Blackbeard's Everyday Carry - A Quick Look at My Credit Card Strategy

My Current Strategy - Bank Points, Alliances and Hotels

My credit card strategy starts with a simple concept - I focus exclusively on travel earnings, so no cash back for me. I try to have at least one card at each major bank for general-purpose travel that earns versatile transferable points. I've turned to an alliance-based model for airlines, aiming for one card that earns points with the best redemption partner in each of the three major airline alliances - SkyTeam, One World, and Star Alliance. Regarding hotels, I hold one card with the two providers I most frequently frequent. I prefer long-term keeper cards over churning and chasing sign-up bonuses. Finally, I try to strike a balance on cards that maximize bonus spending but have reasonable annual fees.

Here are the ten cards currently in my lineup:

• Amex Gold (Personal)—I dine out a lot, and it's my go-to card for the grocery store. It is also my main Membership Rewards card.
• Amex Business Gold—4X on your top two eligible categories. This card came in handy when I had to purchase a new computer.
• Amex Blue Business Plus—IMO, the Amex Blue Business Plus is the most underrated card for earning 2X points on everyday purchases with no annual fee. This card can be especially handy for larger purchases.
• Chase Sapphire Preferred—This solid all-around card allows me to earn Ultimate Rewards.
• Citi Strata Premier—Another solid all-around card that exposes me to Citi's ThankYou points.
• Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard—My choice for exposure to the Oneworld alliance. This card also makes it much easier to re-qualify for Executive Platinum status.
• Alaska Airlines Visa Signature—A holdover from when Alaska was my 'in' to the Oneworld alliance. I've contemplated canceling this card since I joined the American Airlines loyalty points game. I have the grandfather deal - the complimentary companion fare with no spending required. Couple that perk with the recent news of the Hawaiian merger, and I will likely hold onto this one.
• Ritz Carlton Credit Card—I miss the feel of the old metal cards, but I'm still here for the Marriott exposure.
• World of Hyatt Credit Card—For Hyatt points, of course, it is a dark horse contender for big spenders chasing status. More on this in a future post!
• Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard—This card provides me with some SkyTeam exposure. On average, I find AirFrance/KLM miles to be the most useful SkyTeam currency, and I like that everyday spending earns at least some bonuses at 1.5 miles per dollar.
  

Recent Additions and Future Plans

First, shout out to all of you wonderful folks who took down Barclay's site on August 20 when news of the DOJ's no-contest to the Alaska/Hawaiian merger dropped. I was right there with you applying, and after submitting my application, I received this fantastic error message, leaving me in limbo, wondering if things went through.

Days later, I received a rogue email indicating that my Hawaiian Airlines Mastercard application had been approved and was on its way. Please don't ever change.

At some point when next eligible to open some new cards, I'll look to add the following cards:

• Chase Air Canada Aeroplan Credit Card—This card would complete the tri-alliance exposure by offering Aeroplan points, typically my preferred Star Alliance currency. 
• Capital One Venture—You may have noticed that Capital One was missing from the list above. It might surprise, but I last had a Capital One card in college. As such, I don't have exposure to those bank points (though my wife does), and I'll look to remedy that soon.
• Chase Ink Business Preferred—Offers 3X on travel (capped at 100K) and a low annual fee of $95. It is often incentivized with a solid welcome bonus, making it a winner.

In the spirit of transparency, I've also downgraded or canceled a few cards recently:

• Amex Business Platinum—With rumors of many benefits leaving the card, I don't see any long-term utility.
• AAdvantage Aviator Red World Elite Mastercard—Downgraded to the no annual fee version and only kept this open for the sizable credit line.
• AAdvantage Aviator Business Mastercard—I had a small credit limit here and just knew this card would get no run.
  

Shifting Priorities - My strategy evolving over time

I plan to write a more detailed story about how I started with points and miles, but I'll share one anecdote now. 

The first actual points cards I committed to (about a decade ago) were two Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards Cards (issued by Chase), and I did so in pursuit of Southwest's Companion Pass. At the time, my (now) wife and I saw a lot of opportunity in shacking up with Southwest - the airline was putting the final touches on its Airtran (remember that?) acquisition and incorporating new destinations into its fleet. Southwest's growing international footprint was of particular interest, offering a new option to get to the Caribbean and Mexico. Our home airport was a second-tier Southwest hub, meaning many of our desired destinations were a direct flight. We were also at that time, traveling on a tight budget. Surely, we'd reap tons of value from a buy-one-get-one deal valid on any flight (including redemptions) to anywhere Southwest flew? And we did. We were among some of the first passengers to Hawaii on Southwest metal. We weren't strangers to flying two or three states over in the AM, then catching the last flight back in the evening. I once redeemed points for a round-trip to Vegas just to have lunch at White Castle.

Now? I last flew Southwest regularly a few years ago. The airline's 2022 holiday meltdown didn't help, but I had already largely moved on. My priorities shifted - Southwest doesn't service many of the places I'd like to go to, and now I put much more of a premium on comfort. As such, my two Southwest credit cards became one until they became none. As indicated above, I found cards better suited to my travel patterns and goals.

Finding Your Card Strategy

Like most things in life, choosing the best card strategy requires taking stock of what matters most to you. Many folks getting started with points and miles may hear others - be they friends, family, or strangers - advocate for sticking with one bank (etc. "I'm only AMEX or Capital One"). Perhaps you feel compelled to jump into the 'churner lifestyle' (chasing signing bonuses by rapidly and frequently opening up any and all cards they can). No judgment on either of these strategies - or any others you may employ. The important thing is to ensure the cards you choose deliver the rewards you want and that you are reasonably sure you can take advantage of frictionlessly. 

If you enjoy one big luxury trip a year, does having two Wyndham credit cards make sense? Probably not. If both you and your husband regularly travel together and have already bagged a welcome bonus on your respective Amex Platinums, does it make sense for you both to keep that card for another year? Maybe, maybe not. 

Do what works for you, and remember that your preferences may change. And that's OK. After all, travel providers and banks switch things up all the time. New partnerships come online, and others falter. Annual fees rise, and card benefits come and go. There are always opportunities to earn points and miles when they matter most; all you really need to do is start somewhere.