Originally Posted by
stltraveler
1. When people speak of applying for 2 cards in a day are they referring to 2 of the same type of card (ie Chase or Citi or two of the exact same AA or Delta card) or are they say 2 of any card? Is the reason behind this to only have 1 card enquiry on a credit report?
More specifically, if you apply for two Citi Personal cards at the same time, they count as one hard pull. If you apply for one Business and one Personal Citi card, it counts as two hard pulls. If you apply for two AmEx cards, Personal or Business, at the same time they count as one pull. I don't know about Chase, etc.
Originally Posted by
stltraveler
2. I've seen a lot of info on how Amex, Citi, Chase, etc... handle customers churning. Some won't let you get another card from X-number of days after cancelling their past card. What are those approximate number of days for each card provider?
As a general rule, Chase allows one application per 30 days, Citi allows two per 60 days. AmEx does not have a fixed number about which I am aware. Citi AA cards require ~14-18 months between Personal applications and 90 days betweeen Business Applications.
Originally Posted by
stltraveler
3. How best to go about this whole process with the most minimal effect on credit report?
4. My wife doesn't have the best of credit. I'm going to begin cleaning it best I can. What is the card she should apply for that may have bonus points, but most importantly get her credit score up ASAP with easy approval (last I checked she was low 700 fico score)?
6. I used creditkarma and credit sesame to check my wife's credit card. There is about a 50 point different. Are these trustworthy sites or is this a case of "you get what you don't pay for"?
5. Does adding a spouse to your card effect their credit score (positively or adversely)? And does it affect them being able to apply for the same card separately later?
These are probably better answered on CreditBoards than here.
Originally Posted by
stltraveler
6. Are the hotel cards worthwhile or are they kind of second tier to the airline cards?
That depends on you. Many feel that SPG cards are better than Airline cards because you can transfer SPG points with a 25% bonus to many airlines. Many people seem to disparage HHonors points, but last year, pre-FT, I booked a pair of economy tickets from WAS to Ireland for ~$600 each. We spent 5 nights in Hilton hotels that would have cost ~$200-600 per night. Would you rather get $1200 worth of airfare for free or $2000 worth of hotels? I think both hotel and airline points are important and can be used well together.