Learning about churning

[imightbedave]

Hi All,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

I recently applied and was approved for the ANZ FF Black. Same day approval and card arrived within about 3 business days.

The $2,500 will be a piece of cake as I'm building a new house and have bulk spending to do!

Have a short trip to Tasmania planned for later this year which will tick off the status credits. Once I have those and my 75,000 points I will likely close and look for my next card.

 

[Steady]

Welcome aboard imightbedave - if you are in a position financially to do so, CC churning is a quick way to generate points
#notfinancialadvice

 

[imightbedave]

Welcome aboard imightbedave - if you are in a position financially to do so, CC churning is a quick way to generate points
#notfinancialadvice

Yep - it's a no brainer right now, as I have the savings available for my purchases anyway. So I'll be able to pay the card off as soon as I'm ready to close it.

I figure as I enter the world of mortgagees it's my best hope (Bonus points) of being able to afford a holiday in the coming years, too!

 

[yld200]

Welcome!

The Amex Explorer is a good card right now - 100K MR points after $1500 spend. Annual fee is $395 but this is offset by a $400 travel credit

 

[Steady]

Yep - it's a no brainer right now, as I have the savings available for my purchases anyway. So I'll be able to pay the card off as soon as I'm ready to close it.

I figure as I enter the world of mortgagees it's my best hope (Bonus points) of being able to afford a holiday in the coming years, too!

Are you collecting all types of points or focusing on QF (Qantas) VA (Virgin) other?

As yld200 mentioned the Amex cards with MR (membership rewards) points are also a good option. If you do decide to get one it is worth using a referral link from AFF as you get more and the member who's link you used also gets some.

 

[blacksultan]

Don`t close the card before applying for your next anz card. Sometimes if you can`t qualify for fresh /additional credit they can transfer the limit of an existing card which you then close.
Once you close it - you lose it !

 

[blueythecat]

I highly recommend the churning strategy. The important bit is to keep it within manageable limits for your credit rating and keep really good record of when you closed accounts. The later is important if you reapply for the same card at some later time and the issuer has a timeout periods

Welcome to AFF and have fun chasing points!!!

 

[JohnK]

Welcome to AFF imightbedave!

 

[imightbedave]

Welcome!

The Amex Explorer is a good card right now - 100K MR points after $1500 spend. Annual fee is $395 but this is offset by a $400 travel credit

Is this available if you're an existing customer? I have a green corporate Amex for work and I've heard they can preclude you from some offers?

 

[imightbedave]

And thanks all for the welcome messages!

 

[Dr Ralph]

Welcome to AFF.

You should definitely close the ANZ card as soon as you get the points. You need to be ruthless in the churning game.

 

[burmans]

Is this available if you're an existing customer? I have a green corporate Amex for work and I've heard they can preclude you from some offers?

I would verify this with Amex, my understanding was the opposite!

 

[blacksultan]

It might not be your `Own` card and might be a corporate account thus allowing you to receive sign on bonuses.

 

[leoburla]

Hi there,

I'm definitely a newbie in this field. So here's my question: is the churning strategy the best approach to quickly accruing reward points? Is there another effective strategy for someone who doesn't fly too often?

I currently have an ANZ Black (Amex and Visa) but I think it's time to move on and get more points.

Cheers.

 

[JohnK]

And also a welcome to AFF leoburla!

Churning would be the quickest way to accruing points unless you can manufacture spend.

 

[Dr Ralph]

Hi there,

I'm definitely a newbie in this field. So here's my question: is the churning strategy the best approach to quickly accruing reward points? Is there another effective strategy for someone who doesn't fly too often?

I currently have an ANZ Black (Amex and Visa) but I think it's time to move on and get more points.

Cheers.

Churning has nothing to do with flying. Churning will get you the most points the quickest if you pick the right offers and unless you spend 100,000 or more a month on your card.

You should also be award that you do not need to spend any accrued points on flights.

 

[leoburla]

Hi JohnK and Dr Ralph,

Thanks for the clarification. Considering that I spend no more than 5k per month on my credit card, churning is the only way moving forward.

Will have a look at the current offers.

 

[TomVexille]

Welcome aboard!

 

[BettyB]

Welcome

 

[Skyhawk]

I started off last year with good intentions of churning. I successfully applied for various cards, mostly that didn't have an annual fee for the first year - ANZ, Nab, StG, Amex Explorer. I've now reached a point where there don't seem to be any cards without the annual fees, and thus I've come to a bit of a standstill. unless someone can suggest some cards.
Is there good value in paying for the annual fees? I'm not sure how much dollars spent on sign ups equate to.
I've now got points in QF, Virgin, Amex and Altitude.