My 2025 Credit Card Strategy
Website: https://www.RICHwithPOINTS.com
Follow me on: https://www.x.com/RICHwithPOINTS
00:00 Intro
00:57 My Strategy
02:01 My Cards
16:24 Flight Data
26:52 Final Thoughts
#creditcard #creditcards #reviews #review #creditcardreview #creditcardreviews #richwithpoints #rich #with #points #amex #americanexpress #blue #preferred #wimw #whatsinmywallet #creditcardstrategy #citi #americanairlines #bilt #biltcard #alaskaairlines #chase #csr #chasesapphirereserve
The information in this video is correct as of the publication date. Certain offers discussed may no longer be valid.
41 Comments
Great Video.. with us living in the DFW metroplex, flying on AA and using Citi as our main bank, is a no brainer.
Excellent production quality on this video, plus funny 👍🏾
Funny we had the same strategy previously. Revamping (and streamlining) my system to #1 Bilt, #2 Savor, #3 Venture X, and #4 USBAR. Only missing the Venture X. Just got the Savor so I need to wait 6 months or so to get the Venture X. But I also had it when it came out and stupidly didn't renew it. So I might need to wait longer to get it and a bonus.
Does wife savor reward card points transfer to your venture X, if she cancels her venture? Capital one cards are so hard to get for churners, downgrade to venture one instead of cancel?
Custom cash is 500 a statement period (month) not 1500 a quarter btw. I know it ends up being 1500 a quarter but it’s not quite as flexible as the chase freedom flex quarter thing.
Rich great video. Keep in mind that Chase has the best travel protections/insurances which can cover you in that one off situation. Their customer service is much better as well. Depending on the flights I have seen cases where award travel may not be available or it takes a longer route than a paid flight. The CSR 1.5x can make a difference in those cases. Like you, I would like to see AA be a transfer partner to citi but we don’t know what the ratio will be example 2:1. I find AA miles(basically a closed system)tend to hard to earn but usually have the best value, citi could cause AA reward flights to be less available and cause a major devaluation due to how easy it will be to earn AA miles. Alaska is another closed point system that can provide a lot of value. Look at how poor Delta and United values are compared to AA especially on international flights.
chase points could also be used for southwest flights out of the other dallas airport?!
Bro you got Hawaiian just do amex to Hawaiian to Alaska
sweet video! would cap 1 having a lounge at DFW sway you to keep the VX?
Watched the video on a small phone screen, but think you may have left the amex BPP in on all 3 lists. not sure if you did that intentionally, but may have since no annual fee, so makes sense. but that will skew your non category spend (4x in travel redemption mode) vs using citi double cash that would only be 3.6x. Not sure you specific spend #'s, but that would likely make some difference.
that being said went ahead and just transferred 300k amex points to Hawaiian to get them to Alaskan, just in case that loophole closes first of the year.
Another excellent video! I appreciate you explaining your strategy and how to use the points with different bank systems and transfer partners. Your discussion of strategy, along with your website, is so helpful in understanding the credit card-reward game. Keep it up!!
Citi also does not like me… So I've set up my P2 to work on the Citi strategy. I'm also in the DFW area, so SW is my secondary airline. Hyatt is my secondary hotel, as such, I'm rocking the Chase setup.
you could transfer your amex points to Haiwaiian, then transfer your hawian point to Alaska, then book AA flights with Alaska points
Love your site 🎉 Great update with the 2nd year totals showing at the top of the screen for wallet comparisons!!! I appreciate you sharing your talent.
Yes Hawaiian transfers to Alaska. Immediate transfer. 😊
Great video. In the same boat with Hyatt. I have the World of Hyatt card but jumped on Hilton Surpass. Hyatts are great in bigger cities, road trips not so much.
Appreciate your quantitative approach to max value. How do you consider the tier value of Hyatt globalist or Alaska 100k. These programs provide high realized value.
Agree with your analysis. I'm also targeting Alaska & AA via Bilt & Citi. Am likely phasing out Amex & fading Chase in 2025 which will be a year of gardening for me till I get back to Chase 5/24. Best of luck in 2025!
Great video. But it’s not confirmed that Citi Points will transfer to AA.
Ended year with $2665.86 net gain on my set up , banner year for sure thanks what you do for the community my Brother.
Hyatt is hit or miss. We will be at the Grand Hyatt Kauai next month but P2 doesn't like Hyatt beds. She prefers Marriott beds and likes the St Regis, Ritz, Renaissance, etc. over Hyatts.
Yes, you can transfer back and forth between AS and HA. Also, you can transfer from one HA account to another if you have the HA card. Allowing you to consolidate all your AS miles to 1 account.
FYI…There are some great sweet spots for using AS Miles on AA.
Rich I also think Hyatt is overrated. Don’t get me wrong they have great properties and the transfer value is great but that’s when you can find the redemption you are looking for in the first place. Hilton is much easier to find and redeem points on their properties.
Key West question: what's your take on Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton? We will be there in a few days.
Move 5k of that limit on the venture to the X. Best thing. Then downgrade the venture to the venture one and move the other 4500 over. Simple process. Doesn’t even require a call in. All can be done on the website. That way you’re closing only 500 out of total trade line and can ‘grow’ the X without soft pull prayers.
Great video and love the topic. I started my Journey with Sears & 2 BofA cards. I then built out my Amex MR and Citi TYP cards that pool for 1.1 CB or Transfer points. My newer cards are: Apple 2022, BILT 2023, Robinhood Solid Gold Visa Infinite & USBAR Visa Infinite in 2024. Earn approx 350K Citi TYP/Yr and looking at potentially adding new premium AA card. TBD.
You are assuming AA won't devaluate their points, when there are more points around in customers accounts,
No Chase or Capital One cards. I have those needs covered with my cards. Citi is definitely my earner with Sears Thank you point card earning 12.1% on Dining/Gas/Supermarkets/Walmart & Target. BILT earns me 100K year Amex 450K pts in 2 years. Catch all with USBAR & RH round out my coverage not needing Chase or C1.
I like delta for domestic flights. With their take off 15 deal, I can usually get 1.7 CPP and can transfer from AMEX. Plus, there are delta hubs everywhere.
Great video! I love your analytical approach. Seems risky to go all in with AA as they have every reason to devalue their points after partnering with Citi…could work out beautifully though and you could always make your way back to AMEX if needed.
I got denied for Citi Custom Cash, I have a checking account with them, I am AU on my P2 Citi Costco also denied on the same day for Wells Fargo Active Cash though I have 2 cards with them Autograph and Choice Privileges Select after gardening for a year. The reason I was denied that I have 13 open accounts in the last 24 months though I was 0/12. It worked for my benefit change of strategy since I was at last able to open a checking account with Chase in the branch as I was denied all the time online. I did apply for 2 cards afterwards for U.S Bank Altitude GO with 20K CL with a 0% APR for 12 months, pulled from TransUnion with 2 inquiries in last 24 months & Bread Rewards American Express. I will apply for Citi cards for SUB once I get the Chase Trifecta cards, IHG Premier "my first priority" since it complements my Hilton cards since I use Hampton Inn and Holiday Inn Express for my road trips and last World of Hyatt. Citi is very sensitive to open cards in the last 24 months, you might have to garden for a year so your cards pass 24 months time frame. I am gardening for the next 12 months, 8 inquiries will drop in June and 4 next December. Love your HD high quality videos, they look great on my 4K laptop screen. Wish you the best with your credit card applications.
My 2025 credit strategy is to finish the Capital One Duo I recently got the Savor to fill the gaps with the AMEX Gold card some grocery/ restaurant that doesn’t accept AMEX and in 5-6 months I will apply for the Venture X. My primary transfer partner is Cathay Pacific Asia Miles! So I think this will be a great three card set up AMEX Gold, Savor, and Venture X. I also depending on the refresh I will look at the AMEX Green card cause transportation is a big spending category. But I have to consider if the 3X compared to the 2X would be worth it to add additional annual fee that’s most likely will be raised. Long term I would like to add the AMEX Platinum. Thanks for the great video
If you are keeping the csr, consider putting your spend on the freedom. The bottom for that card is 2.25x w/ the csr
For your trips to Portland – set days, not a lot of flexibility – wouldn't it make sense to use your C1 credit and pay cash for the balance? No need to use points at all in that scenario, and while the C1 portal isn't going to be a gangbusters redemption, it's not unfair pricing. So you make the VX pay for itself, and reserve your points for more aspirational stuff.
Departure from Delta loyalty has changed the entire game for me. First with AS, and now Citi for AA as backup.
Im AA + Hilton as well, i need to look into Alaskan for AA flights, you should look into cash back + buy points for Hilton, it really opened up things for me
I don’t know how long u have had your Barclay AA card but might we worth seeing if can upgrade to silver and then apply for a new Barclays AA red that will give u 2 citi cards to start with citi is really easy to change product and allows u to change AA to thank you point cards
Great video! Thank you so much for making these. PHX is my home report and AA hub. I’ve been thinking about going all in on American Airlines myself. You gave me some more reasons I hadn’t thought of. Also, you make a compelling argument for the CSR.
Im struggling to find the right strategy myself. Im just starting out, but have the venture x
. Hilton Surpass, and Aspire. Going for 2-3 more aspires for the FNC. My biggest issue is that I cant find an airline in a small non hub city… Everything is a connection… I end up flying All three domestics, all the time… so figuring out an airline partner is impossible for me. I need a more generic setup.
If Citi allows transfer to AA in late 2025 or 2026 it will NOT be as 1 to 1 ratio.
Maybe 2 citi points to 1 AA point
And I believe AA will devalue their Award Chart for Partner Flights in 2025
Hi Rich.
Just wanted to mention, the Citi custom cash doesn't cap you at $1500 per quarter, they cap you at $500 per month.
Not sure if that is easier to code into the site or not. 🤦