Just got declined for another chase card. Not surprised since I got my fourth one from them last week. Guess I'll have to wait 6 months before I hit them up again. Still have another grand to spend for my citi bonus, but trying to figure out what card I want to get next in the meantime.

5/6/2012 6:37:37 PM

^if you've got an inactive Chase card you're willing to part with, try calling them and talking them into closing one of the older cards and re-allocating the credit limit in order to open this new one.

This works almost every time, and you've got nothing to lose.

[Edited on May 7, 2012 at 10:23 AM. Reason : d]

5/7/2012 10:22:51 AM

Really? I have an expedia card from Chase I can toss. The letter they sent me in the mail said too many recent inquiries, so wasn't sure if I should bother with the call or not.

5/7/2012 10:25:03 AM

I have a friend who is married and everything is in her husband's name. They have money in the bank, a house, pay their bills, etc., but she can't get approved for a credit card because the stuff is in his name.

Any advice for that? I wasn't sure what to tell her. I guess they should put some stuff in her name and re-apply after a few months?

5/7/2012 2:33:50 PM

Yes, and add her as an authorized user if she isn't already.

5/7/2012 2:34:29 PM

So that builds credit? I wasn't sure if being added as a user helped or not.

5/7/2012 2:42:51 PM

I believe it used to although the cc companies have cracked down on that a lot in the past few years. For a while people were paying others to list them as authorized users just to increase their credit scores.

5/7/2012 2:47:46 PM

Someone with sufficient income and limited or no credit history should still be able to get a card. Just maybe not the most lucrative, or 'high-end' ones. She should pull her own credit report and review it for accuracy. In fact, everyone should do this on a regular basis.

http://www.annualcreditreport.com

you get 3 free (one from each bureau) per year.


[Edited on May 7, 2012 at 3:54 PM. Reason : j]

5/7/2012 3:53:58 PM

I added my wife on my Citi card after a customer service rep said it would go on her credit report as well. I'll find out for sure in a few months.

5/7/2012 5:04:10 PM

If you have a credit card with 5% back on Groceries (like Chase Freedom right now), can't you buy gift cards at the grocery store and get 5% back on those? Anyone tried this? Amazon.com would be an obvious choice for me (since my Citi Forward hasn't arrived yet )

5/9/2012 11:47:43 AM

Yes you can do that.

But I hear it's best to not only buy gift cards, because a bunch of even dollar amount purchases may raise red flags.

So buy like gum or something too so instead of $50.00 your purchase amount will be like $50.85 or whatever.

5/9/2012 11:56:31 AM

Doesn't chase cap quarterly spending at $1500?
Also, isn't there a charge to activate those cards?
I know some stores won't even let you buy gift cards with ccs.

5/9/2012 11:58:08 AM

Yes, there's a cap.

There's only an activation charge if it's like a Visa or Amex prepaid card. Cards for regular retailers like you'd buy at the store itself don't have any activation charge.

5/9/2012 11:59:54 AM

^^^They're not going to come after you unless you're racking up mega-bucks ($xxxx), trust me.

[Edited on May 9, 2012 at 12:25 PM. Reason : d]

5/9/2012 12:25:28 PM

Quote :

"Doesn't chase cap quarterly spending at $1500?"

Yep. http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/chase-freedom/ . Still worth $75

5/9/2012 1:04:07 PM

Anyone have Marriott Rewards?

5/9/2012 6:02:24 PM

Quote :

"^if you've got an inactive Chase card you're willing to part with, try calling them and talking them into closing one of the older cards and re-allocating the credit limit in order to open this new one. This works almost every time, and you've got nothing to lose."

Tried again and no such luck. Reading suggests that chase has really been cracking down lately. Guess I'll try again later and try it with a diff rep.

5/13/2012 7:27:54 PM

Quote :

"Anyone have Marriott Rewards?"

I used that system all the time when I was traveling. What's up? Do you have questions?

5/13/2012 8:14:53 PM

Too bad I've already booked vacations for my leave this year or I would have jumped on this offer from Marriott:

Quote :

"An exclusive offer for Marriott Rewards® Credit Card holders Enjoy 3 free nights at Maui’s Wailea Beach Marriott® Resort & Spa when you redeem for a 4-night stay in 2012, giving you 7 nights of oceanfront bliss. For just 140,000 Marriott Rewards points, you’ll enjoy: 7 nights at the Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa $100 credit at Kumu Bar & Grill "

5/13/2012 8:23:17 PM

Just got approved for this

9) US Air credit card with 40,000 bonus Dividend Miles

Earn 40,000 US Air miles after 1st purchase
$89 annual fee waived for the first year; 3% foreign transaction fee
5,000 mile discount when you redeem for US Air award travel
10,000 miles bonus on every anniversary of account opening date effectively making up for annual fee

5/14/2012 1:11:17 AM

Where can I find a link for a skymiles amex referral? I get them in the mail all the time and I have a friend wanting to open a new Amex and I'd love the 25k bonus miles...

5/14/2012 2:18:08 AM

With AMEX, even after a compromised card is replaced, charges can still happen on the hacked account...

My AMEX card number was somehow compromised back in March. AMEX very quickly detected the fraudulent charge attempt, blocked it, and contacted me. They overnighted me a new card, closed out the old account, and I felt protected since the number had been changed.

Well, apparently that isnt always the case.

I noticed last Saturday that there was a Netflix charge to my account. I was surprised to see this, because I had only done a evaluation of Netflix maybe 6 or 7 months ago, then cancelled the service.

I called AMEX, and the charge came through using my 'OLD' number. I asked them how this was possible, and was told (twice, because I didnt believe it and had to call back to confirm), that with subscription services, the old number CAN be used even after the old card number is changed.

Someone, who had my compromised number, was able to charge to NetFlix because it was seen as a subscription service by AMEX. When I called Netflix, they confirmed the old number was being used by another individual that was not me, and they were starting the fraud investigation.

The only way to stop this is to put a block on AMEX for the merchant. Apparently there is no way to tell AMEX not to accept authorizations for subscription based services after you change your card number. This seems pretty ridiculous to me.

[Edited on May 14, 2012 at 11:21 AM. Reason : .]

5/14/2012 11:21:12 AM

Anyone know if it's better to cancel a card with a yearly fee as soon as you get to bonus (as to open up more credit with the same cc company) or should I leave it open til the end of the billing year as to not piss off said company.

5/14/2012 11:27:53 AM

You are talking about CC churning. Better forum to ask that is flyertalk.com. Your mileage will vary depending on the card.

5/14/2012 11:32:40 AM

Yeah, just got started with churning. Wish I had read up on it before I unknowingly started a few months ago. Probably wasn't doing it too efficiently back then.

5/14/2012 11:45:28 AM

IMO, it's kind of a double-edged sword. The sooner you close it, the quicker you can jump on another card from that issuer, should one pop up. On the other hand, the customer service people start getting rather indignant when you show a bunch of immediate closures in your account history.

edit: sorry for basically repeating what you said, didn't read the whole post.

I usually give it a few months, at least. I've never had any adverse action for closing them too early, even with CSR's saying they would "make a note on my account" that I was churning, etc. But I'm kinda waiting for the other shoe to drop someday. I usually just tell them I've got another card with them (usually true), and I don't want to pay the fee on this one. This also usually nets me a retention bonus in the form of credits or points, which I take and delay cancellation for a couple more months.

[Edited on May 14, 2012 at 12:38 PM. Reason : d]

5/14/2012 12:34:41 PM

Pretty sweet. My Citi Forward has finally arrived...so now my current cards are:

Citi Forward - 5% off Restaurants/bars and Amazon.com
Pen Fed Platnium - 5% off Gas and 3% off Grocery
Chase Freedom - 5% off grocery this quarter

Now I just need to get whatever card (Fidelity I think) that gives me 2% back on all other purchases and I'll be set

5/14/2012 1:14:31 PM

I'll probably get the forward next, or this one. Anyone know if hilton pts expire offhand?

http://millionmilesecrets.com/2011/11/10/virgin-atlantic-credit-card/#comment-195432

5/14/2012 1:35:00 PM

If we do hardwood floors this summer, I think I might get a new card to charge it to. Ideally it would be something with 0% interest for 12 months and offer a cash reward for spending X amount of money in the first Y months. I guess I'll see what kind of deals are out there when it gets closer.

5/14/2012 4:39:52 PM

^^ive got a Hilton Amex, and honestly their points are next to worthless. Only reason I have it for 5% on cable and cell phone bills. You're looking at about 40k points per night, if you're lucky. Not sure if/when they expire since I'm constantly getting new activity in my account.

Go with the Forward.

[Edited on May 14, 2012 at 8:15 PM. Reason : S]

5/14/2012 8:11:57 PM

I figured as much but 100K pts might make it worth it.

5/14/2012 8:19:17 PM

KTHX

5/14/2012 10:41:28 PM

Looks like I need to take a break from Citi and Chase. Here's my latest churn would should keep me busy for a while.

Congratulations, You have been approved for The Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card From American Express OPEN.

"I value SPG points, very conservatively, at 2 cents each"

7) Starwood Prefered Guest (SPG) American Express Business and Personal credit cards with 25,000 SPG points

25,000 point American Express personal SPG card – Earn 10,000 SPG points after 1st purchase and 15,000 points after spending $5,000 within 6 months
25,000 point American Express business SPG card – Earn 10,000 SPG points after 1st purchase and 15,000 points after spending $5,000 within 6 months
$65 annual fee waived for 1st year; 3% foreign transaction fee
Earn 5 SPG points per $1 spent at Starwood hotels & 1 point per $1 for everything else
Earn 5 nights and 2 stay credits towards elite status with card
My detailed review of the SPG program

http://millionmilesecrets.com/hot-deals/

5/24/2012 2:41:32 PM

It really is a great program. Only card w/annual fee I'd consider keeping.

5/24/2012 8:40:51 PM

Why do you like it?
What's the best card to use for travel? I have 10 cards not but not sure which one to use.

5/24/2012 10:30:13 PM

The SPG Amex is my primary card now. It's great. The SPG points are easily transferable to most major airlines plus they give you a 5000 mile bonus if you transfer more than 20k points. AMEX's customer service is awesome as well.

^Your answer depends heavily on what kind/how much of travel you do. Do you have a preferred airline/hotel? Do you travel often or would you just build up points on daily purchases? etc.

5/25/2012 8:29:12 AM

I travel a fair amount, but rarely stay in hotels. I primarily use Southwest, but this upcoming trip would be a Delta purchase most likely. I also may go on a cruise some time later this year.

5/25/2012 9:03:52 AM

It also appears you can book travel directly through AMEX.
Anyone have any experience with this?

5/25/2012 9:10:03 AM

SPG points are great because there are a million ways to spend them. The ability to pick which airline to transfer them to is key, since you can find the flight you need before you transfer the points. The 5k bonus is icing on the cake.

5/26/2012 10:51:04 AM

I recently signed up for the Citi ThankYou Premier 50,000 point bonus offer (after spending $2500 in 3 months). Not sure yet what I'll do with the points, probably just take a Greek haircut on some gift cards to help pay for a water softener. Anyone know of a more efficient way to turn points into cash?

http://creditcards.citicards.com/usc/thankyou/Premier/offer/Sept2011/50k/default.htm?BT_TX=1

5/26/2012 10:22:35 PM

Redeem them for a mortgage or student loan rebate.

5/27/2012 10:37:44 AM

^Thanks, I forgot about those options.

5/27/2012 7:17:40 PM

Looks like I finally got rid of these damn amex pts. I had originally planned to transfer them to delta pts via a 1.5X promotion, but that never happened and after careful review I determined it wouldn't really matter. Here's a quick recap for those who care. I had 27,000 amex pts after a promtion through CarZin to get a free 25,000 pts. Unlike chase pts, these don't convert on a 100-1 basis so I couldn't just get a $270 credit statement with my pts. 10K pts were worth about $50 in cash when I originally checked, although it looks like they are doing a promotion now so 8K pts will get you $50 in gift cards, which still sucks overall, therefore it was suggested I use them for a flight via Delta. I could transfer the 27K amex pts to 27K delta pts, or hold off for a 1.5X promotion to get about 40K pts which would get me a free flight. It turns out delta doesn't have a straight forwards pts to dollars formula like Southwest does. My $300 flight to Boston would have cost me 40K pts, same for the $200 flight. The $700 flight was only 10K more pts at 50K pts. Basically it appears you really need to book a high $ flight for a amex-delta pts exchange to be worth it, and god forbid you are short pts because the cost to buy them is outrageous. In the end I was able to book my delta flight through amex and apply my 27K amex pts to get $270 off my $300 flight. Keep in mind if I did hold off for a 1.5X delta promotion I would have only gained an additional $30 and would have actually lost $70 had I decided to book the $200 flight instead.

tl;dr

5/28/2012 7:12:05 PM

Signed up for the Citi AA Visa and Amex at the same time using the two browser trick. After finishing the spending requirements I will bank 100K AA miles. Follow that up with the Citi AA business in 90 days for another 50K, then get the SPG and tranfer 20K to AA (5K bonus) will net me 175K AA miles by the end of the year.

Are there any other promotions for increasing AA miles? Traveling a lot next year and want to get a good stockpile.

[Edited on June 8, 2012 at 8:21 AM. Reason : a]

6/8/2012 8:20:34 AM

Let me know if you want a referral for the SPG card.

6/8/2012 9:35:54 AM

^ whats the advantage of a referral?

6/8/2012 9:53:08 AM

I got cash $400 cash using chase sapphire, but pretty sure you can xfer those pts to miles worth twice that.
Also, I'd check out Southwest if you don't mind deviating from AA.

6/8/2012 9:54:12 AM

Booya! I love this site.

Quote :

"David, Thanks for reading and for commenting on the blog. A generous reader has donated additional Delta club passes, and you won one of them. Please let me know if it is okay to pass your mailing address to the reader to mail you the Delta club pass. Thanks! Daraius"

6/8/2012 9:55:06 AM

Anyone used the Student Loan redemption for ThankYou Points to directly deposit into their checking? I have read that all you need to do is put your checking account number in the memo line & sign it and they deposit it.

Can anyone confirm?

[Edited on June 8, 2012 at 10:20 AM. Reason : .]

6/8/2012 10:19:52 AM

No, but may end up doing that for my mortgage.
The citi platinum select visa gave me straight up cash.
Didn't realize the premier only gave pts and the prepaid visa option sucks.
$100 for 14,000 pts. Fuck that.

6/8/2012 11:22:10 AM