Hat tip to my friends Bodie and Ramzi for the reminder.
Good afternoon everyone. 2 weekends ago, I was at FTU (Frequent Traveler University) Advanced in Seattle and, naturally, the topic of credit card sign up bonuses and bank account bonuses came up. Call me old fashioned, but I have a spreadsheet for just about everything – including credit card sign up bonuses and bank account bonuses. If you are just getting into the credit card or bank account bonus game (I made $2,850 last year from bank account bonuses), it is very important to be detail-oriented and organized. I have used these 2 spreadsheets since day 1 (I’ve made some modifications along the way), but I think they can definitely keep you organized. Up first, I have my Credit Card Sign Up Bonus Template.xlsx. Let me explain this spreadsheet. Please ask me a question if I miss anything or if anything is unclear:
- Credit card name, merchant type, credit card number, CVV (3 digit code on the back or 4 digit code on the front of AMEX cards) and expiration date are pretty self explanatory. I use real data and password protect the spreadsheet, but you can use the last 4 digits of your cards if you feel more comfortable. I use real data so I can purchase anything online, wherever I am, without having to carry every single card with me.
- Phone numbers are great for calling customer service without having the card in front of you and come in handy if your card is lost or stolen (most of these numbers are saved into my phone as well).
- Credit limit is not super useful, but if I need to make a large purchase, I know exactly which cards have big credit limits. It can also be helpful if you need to make a reconsideration call and move some credit around from existing credit cards.
- I also track all of my debit cards and authorized user cards so all the info is in one place.
