Hmm.. I didn't know or had forgotten about the free version. Is the redemption rate the same as the fee card?

I actually will need tickets to Amsterdam next year, but it's too soon to book tickets for then. When I checked for June or July, they were very expensive point-wise, with only a connecting flight thru Iceland being 50,000 points.

Another possibility if I don't get the fee refunded on my card is to call for my wife's card and hopefully get the 1k retention bonus, then redeem 3500 points for the annual fee and transfer the points on my card (slightly over 10k, so transferable to my wife's (assuming I can still cancel my card and get the annual fee refunded).

Or, just cash out all the points at a penny per point and be done with it, and get my airline tickets using Amazon or Chase points (both of which I have a bunch of that I need to do something with), or cash.

Redemption rate is the same. What you lose are the bonus categories (free card is straight up 1 point per dollar on everything), and it does charge a fee for foreign transactions. Again, not a good instrument in terms of spend, but a good/temporary no-fee parking for points.

Welp of course my app got denied. US Bank is a waste of my time.

Thanks. I'll convert my wife's card and if I lose the battle to make my card free, I will try to convert it and hope that they'll do it a month into the year.

I'm not using the card for purchases at the moment, just holding onto the points until I have a need for airfare to use it on.

Do you already have an account with them? What was the reason?

Too many recent CC apps. Just like Chase I guess. AMEX, Citi, and BoA are the only places I can get cards these days.

Cannot convert from paid card to free Select+ card
 

So I just called "customer service". I was told that there is no option to convert from the paid card to the free Select+ card. I need to apply for a new card (and then of course would run into the problem of not being able to transfer more than 20,000 points. I asked if there was any way to avoid the annual fee on the existing card, and the rep said that there was not. These people are amazing, and not in a good way.

I think I'm just going to cash out 30,000 points to my US Bank checking account, move the remaining points to my other account and wait and see if that one gets the fee refunded. Since the points need to be cashed out in increments of 5k, I'll only be able to transfer 17,201, or I'll end up with almost 3,000 "orphaned" points.

Does anyone have any other suggestions? I suppose I can wait and see if the annual fee gets credited on my card before deciding what to do.

BTW does this make US Bank the only bank that doesn't allow you to downgrade to the free version of a paid card? I know that Chase and Citi allow you to do it. I wonder if their answer would have been different if they didn't see that I had 47,000 points on the account?

Any data points on how frequently one can apply for FlexPerks cards? I got the new Gold Amex as part of the summer promo ($150 for opening a checking account + $50 for a new credit card), but now I'd also like the FlexPerks Visa with the Olympics bonus. (I also hold the discontinued Amex.)

I tried to book a flight out of Ho Chi Minh City using FPs but no matter what city or date I enter I get "We are sorry but there are no flights available on Reward Travel-participating airlines that match your request." How can that be?

Sounds like you need to call. I'd request a waiver of the $25 fee since there were no options online.

Unfortunately I'm in Ho Chi Minh City and I don't think the 888 number they give will work. They don't seem to offer any other way of contacting them.

Is it possible to get approved?
 

My experian score is 730+. Transunion score is 730+.
Experian has 4 inquiries & 5 new accounts in last 3 months.
Transunion has only 1 inquiry in last 3 months.
Have US bank checking account opened in May. Can move 10K+ in if that helps.
Any chance to get Visa Flex approved?

Weird. No VoIP services that will support those numbers? Perhaps USB customer service can get you a back door number.

Skype allows you to call US (and some other) toll-free numbers without charge or the need for any credit in your account.

Applied yesterday for the Olympics Visa promo and got Pending Review message. I froze both the smaller reporting agencies before applying (got letters confirming). Also signed up for their checking account recently. TU score of 820, which I think is where they pull from. Only 1 recent new account showing on the TU report.

Anyone know the Recon line # that you can call to get automated status of the application?