When to apply for cards next
 

Hey all,
In August I applied for SPG and Hiltons card and Southwest and was approved for all of them. I have since completed their offers and I'm looking to apply again. How much time should I wait before applying for the next round of offers?

You have supplied very little information - a more realistic question might be how long is a piece of string? I won't go re-writing all the factors that will influence what you should do - they have been written many times across the threads so you should settle down and get reading, and suffice to say there is no blanket answer for everyone anyway. If you don't have the time to do the reading then maybe a trial-and-error approach is what is required. Try waiting 60 days from the date of your last apps and see what happens? Needless to say, the longer, the safer.

Good luck.

Ponts/Miles
 

There are multiple sites to research the answer to your question. A few of my favorites are Frugal Travel Guy, Points Guy, and Dan's deals. Good luck with your points accumulation!

In general, Citi allows 2 applications every 65 days and the minimum wait time between cards for Chase should be 1 month since Chase is getting very strict on the number of cards you can have.

I would urge you to be very selective about the Chase cards which you can apply for. If you haven't already got the 2 Citi AA 75,000 mile offers, I'd suggest going for those.

I've written a few posts on credit card churning in my blog that may be helpful. If you apply and are denied, don't hesitate to call the reconsideration line.

MMS is totally right on with Chase. Having currently 3 long-held chase cards, and recently applied for another chase business card. I was approved after multiple questions, and simply they wanted to move some of the CL from any of the cards over to the other, limiting their overall exposure.

While on the phone, I asked about applying for another personal card. The credit dept rep said I would likely have a 95% chance of being turned down (within a app short period) - the system they said, does this automatically now. She said it shouldnt be a problem, just call in, they will verify some questions and likely move some of the CL from one of the accounts over and be approved.

My belief is that Citi must have purchased a boat load of miles from AA, and is why they are looser on the offer limits and churning. Churning may be good for your mileage account balance but its not healthy for your credit score.

Hey Daraius, good job on the fun, informative blog!

It's not at all clear whether by "the next round of offers" you mean

• other cards from these same issuers, or
• the same cards with a new bonus offer

Suffice it to say that the answers are very, very different.

How spaced out should each of those 2 applications be? Can they be the same day or 1 on the first day and the 2nd app on the 32nd day?
What if 1 card is a business card?

get the two personal cards if you can afford to meet the minimum spend, if not get the Visa, 6 months $1,500 spend is quite reasonable. Then 65+ days later, apply for the business card. Theoretically you would have 3 Citi cards in 65+ days.

Instead of starting a new thread I thought I would jump on and ask a similar question.

A little bit of history:

I just got my first credit card about a year and a half ago through Bank of America. It had a fairly low credit limit because I had no credit established (no student loans, car loans, anything).

I got a capital one card last year around November and it had an even lower credit limit, but both have no annual fees.

In April I got my first miles card, that being a JetBlue AMEX. It had a 2K limit which was much higher than my other cards.

I got pre approved for a Discover card in July which I only got because they would give $100 cash back after $1K spend in three months.

I have no balances on any card, I pay off all of my charges before I even get a statement. I recently tried to get the Citi AA Visa for the 75,000 miles after $1500 spend because I'm about to make a large purchase and I realize that it would be a good time to get a card that I could get bonus points for and meet the minimum spend without problems. However, I got declined for the Citi AA Visa with the statement "Too few satisfactory credit references were recorded on your credit bureau report".

I looked at my credit report and there is nothing unsatisfactory about anything. I'm using 1% of my credit available (3.65K) and have nothing bad on there. I called and resubmitted my credit report and I haven't gotten something in the mail or email back on a reconsider, but I called the other day and entered my reference number and they said I was declined.

So, I was just wondering if anyone had input in how I should proceed with my situation in wanting to hit a minimum spend knowing I will be spending around 2K in the middle of October. It seems the fact that I haven't needed credit much is really weighing against me, and I'm not sure how to really combat it.

I would love to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred card, but there is no way that I would be allotted a 5K Credit Limit (given that is the minimum). I'm also looking to plan a trip to Tokyo in the Spring and so I was hoping whatever miles I could get as a sign up bonus would be put toward that.

Any help would be great!

Hi Logan -- Try asking for an increased limits on your existing cards. If you always pay your bills on time, utilize your credit and have a steady income, I expect that over the next few years, you should be able to increase the limits significantly (5k+) so that you won't have trouble getting these new cards. There is no rush to get these cards -- there will still be opportunities (different ones) a few years down the road.

Doesn't that typically entail a credit inquiry (hard pull)?

Yes

wait. Build your credit history, with on time payments, is the best way to get a good standing. Do not feel rushed into the CC game.
If you can't meet min spend requirements do not try to increase spending just for the miles. that is a slippery slope. Protect your finances.