The next thing you have to do is earn the required number of miles for your flight. Most banks ship new credit cards within 3-7 business days. You should receive your new cards no later than 2 weeks after you have been approved.
In order to receive the sign up bonus, you’ll have to start making purchases with your cards. When you do, you’ll be able to accumulate miles and be able to reach minimum spend. Once you reach your minimum spend, your sign-up bonus should be awarded within 30 days.
The best strategy for you to meet the minimum spend in each credit card is to divide your monthly expenses and purchases and distribute them among all your new cards. To give you some ideas on how you can meet the minimum spend, click here.
How the tool works
To help keep track of your spending, I’ve created a simple web tool to help keep track of your spending. We recommend you update your spending habits weekly, but at the minimum you should be checking spending at the end of each month
Simply enter the amount you’ve spent and the tool will update automatically, telling you how much spending you have left.
Remember, you can earn even more miles by making purchases in items of certain categories with certain credit cards. To do this, you can click the advanced section and select which category bonus the card offers. However, it is important to note that the bonus miles do not count towards the minimum spend. Only the actual amount you spent will be credited.
Once you’ve met your minimum spend for all your cards, you should have enough points for your free flight. I’ll let you know when that happens, so you can start booking and planning for your trip.
How to Track Your Spending
The Spend Tracker tool helps you to keep track of all your purchases and makes sure that you meet the minimum spend requirement on all your credit cards. I suggest that you input your purchases weekly, but you may also do it after the end of each month. To add a purchase, simply enter the amount you’ve spent in the box below. The tool will automatically update and show you how much you still have left to spend.
Remember, you can earn even more miles by using your credit card to make purchases in certain categories. Each credit card has its own set of categories for which it gives bonus miles. If your purchase belongs to any of the bonus categories, you can click on the advanced section and select the appropriate category to input it into the spend tracker. The tool will then calculate the total miles automatically.
However, it is important to note that the minimum spend is calculated based on the actual dollars spent. Once you meet the minimum spend requirement for all of your cards, you will have enough miles for your trip.
Introduction to miles
All about loyalty program
Credit cards & Big Signup Bonuses
All about your credit score
How to earn your miles