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I am on my way back home from another outstanding and fun Chicago Seminars. It was great to see old friends as well as a bunch of first time visitors to this event. This event, unlike so many others, is truly geared toward those new to the game or “hobby” and it is always fun to see their heads all but explode when they find out all that is open to them.
But one of the most common mistakes I find almost all who are new to points make is not going for what you see above, that is, 4 of the 7 cards that normally live in my wallet that is simply:
BUSINESS CARDS!
The banks are doing so much to restrict how many cards we can get, hold or get a bonus for and more. One of the workarounds for this is considering a large pool of cards so many simply dismiss.
You may say: “But I don’t have a business or a corporation so I cannot get a business card.” First off, you do not have to have a corporation or even an EIN (but you can get one if you want one even just for banking purposes) to apply for business cards. If you are even doing something really small, say just buying and selling things on eBay, you can apply for a business card with your SSN or social security number.
But then you may say: “I don’t make hardly anything it all in what I do”. That is not an issue. You should ALWAYS be 100% honest on your applications on how much you make. If you make ZERO business income put that down as there will be a field where you can put in your total gross income that will be considered for approval.
Lastly you may say: “Is it really that simple”? Yep, it really is that simple (most times) and this can open up a huge new pool of points cards you may have simply dismissed.
There are so many other reasons to consider business cards. Again take the cards you see in the shot above and specifically the non-Delta AMEX Business Platinum card. The rewards and redemption choices it offers are ONLY offered on the business version of the card not the personal one. One of the other cards listed offers 5x at office supply stores and this past week I have enjoyed an amazing opportunity to make tens of thousands of points with very little effort. The bottom line is you cannot get these deals if you never get a business card.
For so many of us who are Delta flyers, who may not have the time to pick up a mileage run before the end of the year, getting 10,000 MQMs as well as the 70,000 SkyMiles, from the current Delta AMEX business Platinum card offer is the perfect choice since we have never had the business card vs. the personal card we have had at some point in our life and so we are excluded from the new card bonus now for a personal card.
Bottom line is why simply swim in the kiddy pool when the Olympic pool next to you is wide open. While I have not ever compared all the points I earn each year I can tell you by a quick mental rundown the vast majority are gained from getting and holding and using business travel cards! – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
Responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
Not exactly a “Points” mistake but nevertheless a significant error is to overlook ones Choice Benefit(s). At least one in four Delta frequent flyers I meet in FC know nothing about Choice Benefits. Shocking!
Care to elaborate on the tens of thousands of points comment???
@Pam – Last week OfficeMax/Depot again had the buy VDGCs at less than face value and INK pays 5x for office supply buys. 🙂
I know that certain credit card companies/banks will only allow you to earn signup bonus once a lifetime. Can you earn multiple signup bonus for different businesses with the same owner? Thanks.
@Chucky – Plan for NO but there can be exceptions and there are many data points of getting a bonus again when you use an EIN once and you SSN another time or another EIN. Sorry I know that is not the answer you were looking for but YMMV is the best answer.
Rene – Nice to meet you in Chicago and enjoyed your talk there and all the other presentations.
@Ken – Thanks and great to meet you as well. Keep in touch! – René
If I have the delta Amex reserve business card then I’m not eligible for the bonus on the delta Amex plat card, correct?
@Sara – Incorrect. They are both unique products and you can hold them BOTH at the same time if you wish. However, you will only get the bonus if you have NEVER that THAT card before. Also keep in mind the limit of 4 AMEX credit cards you can hold at any time (mix of personal and business). Charge cards do not count towards this total.