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Goals and game plan: credit card underwriting

To the point My last post about the credit card sign-up game plan I decided to make for myself for 2019 with Audrey was a big hit, especially in the facebook group "Travel for free (or almost...!) with your points & miles - milesopedia". Find out today how to build your own... and some tips!

Your goals: the starting point for your game plan

I can’t tell you enough: set one or more goals for yourself! It’s ESSENTIAL to build a strategy that makes sense.

And we are obviously talking about a personal game plan: if some outlines can be taken from a game plan established by another person, it will be up to each person to carry out their own! Income, expenses, lifestyle are different from one person to another!

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These goals can be different depending on your short, medium or long term vision. In the article on my game plan for 2019, my personal goals shine through:

  • Short term: I want to
    to collect Best Western Rewards points
    points to fulfill my need for 2-3 free nights of travel in early 2019.
  • Medium-term: I want to collect a lot of AIR MILES miles miles (approximately 20,000) to use for theme park admissions and/or short-haul airline tickets for short stays in the Maritimes or Northeastern United States during the summer of 2019.
  • Long-term: I want to
    earn Marriott Bonvoy points
    for hotel stays that I will make by the end of 2019 or 2020 (I already have enough to cover my needs for the end of 2018-2019! )

I’m not giving up on my hunt for American Express Membership Rewards points, which I don’t have a specific goal in mind: these points have the best value on the market and I’ll always find a use for them, whether it’s with Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy or even to book short-haul flights with this tip.

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A short-term goal: one to six months

Your short-term goal should be for the next six months:

As you can see, we are in the short term. Whether it’s hotel nights, cash back or welcome bonuses based on high spending, our goal is usually no more than the next 6 months.

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A medium-term goal: six to twelve months

Your medium-term goal should be for the next six to twelve months.

This will usually be a goal that requires more than 1 subscription to reach the amount in points and miles requested for an airline award or hotel stay. That’s why it takes more time than a short-term goal

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JW Marriott Essex House - Vue sur Central Park depuis notre suite

A long-term goal: twelve to twenty-four months

Your long-term goal should be for the next 12 to 24 months.

  • We want to earn American Express point rewards: they are the most flexible on the market by offering you many transfer partners (such as Aeroplan, British Airways Executive Club, Delta Skymiles, Marriott Bonvoy…).

  • American Express offers 4 cards with Membership Rewards points
    It is possible to keep points in one card, so you can easily rotate the others! Thanks to these many membership rewards obtained in one year, it is possible to go and buy airline rewards for yourself and your family for the following year!

As loyalty programs continuously evolve – and we are not immune to points devaluation – the long-term goal should not exceed 18 to 24 months.

For example, Aeroplan had announced an end date for its partnership with Air Canada effective June 30, 2020. But then this changed and Air Canada took over Aeroplan.

Being flexible is the most challenging goal to achieve. Here, strategy and preparation will be essential to earn many credit card bonuses. That’s how you can take a mini-tour of the world with Aeroplan Miles in business or first class!

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Audrey, en Première Classe Lufthansa

Bottom Line

Here are different strategies to help you build YOUR game plan:

Come to discuss that topic in our Facebook Group!
Jean-Maximilien
Jean-Maximilien is an expert in Canada and France about Loyalty programs, Credit cards and Travel. He is the Founding President of Milesopedia.

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