Credit Cards

Etihad First Class Apartments Plane Chasers 1

 

Did you watch Lisa’s Travel blog in which we flew business class to Paris, First Class Apartments from Paris to Abu Dhabi and then First Class to the Maldives? Well you can also do it for almost free!

I will show you what cards to apply for and how to use them for these flights! If you are new to the world of Frequent Flyer miles and Credit cards, click this link in which I will summarize how it works and how to benefit from the travel perks!

For this specifically itinerary we flew:

American Airlines – Business Class from Miami to Paris (MIA-CDG) on a 777-200

Etihad – First Class apartments from Paris to Abu Dhabi (CDG- AUH) on a A380

Etihad – First Class from Abu Dhabi to Male (AUH- MLE) on a A340

For this specific itinerary I used several tricks to book the flights. I purchase Economy ticket from Miami to Paris and I applied a SystemWide Upgrade on American Airlines. For the Etihad flights I redeemed 62,500 American Airlines AAdvantage miles per person for both flights!

 

Etihad First Class Apartments Plane Chasers 2

The best way to replicate this itinerary is to apply for credit cards that have a sign up offer. Usually cards offer between 40,000 to 100,00 points or miles per sign up once you meet the minimum spending requirement which is usually $3,000 within 90 days!

Here are the best credit cards sign up bonuses available and why these cards are the best!

If you have any questions or you have a specific trip in mind, feel free to email me to forban@gmail.com and I will give you a specific travel plan for free!

 

Chase Sapphire Preferred:
This is more of an introduction card. It is still a great card for beginners and there is a 50,000 points bonus. It is a good bonus and the card is good and simple. You get good travel categories, good travel protection for delayed flights, purchase protection (if something you buy breaks or gets stolen within 120 days you get your money back), etc etc.
I would personally get both! That is a total of 130,000 points for two simple card applications. Plus, with chase you can apply for 2 cards and your inquiries get combined so it looks like you only got 1 credit pulled.
These cards are good cause you can transfer to other partners as well. You can use them primarily for flights and hotels.
Chase Marriott Bonvoy:
Earn 3 Free Night Awards with the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless™ Credit Card or 1 Free Night Award with the Marriott Bonvoy Bold™ Credit Card. I can be rewarded too if you apply here and are approved for a card. Learn More.
American Express Delta Skymiles Gold:
This is straightforward. Once you get the minimum spend you get 40,000 delta Skymiles to book the flight with Delta. You receive a free checked bag by just having this credit card.
American Express Business Gold:
You receive 40,000 American Express Membership Reward points for this sign up. You can use the points for travel through the American Express travel portal or you can transfer the points to other Frequent Flyer and hotel programs
American Express Hilton Surpass:
You received 125,000 Hilton points once you sign up for this card. 125,000 points is enough for between 12 and 1 night at Hilton Hotels depending on the hotel category!
American Express Delta Skymiles Platinum:
This is straightforward. Once you get the minimum spend you get 60,000 delta Skymiles to book the flight with Delta. You also get a free companion flight on your year anniversary. You receive a free checked bag by just having this credit card.
Chase Ink Plus Preferred:
This is a Business credit card, but myself along other friends as well, we have used it for personal purposes because of the hight Sign Up bonus offer currently available. It is 80,000 Chase Ultimate Reward points and that’s a big sign up bonus. Additionally, the card offer 3x points for Internet and Cell phone bills and it also provides cell phone protection. So if you lose or have your phone stolen, you just file a claim and you pay a $100 deductible and they get you a new phone or pay for it.
You can apply for the card with the business EIN number if you have a business, or you can use your SSN on the EIN number if you want to apply for personal use. If you are using for persona use, just say you want a business card for your YouTube channel. This is what my friends and I have done. They never ask,but if they call you to ask, just say you want that card to separate your YouTube business from your personal income and that you will use the card to pay for Google Ads or Youtube ads.
If you are applying as personal, use this on the fields:
Legal Name: Your Full Name youtube “JOHN SMITH YOUTUBE”
Business Name on Card: Your Full name
Type of Business: Sole Proprietor
Tax Identification number: your SSN
Select business category: Arts, Entertainment and Recreation
Select a business type: Independent Artist, Writers, Performers:
Select a business subtype: Independent Artits/Writers
Numbers of Employees: 1
Annual business revenue: Your income
Years in Business: 2
Everything else is your personal info
The 80,000 points can be used for example: Transfer 60,000 to United for a round trip to Europe with a stop in a different city. Example US-France-Italy-US. And have 20,000 transferred to Hyatt and book 2-4 nights for free at a Hyatt hotel.