Where do I start?

Where should you start?

Your situation may be different from ours, but one rule I've always followed is: Do what's best for your family. Booking through a portal might not always be the best redemption value, but if it allows you to take the trip you’ve prioritized, then it's worth it!

Most people start with Chase due to the 5/24 rule—once you've opened five personal Chase cards within 24 months, you’re no longer eligible for new ones. Because business cards don’t count toward the 5/24 rule, we never had issues with it.

We began with the Chase Sapphire Preferred instead of the Reserve because it has a lower annual fee, and we wouldn’t have fully utilized the Reserve’s benefits. That counted as 1/24. I then referred my wife, earned a referral bonus, and we shifted all our spending to her card until she hit the sign-up bonus (SUB).

Next, we needed to get into the Ink ecosystem. A friend referred me for an Ink card so they could earn referral points. Once I hit the SUB, I referred my wife, and we switched all our bills over to her card—repeating this process across the three types of Ink cards, with both of us applying for multiple versions.

Whenever we earned a SUB on an Ink card, we transferred the points to our Sapphire Preferred because only the Sapphire and Ink Preferred allow transfers to airline and hotel partners. From there, we moved points to the airline or hotel program offering the best redemption.

Once we maximized Chase, we moved to American Express—starting with Blue, then Gold, then Platinum (since you can’t get a SUB if you downgrade). After Amex, we went to Capital One, which has a higher rejection rate. However, if you get denied, closing some cards and waiting a bit can improve your approval chances.

You don’t have to follow our exact path, but if you're interested, I’ve provided referral links on my main page to help you get started in the credit card ecosystem.