Best credit card strategy given current bonuses

[ljc]

I’ve finally got to the two year point since I last had an Amex.
I was going to follow the HfP plan to maximise points and start with a Gold card, but now that the BA Premium Plus card has the 40k sign up bonus does it make more sense to start with that rather than miss out on the bonus once it’s expired?

[Carlos]

Depends on what you value more MR or Avios. The reason you should start with the Gold card is because its free for the first year.

[ljc]

We value Avios more, certainly. Does the higher earning rate on the BA card mean it’s better to skip the Gold?

[Rob]

It’s tricky.

If you get the first two application in by 28th Feb (eg Nectar and BAPP) then do both, with Platinum later. It’s possible this may be overloading you with too much sign-up bonus spend though.

So, yes, you could skip Nectar and go straight to BAPP and then Plat.

Alternatively, you could go Marriott, Platinum and then hope that another 40k BAPP bonus turns up later in the year.

[SteveJ]

Don’t forget that getting the Gold rules you out from Platinum, which currently has a hefty 70k sign up bonus (when referred by some)