Have I Hit the Minimum Spend Yet?

In the past couple of days, several people have asked me how I keep track of minimum spend requirements for all the cards in my wallet.  Generally speaking, when I apply for a new card I add the following detail to a simple spreadsheet:

• Name of the Card (i.e. Amex Starwood Personal)
• Date of application
• Bonus (i.e. 25,000 points)
• Spend threshold (i.e. spent $1,000 in 90 days)
• 1st year annual fee
• Annual fee in subsequent years
• Whether or not I want to keep the card when the annual fee comes due (if applicable)

I'll look back at the spreadsheet (example above) every month to make sure I'm on track to hit the minimum spend required for each bonus.  That said, sometimes I want to validate where I stand and there's no real way to do that without contacting the card issuer or adding up multiple statements online.  

One of my colleagues at work (thanks, Sean) was looking on Chase's website to see where he stood against the Chase Sapphire Preferred spend threshold.  He was pretty shocked that there wasn't a chart or graph or some sort showing where he stood.   

That's a great suggestion so JP Morgan Chase if you are reading...

If I'm unsure of where I stand and I really want to know, I'll send a quick secure message (within online banking) asking the question.  I usually get an answer back within 24 hours and it takes just a couple of minutes to do this.  Chase and Citi offer secure message.  Amex offers chat which will get you a real-time answer but may take a bit more effort since you have to stay engaged with the chat representative.

It's always good to know where you stand so staying organized and on top of the spend threshold will ensure you get your points so you can use them for something fun!

See...organization does payoff.  Upper deck of a Hong Kong bound United 747