So, what's the largest sign on points bonus ever seen?

[vertisol]

The recent AMEX 75,000 and Citibank 60,000 points on sign on deal look pretty huge. Has there been larger ones in the past?

 

[mistado]

looks like tha answer is NO

 

[samh004]

For Qantas, probably not, but look further afield to the states and you'll find some pretty generous offers that could give you enough points for some pretty decent longhaul flights on Qantas

 

[Smithy789]

For Qantas, probably not, but look further afield to the states and you'll find some pretty generous offers that could give you enough points for some pretty decent longhaul flights on Qantas

Yes - the sign on deals in the US are way better than here. The problem is that you need to have a social security number and some sort of US-credit history. Over the last three months, I have received sign on bonuses of 75,000 AA points, 110,000 Chase 'points', and 100,000 BA points. So if you have a US connection, then now is a great time to be getting some serious sign on points. Sorry if you don't...

 

[cove]

With those US cards do you have to have a US income or just a residence there?
Sign on AA points would be useful.
My social security card from 1984 says "not valid for employment" so I have a US bank debit card connected to a cheque book.

 

[Smithy789]

With those US cards do you have to have a US income or just a residence there?
Sign on AA points would be useful.
My social security card from 1984 says "not valid for employment" so I have a US bank debit card connected to a cheque book.

I am confident that you don't need either a US-generated income or an SS card that is actually valid for employment. , but you do need a US residence - so talk nicely to some friends or relatives over there... Good luck! Perhaps see if you can get a credit card from US bank - where you already have some sort of track record. That way you minimise the chances of having an application declined... Also, see if you can get a no-annual-fee card, and then don't cancel it ever. Build up a credit history with this card. Then you can apply for deals after, say, a few months and you can always cancel those cards. Remember that the CC companies like to see a good credit history - and the longer the history, the better. If you cancel a card, I think that the history goes with it. Hence my advice that you start with a no-annual fee card that you can build this history with.

 

[cove]

Yes,I am doing stuff to create a credit history in the US seeing we go there a bit.
Would love to get 75k AA points each as that would be a goer for New York rather than using QF points.

 

[skywalkerLAX]

Whoever is interested, I can recommend the following:

Receive a SSN (if you don't have one already) for example during studies or internships with a J1 Visa
Get a mailbox service in the US (preferably in a not so seedy area -> away from the airports), places like UPS Shop offer a real street address.

Then it get's a little difficult, you have to establish a basic credit score.

You could apply in Australia for American Express and after using that account for a while request a global transfer to a US Account.
Alternatively you could receive a secured credit card issued by many financial institutions to establish the score. Means you do a term deposit of 2000 USD and get a card with 1000 USD limit.

After spending money and paying off you bills monthly you should have a decent score after ~ 6 months time. You can do a test if it's good enough for example to receive a consumer account for a Macy*s card.

In the end it's a lot of effort and not sure if it's worth it shouldn't you spend a lot of time in the US anyway for studies or employment.

 

[markis10]

Pretty hard to measure whats the largest when it gets mixed up between points, the value of said points and then SCs, the recent Virgin offer would be the most attractive I have seen IMHO!

 

[skywalkerLAX]

Pretty hard to measure whats the largest when it gets mixed up between points, the value of said points and then SCs, the recent Virgin offer would be the most attractive I have seen IMHO!

Considering it's only 99$ annual fee you might be right. However there is also the 7.5k Minimum spent...

The Amex Platinum Offer with 80k Membership Rewards is great, however comes with a 900$ fee. Sidekick: The Platinum Charge Card description says that a Platinum Reserve Credit Card would be included free of charge and right now that one gives another 35,000 MR.

 

[spentan]

Considering it's only 99$ annual fee you might be right. However there is also the 7.5k Minimum spent...

The Amex Platinum Offer with 80k Membership Rewards is great, however comes with a 900$ fee. Sidekick: The Platinum Charge Card description says that a Platinum Reserve Credit Card would be included free of charge and right now that one gives another 35,000 MR.

I spoke to AmEx about this,

they said instead of the Platinum Reserve, they can also include the AmEx Qantas Ultimate free of charge. Which works out much much better for me (as I'm interested in Qantas points, (and the free Qantas Flight)

 

[markis10]

Considering it's only 99$ annual fee you might be right. However there is also the 7.5k Minimum spent...

You could have bought 7500 worth of QF vouchers, netting 75000 QF points

 

[skywalkerLAX]

I spoke to AmEx about this,

they said instead of the Platinum Reserve, they can also include the AmEx Qantas Ultimate free of charge. Which works out much much better for me (as I'm interested in Qantas points, (and the free Qantas Flight)

Wow that's useful info!! Thanks!

I for myself am more keen on SQ Miles though I might have another look on the award chart.

 

[kingjjj]

...The Amex Platinum Offer with 80k Membership Rewards is great, however comes with a 900$ fee. Sidekick: The Platinum Charge Card description says that a Platinum Reserve Credit Card would be included free of charge and right now that one gives another 35,000 MR.

I doubt they give you both sets of bonus points (i.e 80,000 for the Platinum Charge + 35,000 for the Reserve card).

Has anyone experienced otherwise?

 

[drsmithy]

Whoever is interested, I can recommend the following:

Receive a SSN (if you don't have one already) for example during studies or internships with a J1 Visa
Get a mailbox service in the US (preferably in a not so seedy area -> away from the airports), places like UPS Shop offer a real street address.

Then it get's a little difficult, you have to establish a basic credit score.

You could apply in Australia for American Express and after using that account for a while request a global transfer to a US Account.
Alternatively you could receive a secured credit card issued by many financial institutions to establish the score. Means you do a term deposit of 2000 USD and get a card with 1000 USD limit.

After spending money and paying off you bills monthly you should have a decent score after ~ 6 months time. You can do a test if it's good enough for example to receive a consumer account for a Macy*s card.

Having just come back from a couple of years living in the US, I can offer the following advice vis-a-vis getting a decent US credit score, having been through the insanity of the US credit system myself (though coming out on the other side with a couple of 100k point Chase BA Visa bonuses, amongst others ).

Firstly, it will take you more like 9-12 months to have a decent score. There were several of us Aussie expats there at the same time and we all followed basically the same process (deposit-based "secured" credit card), except some started applying for unsecured cards after 6 months and some after 12. Most of the people applying at 6 months were declined, pretty much everyone applying at 12 months was approved (with ca. $15k+ credit limits - once you're in, you're in).

Secondly, you need to use the card, and pay it off, frequently. One of the differences we noted was that people who just sat on their cards and didn't use them, still had a relatively cough score after 6 months. People who used them had a better score. People who used them and made card payments every 1-2 weeks had the best scores.

Thirdly, you may struggle to be approved for decent cards without a local job, especially with a short (<5 year) credit history, as you will likely be asked to provide proof of income - and to the US system, nothing that happens outside of America counts.

Finally, *never* close that first secured credit card, or at the very least never close the first unsecured card. The length of your credit history is a big factor in how creditworthiness is calculated, and if you close that first card you effectively throw away the first 6-12 months of it.

So, my overall strategy were I to start again from scratch would be:

1. Get a secured credit card and start using it regularly, making payments to it at least once a month, preferably twice a month.
2. At the ~9 month mark, try for a store card (eg: Macy's), an Amazon Visa card, or a card from one of the "we specialise in bad credit" mobs like Capital One. Start using this card instead of the secured card, but in the same way (ie: frequent payments)
3. At the 12 month mark, start looking around for a decent "real" card with a signup bonus, and give it a go. The big risk you run is being asked to provide proof of income. You might need to start with less attractive signup-bonus cards (say, 10-20k points with US Airways or AA) and use them for another year before moving onto the really good ones.

 

[skywalkerLAX]

Thanks for the update drsmithy !

My experience was from 2007 so maybe after the banks went belly up they changed/toughened the rules a little.

At the time I was in the US for an internship and just applied for a student CC with BoA as well as Chase. Entered the info of a nearby uni... I received both cards with 500$ credit limit each. After 6 months I was approved for 2x AA Citi Cards, 1x Lufthansa Barclays as well as AmEx Gold Charge Card (though that was through Global Transfer).

 

[LR09WA]

I spoke to AmEx about this,

they said instead of the Platinum Reserve, they can also include the AmEx Qantas Ultimate free of charge. Which works out much much better for me (as I'm interested in Qantas points, (and the free Qantas Flight)

That sounds perfect for me, I was wondering if this was possible the other day!! thanks for the info...

 

[skywalkerLAX]

I doubt they give you both sets of bonus points (i.e 80,000 for the Platinum Charge + 35,000 for the Reserve card).

Has anyone experienced otherwise?

Assuming you do a regular application over the internet, just enter your existing AX number and if approved you *should* be eligible. I haven't read in the fine print that you only get the Platinum Reserve Bonus as a new AX Customer. Even if not: The free flight / hotel night is still yours so not a bad deal at all.

I looked at the Rewards Chart for QFF and it once again confirmed my impression it must be the worst program on the planet redemption wise. Yikes!