Baze

I have the Chase IHG Credit card but don't really stay at IHG properties anymore. Has anyone ever had Chase just change the branding on a CC before so I could change this IHG card to the Marriott Card? Is there still a Chase Marriott card?

escapefromphl

I've only heard of doing this in the same product family. It's more lucrative anyway to just apply for a Marriott card and get the significant signon bonus. When the IHG card annual fee comes due call and see if they will waive it, if not cancel.

Baze

May be applying for a new home loan in the next 12 months so don't want a closure or new application hit on my credit score. May be transferring to another position in another locale with my company

mahasamatman

Chase will not switch from one co-branded card to a different co-branded card.

Baze

Ok, thanks. I'll leave as is until after, if it happens, company move.

escapefromphl

My 2 cents: Unless you're in the 740 marginal credit score region one application and/or closure is unlikely to make any difference to your interest rate. If your credit is pushing 800 or higher I don't think its worth worrying about. Any slight drop corrects fairly quickly as well.

Baze

I am in the 800 range so I will look into this. thanks.

lexdevil

You should check the free credit report in your Chase account. Use the tool to estimate how different changes will impact your credit score.

I recently looked at mine and saw some really weird/silly stuff in the "score factors." Under negative factors it said the credit limit on my card with the largest credit limit was not high enough (but that card had a $31K limit). It also said I had too many credit inquiries over the past two years (but there's been only one, and that drops off in another week). Seriously goofy stuff.

I played around with their score simulator and it showed my score could improve by 7 points with a new credit inquiry and/or a new credit card (a paradoxical effect). It also showed a possible increase of 18 points by raising the credit limit on my card with the highest limit to $50K.

The 7 and 18 points could not be combined, so I decided to focus on the credit limit. Rather than request an increase, I called Chase and had them move $19K credit from 4 less used cards to the card with the highest limit. Now that I have a card with a $50K limit, we'll see what happens to my credit rating next week.

paperwastage

Chase credit checker shows TU data, but hard pull may affect EX/EQ.scores, not mention the hit to AAOa

I wouldn't touch my credit if I had a major (house) purchase in the next year

lexdevil

I understand the caution. I wasn't suggesting it, though I did find the paradoxical TU results interesting, to say the least. They flew in the face of so much I expect to be true. How on earth could both a single hard pull be, "too many credit inquiries ," and an additional credit inquiry improve my credit rating? It boggles the mind.

I do think, however, that if one has a home purchase in the near future, it probably can't hurt to transfer credit from one card to another to increase the credit line on one card. It doesn't require a credit inquiry or increase one's available credit, and it might result in a better credit rating.

I'll report back when I see how this move affected my credit rating. Frankly, despite the feedback from the TU tool, i wouldn't be surprised if it had no effect. It seems pretty ridiculous that moving credit from one card to another without increasing available credit should have any impact.

lexdevil

It's also worth noting that you can get a new Chase card without a credit inquiry if you have at least one other Chase credit card account. Call in to apply and tell them you don't want a credit inquiry and that you would prefer to open the new account by transferring credit from one or more of your other cards. They will decrease the credit limit on your old card and use it for your new card.

Doing this would mean that the OP could transfer his credit limit from his IHG card to a new Marriott card, earn the sign up bonus (yay!), and start putting his spend on the Marriott card as they desire. After getting the new card they could decide whether they want to cancel the old IHG card. I keep mine simply because it's the one with automatic IHG Plat status and a free night at ANY IHG hotel (inc. the Intercontinental in London!).

The above is how I got my Chase Sapphire Reserve without a credit inquiry (and why there is only one credit inquiry in the past two years in my credit history).

lexdevil

Lol. Just checked and my credit score jumped 17 points in one week after moving credit to consolidate it on my CSR. Hilariously stupid.

bamin

I tried it and did not work. They can only upgrade within a product (IHG) . Got declined on a Marriott (100K bonus card) so called them to see if they could switch one of my other 3 Chase cards.

lexdevil

I think you misunderstood what I described. You cannot convert an IHG card to a Marriott card. You can open a new Marriott card without a credit check by asking Chase to lower the credit line on one or more of your other Chase cards and apply that credit to your new card. I have done this more than once with Chase. It's how I opened my CSR without a hard pull.

Chase will let you freely move available credit from one Chase card to another, regardless of the product. Just last week I moved credit from my IHG, Southwest, and United Chase cards to my CSR.