A few months back, I posted a breakdown of which cards I use for pretty much every cent of our expenses. I’d say, 90% of our spend went on Chase cards. In the past month plus, almost all our spend has shifted to Amex.
This is because of multiple factors:
- MMS's publicity-seeking stupidity caused Chase to kill 3x UR on Plastiq through CIP, on which I put a lot of spend for bills in categories that otherwise didn't earn a bonus or accept credit cards.
- My CIC has become my new UR-earning machine with 5x UR on Gyft and all the VGC and MCGC deals at OD/OM/Staples that I don't dare put on my Amexes for which I'm still working on MSRs.
- There were some great Amex Offers in the last two months to Best Buy, Staples, Bed, Bath & Beyond, many of which I spent on Disney and other third-party gift cards.
- I still have the 10% credit at Lowe's Amex Offer for more third-party gift cards.
- I still have ~$700 left to max out our Chase Freedom Q3 categories, and will probably end up buying prepaid or gift cards to do it.
- I'm floating a bit too much money in gift cards and VGCs, and have been spending these down.
- We've been working on a $5k MSR on my wife’s Amex Hilton Biz (just finished last week), $10k MSR on the Biz Plat, and $5k MSR on the SPG Lux.
- Because it appears that a common factor among those who receive the Amex welcome bonus denial popup is the lack of spend on their Amex cards after meeting MSR and receiving the bonus, I've been trying to shift spend that I might've put on a Chase card over to Amex. The Amex Offers and MSRs help.
- Let's take a look at some bonus categories on Amex's cards: The SPG Biz earns a nice 4x Marriott for dining and gas, and I have the 10% credit at Exxon Amex Offer. The SPG Lux earns a decent 3x Marriott at restaurants. The Hilton Biz earns a pretty nice 6x HH for dining and gas.
To your point about valuing relationships with the credit card issuers, my short term and long term plans involve Amex, and I do not want to have those plans disrupted by a bonus denial popup (even though it appears to be dynamic that can go away, and not a permanent ban). My plans with Chase are limited to dropping back under 5/24 early next year, grabbing the CIU, getting another personal card, and saying our goodbyes. I'll have a pentafecta of Chase UR-earning cards that'll be able to generate URs at a bonus for almost any kind of spend: CSR (3x travel and dining), CIP (3x telecom and shipping), CIC (5x gift cards and telecom), CIU (1.5x everywhere), and CF (5x rotating categories). Chase doesn't care if I buy prepaid cards or gift cards; doesn't care if I don't regularly use their cards; and I've played by their rules and gotten most of the cards I want to get. If Amex wants me to be a good customer and use their cards in order to get bonuses on more cards, I'll happily do so if that means I can grab one or two more business cards at the end of the this year and/or early next year while I'm sitting out on Chase; go through their portfolio of MR-earning cards and Hilton cards; and whatever else comes up.
. I referred DH to the SPG Biz but got the "you don't qualify for this welcome offer". Not really sure why as he is 0/24; He does have a CIP and a CIC but I didn't think AMEX would care, right? Forgot also he has the Citi AA Biz and Barclays Aviator Biz. He also has the Hilton Biz which we just hit MSR on at the end of August. I thought he could have two apps on AMEX in 90 days and this would be the second one. Maybe it is the Hilton is too new. So moving on from that one.
GOOD LUCK! I think that’s a good next move.
!!!!
LOL! Sometimes I get such a kick out of these newbies on r/churning who dive into this way too fast. The only thing I can imagine is "do they have any idea what they're doing" 
With people having closures and having a bad day, I had one too. My car started jumping while driving and shaking going down the road. Ended up not doing errands and went home. Auto repair shop that I can walk to easily can't take car and look at it until Monday. Wife comes home, we eat dinner and I decide I am going for a haircut. That goes well and when I pull out of the parking lot, I get hit on the right rear by another car, while driving my wifes car. Great! Two cars now have repairs needed. More cosmetic than anything and the door still opens. Just a wrench in things and not having family in the area makes logistics very tricky with what will be getting an estimate, rental, and what not. Wife going to NY next week with her car so nothing happening next week.
