5/24 status
P1 is at 4/24 until the end of the quarter, P2 is at 1/24.
Current cards in use
C1VX – love this card’s travel benefits. P2 uses it pretty exclusively as an AU, and I like how the card’s travel perks extend to P2 as well. Meaning P2 gets their own priority pass membership (+2 guests), C1 lounge access, etc.
BoA Custom Cash – Hit the Platinum Honors tier last year so I’m enjoying a year of 5.25% back on all “online” purchases.*
*on up to $2500 of purchases per quarter [sad trombone].
Citi Shop Your Way Mastercard. Others have sung this card’s praises better than I could. Citi sent out a promo to several cardholders at the beginning of 2025 offering the equivalent of 10% statement credits on $1K or $2K in gas, grocery and restaurant spend each month for 2025. This is in addition to whatever other mid-month bonuses the Shop Your Way marketing department is tossing out there (example: $100 statement credit for $1000 “online spend.” Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and any grocer with an online ordering storefront are excellent opportunities for cashback maxers).
Amazon Prime card: 5% back on everything Amazon, enough said.
Next cards
I recently got the Amex BBP for a slightly elevated sign-up bonus. I don’t care enough about 25,000 MR to try very hard to meet the spend requirement in 120 days. I just wanted a no-annual-fee account to keep my MR balance alive. Still amid the rumors about all the refreshes Amex has coming this year I’m interested to see what else they unveil.
The Paypal Mastercard with 3% off all paypal transactions looks enticing, but not better than the BoA CCR card 5+% all “online.”
P2’s credit gameplan involves a slow ramping up of cards. The CSP with its elevated SUB is one option, but P2 has some old late payments that are t h i s c l o s e to dropping off their credit history. If Chase’s temperamental preapproval tool is up and running we’ll check that out.
Keep or Cancel
The Barclays Wyndham Earner Business card anniversary is coming up. I love the Vacasa redemption option, but we don’t have a high gas or utilities spend to make much use of the 8x & 5x category bonus. The card does give a bonus of 15K points = free night each year, and while Wyndham properties are generally not going to offer luxury in the heart of a major US or international city, you can usually find an AmericInn or Ramada near any major US airport to stay at before an early flight. (If you live in a part of the country where you can find certain high-denomination gift cards at the gas station, this card could be a banger. My local gas stations carry $50 vanilla visa gift cards, which are so difficult to spend that they’re not worth the trouble).