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2013 App-O-Rama (AOR) and Churn Advice Archive

2013 App-O-Rama (AOR) and Churn Advice Archive

Old Oct 25, 2013, 7:01 pm
  #1831  
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 757
Originally Posted by raccah
1) I want to do a 3BM on chase - which will be 2 pulls, but some said it is really dangerous at this point. Should I just stick with the 2 new SW or go for the BA as well?
Going for BA is greedy. There are lots of ways to get avios, wouldn't bother.
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Old Oct 25, 2013, 7:26 pm
  #1832  
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: AA EXP, Delta PM, HH Gold, Hyatt Diamond, Etihad Gold, Amtrak Select
Posts: 130
My vote is also for the Citi AA card. 50k is an excellent start.

I also suggest you apply for the SPG again -- the current bonus is 25k. When you transfer 20k SPG to a partnered airline, you get an extra 5k. So, between your 50k from Citi AA and a 20k+5k transfer from SPG, both of you can have 75k in AA miles -- more than enough for a European excursion.

I live in the BOS/PVD region too, am also planning a European trip, and also using the strategy above right now If you're creative with AA routing, you can even get a free leg to a tropical destination... but that's a post for another time.

Let me know how you make out with your AOR! Good luck.
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Old Oct 27, 2013, 8:53 am
  #1833  
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,407
Okay, hopefully last post about my first AOR occurring next week. There's just been a lot of great help on here and I just want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row so I can start out right.

Currently:
Chase Freedom (11/12)
Chase Hyatt (6/13)
CSP (5/13)
AMEX BCP (6/13)

Planning on the following (in order):
Barclay US Airways--35,000
BOA Alaska--25,000
Citi AA Visa--50,000

8 Days later--Citi HHonors

I'd love to get a Chase UA card in there to focus on UA/AA miles, but I can't imagine approval until my next churn because of the recent openings with them.

I sent letters to ARS and IDA for them to freeze my accounts. If I receive them back by the time of my churn, I'll apply for Club Carlson after US Air.
healthnut is offline  
Old Oct 27, 2013, 9:15 am
  #1834  
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: CA
Programs: BA, AA, United
Posts: 429
I applied for USB Club carlson card 2 weeks back w/o freezing ADS or IDA and I was instantly approved.

For me (residing in CA),
USB pulled Equifax
Barclays pulled TU
Chase/Citi/BOA pulled experian

So if it works out for you, you can add Club carlson as well.

For Alaska card, there are 3 different links.
1. 25K bonus with $100 statement credit
2. 30K bonus
3. 25K bonus with 15K bonus after 1 year, if you spend 2K a month for the first 12 months.
Make sure you pick the best one that works for you.

I notice that you are interested in Citi Honors. BOA has Virgin Atlantic card with 50K bonus which transfers to 100K HH points.

I applied for BOA Virgin and Alaska on the same day and I had to call them to get the second one approved.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by healthnut
Okay, hopefully last post about my first AOR occurring next week. There's just been a lot of great help on here and I just want to make sure I have all my ducks in a row so I can start out right.

Currently:
Chase Freedom (11/12)
Chase Hyatt (6/13)
CSP (5/13)
AMEX BCP (6/13)

Planning on the following (in order):
Barclay US Airways--35,000
BOA Alaska--25,000
Citi AA Visa--50,000

8 Days later--Citi HHonors

I'd love to get a Chase UA card in there to focus on UA/AA miles, but I can't imagine approval until my next churn because of the recent openings with them.

I sent letters to ARS and IDA for them to freeze my accounts. If I receive them back by the time of my churn, I'll apply for Club Carlson after US Air.
rambo is offline  
Old Oct 27, 2013, 9:24 am
  #1835  
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SE coast USA
Programs: US, AA, AM, BA, HH, SPG, PC, Carlson, Marriott, Choice
Posts: 306
Originally Posted by healthnut

I sent letters to ARS and IDA for them to freeze my accounts. If I receive them back by the time of my churn, I'll apply for Club Carlson after US Air.
If you don't receive the confirmation letters from ARS and IDA prior to your AOR, you can call them directly to inquire if your report has been frozen. Best of luck to you!
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Old Oct 27, 2013, 9:39 am
  #1836  
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,407
Originally Posted by rambo
I applied for USB Club carlson card 2 weeks back w/o freezing ADS or IDA and I was instantly approved.

For me (residing in CA),
USB pulled Equifax
Barclays pulled TU
Chase/Citi/BOA pulled experian

So if it works out for you, you can add Club carlson as well.

For Alaska card, there are 3 different links.
1. 25K bonus with $100 statement credit
2. 30K bonus
3. 25K bonus with 15K bonus after 1 year, if you spend 2K a month for the first 12 months.
Make sure you pick the best one that works for you.

I notice that you are interested in Citi Honors. BOA has Virgin Atlantic card with 50K bonus which transfers to 100K HH points.

I applied for BOA Virgin and Alaska on the same day and I had to call them to get the second one approved.

Good luck.
I'm only interested in Hilton because I've read that it is very churnable. The Virgin Atlantic card is also tempting because of their partnership with Delta now. I wouldn't have to wait 8 days either!! I also don't see any other cards that I can get without tapping into Chase.... I want to do SW Companion pass in October 2014 so I really want to limit myself with them.



If you don't receive the confirmation letters from ARS and IDA prior to your AOR, you can call them directly to inquire if your report has been frozen. Best of luck to you!
Thanks for this! I will do so then because I believe that card will be great for hotels in Germany!
healthnut is offline  
Old Oct 27, 2013, 10:23 am
  #1837  
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,424
Originally Posted by healthnut
I'm only interested in Hilton because I've read that it is very churnable.
Does the churnability overcome the recently devalued award chart for your travel? (i.e. if it takes 3x as many apps to get you what you want, is it still worth it?)
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Old Oct 27, 2013, 10:35 am
  #1838  
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,407
Originally Posted by MDtR-Chicago
Does the churnability overcome the recently devalued award chart for your travel? (i.e. if it takes 3x as many apps to get you what you want, is it still worth it?)
I'm not sure and that's where I need help. Do you suggest switching the virgin Atlantic for that card or eliminating them altogether? I don't believe I will need Hilton points with club Carlson and Hyatt, but I was figuring why not....
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Old Oct 27, 2013, 10:42 pm
  #1839  
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,408
Originally Posted by healthnut
I'm not sure and that's where I need help. Do you suggest switching the virgin Atlantic for that card or eliminating them altogether? I don't believe I will need Hilton points with club Carlson and Hyatt, but I was figuring why not....
In simple math YES, 100K v just 50k then wait and get the Citi Hilton card which will give you 150K total a no brainer in my book. Also this whole "devaluing" of Hilton points to me is way too much. For what we are paying truly to stay at these hotels it is still a great bargain.
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Old Oct 27, 2013, 11:19 pm
  #1840  
Moderator: Chase Ultimate Rewards
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: SFO
Programs: UA 2P, MR LT Plat, IHG Plat, BW Dia, HH Au, Avis PC
Posts: 5,424
Originally Posted by healthnut
I don't believe I will need Hilton points with club Carlson and Hyatt, but I was figuring why not....
Really depends on how much churning you want to do. For me, the Hilton cards are so low value they never make it to the top but I don't apply as fast as a lot of other people and Hilton is a particularly bad option for my stay pattern.

Not really a wrong answer as long as you'll get a high enough value for them eventually to make it worth the credit pull. (i.e. don't pass up a higher value offer so you can get a hilton card if you're limiting your # of inquiries)
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Old Oct 28, 2013, 5:59 am
  #1841  
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Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,407
Originally Posted by FlightNurse
In simple math YES, 100K v just 50k then wait and get the Citi Hilton card which will give you 150K total a no brainer in my book. Also this whole "devaluing" of Hilton points to me is way too much. For what we are paying truly to stay at these hotels it is still a great bargain.
I totally agree in this aspect. I need to decide how many cards/inquiries I want to take for my first AOR. I currently have 7 hard inquiries (give or take) with each union. I know this is not many for a churner, but I also have a slim credit portfolio right now and a limited income, so I need to start small.

Really depends on how much churning you want to do. For me, the Hilton cards are so low value they never make it to the top but I don't apply as fast as a lot of other people and Hilton is a particularly bad option for my stay pattern.

Not really a wrong answer as long as you'll get a high enough value for them eventually to make it worth the credit pull. (i.e. don't pass up a higher value offer so you can get a hilton card if you're limiting your # of inquiries)
I will have to specifically look at my future trips and see where/if Hilton is needed. Although, with the churnability, as discussed before, I could acquire quite a lot of points through 2-3 years with Hilton.

My main goal is to get some cards down that I can readily churn every 6-9 months. I have learned so far that the Citi AA, BOA Alaska, and Citi Hilton can do so, so that was my rationale in adding them to the pile.
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Old Oct 28, 2013, 9:00 am
  #1842  
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Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,408
Originally Posted by healthnut
but I also have a slim credit portfolio right now and a limited income, so I need to start small.

My main goal is to get some cards down that I can readily churn every 6-9 months. I have learned so far that the Citi AA, BOA Alaska, and Citi Hilton can do so, so that was my rationale in adding them to the pile.
If you have limited income, I wouldn't be worrying about churning cards. Get the cards that will give you the most points/miles on the sign up then get cards that will allow you accumulate a variety of points and miles.
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Old Oct 28, 2013, 10:08 am
  #1843  
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,407
Originally Posted by FlightNurse
If you have limited income, I wouldn't be worrying about churning cards. Get the cards that will give you the most points/miles on the sign up then get cards that will allow you accumulate a variety of points and miles.
This is good to know! I was worried originally that I would have to wait until after law school for banks to approve me, as I already have 3/4 credit allowed of my income. However, my parents do help me out so I could probably factor those numbers into total income.
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Old Oct 28, 2013, 11:47 am
  #1844  
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: SNA/LAX
Posts: 1,407
I think I've decided...

November 2013
Club Carlson--80k
US Airways--35k
AA Visa--50k
Atlantic--50k to possibly turn into HH 100k

8 Days later: Citi HHonors--40k

Summer 2014
AA MC--50k (hopefully!)
8 days later: Citi HHonors--40k (hopefully!)
AMEX SPG--30k (usually comes back every year)

Fall/Winter 2014
SW Companion Pass (50k + 50k)

Obviously very speculative, but I have a good idea that SPG will bring back the 30k offer and hopefully SW will! I just can't take the chance with Chase right now unfortunately! I will also jump on a 50k AMEX PRG Personal offer at some point!

THANKS A MILLION for all of the help! I can't wait to learn more and more!
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Old Oct 29, 2013, 5:56 am
  #1845  
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: PVD/BOS
Posts: 879
Hi guys, I'm coming back again for some advice.

Did my 3rd round of apps yesterday and was denied 2 out of 3 cards. I don't know why but it's really bothering me. Did I go for to much? Did I not plan this right?

I'm at a loss as to why the denials and what on earth I should apply for and when with these stats. If you have any advice or tips I'd appreciate the help.

Yesterday
BA personal - approved after moving CL's with chase.
Citi AA biz - denied after call to recon to many recent inquiries
Chase ink bold - denied after 25 minutes with recon. Guy was a real jerk to me.

Past cards:
Feb 2013
- CSP
- citi AA biz
- US airways

May 2013
- united personal
- citi AA visa
- citi AA m/c
- chase Ink

August
- Amex SPG (personal and biz)
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