Help! I'm a newbie second-guessing my whole CC timeline! (I posted about this yesterday but think it got lost in the mad dash past 1600 discussion pages! Also, some stuff has changed.)
Originally, my big Orlando birthday trip was about two years out, and in that time I was planning to sign up for the CIP/SWBiz/SW Premier, take a break to buy a condo in spring 2019, then do the CSR/CSP double dip, and then refer my DH to all the same cards to double the amount of rewards. Or, as
@SouthFayetteFan (I think?) suggested, alternate referring each other for different cards to space out apps and still earn lots of points in a shorter amount of time.
Well, now we aren't buying the condo for another year at least, and we're considering splitting our vacation into two separate, shorter trips in fall 2019 and fall 2020, AND as of last night my DH is totally spooked and will not even entertain the discussion of me referring him for my cards. I'm considering myself lucky he's agreed to sign up for a CFU! So Player 2 is out, at least for a year, and now I'm wondering how to maximize my <5/24 slots while avoiding a shutdown.
I realized I've got a long gap in my plan between my CIP app (planning to do take #2 in 13 days, expecting to be approved) and the SW apps in Dec. Also, my understanding is that I'll be at 5/24 after the CSR/CSP and can't apply for any more Chase cards. Should I be mixing the CIC in there for the points and to squeeze in one more card while under <5/24? In other words, would it be too risky for me to do CIP now, CIC in Sept., SW Biz & personal in Dec, and then the CSR/CSP in Mar. 2019?
So a lot of people have already given you good advice. I'll add my 2¢.
1. If you're considering buying a condo, that may cut short your window for applying for new credit cards. It's usually advised to cool off new applications for credit 6 months to a year before getting a mortgage.
2. Others have already pointed out that adding a CIC into your plans to get the CIP (June 2018), SW Biz/SW Personal (December 2018), and then CSR/CSP (March 2019) would be aggressive. Slotting the CIC in around September could be enough distance from your CIP in June to get approved, but having that second biz card could put getting your SW Biz on shaky ground, both because the SW Biz would be your third Chase biz card and you'd be going for your third biz card in 6 months, and 4 Chase cards in 6 months.
3. In counting your */24, don't include biz cards. However, in evaluating your shutdown risk, you should include
Chase biz cards and all personal cards from any issuer.
4. I'm a proponent of making your "plan" more of a "roadmap." You'd like to get to those cards (destinations) in a certain order and by a certain time, but prepare for detours. Offers change constantly, sometimes offers come with expiration dates; new cards come out; and rules and restrictions change. By September, the CIC may no longer offer a 50k UR signup bonus. The SW cards may not have enough points on two cards to get you to 110k RR points for a companion pass by December, but they could see higher offers in that expire in October. You have to be somewhat flexible and jump when offers are good.
5. Biz cards generally have a positive impact on your credit score. If the biz card does not report to your personal credit report (and Chase and Amex biz cards don't), your credit score won't suffer the hit of a new account. And if the biz card doesn't show up on your personal credit report, neither does the balance you're carrying on them, which will result in a lower utilization ratio on your personal credit cards and a boost to your credit score.
6. I get DH's reluctance. It probably didn't help that your first application in this game was denied pending verification. My DW is a reluctant Player 2. It's hard to demonstrate the benefits of credit card churning by describing it in the abstract because it's so counter-intuitive.
Wait, so the banks are going to give us hundreds or thousands of dollars in cash or free travel for signing up for their credit cards and spending on them what we would've spent anyway? DH is probably looking for some catch, like it'll tank your credit scores or leave you in heavy credit card debt. My wife and my credit scores have gone up at least 20 points since starting this hobby, in part because of #5 above, but also because more credit cards (may dip your scores temporarily for new accounts but will) increase your scores because of increased credit availability vs. utilization. Don't spend more than you would've spent anyway chasing points and miles, but do see how you can spend smarter by shifting your spend to maximize credit card signup bonuses and spending categories. And pay off your credit card bill every month! Once you take that first trip all on points, your DH's might understand better. Last year, my family stayed at the
Disneyland Hotel during Thanksgiving week all on points, which would've cost over $2,000, and it finally clicked for my DW. DW is still more comfortable being a slow churner, so I keep Player 2's */24 count low (mostly by going for really good offers on biz cards) and in reserve in case we need to tag team a really awesome offer with referrals. It works for us.
Good luck!
I have about a week until my statements close so I'm trying to get the last of the spend done between today and tomorrow so I get my bonus in this month. Last charge that put CSR over the top was made yesterday and I'm hoping it posts today. So I have to spend about $650 on my CSP in the next two days. 
but I clicked it anyway and now confused because it's on my Everyday card but it's targeted at business cards 
