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stltraveler Jul 27, 2011 9:42 am
Generic Newbie Questions
 
Thanks in advance for any help. The past couple months I've been reading and browsing sites about "maximizing travel benefits". I've gained enough of an understanding to thoroughly confuse me. I imagine this topic has been hashed and re-hashed thousands of times (probably why I'm so confused). So if someone can point me in the direction of the "go to" thread(s) or blog post(s) or whatever to break it all down that would be great. Or if you can answer my questions below that I'm trying to figure out before I dive in? I've currently applied and received for a Citicard last year and an AMEX card this year. I'd like to jump on some of these other great offers flying around (Chase Saphire, US Airways Mastercard, etc...), but I don't want to do so and regret how I went about it.

1. When people speak of applying for 2 cards in a day are they referring to 2 of the same type of card (ie Chase or Citi or two of the exact same AA or Delta card) or are they say 2 of any card? Is the reason behind this to only have 1 card enquiry on a credit report?
2. I've seen a lot of info on how Amex, Citi, Chase, etc... handle customers churning. Some won't let you get another card from X-number of days after cancelling their past card. What are those approximate number of days for each card provider?
3. How best to go about this whole process with the most minimal effect on credit report?
4. My wife doesn't have the best of credit. I'm going to begin cleaning it best I can. What is the card she should apply for that may have bonus points, but most importantly get her credit score up ASAP with easy approval (last I checked she was low 700 fico score)?
6. I used creditkarma and credit sesame to check my wife's credit card. There is about a 50 point different. Are these trustworthy sites or is this a case of "you get what you don't pay for"?
5. Does adding a spouse to your card effect their credit score (positively or adversely)? And does it affect them being able to apply for the same card separately later?
6. Are the hotel cards worthwhile or are they kind of second tier to the airline cards?

Thanks for any/all help (whether it be pointing me to the right posts or any personal insight).

AlohaDaveKennedy Jul 27, 2011 10:00 am
Creditkarma and Creditsesame are good for spotting trends - the numbers are not absolutes, but can tell you if you are going up or down. The actual credit reports contain the absolute numbers, but generally the trend is all we need to see. Get the credit reports annually for free to check for errors and get the actual credit score as needed.

jcmitchell21 Jul 27, 2011 11:30 am
1. Cards from the same issuer (Chase, Citi, Amex)
2. It varies from person to person and among issuers. Study up!
3. App-o-rama
4. That credit score isn't bad.
5. they check different scores. my karma score is about 40 below actual. my sesame is pretty spot on.
6. Shows on their report, available credit and balance. If account is in good standing then it's positive. Can't answer second part
7. It depends on your needs and what you value more.

stltraveler Jul 27, 2011 12:43 pm
Thanks for the feedback. I feel like I've been studying a lot already, but it definitely appears I have much more to do. Guess everyone would be doing it if it was a no-brainer. Still trying to grasp all the concepts and terms so I can follow these threads better. I'll give it time.

IkeEsq Jul 27, 2011 1:40 pm
Originally Posted by stltraveler (Post 16807087)
1. When people speak of applying for 2 cards in a day are they referring to 2 of the same type of card (ie Chase or Citi or two of the exact same AA or Delta card) or are they say 2 of any card? Is the reason behind this to only have 1 card enquiry on a credit report?
More specifically, if you apply for two Citi Personal cards at the same time, they count as one hard pull. If you apply for one Business and one Personal Citi card, it counts as two hard pulls. If you apply for two AmEx cards, Personal or Business, at the same time they count as one pull. I don't know about Chase, etc.

Originally Posted by stltraveler (Post 16807087)
2. I've seen a lot of info on how Amex, Citi, Chase, etc... handle customers churning. Some won't let you get another card from X-number of days after cancelling their past card. What are those approximate number of days for each card provider?
As a general rule, Chase allows one application per 30 days, Citi allows two per 60 days. AmEx does not have a fixed number about which I am aware. Citi AA cards require ~14-18 months between Personal applications and 90 days betweeen Business Applications.

Originally Posted by stltraveler (Post 16807087)
3. How best to go about this whole process with the most minimal effect on credit report?
4. My wife doesn't have the best of credit. I'm going to begin cleaning it best I can. What is the card she should apply for that may have bonus points, but most importantly get her credit score up ASAP with easy approval (last I checked she was low 700 fico score)?
6. I used creditkarma and credit sesame to check my wife's credit card. There is about a 50 point different. Are these trustworthy sites or is this a case of "you get what you don't pay for"?
5. Does adding a spouse to your card effect their credit score (positively or adversely)? And does it affect them being able to apply for the same card separately later?
These are probably better answered on CreditBoards than here.

Originally Posted by stltraveler (Post 16807087)
6. Are the hotel cards worthwhile or are they kind of second tier to the airline cards?
That depends on you. Many feel that SPG cards are better than Airline cards because you can transfer SPG points with a 25% bonus to many airlines. Many people seem to disparage HHonors points, but last year, pre-FT, I booked a pair of economy tickets from WAS to Ireland for ~$600 each. We spent 5 nights in Hilton hotels that would have cost ~$200-600 per night. Would you rather get $1200 worth of airfare for free or $2000 worth of hotels? I think both hotel and airline points are important and can be used well together.

lwildernorva Jul 27, 2011 3:14 pm
Originally Posted by stltraveler (Post 16807087)
6. Are the hotel cards worthwhile or are they kind of second tier to the airline cards?
Because we're a forum somewhat dominated by folks interested in flying, we often look first at the airline offers, but with time, it's easier to see the value of hotel cards. I don't think there's anything wrong with that sequence, especially because a lot of younger members are willing to stay in hostels so flight cost is generally more important to them than lodging cost. I've found that in places like Ireland and Scotland, most B&Bs are of a very acceptable quality for a very reasonable price that's lower than I'd expect to pay in a hotel, especially in the larger cities. As your travels expand and your goals rise, however, you start to look at the lodging part of the equation more carefully.

That's been my approach this year, and I've found that hotels themselves tend to run loyalty programs that nicely supplement any co-branded cards associated with those programs. This summer, SPG has run a stay three nights, get a free resort night that has proven very profitable for me as I've earned three nights at the Turnberry Resort in Scotland for nine hotel stays that cost me approximately $800; without the earned free nights, I would have paid about $500 per night for my room.

Given I was doing the other travel already, I feel I got a good return on my investment as maybe I could have saved $160, at most, by spreading that spending to cheaper chains. And I don't even have an SPG card although I'll remedy that omission during their current offer.

jjmiller69 Jul 27, 2011 7:56 pm
Originally Posted by stltraveler (Post 16807087)
Thanks in advance for any help. The past couple months I've been reading and browsing sites about "maximizing travel benefits". I've gained enough of an understanding to thoroughly confuse me. I imagine this topic has been hashed and re-hashed thousands of times (probably why I'm so confused). So if someone can point me in the direction of the "go to" thread(s) or blog post(s) or whatever to break it all down that would be great. Or if you can answer my questions below that I'm trying to figure out before I dive in? I've currently applied and received for a Citicard last year and an AMEX card this year. I'd like to jump on some of these other great offers flying around (Chase Saphire, US Airways Mastercard, etc...), but I don't want to do so and regret how I went about it.

1. When people speak of applying for 2 cards in a day are they referring to 2 of the same type of card (ie Chase or Citi or two of the exact same AA or Delta card) or are they say 2 of any card? Is the reason behind this to only have 1 card enquiry on a credit report?
My credit score with
2. I've seen a lot of info on how Amex, Citi, Chase, etc... handle customers churning. Some won't let you get another card from X-number of days after cancelling their past card. What are those approximate number of days for each card provider?
3. How best to go about this whole process with the most minimal effect on credit report?
4. My wife doesn't have the best of credit. I'm going to begin cleaning it best I can. What is the card she should apply for that may have bonus points, but most importantly get her credit score up ASAP with easy approval (last I checked she was low 700 fico score)?
6. I used creditkarma and credit sesame to check my wife's credit card. There is about a 50 point different. Are these trustworthy sites or is this a case of "you get what you don't pay for"?
5. Does adding a spouse to your card effect their credit score (positively or adversely)? And does it affect them being able to apply for the same card separately later?
6. Are the hotel cards worthwhile or are they kind of second tier to the airline cards?

Thanks for any/all help (whether it be pointing me to the right posts or any personal insight).
My credit score with Karma is exactlly 50 points lower than my fico score. I use it like someone else said to check the trend of going up or down because it's free.

lwildernorva Jul 27, 2011 10:36 pm
This article in the Washington Post several days ago explains how unreliable your credit scores might be: http://www.washingtonpost.com/busine...VVI_story.html.


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