In October 2015, I was interviewed by the One Mile at a Time blog as part of a series on points and miles bloggers. In the comment section of that article, reader Maria asked if I had a template of the spreadsheet I use to track my credit cards. I replied that I did not have a template per se, but that I would try to post an article about my tracker. Unfortunately, I never got around to that, but since I am about to write a few articles evaluating my current credit card portfolio, I thought now would be a good time to talk about how I keep track of all my cards, their payment dates, sign-up bonus progress, and spending category bonuses.

Credit Cards, PopularDerek CookFebruary 15, 2018Microsoft Excel, iBank, credit cards, personal finance, personal finance software, signup bonus, spending category bonus

Approved for the Chase Ink Business Preferred card!

Until recently I was not eligible for most Chase credit cards due to the bank's 5/24 rule. Being back in compliance, I was recently approved for a Chase Ink Business Preferred card. The sign-up bonus of 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $5,000 in the first three months of card membership is very lucrative. On top of that, the travel and telecom spending categories ensure that this will be a card I will actually use in the future.

Points and Miles, Credit CardsDerek CookFebruary 2, 2018Chase Ultimate Rewards, Chase Ink Business Preferred, Chase, credit cards, signup bonus, small business credit cards, 5/24 Rule

Why I closed my Citi Hilton Honors Reserve Card

Last June, Hilton announced it had entered into an exclusive agreement with American Express to issue co-branded Hilton Honors credit cards. Previously, Hilton had a dual agreement with both American Express and Citibank. Until last week I held a Hilton card from Citibank, but I called and closed the account. In today’s post I want to discuss my reasoning behind this decision.

Credit Cards, Points and MilesDerek CookJanuary 24, 2018credit cards, American Express Hilton Honors Ascend Card, American Express, signup bonus, Citibank, Hilton Honors, Citi Hilton Honors Reserve card

Another spend promotion for the Barclaycard Aviator Red card

Promotions for the Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator Red MasterCard have padded my American Airlines AAdvantage account in the past. Barclaycard is back with another opportunity to earn bonus miles by meeting certain spend thresholds during the last three months of 2017. Is this an attractive offer that I will pursue?

Credit Cards, Points and MilesDerek CookOctober 19, 2017AAdvantage Aviator Red MasterCard, promotions, credit cards, points and miles, AAdvantage miles, CitiBusiness/AAdvantage Platinum Select World Mastercard, American Express Membership Rewards, Amex EveryDay Preferred Card

Downgrading the Chase Sapphire Preferred to the Freedom Unlimited

Recently, Chase changed its rules and now prohibits a user from carrying more than one Sapphire card product. My wife wants to apply for the very attractive Chase Sapphire Reserve card so we decided to downgrade her current Chase Sapphire Preferred to the Chase Freedom Unlimited. The process was fairly simple and now she will be able to apply for the Sapphire Reserve product.

Credit Cards, Points and MilesDerek CookSeptember 17, 2017points and miles, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom Unlimited, Chase Ultimate Rewards, American Express Membership Rewards, 5/24 Rule, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Amex EveryDay Preferred Card

Barclaycard AAdvantage Aviator: Round purchases to buy AAdvantage miles

Yesterday I received an email from Barclaycard introducing a very interesting program for its AAdvantage Aviator card. According to the email, I was invited to participate in a pilot for Flight Cents which allows you "to [round] up your purchases to the nearest dollar, and [turn] that rounded up amount into American Airlines AAdvantage® miles."

Credit Cards, Loyalty Programs, Points and MilesDerek CookSeptember 6, 2017Barclaycard, AAdvantage Aviator Red MasterCard, American Airlines, AAdvantage miles, Amex EveryDay Preferred Card

Hitting spend for signup bonuses fast: charging a car down payment

Charging all or part of a new car can be a great way to earn a large amount of points or miles as well as satisfy large initial spend requirements for credit card sign-up bonuses. Just be careful that you can immediately pay off that charge because the value of the rewards that you will earn will be far less than the interest you could wind up paying!

Credit Cards, Points and MilesDerek CookAugust 2, 2017points and miles, credit cards, Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card, promotions, financial responsibility

Citi Prestige updates, targeted offer

Citi announced changes to the Cit Prestige Card that took effect on July 23. Most of the changes are fairly minor and carry neither value nor detriment to me. Citi also has a targeted offer for adding an authorized user to the account, but I find little compelling about this promotion.

Credit Cards, Points and MilesDerek CookJuly 24, 2017credit card rewards, Citibank, Citi Prestige Card, credit cards, Citi ThankYou Points, points and miles, promotions, ThankYou Premier Card

The Citi Prestige Card pays for itself

While the Citi Prestige Card carries a hefty $450 annual fee, it provides an excellent opportunity to recover that fee and more. Halfway through 2017, I have realized almost $700 in tangible value from the card's benefits.

Points and Miles, Credit CardsDerek CookJune 28, 2017Citi ThankYou Points, Citi Prestige Card, Priority Pass Select, Citibank

Deciding on my next points and miles credit card

Recently, I signed up for the American Express Starwood Business Card and am close to earning the full signup bonus. So I am in search of my next points and miles card. At the moment, there are some attractive offers from American Express and Citibank.

Credit Cards, Points and MilesDerek CookJune 16, 2017American Express Membership Rewards, American Express Company, credit cards, credit card rewards, Delta SkyMiles, Citibank, Earn 2 AAdvantage® miles for every $1 spent on eligible American Airlines purchases, American Airlines