I don’t usually sign up for multiple cards in a short span of time. While getting three new cards in a month and a half might seem like nothing for some (while simultaneously seeming crazy to most people who don’t get travel rewards from credit cards), I try to avoid it if I can. Remember, I don’t do more than dip my toes into the manufactured spending ocean.
Starting in the middle of March, I signed up for an American Express Platinum card upgrade, got our second Capital One Venture X, and now I was approved for our second IHG Premier card.
Therefore, I have to meet the following spending requirements:
- $6,000 in six months
- $10,000 in six months
- $3,000 in three months
When I’ve completed all three minimum spending requirements, I’ll have earned 75,000 Membership Rewards, 100,000 Capital One points and 125,000 IHG points + one 40K free night.
For most spending requirements, I’ll have no problem meeting them with our usual monthly spending. When I sign up for a card. I’ll move all of our household expenses, gas, groceries, Amazon, cell phone and warehouse club for those few months. I’ll give Sharon the physical card and I’ll load it into Apple Pay so we can both use it for everything.
But how will I meet the spending requirements for three cards?
Pay tax bills with a credit card.
If you still haven’t filed your 2021 taxes or if you need to make estimated tax payments, several companies will process those payments for a small fee, around 2%. Paying cash to earn extra miles isn’t usually a good deal unless you have a particular redemption in mind. However, if you need to hit a spending threshold, this is one easy way to do it.
Paying for large purchases.
Occasionally you need to pay for a large purchase, like a major appliance, auto repairs or home improvements. These expenses can take up a large chunk of a spending requirement.
Prepaying for services
Do you have any charges that you pay monthly? For example, we pay for lawn maintenance, insect treatments and sprinkler repair after each service call. However, the company offers a 10% discount if you pay the yearly bill as a lump sum. In this case, not only do you get the miles from the signup bonus but you also save money on a service you’d use anyway.
Pay Bills That Charge A Fee For Paying With Credit Card
Several companies will let you pay online with a checking account for free but charge a fee for using a credit card. While I never do this if I can help it, I’ll consider it if it’s the difference between getting a signup bonus or falling short.
Buy Gift Cards From Places You Visit
Warning! I’m not going to buy a single gift card with my American Express Platinum card while I’m in the middle of reaching my spending requirement. However, for the other cards, I might buy some cards for the local gas station, warehouse club and supermarket. If we’re at one of our local restaurants, I might get one while we’re there.
All Of The Other Ways
With these options, I think should be able to meet the spending requirement of our three cards. If not, there are plenty of other options available. I’ve never personally reached #19 but if you’re looking for the final way to meet a spending requirement, there’s no shortage of suggestions.
Want to comment on this post? Great! Read this first to help ensure it gets approved.
Want to sponsor a post, write something for Your Mileage May Vary or put ads on our site? Click here for more info.
Like this post? Please share it! We have plenty more just like it and would love it if you decided to hang around and sign up to get emailed notifications of when we post.
Whether you’ve read our articles before or this is the first time you’re stopping by, we’re really glad you’re here and hope you come back to visit again!
This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary
