SourShot

I recommend spending more time reading, and less time making unproductive personal attacks; you might actually learn something.

I do have to single out this hilarious quote:

I can tell you for a fact that 0.004 cpm is less than the wholesale rate BOA pays Alaska, and most (all?) of FT would jump at the chance to acquire Alaska miles at that price.

This has very little to do with your miles balance; don't assume that just because you can't think of ways/don't have a chance to spend your miles, that the same applies for everyone else.

Happy

You do not enlighten the thread why it requires 2 accounts (and what account?) in order to get the $100 statement credit twice. Inquiring mind wants to know why none of us who do the double apps need to. We just pick the superior cards why some insist to get the inferior cards for reasons that cannot be explained.

You can tell me how much BofA paid? You work for them in that department? You study BofA's annual report 10K to figure that out?

A fact? Where is the source of proof?

Speak for yourself about the willingness to pay, but dont generalize for others.

Never understand why people always assume the banks pay $0.01 without any solid source to back it up... Oh, I see that because the bloggers claim that and the sheep followed... In reality, nobody knows exactly how much banks pay airlines. You might get a clue by studying the 10K (the SEC filing), and AA's provided the biggest insight because it reported several prepayments Citi paid in years led to its filing of bankruptcy. But that would be too much of a work, easier to just assume since the bloggers say so.

OTOH I can tell you that my acquisition of the AS miles is below 0.0015. Who cares about how much BofA paid? I only care how much I pay, the money out from my own pocket.

Account balance is relevant - a person has 1 million miles balance would not view things the same way as a person has 100K miles balance.

Having high balances in multiple programs does not equate to not knowing how to spend the miles. Such assumption can only come from ignorance.

Quite the contrary, it might actually be a proof of the ability to keep replenishing the accounts and maintain a high balance, even though burning 700K and up a year.

In 2014 I redeemed 2 tickets for each the following awards - 1 AA US to Asia F r/t at 135K each, 1 UA US-Asia-Europe-US F at 140K each, 1 UA US-Asia-Europe-US J at 120K each, 1 US US-Africa-Europe-US J at 110K each - that is 135K + 140K + 120K + 110K = 505K and then by 2 = 1.01 million on the big tickets. There are smallish tickets on BA Avios and intra Asia coach with UA redemption - those added up to about 120K total. All the while have no need to touch AS miles but will do so if we decide to fly Europe to Asia in May and then onto Australia. With the current just over 1.1 million balance of AS miles, i guess it does afford us NOT to jump on the $0.004 crowd's bandwagon.

And I can tell you I know plenty of FTers in similar situation - burning 700K to 1 million a year yet still have a few millions in combined balances of all program. That is how to play the game once you learn. An FTer friend just told me a few days ago that he decided to focus on cash back after a tally of the current total balance on all programs - that comes to 3.3 million in total, should last for the next 3 to 4 years even without any replenishment but of course there would be replenishment, at a much lower cost than the 0.004 touted being cheap by you.
Furthermore, friend just reminded me that they already have 3 trips booked for themselves for 2015 travel - leaving in 10 days to Asia and Australia/New Zealand, with US J award (110K), then in April return to their 2nd home in Paris for 2 months, again in the Fall do the same - both are AA J awards (100K) - that is a total of 110+100+100 and multiply by 2 to give you 620K used, plus paying for their granddaughter to come on the 2nd trip to Paris on AA coach award (50K - 30+20). The intra-South Pacific flights are booked with Avios - 80 or 90K used.
After that they still have 3.5 million balances, and none of their miles was acquired with anything remotely close to the $0.004 being touted a bargain - because smart guy's bar is much higher. He is a 331 days guy so the earliest he would book again would be for travel in Spring of 2016 - by then there would be some replenishment already.

Another FT friend has a family of 5. He routinely burns 1 million+ miles a year, largely in coach because they travel 4 to 5 times a year on international trips plus lots of long weekends (great to use Avios because PHL is his hub!). They just returned from a 3 weeks jaunt in South Africa and Namibia, and will be in Asia / Australia in Feb. Both were booked as US J awards. Even him, is reluctant to pay for the miles at this price, except for Avios because he can use 4500 Avios and $10 for a long weekend from PHL and NYC or BOS when pay ticket would often runs $300 and up r/t.

That, is how smart folks calculate their cost / benefit when it comes to pay real money to acquire fake currency.

Yes, big account balances make a difference, it allows a much more rational decision on what to pay at how much instead of being swept up by the internet frenzy. It does require some serious analysis on what one has, where one wants to go, and how to achieve that. Easy task if one does not make assumption but perform analysis based on facts, not hype.

Brugge

Jeeze... I thought I was a serious player, but this makes me feel like a newbie.

I'm not doing anything like this in miles and points. Esp with my mere 1 AS card twice a year.

We do have 2 International FC trips already booked for 2015, and a remaining high 6 figure AA balance, but we also struggle to find the very few Saver Awards that AA makes available, and that's a PITA. So thanks for this wake up call.

Going to have to step up my game several levels.

TMM1982

Who gets that much vacation time?

yoyo

Well you don't doesn't mean no one else does.

Retired people?
People who are financially independent but still loves to play this game?
jobless people?
...

metoo

Data Point

1/5/15- 2 Browsers using Wiki link for personal cards. one instant approval of 18k , the other pending, called Spanish speaking CSR within 10 minutes, CSR thought it was duplicate, told him it wasn't and the reason I wanted it was to split expenses, CSR split the 18k CL to two accounts. A couple of days later, I see two accounts on my B of A, this morning (one week later) I see the 50k points posted and I have not received my 2 personal cards yet.

catcathk

Do you already have a personal account before applying the two?

I did the same thing this morning, with one personal card already, open two browser etc, one approved and one denied.. is it because I already have one card? Do you think I can call up like you do and ask them reconsider?

Happy

Upthread there was a poster who has more than one existing account and called to get the new set approved. The BofA rep even joked about it.

You can find that post by going backward to read probably started from 2 months ago though I can't remember. It is not a short post, quite wordy with fun remarks spiced thru out. If you are patient and diligent you should be able to find it.

Yes, it can be done but be prepared for the conversation and said post should be of great help to you in such situation.

catcathk

Thank you, I will read through this thread. Great Thanks

elbombo

I currently have a Bank of America Travel Rewards card that I've used for several years with an $18K credit limit. Last week I did an online chat with them to lower this credit limit to $10K. Then today I applied for two Alaska Airlines personal cards using the 2BM and the link in this post with the $100 statement credit when spending $1K. Got a pending decision on both. I just called the Spanish line and spoke to them and advised that I needed the two cards to seperate expenses. He thanked me for my long history with BoA and approved the 2 cards with a $5K credit line. He even said that with the $5K credit line it will be a Signature card and I will get the 25K mileage bonuses twice.

I am thinking that I may try for the business card in a few months.

brownie20

previously had 1 personal alaska card. applied 1/5 using 2 browsers (one private and one regular) and both auto approved. received 2 cards in mail today (confirming the surprisingly high CLs mentioned on the congratulations screen) and just checked online account and 50K pts already posted to account now to spend 2K for the $200 statement credits!! thanks again everyone for all the data points! curious if anyone has tried applying for 3 personal cards at a time?!?

J4Jets

BoA Alaska Telesales Department (to get an approval on pending applications):

866-751-1257
Option 3 - Existing Applications

fletchbo

I too have been getting the $100 credit with $1K spend, and 25K bonus miles upon account APPROVAL for at least a year now, with SAME account. Re-applying every 3 months, and keeping the previous card open til after new one in use.

chrisremo

My fiancee applied for the personal card to jumpstart her Alaska MP account (she is new to paying attention to FF programs) and didn't realize that the fine print of the application says she might be approved for one of three credit tiers, one of which confers only a 5,000 mile bonus and the other 3,000. She got her card today and ended up with the middle tier card.

I know it is in the fine print so there's no legal wrong committed here, but her credit is good (mid-700s) and everything in the actual application form discusses the "Signature" card, which is what confers the 25k bonus.

Anyone else experienced this and had any luck getting any additional miles credited by complaining to customer service?

Brugge

If you read back thru this thread, this nonsense is a recurring problem with B of A. It has nothing to do with her credit, it's just bait and switch from B/A, and they are just hoping she will settle for much less than she applied for.

Don't settle for that. Call Recon and politely but firmly tell them she is not going to activate that card. Insist that they close that card from their end, (don't close it yourself) and have them reapply from their side for the Signature level card. Don't settle for an "upgrade" to Sig, which will not qualify for the 25K. They need to do a new app and approval for a Sig card. Make them promise not to do another HP, but instead use the one they just did.

Be polite but firm about not accepting a card that doesn't confer the full 25K. You'll probably have to call several times, and wait a few weeks to get the Sig card. In the meantime, don't activate the lessor card they send you. Keep calling until she gets the card/benefits she applied for.