5 Strategies to Go from 0 to 10 Credit Cards
And earn a million points along the way!
Updated:
Eligibility rules for cards change periodically, which can affect the order you should open cards or which cards you should open. I will keep this page updated whenever the eligibility rules change!
My sister-in-law is joining the Air Force this summer, and because she has always been interested in the points & miles world, I told her I’d build them a plan to open credit cards in the most optimized way possible. (Note: Her waiver just got approved so she’s going to BMT this summer!)
Then it got me thinking…what IS the most optimized way to open credit cards, especially if you’re just starting your military career?
There are already dozens of podcasts and blogs that talk about “Entry Level Strategies” and “Credit Cards 101″… but they’re all geared towards civilians….who have to pay absurd annual fees on the most premium cards.
But what about active duty military members & their spouses? They get their annual fees waived on most cards. Is there a better, faster, and more optimized pathway for them? One that maximizes short term welcome offers while also maximizing the long game with recurring benefits and credits that stack perfectly?
Yes, there is.
But do civilian blogs & podcasts know about it? No.
Why?
Because there are insanely good opportunities for military members that simply make no sense for civilians.
So I plotted it out, wrote up the plan, and even developed a few variations of the main plan that might appeal to different people based on their priorities & preferences.
Then I shared it on Episode 50 of the podcast! (5 plans, ten credit cards each, 5×10=50, also seemed like a fun math-friendly way to celebrate the 50th episode of the pod🤓)
And after the episode went live, several people wrote in with AWESOME feedback to make the plan even better–faster, more direct, & even more optimal!
So I updated the plans and shared them on Episode 51 of the pod.
But I know it’s easier for most of us to see these kinds of things vs just hearing them. So here are the 5 plans outlined and explained.
(Also, I totally recommend listening to Episodes 50 & 51 if you haven’t already because the commentary will help frame the discussion)
Note: Obviously there are more ways to do this than these 5 strategies. You may want a couple Chase airline cards but still pursue multiple Hilton cards with Amex, or maybe you want 2 Delta cards and 2 Hilton cards, the list goes on. But the patterns and process looks the same, so hopefully this gives you enough of a framework to pursue a strategy that best fits you.
Zero to Ten Strategies
Check out the 5 strategies below, or use the links to skip to the plan you want to learn more about:
| # | 1. Best All-Around | 2. Marriott-Heavy | 3. Hilton-Heavy | 4. Airline Focus | 5. Ultra Optimizer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Chase Freedom Unlimited | Chase Freedom Unlimited | Chase Freedom Unlimited | Chase Freedom Unlimited | Chase Freedom Unlimited |
| 2. | Chase Freedom Flex | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Chase Freedom Flex | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Chase Freedom Flex |
| 3. | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Chase Sapphire Reserve | Chase Sapphire Preferred | Chase Sapphire Reserve | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
| 4. | Chase Sapphire Reserve | Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless | Chase Sapphire Reserve | United Club | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| 5. | Any Chase Hotel or Airline Card | Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful | Any Chase Hotel or Airline Card | Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority | Chase Ink Business Cash |
| 6. | American Express Green | American Express Green | American Express Green | American Express Green | Chase Ink Business Unlimited |
| 7. | American Express Gold | American Express Gold | American Express Gold | American Express Gold | Chase Ink Business Preferred |
| 8. | American Express Platinum | American Express Platinum | American Express Platinum | American Express Platinum | Any Chase Hotel or Airline Card |
| 9. | American Express Hilton Honors Aspire | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | (American Express Hilton Honors) | Delta SkyMiles Gold | American Express Green |
| 10. | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | American Express Hilton Surpass | Delta SkyMiles Platinum | American Express Gold |
| 11. | American Express Hilton Honors Aspire | Delta SkyMiles Reserve | American Express Platinum | ||
| 12. | (American Express Hilton Honors Aspire) | (Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Delta Business) | American Express Hilton Honors | ||
| 13. | (American Express Hilton Honors Aspire) | (Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Delta Business) | American Express Hilton Surpass | ||
| 14. | American Express Hilton Honors Aspire | ||||
| 15. | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | ||||
| 16. | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | ||||
| 17. | American Express Platinum | ||||
| 18. | American Express Platinum |
When you’re ready to open the next card on your path, be sure to have your spouse or Player 2 refer you to open the card so that you can earn a referral bonus! But if you don’t have a Player 2 or your Player 2 doesn’t have a referral link, I’d be grateful if you used my link here🙂👉🏽 links for all cards
Additional Notes
Some notes on ALL strategies:
All strategies have the same solid foundation in Chase & Amex.
All strategies are designed to be feasible for people who have no credit history and have no credit cards. The first two cards, the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Freedom Flex, are the easiest big-name cards to get approved for even if you have no credit history. Once you’ve had those cards for about six months or so and you make all of your payments in full and on time every single month, then you should have no issues opening a Chase Sapphire Reserve or the rest of the Chase & American Express cards in the strategies below.
For all strategies…
- once your Chase Freedom Flex, Chase Freedom Unlimited, or Chase Sapphire Preferred are 12 months old, upgrade them to additional Chase Sapphire Reserves.
- once your Amex Green and Amex Gold cards are 12 months old, upgrade them to additional Amex Platinum cards.
- if you already have an Amex Platinum card, instead of opening an Amex Gold and an Amex Green card, just go ahead and open additional Amex Platinum cards. You can open an Amex Platinum card 90 days after you opened your last Amex Platinum. and if you already have an Amex Platinum AND an Amex Gold, upgrade your Gold to a Platinum and open a new Platinum instead of an Amex Green. You will not be eligible for a welcome offer on an Amex Gold or Amex green card if you already have an Amex Platinum, so if you already have an Amex Platinum, open Amex Platinums instead of Golds and Greens.
Check out Episode 44 | How to Upgrade to Multiple Premium Credit Cards to learn how to upgrade your Chase & Amex cards
1. Best All-Around Strategy
Includes the best hotel cards in all 4 major US hotel chains & gets you an annual free night certificate in each chain. No matter where you go TDY or take leave, you’re covered with good/great elite status and plenty of great recurring benefits for use at home & on the road.
| # | Card |
| 1 | Chase Freedom Unlimited |
| 2 | Chase Freedom Flex |
| 3 | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
| 4 | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| 5 | Any Chase Hotel or Airline Card |
| 6 | American Express Green |
| 7 | American Express Gold |
| 8 | American Express Platinum |
| 9 | American Express Hilton Honors Aspire |
| 10 | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant |
Card 5 is up to you. The World of Hyatt card is great, Marriott Bonvoy cards are great and can be upgraded to Ritz Carlton cards after 12 months, and the IHG Premier usually has a good welcome offer. If you want a good airline card, the Southwest Priority card and United Club card are great options, too. What you value depends on how much you travel, stay in hotels, fly certain airlines, etc. If you truly have no idea or preference, I recommend the World of Hyatt card for a great Cat 1-4 free night certificate or the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless card which usually has a good welcome offer and can be upgraded to the Ritz Carlton card, which comes with an 85k free night award and a $300 annual travel credit.
2. Marriott-Heavy Strategy
Quadruples down on Marriott by giving you a path to 2 Ritz-Carlton cards and 2 Bonvoy Brilliant cards. Once you’ve upgraded your Marriott cards , this strategy will give you 4x 85k pt free night certificates with Marriott every single year. While many people prefer the Hilton Aspire card over the Marriott Brilliant, Marriott is the only hotel chain that has cards in both Amex and Chase, so getting to double down with both banks is extremely powerful.
You can only earn the welcome offer on the Amex Bonvoy Brilliant card after 24 months have passed since you earned a welcome offer on a Chase Marriott card. Because of the Chase 5/24 rule, I recommend this order. Upgrade your Chase Marriott cards to Ritz-Carlton cards once they are 12 months old.
| # | Card |
| 1 | Chase Freedom Unlimited |
| 2 | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
| 3 | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| 4 | Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless |
| 5 | Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful |
| 6 | American Express Green |
| 7 | American Express Gold |
| 8 | American Express Platinum |
| 9 | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant |
| 10 | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant |
Compared to the other plans, there are only 3 Chase Ultimate Rewards cards on here. While having multiple Chase Sapphire Reserves (CSR) is fantastic, this plan will give you 3 CSRs and will allow you to still earn two Chase Marriott welcome offers and prepare you to upgrade both Chase Marriott cards to Ritz-Carlton cards a year later. The Ritz cards come with an 85K Free Night Certificate and a $300 annual travel credit. IMO, it would be better to have a 2nd Ritz card than to have a 4th CSR. But if you value the CSR more than the Ritz card, by all means, replace one of the Chase Marriott slots with a Chase Freedom Flex.
You won’t be eligible for a welcome offer on the second Bonvoy Brilliant card, but that’s okay because we get annual fees waived. You have to wait 90 days before you can open the second Brilliant card.
3. Hilton-Heavy Strategy
The Hilton Aspire card is significantly more valuable than the Marriott Brilliant card, particularly because the free night certificate on the Aspire is uncapped, so many people would prefer to have multiple Aspires than having one Aspire and one Brilliant. If you wanted to go crazy, you could keep opening additional Aspires. Amex’s max limit is 5 cobranded cards, so you could have 5 Aspires. That would be bananas!
| # | Card |
| 1 | Chase Freedom Unlimited |
| 2 | Chase Freedom Flex |
| 3 | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
| 4 | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| 5 | Any Chase Hotel or Airline Card |
| 6 | American Express Green |
| 7 | American Express Gold |
| 8 | American Express Platinum |
| 9 | (American Express Hilton Honors) |
| 10 | American Express Hilton Surpass |
| 11 | American Express Hilton Honors Aspire |
| 12 | (American Express Hilton Honors Aspire) |
| 13 | (American Express Hilton Honors Aspire) |
Again, Card 5 is up to you. The World of Hyatt card is great, Marriott Bonvoy cards are great and can be upgraded to Ritz Carlton cards after 12 months, and the IHG Premier usually has a good welcome offer. If you want a good airline card, the Southwest Priority card and United Club card are great options, too. If you really have no preference, I’d open the World of Hyatt card for the FNC and ability to earn towards Hyatt elite status and rack up Hyatt points if you go TDY to a Hyatt.
Once you’ve had your Honors or Surpass for 12 months, upgrade them to a Hilton Aspire. Try to upgrade your cards as close to the anniversary date of your Aspire as possible. This will ensure that your FNCs all post around the same time every year.
If you only want 10 cards, go with the Surpass and Aspire. But if you don’t care about that arbitrary number, open the Honors, Surpass, then Aspire, wait 90 days, another Aspire, wait 90 days, another Aspire. This will max you out at 5 cobranded cards & get you all possible welcome offers.
4. Airline Focused Strategy
This plan includes the best personal airline cards in the game. Having 2 Delta cards will automatically give you automatic Silver Status. If you also opened 2 eligible Delta business cards, you would get automatic Gold status every year. This is the only way to earn airline elite status just by holding a couple credit cards.
| # | Card |
| 1 | Chase Freedom Unlimited |
| 2 | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
| 3 | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| 4 | United Club |
| 5 | Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority |
| 6 | American Express Green |
| 7 | American Express Gold |
| 8 | American Express Platinum |
| 9 | (Delta SkyMiles Gold) |
| 10 | Delta SkyMiles Platinum |
| 11 | Delta SkyMiles Reserve |
| 12 | (Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Delta Business) |
| 13 | (Delta SkyMiles Reserve or Delta Business) |
Once you’ve had your Delta Gold & Platinum for 12 months, upgrade them to Delta Reserves. Try to upgrade your cards as close to the anniversary date of your Reserve as possible. This will ensure that your companion certificates on all Delta Reserves post around the same time every year. If you are not eligible for a welcome offer on the Delta Gold or Platinum, just open a Delta Reserve, wait 90 days, then open another Delta Reserve. If you’re not going to get a welcome offer on the Delta Gold or Platinum, they’re not worth having compared to the Delta Reserve.
If you want to stop at 10 cards, open the Delta Platinum and Reserve. If you don’t care, pick up the Gold for its welcome offer first, then Platinum, then Reserve. If you want a few more SUBs and Delta Gold status every year, also pick up a Delta Business Platinum and Delta Business Reserve. If you just want more free companion certificates and $200 Delta Stays credits, just open more consumer Delta Reserves.
5. Ultra Optimizer (0 to 60) Strategy
Little bit of a cheat since the other plans only show 10 cards, but this is designed to show you how you can go from 0 to 10 in a way that gives you a perfect on-ramp to going as far as you want while maximizing your first Chase 5/24 slots AND all available Amex slots since Amex is the only bank with hard set rules on the total number of cards you can have of each type. Whether you stop at 15 cards, push to 60 cards, or anywhere in between, this is the most optimal way to get MAXIMUM value in the short term while still setting you up to play the long game.
| # | Card |
| 1 | Chase Freedom Unlimited |
| 2 | Chase Freedom Flex |
| 3 | Chase Sapphire Preferred |
| 4 | Chase Sapphire Reserve |
| 5 | Chase Ink Business Cash |
| 6 | Chase Ink Business Unlimited |
| 7 | Chase Ink Business Preferred |
| 8 | Any Chase Hotel or Airline Card |
| 9 | American Express Green |
| 10 | American Express Gold |
| 11 | American Express Platinum |
| 12 | American Express Hilton Honors |
| 13 | American Express Hilton Surpass |
| 14 | American Express Hilton Honors Aspire |
| 15 | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Bevy |
| 16 | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant |
| 17 | American Express Platinum |
| 18 | American Express Platinum |
If you’re not comfortable opening business cards yet, that’s okay! But if you’re interested, you need to be under 5/24 to get approved for a Chase business card, but getting a Chase business card won’t add to your 5/24 count
CIBP has a $95 annual fee, so look to downgrade this to a CIBU or CIBC after a year
Card 8 is user’s choice! If you don’t have an opinion, I recommend the Marriott Boundless so you can upgrade it to a Ritz Carlton card a year later, or the World of Hyatt card as it’s the only consumer Hyatt card on the market and would cover some of your travel bases if you go TDY or want an annual Hyatt FNC
If you’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the Bevy for any reason, just open the Brilliant in slot 15, wait 90 days, then open another Brilliant in slot 16.
You can open an additional Amex Platinum as long as >90 days have passed since you last opened an Amex Platinum. So open slot 17, wait 90 days, then open slot 18.
With the Ultra Optimizer plan, within just 1.5-2 years, you’ll have 4 Chase Sapphire Reserves, 5 Amex Platinums, 3 Hilton Aspires, 2 Marriott Brilliants, another Chase hotel or airline card, and the fattest stash of points & miles you could dream of. At this point, you’ll be over your 5/24 count with Chase for a while and you’ll have the max number of cards Amex will allow you, but you’ll have SO MANY recurring credits, benefits, and free night awards that you can comfortable move forward opening Bank of America, Bilt, and Citi cards knowing you’ve squeezed every bit of value from the worlds of Chase and Amex.
Welcome Offers
While you may not be eligible for every welcome offer on the cards above, here’s the current welcome offers on these cards for reference of how many points & miles you could earn while pursuing these 0-10 Strategies.
Note: Welcome Offers change regularly, so just use this table as a general reference.
| # | Credit Card | Welcome Offer |
| 1. | Chase Freedom Unlimited | 20,000 pt |
| 2. | Chase Freedom Flex | 25,000 pt |
| 3. | Chase Sapphire Preferred | 75,000 pt |
| 4. | Chase Sapphire Reserve | 150,000 pt |
| 5. | Chase Ink Business Cash | 75,000 pt |
| 6. | Chase Ink Business Unlimited | 75,000 pt |
| 7. | Chase Ink Business Preferred | 100,000 pt |
| 8. | Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless | 4x 50k FNCs |
| 9. | Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful | 85,000 pt |
| 10. | Chase World of Hyatt | 45,000 pt |
| 11. | Chase IHG One Rewards Premier | 185,000 pt |
| 12. | Chase United Club Infinite | 110,000 miles |
| 13. | Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Priority | 60,000 pt |
| 14. | American Express Green | 40,000 pt |
| 15. | American Express Gold | 100,000 pt |
| 16. | American Express Platinum | 175,000 pt |
| 17. | American Express Hilton Honors | 80,000 pt |
| 18. | American Express Hilton Honors Surpass | 130,000 pt |
| 19. | American Express Hilton Honors Aspire | 150,000 pt |
| 20. | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Bevy | 135,000 pt |
| 21. | American Express Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant | 150,000 pt |
| 22. | American Express Delta SkyMiles Gold | 80,000 miles |
| 23. | American Express Delta SkyMiles Platinum | 90,000 miles |
| 24. | American Express Delta SkyMiles Reserve | 100,000 miles |
| 25-60. | Citi, Bilt, Bank of America… | ∞ |
With any of the 5 strategies, you will earn over 1 Million points & miles.
And not only will you earn over a million points & miles, you’ll be SWIMMING in all of the Lululemon, Stubhub, Resy, CSR Dining, UberEats, streaming services, hotel, and airline credits month over month, year over year.
Thousands of dollars of high quality clothing. Thousands of dollars of restaurants and take out. Thousands of dollars of hotel stays and flights. All for free. On top of your 1 million points & miles.
So. Freaking. Cool.
If you have questions on any of the strategies, feedback on ways to make them better, or want to figure out your next step because you have some but not all of these cards, shoot me an email! Talking to you guys about this stuff is my favorite part about running the podcast. For real.
And if you’re stationed in Japan, I’m considering setting up a little meet up for us military credit card enthusiasts! So let me know if you’d be interested.
I hope you have a most wonderful, rewards-filled day! Go live the life of your dreams!
Yours Truly in Credit Card Rewards,
Tusi, the Military Miler
When you’re ready to open the next card on your path, be sure to have your spouse or Player 2 refer you to open the card so that you can earn a referral bonus! But if you don’t have a Player 2 or your Player 2 doesn’t have a referral link, I’d be grateful if you used my link here🙂👉🏽 links for all cards
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