My initial decision matrix is:
Apply for the card if I travel on American Airlines at least 6-8 times a year and have a definite plan to use the miles/points from the bonus and the 6-8 trips within a year. Otherwise, it can be made to work but requires quite a bit of effort to make it work.
(At the peak of my business travel before the pandemic, it was only about 15 trips per year and not half of them on American, but maybe 3 of them)
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
