if you were already gonna spend 3k+ in the next 3 months, then it might be worth it to get to 4k to get that bonus. but if your normal spending habits would have you at 1.5-2k don't add on another 2k of spending just to get the bonus. now if you know you have to buy something big in the next few months like a bunch of furniture, jewelry, computer, etc. then it could also make sense. if not, then just find a card that has like a 30k point bonus with 1k spending requirement and waived fee...or 50k points with 3k spending and waived fee. also, don't keep the card after the first year - either cancel it or downgrade it to a non-fee card if you can in order to increase your average length of credit and also decrease credit utilization



tl;dr:
- don't increase your spending significantly to get cc bonuses
- just apply for cc bonuses that mostly line up with your normal spending
- make sure you either cancel or downgrade all of these cards before you get charged the 2nd year fee