have seen the evolution of my plan. You may also notice a last minute tweak to my final plan.

First 3 Apps for Staggered App Schedule

I went for it.

The morning was bright and I had my plan shinning in my mind.

Then an unexpected variable was set upon my plans.

Delta released a 45k SkyMile bonus on their Gold Delta AmEx with a $3k spend requirement.

I do not like the $3,000 spend but it is a necessary evil. Delta has sprung a leak and I want in.

The Gold Delta AmEx is rare to see above 40k for a non-targeted offer.

I might have jumped the gun but I think it was worth it.

SkyMiles generally get a bad rap in the airline credit cards community but I see value in them; domestic and international.

I applied for all three online. I went across the pond to Barclay’s for the US Airways card first.

I decided to get this app out of the way first because I have heard some horror stores.

Not surprisingly I had no problems applying. The application was simple and shorter than the others I would complete later that day.

I was instantly approved for the Platinum version of the card.

Platinum is their lower tier card but it still comes with 40k Dividend Miles for US Airways after 1st purchase.

Next I applied for the United MileagePlus Explorer card offered by Chase. I was targeted for the 50k miles after initial spend offer that has been almost exclusively released to elite’s at United. I am not close to elite status. Again a real simple application and instant approval for the card.

Last came the  45k Gold Delta AmEx application. The offer is set to self-destruct on 12/19. I had to go for it. This application is a bit more contrived than the others with a “card stack” interface and smooth graphics. As I took the plunge and submitted my offer I felt a rush of adrenaline. My application needed “further review”…

Did I just rearrange my entire CC app plan at the last second for a denial from a Delta AmEx? No. This can’t be. And after checking my app status, it wasn’t. I was approved. I had gone 3 for 3 on the days apps.

I have taken screenshots on all the offers and made sure to save as much documentation as possible. This is always a good idea to have an insurance policy in case one of the companies tries to switch your offers.

The Chase United MileagePlus Explorer card was the only one I got expedited shipping and should be arriving in 1-2 business days. I called AmEx several times but was told by their Rep’s that the instant approval meant it was out of their hands. It was being dealt with by Delta and AmEx and could not be manually input at this stage. US Airways is more brash and charges $29.99 for expedited delivery. I don’t need the card that badly.

I am very happy with how this round of app’s went. I know 138,000 miles is not the most epic of all app runs but I like their quality. The $3,000 spend will make me look for ways to maximize my spend requirements. If thats by gift cards, shopping portals or both. I am going to try it all to get the most value from these miles.

Remember this is part of my staggered app plan. I have a 2nd mini round of app’s planned for 35 days from now. I am leaning towards another Chase card and a business card that would add an additional 100k miles to my coffers. I will post updates about that soon.

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