In June, I cheered on the many 100K offers available from various cards. Now, that excitement seems almost quaint. Beyond any doubt, the current star of the show is the Amex Platinum card. If you go through the right link, you can get 125K points plus an unheard of 15x (yes, 15 points per dollar!) at small businesses and restaurants for 6 months. Craziness! In order to account for the huge number of great offers currently available, I divided my favorites into three sections: blockbuster offers, excellent offers, and very good offers.
Table of Contents
Background
Marriott once offered an amazing welcome bonus for the Bonvoy Boundless card: 5 free nights, worth up to 50K points each. This was arguably the best hotel credit card offer we’ve ever seen. But we didn’t recommend it to most people. It was a great offer for those who knew they would be traveling to Marriott hotels within the next year, but terrible for everyone else.
Our Best Credit Card Offers page always shows the best offers sorted by estimated first year value. This is a great non-biased way to compare credit card offers, but it misses nuances as discussed above. With this monthly series, I list my favorite current credit card offers, but with a dash of analysis. With each offer, I point out who should care about it and who shouldn’t. I also include a “Wait for better” section with the cards that I think may soon have better offers.
Blockbuster Offers
Amex Platinum: 125K + 15X!
| Card Offer |
|---|
This offer is crazy good! 125K points alone is a great offer, but this offer also includes 15X points at small businesses in the U.S. and restaurants worldwide for six months on up to $25K spend. If you were to max out that spend, you would end up with 500,000 points between the 125K bonus and the 15X earnings! We’ve never ever seen a 15X opportunity like this before and I doubt we will again. It’s madness!
Who should get it: Pretty much anyone who hasn’t been the primary cardholder of the Amex Platinum card in the past 5-7 years should at least consider this offer in my opinion. This is especially good for those who will spend a lot at small businesses in the U.S. and restaurants worldwide. Note that many businesses tend to code as small businesses even if they don’t seem all that small. Local grocery stores, gyms, veterinarians are just a few examples that might code as a small business.
Who shouldn’t get it: The Amex Platinum card will add to your 5/24 count (but this one is worth it anyway). The value of the welcome bonus far exceeds the card’s $695 annual fee, but if you can’t afford to spend that much in return for this huge bonus, then you should skip it.
Timing your application: I don’t have any idea how long this offer will last.
See also:
- The Amex Platinum “Coupon Book” Review
- Amex Membership Rewards Points Complete Guide
- Amex Platinum Complete Guide
Amex Platinum for Schwab or Morgan Stanley: 100K + 10x
| Card Offer |
|---|
The offers for these co-branded Platinum cards aren’t as good as for the vanilla Platinum card, but they’re still excellent offers. Plus, if you’ve had the vanilla Platinum card before, you can still get the bonus for either or both of these variations. The Morgan Stanley variation has a huge advantage too: it offers a free Platinum authorized user and it’s possible to get the full annual fee back every year by jumping through a few hoops. See: Morgan Stanley Platinum Card Fee Free (how to earn the $695 Annual Engagement Bonus).
Who should get it: Anyone who hasn’t had this particular Platinum variation before and who has an account (or is willing to open one) with Schwab or Morgan Stanley.
Who shouldn’t get it: These cards will add to your 5/24 count (but they’re worth it anyway). The value of the welcome bonus far exceeds the card’s $695 annual fee, but if you can’t afford to spend that much in return for this huge bonus, then you should skip it.
Timing your application: I don’t have any idea how long these offers will last. If you’re interested in the Schwab card because of its ability to cash out rewards at a favorable rate, then sign up ASAP. Starting 9/1/21, the value of cashing out rewards will drop from 1.25 cents per point to 1.1 cents per point.
See also:
- The Amex Platinum “Coupon Book” Review
- Morgan Stanley Platinum Card Fee Free (how to earn the $695 Annual Engagement Bonus)
- Amex Membership Rewards Points Complete Guide
- Amex Platinum Complete Guide
Amex Business Platinum: 150K, get it again.
| Card Name w Details No Review (no offer) |
|---|
Forget the standard 100K bonus for this card. If you are a current Amex business-card holder, it’s worth checking the link found in this post to see if you are eligible for the 150K offer: Bypass Amex’s lifetime rule when you “expand your membership”. The amazing thing about this offer, is that many find that they are qualified even if they’ve had the Business Platinum card before, and even if they currently have one. Yep, you can add a second Business Platinum card to your wallet and still earn the huge welcome bonus.
Who should get it: This is an excellent offer for the Business Platinum card but it still requires $15K spend. Sign up for this offer only if you’re sure you will meet that spend requirement.
Who shouldn’t get it: If $15K spend is too steep for you, skip this offer.
Timing your application: If you are eligible for the 150K offer and can meet the spend requirement, it’s worth jumping on this one while you can.
See also:
Sapphire Preferred: 100K
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
This is the best ever offer for the Sapphire Preferred card and, with the exception of the Amex Platinum cards (above), one of the best offers we’ve seen for any card. The 100K bonus is worth $1,250 towards travel or to Pay Yourself Back for certain categories of spend (details here). Points can be worth even more (sometimes a lot more) when strategically transferred to hotel or airline partners. If you’re eligible, I highly recommend jumping on this deal.
Who should get it: If you’ve never had a Sapphire card or if it’s been more than 48 months since you last received a welcome bonus for the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card and if you’re under 5/24, then this is a great choice. If you currently have the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve card, you’ll have to first product change it to a Freedom card then wait a week before signing up for this one.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you don’t think you can complete the offer’s $4,000 minimum spend requirement, then you shouldn’t sign up.
Timing your application: We don’t know how long this will last. Sign up soon!
See also:
Excellent Offers
Ink Business Cash: 75K + great 5X categories
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
This fee-free card belongs in every point collector’s wallet. It offers 5X for office supplies and 5X for phone service, cable TV, and internet (on up to $25,000 in total purchases in 5X categories annually). Many families would do well to setup their phone, TV, and internet bills to autopay from the Ink Business Cash card in order to earn 5X rewards without any effort whatsoever. Those willing to do a little bit of work will find that stores like Staples and Office Depot sell lots of gift cards in-store; and Staples.com sells them online. In both cases, you’ll earn 5X buying gift cards so that you can ultimately buy what you really want.
The 75K offer does require $7,500 spend, but imagine if you spent all of that within 5X categories… you would earn 37,500 points to add to the 75K for a total of 112,500!
Who should get it: Anyone with a premium Ultimate Rewards card (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred) in the household should consider getting the Chase Ink Business Cash. The Ink Cash makes it easy to earn points quickly and the premium cards (especially the Sapphire Reserve) make your points more valuable.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Don’t apply if you don’t have a business or if you’re over 5/24.
Timing your application: Sign up soon as we don’t know how long this will last. The usual offer is 50K.
See also: Chase Ink Business Cash Complete Guide
Ink Business Unlimited: 75K + 1.5X everywhere
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
This isn’t as much of a “must have” card as the Ink Cash, but the welcome bonus is similarly awesome. It is possible to get both cards even if you have only one business.
Who should get it: Anyone with a business who can qualify for this offer should consider it.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Don’t apply if you don’t have a business or if you’re over 5/24.
Timing your application: Sign up soon as we don’t know how long this will last. The usual offer is 50K.
See also: Chase Ink Business Unlimited Complete Guide
Citi Premier: 80K
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
The Citi Premier card offers excellent earnings on spend (3X grocery; 3X dining; 3X gas stations; 3X flights, hotels, travel agencies) and unlocks the ability to transfer ThankYou points to airline programs.
Who should get it: The Premier card is a good choice for those who value points transferrable to airline programs. If you also have the Citi Double Cash and Rewards Plus combination, then the Premier card is a fantastic add-on. See: Citi’s awesome trio –Double Cash, Premier, Rewards+.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you prefer easier to use rewards and/or hotel rewards, then you may want to skip this one.
Timing your application: We don’t know how long the 80K offer will last.
See also:
Hilton Cards: Up to 200K
| Card Offer |
|---|
The offers shown above are already terrific, but you can do even better with the clean browser technique described here: Awesome new Hilton offers out: get up to 200K Hilton points with one card!
Who should get it: If you’re interested in amassing Hilton points, this is the time to go for it!
Who shouldn’t get it: The consumer cards will add to your 5/24 count, so consider going for the Hilton business card if you are trying to stay under 5/24.
Timing your application: Surprisingly these offers are still available despite having first appeared in May. They could disappear at any time. Or they could even improve. Sadly, we have no idea.
See also: Hilton Honors Complete Guide
Wyndham Cards: Up to 90K points + Diamond
| Card Offer |
|---|
Wyndham has recently doubled the welcome bonuses for the Wyndham Earner cards. All three currently have outstanding offers with relatively low spend requirements. That said, I’m particularly a fan of the Wyndham Earner Business card for the following reasons:
- 15K annual point bonus: The annual point bonus alone is worth the card’s $95 annual fee.
- Wyndham Diamond status: With this status you can get suite upgrades (including on free nights), welcome amenity, and ability to gift Gold status to others. Even better, Wyndham Diamond status freely matches to Caesar’s Diamond which offers perks like waived resort fees, free $100 Celebration dinner (read Nick’s Celebration Dinner trip report here), and much more.
- Strong earnings for gas station purchases (8X), Wyndham hotels (8X), and utilities (5X)
- Won’t add to your 5/24 Count: Business cards from most issuers (including Barclays) do not show as accounts on your personal credit reports and therefore do not add to your Chase 5/24 count.
Who should get it: I think the business card makes sense for pretty much anyone who is eligible to apply for business cards. The personal cards are good choices too if you’re not worried about adding to your 5/24 count.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
Who shouldn’t get it: Anyone who doesn’t foresee any good use for Wyndham points should stay away. Wyndham points expire 4 years after they’re earned.
Timing your application: The enhanced offers are scheduled to end 10/14/21.
See also: New Wyndham Earner credit cards review: Surprisingly strong
Delta Cards: 70K to 95K plus $200 cash
| Card Offer |
|---|
Delta cards are offering great mile bonuses plus cash back. If you’re interested in picking up a Delta card, this is a great time to do so.
Those interested in pursuing Delta elite status would do well with the Delta Reserve card which includes 20K MQMs towards elite status (see: Shortcuts to Delta Elite Status in 2021). Most others will want the Gold or Platinum card.
Who should get it: If you have any interest in flying Delta, this is a great time to pick up some easy miles and cash back. Or, if you’re interested in pursuing Delta elite status, this is a fantastic time to sign up for the Delta Reserve card.
Who shouldn’t get it: Don’t bother if you don’t expect to fly Delta or one of Delta’s partners.
Timing your application: Some of these offers expire July 28th and others August 25th, 2021.
See also: Delta SkyMiles Complete Guide
United Business Card: Up to 150K miles
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
This is an excellent bonus for those who can complete the $20k spend requirement. I also like the fact that this card is potentially worth keeping long-term for those who fly United a few times per year. Consider these perks:
- Improved saver award availability
- Last seat standard award availability
- Free first checked bag
- Priority boarding
- No foreign exchange fees
- 2 United Club passes per year at anniversary
- Primary auto rental collision damage waiver
- 5,000 bonus miles at anniversary when you have this card and also a personal Chase United credit card
- 25% back on United in-flight purchases
Those who also have a fee-free United card like the United Gateway card will recoup most of the business card’s annual fee each year from the 5,000 bonus miles perk. And the United Club passes could come in handy as well. Free checked bags can also be valuable, but note that United is one of the few airlines that require that you pay for the flight with your airline card in order to use the feature (see: Free Checked Bags via Credit Card Complete Guide).
Who should get it: Anyone with a business who flies United semi-regularly should consider this card not just for the signup bonus but also for keeping long term. If you already have the United MileagePlus consumer card, consider downgrading that to a no-fee card and adding this card to your portfolio.
More:
You must have a business (but you probably do): In order to sign up for a business credit card, you must have a business. That said, it's common for people to have businesses without realizing it. If you sell items at a yard sale or on eBay, for example, then you have a business. Similar examples include: consulting, writing (e.g. blog authorship, planning your first novel, etc.), handyman services, owning rental property, renting on airbnb, driving for Uber or Lyft, etc. In any of these cases, your business is considered a Sole Proprietorship unless you form a corporation of some sort.When you apply for a business credit card as a sole proprietor, you can use your own name as your business name, use your own address and phone as the business' address and phone, and your social security number as the business' Tax ID / EIN. Alternatively, you can get a proper Tax ID / EIN from the IRS for free, in about a minute, through this website.
Is it OK to use business cards for personal expenses? Anecdotally, almost everyone I know uses business cards for personal expenses. That said, the terms in most business card applications state that you should use the card only for business use. Also, some consumer credit card protections do not apply to business cards. My advice: don't use the card for personal expenses if you're not comfortable doing so.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Don’t apply if you don’t have a business or if you’re over 5/24.
Timing your application: Good bonuses for this card are common, so there’s probably no need to hurry.
See also: United MileagePlus Complete Guide
United Quest Card: 100K
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
This new United MileagePlus card comes with an awesome 100K welcome bonus. It also happens to be a very strong card to have and hold for frequent United flyers.
Who should get it: If you’re under 5/24, this is a great choice for a welcome bonus; and if you’re a frequent United flyer, this is a great choice overall.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you’re considering signing up only for the welcome bonus, consider going for the United business card instead since it won’t add to your 5/24 count.
Timing your application: Sign up before going over 5/24.
See also: United MileagePlus Complete Guide
British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus: 100K
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
In a normal world, 100,000 airline miles for $5,000 spend would be huge news. Today, these excellent offers get lost in the crowd. And truthfully, the points earned from these offers (Avios) can be very valuable, but only for specific types of awards. These are great offers if you know how to use Avios towards great value (and you plan to do so).
Who should get it: Those under 5/24 who know how to get great value from Avios.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you’re not already an Avios fan, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.
Timing your application: We do not know how long these offers will last.
See also:
- Avios sweet spots
- How to transfer Avios between Aer Lingus, BA, and Iberia
- Guide to Avios: British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus
IHG Premier: 150K
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
This is the best ever bonus for a card with decent perks but poor earnings on spend. Those who don’t have the (no longer available) IHG Club card may like the IHG Premier for its annual free night certificate and automatic Platinum Elite status. Getting Fourth Night Free on award stays is a great feature too, but that’s also available on the fee-free IHG Traveler card. For those who don’t want to pay this card’s annual fee, a great option is to sign up for this bonus and then downgrade to the IHG Traveler card a year later.
Who should get it: Anyone under 5/24 who does not yet have this card may find it worth getting.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Anyone who has no use for IHG points or is trying to get or stay under 5/24.
Timing your application: If you are in “two player mode”, it’s a good idea for you and your partner to sign up around the same time so that the annual free night certificates have the same expiration dates and can therefore be used for two night stays each year.
Very Good Offers
Freedom Unlimited or Flex: Up to 80K
| Card Offer |
|---|
Now that Chase has added valuable bonus categories to these cards, it’s definitely worth adding at least one of the two to your arsenal. Both cards offer 5X Ultimate Rewards for travel booked through Chase; 3X for dining; and 3X drugstores. The Freedom Unlimited rounds this out with 1.5X everywhere else whereas the Freedom Flex offers 5X in categories that change each quarter. If you don’t already have a great “everywhere else” card, then the Freedom Unlimited is the better choice, otherwise go for the Freedom Flex.
This is a good time to pick up a Freedom card thanks to the improved welcome bonus. The old bonus was for 20K points after $500 spend. Now, you get the same 20K points but also earn 5X at grocery stores for 12 months on up to $12K in purchases. If you spend $1K per month at grocery stores and nothing else on these cards, you’ll end up with 80,000 Ultimate Rewards points (20K from the initial bonus + 60K from 5X spend at grocery stores).
Who should get it: Anyone with a premium Ultimate Rewards card (Sapphire Preferred, Sapphire Reserve, or Ink Business Preferred) in the household should consider getting one of these cards. The Freedom cards make it easy to earn points quickly and the premium cards (especially the Sapphire Reserve) make your points more valuable.
To determine your 5/24 status, see: 3 Easy Ways to Count Your 5/24 Status. The easiest option is to track all of your cards for free with Travel Freely.
Who shouldn’t get it: Anyone trying to stay under 5/24.
Timing your application: We don’t yet know when these offers expire.
See also: Chase Ultimate Rewards Complete Guide
Capital One Venture Rewards: 100K
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
Now that Capital One has added new transfer partners and has introduced a 1 to 1 transfer tier, this 100K offer is very good. The downside is the requirement to spend $20K in 12 months to get the full bonus, but since the card offers 2X rewards for all spend, you’ll end up with at least 140,000 points! The other good news is that Capital One has been easier on approvals lately. They definitely don’t approve everyone, but some who have repeatedly been denied in the past have finally been approved for this offer (including me). The downside, is that they’re not always good to existing customers. They shut down my account shortly after I earned the first 50K “miles” from this offer. See: Capital One shut down my account and gave me only a half cent per mile.
Who shouldn’t get it: This card will add to your 5/24 count, so if you’re trying to stay under 5/24 you won’t want this one. Normally I’d add that you should avoid this if you don’t think you’ll spend $20K in 12 months, but if you at least spend $3K in 3 months you’ll get 50K, so that’s pretty good too. Also, if you’re worried about a Capital One shutdown, stay away.
Timing your application: Sign up soon as we don’t know how long this will last. The usual offer is 50K after $3K spend.
See also: Capital One “Miles” Complete Guide.
Amex Gold Card: 60K + $250
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
The Amex Gold Card has been a favorite of ours since it debuted with its 4X dining and grocery categories (see above for details), but for quite a while the best offer for this card topped out at 45K points. Obviously 60K points + $250 towards dining is much better. Consider that you’ll likely use this card at restaurants and food delivery services anyway (for 4X rewards), so you should be able to earn the full $250 rebate through regular dining spend over the next 12 months.
Who should get it: Anyone who values the card’s bonus categories. As long as you haven’t had this card or the old Premier Rewards Gold card in the past 7 years, you should qualify for this one.
Who shouldn’t get it: The Amex Gold card will add to your 5/24 count, so if you’re trying to stay under 5/24 you won’t want this one.
Timing your application: I don’t think there’s a hurry to get in on the current deal.
See also: Amex Membership Rewards Points Complete Guide.
Hilton Aspire: 150K plus free night
| Card Offer |
|---|
This is the card’s usual great offer, but it’s worth applying soon because the free nights earned from this card prior to the end of 2021 will be valid at least until the end of 2022 and for any day of the week, not just weekends (see this post for details).
Who should get it: Anyone who is good at using the card’s annual rebates should get this card since those rebates more than make up for the card’s annual fee, and then the annual free night and Diamond status are fantastic bonuses.
Who shouldn’t get it: If you don’t think you’ll fully use the card’s $250 resort credit and $250 airline fee rebate, then get this card only if you very highly value Diamond elite status and the card’s annual free night.
Timing your application: Get the card this year so that your first free night will be good any day of the week.
See also: A new ultra-premium card, in-depth review: Amex Hilton Aspire
Choice Privileges: 75K + 4X Everywhere
| Card Offer and Details |
|---|
This is the best offer we’ve ever seen for the Choice card. 75K points can be used for around 3 nights at a very nice property (yes they have some!) or twice as many nights at a lower-end property. Plus, through the end of this year, the card is offering an extra 2 points per dollar for all spend. This means that the card earns at least 4 points per dollar for all spend in 2021! And you can do even better by spending a total of $10K in 2021 in order to earn the card’s annual 8K points bonus.
Who should get it: If you’re happy to hold onto your points until you have the opportunity to use your Choice points towards excellent value, I think this is a good choice (pun intended). Think of it as a back-up hotel program rather than a primary program for amassing points.
Who shouldn’t get it: This card will add to your 5/24 count, so if you’re trying to stay under 5/24 you won’t want this one.
Timing your application: I’d guess that the 75K offer won’t last long. Go for it soon.
See also: 75K Choice Privileges points with just $2K spend
Wait for better
Sapphire Reserve
| Card Offer |
|---|
Personally, I think the Sapphire Reserve is a great travel card. If you’re a frequent traveler, you should at least consider obtaining this card. That said, the welcome bonus for the Sapphire Preferred card is better. If you don’t need the Sapphire Reserve’s perks right away, a better play may be to sign up for the cheaper Sapphire Preferred and then upgrade to the Sapphire Reserve a year later
