Damn, don't think I'd ever sit on that many pts if possible.

8/27/2012 2:18:06 PM

Damn 200k? Just cashed out 50k TY points I've accumulated over the year for the $500 student loan rebate. Odd thing is with my Citi forward card I've always had that 100pt to $1 conversion on mortgage or student loans but never anything else. And this time the tier 1 CSR said he was "doing me a favor" since his program showed me getting much worse than that. Everytime I get a new offer on a Citi TY rewards card I notice the sign up bonus isnt that great and the 5pts for restaurants, movies, etc is no longer offered - or is that just a targeted lower level offer?

On a separate note I was looking at the PenFed 5% gas cash back card and noticed its used to straight up reimburse your card statement every month so you never have to call in or arrange anything. Anyone still using theirs or have any issues with it?

8/27/2012 5:27:24 PM

Quote :

"On a separate note I was looking at the PenFed 5% gas cash back card and noticed its used to straight up reimburse your card statement every month so you never have to call in or arrange anything. Anyone still using theirs or have any issues with it?"

Hm, didn't see that option. I get gift/visa cards via my PenFed rewards. I almost prefer it that way cause I can buy something cool for "free."

8/27/2012 5:56:37 PM

No clue about pen fed, but every other month I just "buy" a $50 cashback/reimbursement through Chase's points shop.

8/27/2012 7:27:09 PM

I still use my PenFed Platinum Cash Rewards card for gas but nothing else because they dropped it down to 0.25% cash back (which isn't worth my time).

8/27/2012 9:57:27 PM

There are now 2 different PenFed cards. The old one which gives automatic cashback (don't think you can still get this one w/new application), and the new one which does the points (and gives 2% back at supermarkets, IIRC?)

A quick tip for the points-based one: if you log into the site and navigate to "Hot Items" under the rewards tab, they always have a few $25 GC for 2,400 points as specials. I usually save up my points and wait for a deal, last time it was Lowe's GCs.

[Edited on August 28, 2012 at 1:10 PM. Reason : d]

8/28/2012 1:08:42 PM

^^ really?

https://www.penfed.org/platinum-rewards/

Plus I just checked a purchase from 4 days ago and I'm still getting 1% on everything else...

8/28/2012 1:21:43 PM

I got denied for the Amex Hilton Honors card since I had already received two new AMEX cards in the past 90 days. No biggie.

On the plus side I got approved for the Southwest Business card. Companion pass, here I come! They actually ended up closing another Chase non rewards account, which I wasn't thrilled about, but will gladly take the hit for the new Southwest card.

8/28/2012 1:56:35 PM

^ sweet!! Congrats!

Who are you going to name as your companion?

(sorry in advance if you're married & it's an obvious answer, I'm just curious!)

8/28/2012 2:48:28 PM

Thanks!

I still need to spend 1K on the new card, and then get the additional pts to make it to 110K, but that's def going to happen even if I have to buy the difference.

No, not married. Care to barter for it?

8/28/2012 2:57:47 PM

For you folks that are getting new cards and canceling others, what type of impact is it having on your credit score?

8/28/2012 3:42:13 PM

I've only cancelled one thus far and didn't notice any change. It helps that I have a bunch of others open so my utilization rate is at 3%.

8/28/2012 3:58:10 PM

It won't have much of an effect, as long as you have well-established credit history.

If you're just starting out, stay away from bonus-chasing. Just my $.02

8/28/2012 3:59:53 PM

As far as the penfed CC goes yeah he's right about it, at least on the gas cash back card from what it appears.

https://www.penfed.org/credit-card-overview/

Dont know how I missed that nice summary page of their offers the first time i looked. Based on the tons of gas I spend for work Id make more back on that than using the other cards that only give 1%.

8/28/2012 7:12:42 PM

No it's definitely 5% on gas, that's not under discussion.

We're talking about the "Everything Else" category which he's saying is going to 0.25%...but I still see 1%

8/28/2012 7:17:38 PM

I'm looking at that page in my link for the Platinum Cash Reward Card and it definitely shows 0.25% back for everything else. Are you seeing that 1% on your own card account screen or something?

[Edited on August 28, 2012 at 11:28 PM. Reason : .]

8/28/2012 11:26:20 PM

Anyone got any good recs for a business credit card? What are some good rewards/cash back cards available for small businesses?

8/29/2012 7:54:08 AM

guys,

Re: PenFed

Platinum CASH Rewards card = 5% gas, 0.25% everything else (automatic cashback)
Platinum Rewards card = 5% gas, 3% groceries, 1% everything else (points)

That's it. Nothing is changing.

8/29/2012 9:05:17 AM

https://www.penfed.org/Platinum-Cash-Rewards/

I said Platinum CASH Rewards, not Platinum Rewards, and it has gone to 0.25% for everything else.

8/29/2012 9:07:22 AM

Got an offer in the mail for a Discover card with 15 months 0% APR and $100. I might look into that further.

I don't have a Discover card yet so that was one reason I was interested and then the other reason was that we are probably going to do hardwood floors in the next couple months. Even though I could pay cash for it, I'd like to take advantage of a new card with 0% APR and pay it off over time.

9/5/2012 2:40:01 PM

I'm still spoiled and won't do any bonuses for <$200 as of now
I'm going on a cruise in a week and am going to see how much the casino will charge to let me play using my CC. I think it was 3% last time, but some people are saying the slots charged 0% but had a cap.

9/5/2012 2:59:59 PM

Today was a great day! I got my Southwest business card in the mail yesterday. I mentioned getting the denial letter a few weeks back for the personal Soithwest card. Once I had my business card approval in hand, I called the Chase reconsideration line & was approved.

To top it off, Amex is running a special on no fee gift cards. I can go ahead & hit my minimum spends to earn my points. All I have to do now is transfer hotel points to get to the 110,000 point mark.

Any advice on this? I have some low balances with Wyndham, Marriott & Priority Club. Not sure what the best approach is. If all goes as planned, I could be flying free with a companion by Thanksgiving

9/5/2012 5:04:38 PM

^^Gotcha. I don't have a lot of cards so I haven't really gotten a lot of sign-up rewards; the best I have ever gotten was $200 for getting my Chase Freedom. I still only have (and have only had since I have never canceled any) Amazon Chase card, Chase Freedom, a Citi card I have had since HS, and a Priority Club card I have had since HS.

I guess eventually I should try and take advantage of some more sign-up rewards, but I haven't ever felt like dealing with keeping up with lots of cards and I'm not a big fan of closing them. If I do something else after this Discover card it would probably be something travel related since we have started to travel more and have nothing that really rewards any travel.

9/5/2012 5:32:26 PM

Congrats.

Your best bet is to transfer 30,000 Marriott points in order to receive 10,000 southwest points.

[Edited on September 5, 2012 at 5:53 PM. Reason : ^^]

9/5/2012 5:52:38 PM

My Marriott balance isn't that big. I do have a healthy Hilton balance

What is the process? I'm pretty much Southwest retarded. Do I just login & transfer the points? Also how does the status with points translate into perks w the airline? Do I still have to pay to board early?

9/5/2012 7:23:06 PM

I'm not sure if you can use Hilton. I believe they are partnered with Mariott, Hyatt, Best Western, Choice Hotels, and Wyndham, regardless you can just buy Mariott pts to make up the difference, which is probably what I'll have to end up doing. I don't even have an account with them, so let me know if you do figure it out. I doubt it's too difficult. I've transferred points before using other companies and it was fairly seamless.

You'd think that companion status would get you super perks, but unfortunately it appears as though the bonus points you receive from the cards do not apply to their a-list tier. It's probably a glitch in the first place that it even works for the companion pass. If you do make 25 flights or get 35K miles legit then you are entitled to

Priority Boarding
25% Earning Bonus
Fly By®, Priority Check-in and Security Lane access, where available
Dedicated A-List Member Phone Line
Standby Priority

9/5/2012 9:02:34 PM

Can I ask questions or am I supposed to read all 3 pages?

9/5/2012 9:26:57 PM

The latter.

9/5/2012 9:53:02 PM

http://slickdeals.net/f/5155888-Chase-Freedom-10-cash-Sears-Kohls-or-5-cash-on-others

9/6/2012 4:57:22 PM

Heh, I think I may have a problem.

We are pleased to approve your application for the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit CardSM from American Express. We hope you'll continue to enjoy the benefits and services that come with Cardmembership. Your Card will arrive in the mail in 7 to 10 business days.

9/8/2012 5:12:02 PM

Doesn't it hurt your credit to have 1975628291 cards and to keep opening/closing new ones?

9/8/2012 6:13:22 PM

Not much really.


Once you have a shitload of cards, each new one hurts your average age of accounts less.


The inquries hurt some, but the more you have, the less negative effect a new one will have.

[Edited on September 8, 2012 at 8:06 PM. Reason : s]

9/8/2012 8:03:58 PM

Yeah, I'm down about 10 pts from when I refinanced with a score of 765.
I'm not looking to take out a loan any time soon, so I'm not too worried.
The only thing that's really hurting me is the Average Age of Open Credit Lines since that's pretty low with all the new cards I've been opening.
I think that will actually improve once I close out a few cards.
I pay everything on time and since I have 50k+ in credit my utilization stays very low.

[Edited on September 9, 2012 at 4:42 PM. Reason : ]

9/9/2012 4:41:05 PM

^FYI: I've heard that with the recent way they re-worked the calculation of scores, closed cards will remain part of the average age calculation for something like 5-6 years. Not sure how true that is.

9/10/2012 11:27:51 AM

Cool beans. Not too worried though. Seems like there's always positives and negatives for having more/less cards.

9/10/2012 11:38:45 AM

Is it bad that I bend all my mail as soon as it comes to see if it contains any new ccs?

9/10/2012 4:06:58 PM

Guilty! Waiting on my second southwest card & stalking my mailbox

Already met min spend on the first one by buying Amex gift cards for no fee. Will use those for general expenses until I run out.

9/10/2012 10:10:38 PM

How many $100 gift cards can you buy with no fee?

9/10/2012 10:21:36 PM

as many as you want. Promo codes for fee-free cards are a dime a dozen.

9/11/2012 7:49:41 AM

Anyone have any issues getting the bonus when you apply for the card the last day of the promotion?
I signed up for US Bank travel card the very last day of the promotion. The account was setup several days later. Customer support says I should be fine if I applied by the cutoff date, but there's no way for me to know for sure until I hit my spending limit. Also, they sent me a free "select rewards" card instead of the "travel rewards" card that comes with an annual fee. On the phone she said I was still eligible for the Olympic promotion, so no complaints from me. We'll see if I actually get the damn bonus come early next year.

9/11/2012 12:17:43 PM

the answer to your question is no. But I would never take a CSR's word for anything. ever.

9/13/2012 12:21:39 PM

I got $1000 in gift cards to trigger the points deposit. I'm also using it on regular expenses here & there

9/13/2012 12:44:51 PM

Yeah, the CSR didn't sound like she had a clue about what she was doing. I sent them a msg through the online tool so hopefully I can get something in writing.

How did you trigger the points deposit so quickly? Mine usually don't hit until I get my statement.

9/13/2012 1:25:42 PM

Is it possible to block future charges from a specific entity?

I want to cancel a gym membership, and they are requesting that I send a certified letter with their bullshit form. I am willing to request a new number from Chase, but I'll have to update a couple other auto-pay accounts.

9/13/2012 4:28:20 PM

I doubt it. Best case, you call up and dispute the charge and they knock it off after the fact.

9/13/2012 5:00:59 PM

I just report the card lost, that will stop them all, then you can decide who gets the new #.

9/13/2012 5:48:20 PM

Thanks - I'll prob just do that. Easier to update two accounts than deal with the post office. Plus I expect they'll try to charge me for another month while processing my cancellation.

9/13/2012 6:32:26 PM

Here's the best airline deal I've seen in a while, it's for a Delta AmEx (replace name and membership number with yours in the link):

https://www262.americanexpress.com/apisites/microsite-framedapp/apply/delta-gold-skymiles-credit-card/U7-1000-46?offerType=leadOffer&affilSiteId=Deltanotlgn&affilCtgyCd=COB&pmcVendorCode=U7&additionalOffer=false&firstName=John&lastName=Smith&membershipNumber=222222222

-25,000 bonus miles will be awarded after your first purchase on the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card.
-$5,000 spend within 6 months to be awarded the 45,000 bonus miles.
-Any Delta purchase to the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card within the first three months of Cardmembership = One $100 statement credit.

1st year annual fee is waived, $95 after that. Delta's card actually has some decent perks though.

9/17/2012 8:28:50 AM

So with a new house, I've constantly been near maxing out my primary card with shopping and doing the card shuffle/paying off daily is annoying.... should I try for a new card from a different bank, or try another limit increase? The card I have now is with Chase. Another reason I want a new card is because chase changed their reward program for this card and it pretty much sucks now.

If a new card, I'd be looking for the best cash back rewards; and hopefully not have to deal with rotating categories...

[Edited on September 21, 2012 at 9:30 AM. Reason : .]

9/21/2012 9:22:41 AM

I also meant to add, that in the past, Chase has been unwilling to provide large increases due to "too many recent inquiries". I guess scores just under 800 aren't good enough

And I just had a bunch of inquires recently...

9/21/2012 10:37:59 AM