Don’t Forget About This When Applying For a Card

If you’re in the market for a new credit card, you have probably thought about the financial and credit implications, which cards offer the best value and benefits, and what welcome offers are most appealing. There are a lot of solid welcome offers out there right now (highlighted later in the newsletter!). But when comparing credit cards, there’s something important that’s rarely advertised and often overlooked: product changeability. 

Take the Hilton Aspire and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant from American Express. A great bonus might make either worth getting, even if you’re unsure about keeping it long term. But the Aspire has a useful fallback: you can downgrade to the no-fee Hilton Honors card, keep the account open, and avoid the credit impact of closing it entirely. The Brilliant’s lower-but-still-$250-fee sibling, the Bevy, is a much less appealing keeper in my view, so if you start with the Brilliant and don’t want to keep it, you might end up having to close the account.

There’s a catch, though: downgrades are rarely eligible for bonuses, and downgrading to the Honors card could make you ineligible for a future bonus on that card. If you want both bonuses, the order matters, so don’t forget to check the issuer’s bonus rules either. 

These “card families” aren’t always obvious. A Sapphire Preferred can become a Freedom Unlimited, for example, despite the different names. It’s worth investigating what your exit options are before you open a new account. 

So when browsing this week’s offers, consider the card’s relatives, too. A good downgrade option can make a card easier to try—and the bonus rules can help you decide which one to get first.

This week on the blog 📝

You can use your rent payment to earn Flying Blue (and SkyTeam) elite status if you have the Air France KLM Card (which currently has an increased bonus). It’s a cool trick but might not be enough to make the card worthwhile. 

Quick Points of the Week ⚡

Major News 🚨

Big changes at Southwest Airlines. The budget carrier’s push to copy the big-carrier model continues with lounge announcements, elite status reshuffles, and international partner redemptions, starting with Icelandair, China Airlines, and Etihad—though we don’t know yet what the pricing will be or if it will be competitive. (Thrifty Traveler)

More value 📈

Hyatt points can now be shared online. This makes points pooling far more convenient than the old paper-based process, but at the cost of new limits on quantity and frequency of transfers. (Dan’s Deals)

Rove adds JetBlue as 22nd(!) transfer partner. Points will transfer at 1:1 by default, although they’re launching the partnership with a 20% bonus. I rarely find JetBlue points useful, but they have their moments. (Frequent Miler) 

Elite Status 👑 

United status goes revenue-only. The airline is keeping most of its revenue-based Premier Qualification Point (PQP) requirements in place, but is dropping the ability to qualify with more flights and fewer PQPs, while raising the requirements for top-tier status. United’s base status was already the hardest to earn among major U.S. airlines, and this only makes it less accessible. (The Points Guy)

Keep an Eye On 👀

Marriott tests upgrade waitlist. The hotel chain is piloting an in-app feature that would make the upgrade process more transparent (and, I’m guessing, stressful). (OMAAT)

Amex Platinum devaluing hotel credit? The Fine Hotels and Resorts credit is already barely usable for modest spenders with only one night required, but some website data suggests you’ll soon need to book two nights at these expensive properties to get the credit. (US Credit Card Guide)

Nerdy Points 🤓

Stack IHG Elite Nights Credits from credit cards. If you have multiple IHG cards, you can combine ENCs to collect milestone rewards and potentially fast-track status. (Upgraded Points) 

Sign-up bonus of the week 🎯

The Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select is now offering 80,000 miles after spending $3,500 in the first four months after opening the account, plus waiving the $95 fee for the first year. This is as good as the public offer has ever been.

There are many great airline cards out there these days, offering great all-around benefits or special perks like lounge access or expedited elite status. This card doesn’t offer compelling earning rates and offers only Turo credits to offset the annual fee, although it could pay for itself if it saves you money via the free checked-bag benefit.

But the main draw here is the miles. AAdvantage is one of the most reliably valuable and lazy-friendly programs out there. I did a quick check on Roame, and from my home airport, 80,000 would be enough for a one-way business class ticket to Tokyo with miles to spare, a business-class one-way to Europe with an economy return, an economy round-trip to Japan, while two round-trips to Europe are bookable for just 85,000 miles—all with minimal fees. 🔥🔥

Other great sign-up bonuses this week

Up to 80k points + $250 on the Delta Gold (our take: 🔥🔥🔥)

70k points + a free night certificate on the Hilton Honors (our take: 🔥🔥)

200k points on the Hilton Aspire (our take: 🔥🔥)

Up to 90k points + $300 on the Delta Platinum (our take: 🔥🔥)

Up to 50k points + two flight certificates on the Delta Reserve (our take: 🔥🔥)

75k points + $300 stays credit on the Capital One Venture (our take: 🔥🔥)

60k points on the Choice Privileges Mastercard (our take: 🔥) 

180k points on the IHG Premier (our take: 🔥)

70-90k miles on United credit cards (our take: 🔥)

200k points on the IHG Premier Select (our take: 🔥)

70k miles + elite status on the Air France KLM Visa (our take: 🔥)

90k points on certain Avios-earning cards (our take: 🔥) 

125k miles on the Citi AAdvantage Executive (our take: 🔥)

75k (+ 40k after $20k spend) on the Chase Aeroplan Card (our take: 🔥)

Up to 100/175k on the Amex Gold/Platinum (our take)

50,000 points + $300 Bilt Cash + Bilt Gold status on the Bilt Palladium (our take)

How we rate bonus offers. 

Enjoy the weekend! 🦥

Maybe use those welcome bonuses to see your own family tree. 🌳

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