How My Family and I Earned 700K Points From Moving Expenses

After 6 years abroad, my family recently relocated from Qatar to Texas. But while our move was planned for the summer, our credit card strategy really began about 3 months ahead of time.

I’ll review how my husband and I utilized a 2-player strategy to acquire new credit cards before our move and throughout the relocation process. I’ll disclose the cards we applied for, what type of expenses we anticipated, and how our credit managed to survive one (very) hot summer of spending.

Best Credit Cards for Moving Expenses

Over a 7-month period, my husband and I applied for 7 credit cards, including 4 business cards and 3 personal cards.

Overall, we earned 655,000 points and miles in welcome bonus offers, 20,000 points and miles for referrals, and 22,000 miles from targeted mailers, for a grand total of 697,000 points and miles.

* Note that current welcome bonus offers may differ from the bonuses we earned.

Excluding the rewards earned from the minimum spending requirements, the total bonuses earned were:

• 275,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points
• 232,000 United MileagePlus miles
• 90,000 Delta SkyMiles
• 100,000 Club Iberia Plus Avios

Meeting Minimum Spend Requirements for Welcome Offers

We had a few months’ notice to start budgeting for the significant expenses ahead, which included:

• Travel expenses related to moving
• Purchasing new cars
• Summer vacation travel
• Home renovations
• Home furnishings
• Temporary living expenses (such as a rental car and dining out)
• Paying business-related taxes

For the majority of the welcome bonus offers, we were able to time them to coincide with big expenses, thereby immediately meeting the minimum spending requirements with 1 or 2 large charges. Only on our last bonus offer were we charging everyday expenses a few dollars at a time.

We found, particularly with our home renovations, that many Texas vendors were charging credit card processing fees of 3% to 4%. While that typically negates any bonus category earnings, we made a compromise that paying the charges would help us meet our bonus offer requirements more quickly.

What About Chase’s 5/24 Rule?

The primary reason we were able to acquire so many cards within a short time period is that my husband and I finally fell below Chase’s 5/24 rule at the start of this adventure. This unwritten rule limits approvals for Chase credit cards if you’ve opened 5 (or more) credit cards from any bank in the past 24 months.

For me personally, falling below 5/24 meant that I was able to explore the world of Chase business cards. To get approved for Chase business cards, you generally have to fall under the 5/24 rule, but the new account does not add toward your 5/24 count.

Taking Advantage of Additional Points Opportunities

My husband and I earned additional points and miles from referral bonuses, adding authorized users, and utilizing welcome offer incentives we received through targeted mailers.

I referred my husband to his Chase Sapphire Preferred card, earning me a 10,000-point bonus. And after he was a United Quest cardholder, he was able to refer me to the United Business card, earning him 10,000 miles for the referral.

For both United cards, we received 10,000 miles each for adding authorized users (at no cost).

And finally, my husband received a targeted mailer from United that offered him 1,500 miles for making 5 digital wallet purchases each month for 3 months and 500 miles for signing up for United’s promotional emails.

How Applying for Multiple Cards Impacted Our Credit Scores

Does applying for so many cards in such a short period tank your credit score? In our experience, no.

Reviewing my score on Chase Credit Journey, I noticed that my score dipped a few points with each inquiry; however, it has fully recovered and actually increased a few points in the last 7 months.

My husband’s score, which was higher than mine, also showed a negative change with each inquiry, but his score has remained relatively stable and is only down a few points.

It’s worth noting that both of our scores were considered “excellent” prior to (and after) our flurry of applications, and your results may vary if you have a lower score.

Issues We Ran Into When Applying for Multiple Credit Cards

The primary issue we encountered was that the majority of our Chase card applications required additional authentication or were declined. We realized that Chase deemed our address change suspicious, which required further authentication or a reconsideration call. I also realized that because my employer identification number (EIN) was tied to my home address, I needed an updated EIN (which I requested over the phone with the IRS).

Additionally, although my husband and I both remain under 5/24, the majority of our recent card acquisitions (6 of 7) were Chase cards, and I believe we’re essentially on ice with Chase for having too much credit extended too quickly. My strategy for any future cards will definitely involve exploring cards from other issuers, such as American Express, Capital One, Citi, and Wells Fargo.

Final Thoughts

Earning over 700,000 points and miles in under a year might be my biggest haul since becoming a points-and-miles enthusiast. By creating a plan that worked within the confines of Chase’s 5/24 rule, forecasting significant expenses, and taking advantage of bonus point-earning opportunities, we were able to offset the considerable costs related to our move.

However, I don’t consider this undertaking a mere rewards grab. Most of my near-term travel will be domestic, and I plan to utilize many of the cards’ benefits, such as free checked baggage, priority boarding, ride-share credits, and hotel credits. I also appreciate the flexibility of Chase Ultimate Rewards points, which I can transfer to United to boost my balance for an award flight or transfer to World of Hyatt for affordable Hyatt Place stays for my family.