fl9999

Yes, you can give a call tomorrow, but you have to come up with a very good reason for reconsideration. Please keep in mind, when you call next time, that executive knows that you already have spoken once and would see the note from previous executive.

regoarrarr

Looking for advice on an upcoming churn / app-o-rama. We are a family of 8, so our goals are mostly maximizing hotel stays at middle of the road hotels (Hampton Inn etc.) and some domestic flights, with occasional nicer trips for getaways for the mrs. and I.

Here are my current cards, with dates of application:
Thoughts were:
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus 50K, $2000 spend in 3 mos, $99 fee not waived
Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Business 50K, $2000 spend in 3 mos, $99 fee not waived
Citi HHonors Visa Signature - 50K, $1000 spend in 4 mos, no fee
Citi AA Business Mastercard (Citi) - 30K AA, $750 spend in 3 mos
Barclays US Airways 35K - first purchase, $89 fee, waived (churn)
amex delta points - $1000 spend in 3 mos + $50 statement credit, $95 fee, waived

Wife:
Barclays US Airways 35K - first purchase, $89 fee, waived
Citi HHonors Visa Signature - 50K, $1000 spend in 4 mos, no fee
Chase Sapphire 40K points - $3k spend in 3 mos, $89 fee, waived
amex delta points - $1000 spend in 3 mos + $50 statement credit, $95 fee, waived

This is $9750 in spend over 3 months, with an additional $2000 in the 4th month. I also have about $2000 that I am still making up from the Starwood Amex.

I considered applying for the Amex gold for myself instead of the Amex Delta but I thought to limit my overall spend and make sure I can hit it without having to go too crazy on some of the Manufactured Spending

Would appreciate any tips or advice

JWEMTX

Consider the BoA Virgin Atlantic MC http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/virgi...rcard-usa.html

You can get the 50K bonus and convert 1:2 for Hilton HHonor points for 100K. The only drawback is the spend is $2500 in 90 days.


Also consider the Best Western cc for up to 4 free nights after $1000 spend from Barclays http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...ays-0-fee.html

Flyingfarmer

Right now, I have these cards from my first round of applications (application date first). I've got excellent credit and was auto-approved for all.

1. 11/1/2012 Chase SW Premier
2. 11/1/2012 Chase SW Plus *cancelled 8/7/2013
3. 7/1 Chase Ink Bold
4. 8/1 Chase Saphire Preferred
5. 8/1 Amex SPG Personal
6. 8/1 Amex SPG Biz
7. 8/1 Barclay US Air
8. 8/1 Citi AA Plat Personal

I would like to get these:

1. Chase UA MilelagePlus Explorer
2. Chase Ink Plus
3. Chase Freedom
4. Citi AAdvantage Business
5. Barclay Arrival World Mastercard
6. Amex Biz Gold Rewards
7. BofA Alaska Airlines

So, is it too early to do another round of applications? Too many Chase cards (I'll be cancelling the other SW after this round of apps)? too early for a second Chase Biz Card?

apmix

Looking for a once-in-a-lifetime destination for this churn. I will be proposing to my girlfriend on this trip, so I want to make it special. Trip details as follows:
- Traveling 1Q next year, probably late 1Q
- Like the idea of an island trip (Maldives, Bora Bora, Fiji, etc.)
- Not very picky on other items

Current CC's (App date)
- CSP (1/13)
- Chase Southwest Plus Personal (3/13)
- Chase Southwest Plus Business (3/13)
- Starwood Personal Amex (4/13)

Current Rewards
- UR 38k
- Southwest 67k (have the companion pass)
- SPG 17k

About me - 770 credit sesame, 776 credit karma. No hits on my credit since my last app (April). I have the ability to spend $3k per month including manufacturing. I know it's a big ask, but any recommendations on destination and how to churn this trip?

jatink129

I think a better bet would be to first decide the location and therefore the airlines and hotel that you'd need to accumulate points in.

Once you've got that figured out, you would be able to get help here to figure out an AOR and in Milesbuzz with award booking.

IMO, most of those islands are pretty much the same,as far as being islands and the whole blue sea and over water bungalows goes.

So, pick one.
Just FYI though, paying for the hotel and the main airline trip is only part of it.
This is a good read: 10 things to know about the Park Hyatt Maldives.

It'll also give you a good idea of what you want to do. So if you want to go to Maldives, and stay at the Hyatt, maybe a combination of a card that will get you UR points + the Hyatt credit card that'll give you two nights free.

Here's some more reading material from MommyPoints and VFTW

Those are just examples... Good luck and Congratulations!

wcj

Why not get a personal Club carlson for the wife as well? Then, you would have two rooms with last night free rather than just the one. For a group of eight, I would also consider the business apps. The Country Inn & suites are similar to Hamptons and include free breakfasts, which may not be up to some standards, but usually have something for everyone and significant savings for a group of eight.

mnscout

Executive? LOL. Just call them and offer to move some money from another card or close it altogether. But yes, be ready to explain why you need the card so much that you can't live without it.

mnscout

Yes and yes. I would give myself at least 90+ days between apps and limit my Chase apps to two at a time, if even that.

joer1212

The annual fees will be due next month on 3 credit cards from my first app-o-rama. These cards are:


-Chase Sapphire Preferred Visa; $95

-Chase United MileagePlus Explorer Visa; $95

-Barclay's USAir Mastercard; $89



How should I go about canceling these cards diplomatically to avoid paying these annual fees? What should I offer as my excuse to terminate these cards?

Some travel hacking sites suggest to tell the cc company I'm canceling because of the annual fee. But this is silly because I should have already known about the annual fee before I applied and received the miles/points.

Other sites suggest that not only should I say I'm canceling because of the fees, but I should also try to extract a "retention bonus" before finally canceling.

Is this still a valid strategy, or have the credit cards become hip to this? How do you suggest I cancel these cards so I don't get blacklisted?

aeneas3

Hi

Annual fee is always a valid reason to cancel! Never underestimate that.

I would just call and ask if there was anything they could do to off-set the annual fee. That is what I usually ask. Sometimes they waive it, sometimes they give you a good bonus if you spend x amount of money.

As my father always says, it never hurts to ask. The worst they could do is say no (or slap you in the face:-)

dukerau

For the US Air card, did you go through the link that includes the 10K annual renewal bonus? If so, why not keep it?

As aeneas3 said, just say you don't see enough value in the card to justify paying the annual fee. They may waive it, or they may offer some type of credit if you spend a certain amount on it in the next x months. Never hurts to ask.

joer1212

Had USAir and American Airlines not been in the process of merging, I would most definitely had kept the USAir card for the 10k annual bonus. But now I'm not sure what will become of my USAir miles in the merger fallout.

sharka

Use the miles on united or other partners. Much better to have US Air miles than Delta skypesos

mnscout

I canceled and still received my 10K miles.

Another datapoint: They refused to waive my AF for both cards, but they had no problem waiving it for the wife. Our spend was very similar, close to nothing. So it never hurts to ask.