Rookie advice on order of applications
 

Not sure what cards to apply for, and in what order, and why.

I travel domestic for the most part.
Goal of Paris/Rome trip in two to three years.

Credit score in 760-785 range depending on which one. No late payments. Long history. My one 'negative' is no installment loan, paid car off last year.

I have:
AmEx Gold. Love the ease.
Chase Sapphire. Plan to upgrade if they will give me the same offer.
Chase Disney Visa. No fee. I transferred my oldest card to this fee free one years ago, I have something that charges monthly on it (Netflix I think) but otherwise do not use.
Chase Slate. Again an old no fee card I keep open.

Macy's Card I use for bonus card % off offers.

Two open but unused store cards that I need to track down to close.

Applied for the two Chase SWA cards, one personal, one business. Have not heard from Chase. A little worried my credit line is maxed with them. It is really high, I am a SAHM but always list husbands income with source 'other' (is it better just to list source as salary or whatever the 'I'm employed' choice is even though it is his income?)

So my questions are:

1) Are there cards I should apply for next based on better odds of approval with fewer applications?

2) If I want to apply for 4-5 more cards soon, is there any value in waiting:
2A) for Chase reconsideration if that is needed
2B) for my next AmEx statement to close, if I pay it off prior to close to get my utilization number super low (can it be too low?)? How long after statement close?

3) Any offers I should prioritize because they are going to go away soon. I'm thinking US Air.

4) Also concerned about limits from issuing bank ( I think I'm done with Chase, for example, if I get the 2 new ones. Maybe one more personal.), and if some banks are better to do first because they don't like seeing applications. I sometimes find it hard to figure out who issues a card without clicking through to the application. Is there a list sorted this way? Is Chase the only bank that gets grumpy if you have 4-5 of their cards?

5) I could use some hotel points, mostly for long term goals though, so I'd value points I can bank above free nights that expire in 12 months.

6) I plan to upgrade the Sapphire I already have to the Premier Card, I can also turn the Slate card into something to collect a bonus, then switch it back before fees kill me, but will Chase hate me if I do that?

7) Is there a cheat sheet on comparitive point values, or for expected values? Is, for example 1.7 cents a point a good use if MR points (transferred to JetBlue, value based on cash price of flights)? Is my math right, 80,000 MR points bought $1,360 in tickets, four RT's.

Cards that have caught my eye, in no real order.

Citi Thank You
Cap One Venture
SPG AmEx (is this a real AmEx or issued by another bank)
US Air Premeier World MC (Barclay's I think)
British Air (issued by ?)
United Milage Plus
Citi AAdvantage Select
B of A Virgin Atlantic Am Ex
Starwood PG Am Ex
Club Carson
Citi Hilton Honors Visa (ok, what is 40,000 pts worth vs 2 nights?)
And one of the Hilton AmEx cards, again I'm torn as to which works better.
Well's Fargo Card (for 3x drugstore, a bonus category I'm not seeing very much of. For 6 months only)

Anything else? If you read all this, many thanks. Don't feel the need to answer everything. This was a brain dump for me, and just figuring out what to ask has clarified a few things already.

British Air (issued by ?).........That is a Chase CC.

When did you apply for the SWA CC's? You could call in find out status of your app.

SPG has a lot transfer partners good value.

US Airways Barclay CC not sure when/if they will make changes to that CC but probably good idea to get before it changes.

Anyway I think others can give you better advice.

If you want a Barclays card I would apply for that one first, then Capital One (those 2 seem to frown the most on churners, etc). I wouldn't do another Chase app if you have 2 still pending.

The others I would look at which ones YOU want the most and put them in that order.

Good luck

Thanks, I think SPG will be high on the list.

Thank you.

I just added a US Bank card to my list, if I apply on the same day as Barclays will that work? I need to search through threads to see if anyone noticed any delay in when they pull. I know it can isn't always instant.

Two open but unused store cards that I need to track down to close.

Don't close your old accounts -- they help your credit score by adding to the age of your accounts.

I would get in the following order :
US Bank Club Carlson visa
Amex Premier Rewards Gold (go to www.creditcards.com and try "offers matched for you" to see if you can get 50000 points offer to come up).
CITI AAdvantage card with 50000 miles bonus(can be found on Flyertalk)

Good catch, I wasn't thinking.

It would be very helpful to better understand your goals. Which is your priority? Domestic or that trip to Paris/Rome? Obviously Southwest works for domestic travel but they won't help you get to Paris. As to Paris/Rome, how many will be traveling and what fare class (economy, business, first) are you hoping for? How long do you hope to stay and any hotel preferences?

Also, do you currently have any points in any program(s) and, if so, how many do you already have?

With this in mind it's easier to suggest a credit card strategy more tailored to your needs.

Only points we have are MR- 80,000 but 17,000 of those are in a second account that I also need advice on (can I transfer that AmEx to another AmAx product and earn a sign up bonus? We don't need both Gold cards)

Just used up my Chase UR reward points, so starting from zero again there.

I'm not sure how I would prioritize, I will be traveling domestically at least 4 RT flights a year, possibly many more (aging parents). MCO x2, PHX, and any Southern Cal Airport. Out of AUS.

I will be flying two college students back and forth at least twice a year (AUS-Chicago). So four more flights. On three out of four of mine my husband will fly with me, on two of them my two younger kids will fly with me.

In either Fall 2015 or Spring 2016 we will go to Europe, just two people. I'd love to do that first class but can cope with buisness class. We will likely stay three weeks.

I have no real hotel preference. I am very flexable about frequent hotel switches as well.

My thinking is, if I can save on domestic travel that is really not optional I can move that budget into the Europe trip budget. The SWA points and pass go a long way towards that. I'm reading about British Air Avois (sp?) and it looks promising for those AUS-Chicago flights. And I'd like to aquire points for the flights to Europe.

So in general I guess air travel is more important than hotel points. When I travel domestically I stay with family at least half the time. Domestic travel will happen sooner, but I need a bigger point balance for the Europe flights.

Also, my husband can also sign up for cards. Two of my kids are over 18, both college students, I had them open a card as soon as they turned 18 to start to build history. Are there award cards they might try for?

So I'm not sure that clarifies anything...

If you're doing a lot of domestic flights, British Airways Avios can be redeemed on AA metal.

Small tip on the Macy's card. The % off is available to cardholders paying with their store card or cardholders paying with Macy's gift cards. I always buy the GC with whatever CC I need to meet the min spend then used the GC to buy the item(s) right after and get the % off. Worked out well for the 4Q freedom 5% category bonus!

My humble advice based on your credit score.

1. Citi Simplicity. You have excellent credit. Get the credit line, do a small purchase, pay it, and let it sit. It will also serve you well with its 18month low APR promotions should you slide on some ice down the road.

2. SWA Visa with good bonus (50K with $2k min. spend) for your domestic travel, checking two bags free.

3. TIE UA Mileage Plus with GOOD signup bonus. It was 50K when my DH signed up with $2K min. spend. Check the threads for latest offers. For Rome, Paris, etc. OR

Barclays US MasterCard w/no fee for one year and 30K bonus with first use of the card. For Rome, Paris, etc (w/AA merger, too)

4. AA Citi with 50k bonus. The Citi Simplicity should help get you there (as in approved) with low usage and low debt ratio. More flexibility with your travel visions.

5. Citi HH Signature Visa, the one with 40k bonus for $1k spend in FOUR months. Notice I said four months. Reasonable. No annual fee, either. But, be advised, your APR will be around 15 percent.

I make these recommendations through experience with the exception of the Citi AA which I have never been able to get approved. Best wishes! :)

PS. Isn't it nuts to have your car paid off seen as a negative? Unreal. Also, I didn't suggest any UR bearing Chase cards. The $200 cashback bonus with the Freedom is now reduced to $100. I don't have experience with Sapphire, etc. Barclays US worked out for me, too