Now the fun part begins!

 

By now you should have received your American Express SPG credit card.

If you haven’t, follow up with AMEX. 

Here are the next steps.

 

Unlocking the signup bonus with the required minimum spend

It’s very important to make sure you achieve this, so plan ahead!

  • You have only 3 months to reach your card’s minimum spend
  • You need to spend $1,500
  • Important note: your 3 months start when you were approved, not when you received the card, so be careful
  • Another important note: the $120 card fee does not count towards the $1,500: you need to have $1,500 of actual expenses
  • There is no second chance: if you miss it, say goodbye to your Points and free travel 
  • Make a plan to reach the entire amount

 

Tips to reach the minimum amount

  • Use your card for all your regular expenses
  • If you have relatives who don’t use a credit card or aren’t interested by Travel Hacking, ask them if you can put their expenses on your card to help you reach the minimum spend
  • Pre-pay for your regular expenses as a last resort (by purchasing gift cards for the stores you shop with your new credit card) 

 

Old credit cards

Many are eager to know what to do with their old card. The important thing is to not cancel it.

Why? Because the length of your open credit files is important for your credit score (the older they are, the better).

And having multiple credit cards is good for your credit score, not bad (contrary to popular belief).

So here’s what to do with your old card (or your old cards):

  • If it has no fee: don’t even think about it and just put it in your sock drawer if you don’t want to carry it anymore. If it does not have a fee, don’t do anything
  • If it has a fee: almost all banks will allow you to downgrade your card to a no-fee card and maintain the credit history. Just call, tell them you’d like to keep the credit line open, but on a card with no annual fee 
  • If that doesn’t work, send us a message (but it should)

 

Introduction to your credit card

The next step in the program in early January will be to help you get to know your new card and all of its benefits.

But many are eager to learn more right away, so here’s a quick overview:

  • Your card earns 2X Points everywhere, the only bonus category is the 5X Points at Marriott (more details in the next step)
  • You are now a Silver Elite member at Marriott, so you earn Points faster when staying in their hotels
  • You are now covered for free with many types of insurance (for flight delays for example) by using your card to buy your ticket
  • However, you do not have medical travel insurance with this card, we will address this later in your program
  • You’ll soon have over 53,000 Marriott Points to get free hotel nights
  • More details to come in January

 

First Q&A Session

You’re probably busy during the holiday season, but right after, you’re invited to our first Q&A video session for very general questions about the start of the program:

  • It will be on Sunday, January 6 at 1PM (if you can’t be there, don’t worry you’ll be able to watch it after)
  • If you have any questions, send them in advance to club@flytrippers.com and put “VIDEO” as the title of the email please
  • We’ll send you the connexion details about a week before. Yes, we are working for you during the holidays 😉

 

Summary of your December tasks

  • Get as close as possible to reaching your minimum spend
  • Make a plan to complete it before your 3 month deadline
  • Mark your agenda for January 6 at 1PM if you want to attend
  • Send us your questions with “VIDEO” in the title of the email

 

Happy Holidays from Kevin & Andrew, we hope you get to spend some quality time. Enjoy it and see you on January 6th!