2013 App-O-Rama (AOR) and Churn Advice Archive
Mar 25, 2013, 9:09 pm
#616
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Coconut Creek, FL
Programs: AA Lifetime Platinum-2 MM Starwood Plat,Delta DM
Posts: 975
They are a weird one. For years I could only hold one Barclays but a few months ago webt for Priceline and US air and was approved on both. Its worth a shot.
Mar 26, 2013, 10:15 am
#617
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 13
First App-o-Rama!
Hello all, tried posting this in the main AOR/churn thread, but it got buried without response, so thought I'd try again here. Any input would be most appreciated!
I've done a LOT of reading here (thanks to all for sharing your knowledge), and think I am ready to apply for my first set of cards! Thought I would see if anyone had any input before pulling the trigger.
Background: Credit score of 762 (Experian) (run yesterday using Wells Fargo's free credit score check promotion). Credit Karma score is 745, and Credit Sesame is 784. 19% utilization currently - only one personal credit card, and only a limit of 8k (thanks a lot, Discover). I pay my card off in full every month. Also have a mortgage and auto loan, and am never late on any payments. Income in high 5 figures.
I'm planning to apply for the following (note, I do have a legit business):
Barclays USAir Mastercard
Club Carlson Business (or should I do personal? With the personal, I run the risk of being downgraded to the lower tier card, but seems there is only one tier for the business card so I thought that would be the better bet)
Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa
InkPlus Business
Starwood Preferred Guest AMEX
My initial goal is to get 2 RT tickets to Spain after Christmas on USAir. I already have 86,xxx USAir miles, so by getting the Barclay's card, I will have enough for this (in economy...). I'll be able to use the Starwood and Club Carlson points for several hotel nights over there.
I figure InkPlus is just a good card to have for transfer to a variety of programs. AA miles are going to be my next target, as they'll go towards some travel in 2014, so want to get a head start on those miles.
Thoughts would be appreciated!
I've done a LOT of reading here (thanks to all for sharing your knowledge), and think I am ready to apply for my first set of cards! Thought I would see if anyone had any input before pulling the trigger.
Background: Credit score of 762 (Experian) (run yesterday using Wells Fargo's free credit score check promotion). Credit Karma score is 745, and Credit Sesame is 784. 19% utilization currently - only one personal credit card, and only a limit of 8k (thanks a lot, Discover). I pay my card off in full every month. Also have a mortgage and auto loan, and am never late on any payments. Income in high 5 figures.
I'm planning to apply for the following (note, I do have a legit business):
Barclays USAir Mastercard
Club Carlson Business (or should I do personal? With the personal, I run the risk of being downgraded to the lower tier card, but seems there is only one tier for the business card so I thought that would be the better bet)
Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa
InkPlus Business
Starwood Preferred Guest AMEX
My initial goal is to get 2 RT tickets to Spain after Christmas on USAir. I already have 86,xxx USAir miles, so by getting the Barclay's card, I will have enough for this (in economy...). I'll be able to use the Starwood and Club Carlson points for several hotel nights over there.
I figure InkPlus is just a good card to have for transfer to a variety of programs. AA miles are going to be my next target, as they'll go towards some travel in 2014, so want to get a head start on those miles.
Thoughts would be appreciated!
Mar 26, 2013, 10:23 am
#618
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
Looks to me like a good cross section. My only input would be that the two airline cards maybe should be United and USAir, plus the INK, only because if you want to go to Spain in just a few months, USAir requires r/t booking only, and with this batch, you'd be consolidating Star Alliance points.
OR- push for the OneWorld Alliance (plus the USAir, which is in swing mode right now: star alliance today, one world tomorrow)... get the AA and BA cards, with the Amex, and then you can consolidate that way.
You don't really need that many points to take 2 people in economy to Europe.. 40K r/t off peak AA, and you can book them as one ways. (so an AA card 50K sign up would get two of you o/w TO Europe, and the United miles could get you o/w home).
That's about as clear as mud, right? Hope it helps.
OR- push for the OneWorld Alliance (plus the USAir, which is in swing mode right now: star alliance today, one world tomorrow)... get the AA and BA cards, with the Amex, and then you can consolidate that way.
You don't really need that many points to take 2 people in economy to Europe.. 40K r/t off peak AA, and you can book them as one ways. (so an AA card 50K sign up would get two of you o/w TO Europe, and the United miles could get you o/w home).
That's about as clear as mud, right? Hope it helps.
Mar 26, 2013, 10:27 am
#619
Moderator: Travel Buzz
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Sunny San Diego
Posts: 3,099
Oh yeah, forgot to ask where you are based. Also your next round of travel plans might figure into your strategy plans.
East coasters have some redemption choices that are sweet to Europe, like Boston to Ireland on Air Lingus via BA miles. West Coasters have some great choices to Hawaii.
East coasters have some redemption choices that are sweet to Europe, like Boston to Ireland on Air Lingus via BA miles. West Coasters have some great choices to Hawaii.
Mar 26, 2013, 10:41 am
#620
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 13
Thank you!! Good thought to consider. I am East Coast based (NC).
Next big round of travel will likely be Italy or Greece in mid-2014. We also have a short trip to Jamaica in late Jan 2014 - if it's available and workable, I think I might be able to do my return from Jamaica as a free one-way before my Italy (/Greece) trip on American. I'm based in Raleigh which is an American international gateway city (to LHR), so I can use the free stopover at home for a few months. (I think...if I've understood everything I've read correctly!)
Next big round of travel will likely be Italy or Greece in mid-2014. We also have a short trip to Jamaica in late Jan 2014 - if it's available and workable, I think I might be able to do my return from Jamaica as a free one-way before my Italy (/Greece) trip on American. I'm based in Raleigh which is an American international gateway city (to LHR), so I can use the free stopover at home for a few months. (I think...if I've understood everything I've read correctly!)
Mar 26, 2013, 2:03 pm
#621
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA, UA, DL, SPG gold, PC Plat, CC gold
Posts: 196
I suggest applying for Chase personal card along with the Ink Bold. In my experience both enquiries on the same day are combined into 1 enquiry by the credit bureau. Consider Chase Sapphire Preferred or Chase Mileage Explorer or BA Visa.
Mar 26, 2013, 7:17 pm
#622
Join Date: May 2008
Location: PHL (kinda, no airport is really close)
Programs: AA Exp, but not sure for how long. Enterprise Platinum woo-hoo!
Posts: 4,551
Take a look at availability on that RDU-LHR flight. I live in RDU and I remember poking around and finding availability was not very good. Maybe I was just looking at business class though.
Are you applying for cards in your wife's name also? (If not, why not?) Making an inference from your income to your spending, you might want to check out the manufactured spending forum. Creating an extra $10-$20K a year of spending can exponentially increase your signup bonus leverage.
Are you applying for cards in your wife's name also? (If not, why not?) Making an inference from your income to your spending, you might want to check out the manufactured spending forum. Creating an extra $10-$20K a year of spending can exponentially increase your signup bonus leverage.
Mar 26, 2013, 10:10 pm
#623
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 69
Is 25000 really that good and worth an inquiry? Do they transfer 1:1 to airlines, like to AA?
Mar 26, 2013, 11:15 pm
#624
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA, UA, DL, SPG gold, PC Plat, CC gold
Posts: 196
Mar 27, 2013, 2:46 pm
#625
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,689
many value SPG points with a high value because they transfer at 1:1 and if you transfer 20k they transfer as 25k (so 5k bonus).
SPG points are not easy to accumulate, but they are well worth it. Also, their hotels take fewer points to redeem for a reward cert (makes sense because you earn less).
Many people use this as a 'go to card' for daily purchases since the transfer quite well.
SPG points are not easy to accumulate, but they are well worth it. Also, their hotels take fewer points to redeem for a reward cert (makes sense because you earn less).
Many people use this as a 'go to card' for daily purchases since the transfer quite well.
My credit is around 750. The last cards I applied for successfully were January 14. The last credit card I got denied for was January 16 (tried for Explorer card but had recently got approved for 3 cards the week before). I'm targeting the end of April for my next AOR. I'm really only familiar with Chase system as you can see from the many cards I have with them.
Cards I have:
Chase Sapphire
Chase Freedom
Chayse Hyatt
Chase Slate (had for balance xfer but will proably cancel).
Chase Ink Business
Amex Gold SGP
Amex Plat
Wells Fargo card (had over 10 years, keep open to increase average card age).
Bank of America (have had 3 years, keeping open for same reason as Wells Fargo).
I want to apply for 3 new cards, maybe 4 if I can somehow get another Chase card by canceling the useless Slate. My travel plans for this year and the early part of 2014 will include Hong Kong, Australia, Spain and maybe Ukraine. I'm thinking of the following cards and would like advice of better options if there are any:
US Bank Club Carlson 85k signup bonus
US Airways MasterCard 30-40k signup bonus
Virgin Atlantic Bank of America 65k signup bonus
Chase United Explorer 50k (if i can find a link for it and if i can get accepted from chase).
If i get denied on chase I might go with a Citi card, although I'm not sure which one yet. I had the Citi AAdvantage card in dec 2011 and it hasn't been about 18 months yet, so I was going to wait til about July to apply for that.
Also looking at the Starwood hotel card but the signup doesn't seem great currently.
I have most of my points in Ultimate Rewards and value them the highest. They're actually running low now. I have a lot in Amex (pretty new to their system, so haven't used any yet). I value American Airlines very high as they are partners with Cathay which makes a great value trip to Asia. I'm not too familar with the US Bank and Airways point system, so I'll have to do more research if those will benefit my travel plans. Thanks in advance!
Cards I have:
Chase Sapphire
Chase Freedom
Chayse Hyatt
Chase Slate (had for balance xfer but will proably cancel).
Chase Ink Business
Amex Gold SGP
Amex Plat
Wells Fargo card (had over 10 years, keep open to increase average card age).
Bank of America (have had 3 years, keeping open for same reason as Wells Fargo).
I want to apply for 3 new cards, maybe 4 if I can somehow get another Chase card by canceling the useless Slate. My travel plans for this year and the early part of 2014 will include Hong Kong, Australia, Spain and maybe Ukraine. I'm thinking of the following cards and would like advice of better options if there are any:
US Bank Club Carlson 85k signup bonus
US Airways MasterCard 30-40k signup bonus
Virgin Atlantic Bank of America 65k signup bonus
Chase United Explorer 50k (if i can find a link for it and if i can get accepted from chase).
If i get denied on chase I might go with a Citi card, although I'm not sure which one yet. I had the Citi AAdvantage card in dec 2011 and it hasn't been about 18 months yet, so I was going to wait til about July to apply for that.
Also looking at the Starwood hotel card but the signup doesn't seem great currently.
I have most of my points in Ultimate Rewards and value them the highest. They're actually running low now. I have a lot in Amex (pretty new to their system, so haven't used any yet). I value American Airlines very high as they are partners with Cathay which makes a great value trip to Asia. I'm not too familar with the US Bank and Airways point system, so I'll have to do more research if those will benefit my travel plans. Thanks in advance!
Mar 27, 2013, 4:23 pm
#626
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 257
Amex SPG is a good day to day use card. SPG has many more transfer partners than MR or UR, plus there's the 5000 mile bonus. Transfer do, however, take a little longer. And since you're already an Amex member, a denial will most likely only result in a soft pull.
The Citi AA cards are helpful if you want to take CX to Hong Kong. Barclays is pretty inquiry and new account sensitive, so that's something you might want to consider when thinking about the US Airways card.
The Citi AA cards are helpful if you want to take CX to Hong Kong. Barclays is pretty inquiry and new account sensitive, so that's something you might want to consider when thinking about the US Airways card.
Mar 27, 2013, 11:45 pm
#627
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Dallas, TX
Programs: AA, UA, DL, SPG gold, PC Plat, CC gold
Posts: 196
Amex SPG is a good day to day use card. SPG has many more transfer partners than MR or UR, plus there's the 5000 mile bonus. Transfer do, however, take a little longer. And since you're already an Amex member, a denial will most likely only result in a soft pull.
The Citi AA cards are helpful if you want to take CX to Hong Kong. Barclays is pretty inquiry and new account sensitive, so that's something you might want to consider when thinking about the US Airways card.
The Citi AA cards are helpful if you want to take CX to Hong Kong. Barclays is pretty inquiry and new account sensitive, so that's something you might want to consider when thinking about the US Airways card.
Can you elaborate on the bolded statement. I thought all new applications will result in hard pull.
Apr 2, 2013, 10:35 am
#629
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 37
2013 App-O-Rama (AOR) and Churn Advice Archive
For anyone keeping track at home, got a pending for the Citi Hilton Honors card and got declined twice on phone calls.
Then found a trick on the web to get gold status for free (which was the main reason I wanted the card).
Decided to pound my current cards with manufactured spend for the next six months and do an AOR then (depending on what limited time deals come out in the interim).
Then found a trick on the web to get gold status for free (which was the main reason I wanted the card).
Decided to pound my current cards with manufactured spend for the next six months and do an AOR then (depending on what limited time deals come out in the interim).
Apr 3, 2013, 2:38 am
#630
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: ORD
Programs: status free since 2017
Posts: 2,188
First App o'rama
Going for the app o'rama for first time so could some tips here on building the application list:
-Citi AA Mastercard
-Citi AA Business (I have a citi AA visa atm. Can I reapply for it?)
-US Air Business
-US Air Mastercard
-United Explorers or Chase UR
Last travel card for Marriott visa about 10months ago and nothing since then so it's a clean slate.
Thoughts? Monthly spending is 2k-3k between restaurants, retail purchases, grocery/ gas. Airfare/hotel are paid for by the company travel agency and I can't use my cc anymore.
-Citi AA Mastercard
-Citi AA Business (I have a citi AA visa atm. Can I reapply for it?)
-US Air Business
-US Air Mastercard
-United Explorers or Chase UR
Last travel card for Marriott visa about 10months ago and nothing since then so it's a clean slate.
Thoughts? Monthly spending is 2k-3k between restaurants, retail purchases, grocery/ gas. Airfare/hotel are paid for by the company travel agency and I can't use my cc anymore.