I love credit cards so much!

[Calfan]

A few questions for the experts:

I recently applied for the Chase Marriott Rewards personal card with the 100k sign-up bonus and was denied for being over 5/24. (I admit to the cardinal sin of not having tracked my 5/24 status very carefully, lol.) After speaking with Chase this morning, I won't get out of the 5/24 doghouse until April 2018. Is it worth going to a Chase branch and reapplying? I had received a mailer about the card, so I could bring that with me. The annual free night is appealing, as well as the high sign-up bonus, but hotel stays aren't really my travel priority. I am much more focused on using points for flights. We tend to travel through group travel companies like Adventures by Disney or National Geographic Adventures or on cruises, so at most, we are looking for a few hotel nights for pre- or post-stays. However, not having to come out of pocket for those would be great. I also tend to stay at Marriott properties once or twice per year on business trips. So, I guess I really have two questions on this one: should I try to reapply at a branch, and is this a card that I should really be getting given that it will further push out the date that I'll get out from under 5/24?

I've also been thinking about getting the Club Carlson card with the 40,000 point annual bonus. (We have stayed at Radisson Blu properties in Scotland and Copenhagen.) I have some inkling that maybe this one doesn't register on Chase's 5/24. Did I make that up, or is that correct?

Finally, I've also been considering the Amex Platinum (personal). Some of the benefits are appealing, but I'm on the fence about this one. United is the airline I fly most often because there are United nonstops out of Boise to Chicago and Houston, which pretty much allow me to get almost anywhere. We also fly Alaska and Southwest out of Boise a lot. I have the Alaska cc for free bags. I had the SW card but cancelled last Oct. with the plan of applying again after two years for the sign-up bonus. I have one flight booked on American for later this year, but this will be the first time in eons (maybe ever), that I've flown American. However, American does have a non-stop from Boise to DFW, so American could be a viable option going forward. But given that my priority is United miles and UR points that transfer 1:1 to United (I have the CSR, Freedom Unlimited, Freedom and MileagePlus Club cards, btw), what do folks think about the Amex Platinum for me?

Thanks!

 

[calypso726]

A few questions for the experts:

I recently applied for the Chase Marriott Rewards personal card with the 100k sign-up bonus and was denied for being over 5/24. (I admit to the cardinal sin of not having tracked my 5/24 status very carefully, lol.) After speaking with Chase this morning, I won't get out of the 5/24 doghouse until April 2018. Is it worth going to a Chase branch and reapplying? I had received a mailer about the card, so I could bring that with me. The annual free night is appealing, as well as the high sign-up bonus, but hotel stays aren't really my travel priority. I am much more focused on using points for flights. We tend to travel through group travel companies like Adventures by Disney or National Geographic Adventures or on cruises, so at most, we are looking for a few hotel nights for pre- or post-stays. However, not having to come out of pocket for those would be great. I also tend to stay at Marriott properties once or twice per year on business trips. So, I guess I really have two questions on this one: should I try to reapply at a branch, and is this a card that I should really be getting given that it will further push out the date that I'll get out from under 5/24?

I've also been thinking about getting the Club Carlson card with the 40,000 point annual bonus. (We have stayed at Radisson Blu properties in Scotland and Copenhagen.) I have some inkling that maybe this one doesn't register on Chase's 5/24. Did I make that up, or is that correct?

Finally, I've also been considering the Amex Platinum (personal). Some of the benefits are appealing, but I'm on the fence about this one. United is the airline I fly most often because there are United nonstops out of Boise to Chicago and Houston, which pretty much allow me to get almost anywhere. We also fly Alaska and Southwest out of Boise a lot. I have the Alaska cc for free bags. I had the SW card but cancelled last Oct. with the plan of applying again after two years for the sign-up bonus. I have one flight booked on American for later this year, but this will be the first time in eons (maybe ever), that I've flown American. However, American does have a non-stop from Boise to DFW, so American could be a viable option going forward. But given that my priority is United miles and UR points that transfer 1:1 to United (I have the CSR, Freedom Unlimited, Freedom and MileagePlus Club cards, btw), what do folks think about the Amex Platinum for me?

Thanks!

It wouldn't hurt to check for an in branch offer. That's the only way around 5/24 now. CPC no longer works to get around it. There is only one card I would have waited a year to go under 5/24 to get and that was the CSR. We have the Marriott card but I don't put spend on it. We do enjoy the annual free night at cat 1-5 properties. However, if we didn't have it I wouldn't really feel the loss. Our travel habits are similar, so hotels aren't a priority. That said, I love my Club Carlson card and have received a ton of value from it all vet the years. I do recall the bloggers advising to freeze ARS and IDA/Sagestream before applying for any US Bank cards. This is a secondary bureau that US Bank often uses in addition to the big 3 and will deny based on number of recent applications. Speaking of which, there are rumors US Bank is going to come out with a new premium card that is supposed to give the CSR some competition.

I prefer the Business Platinum card over the Personal. Some of the perks that both have and we like are the $200 airline credit, Fine Resorts and Hotels benefit, Gold status with Hilton, SPG/Marriott. I love the Centurion lounge access. Amex membership rewards don't transfer to United. You can transfer to Air Canada and book on United though.

 

[Calfan]

It wouldn't hurt to check for an in branch offer. That's the only way around 5/24 now. CPC no longer works to get around it. There is only one card I would have waited a year to go under 5/24 to get and that was the CSR. We have the Marriott card but I don't put spend on it. We do enjoy the annual free night at cat 1-5 properties. However, if we didn't have it I wouldn't really feel the loss. Our travel habits are similar, so hotels aren't a priority. That said, I love my Club Carlson card and have received a ton of value from it all vet the years. I do recall the bloggers advising to freeze ARS and IDA/Sagestream before applying for any US Bank cards. This is a secondary bureau that US Bank often uses in addition to the big 3 and will deny based on number of recent applications. Speaking of which, there are rumors US Bank is going to come out with a new premium card that is supposed to give the CSR some competition.

I prefer the Business Platinum card over the Personal. Some of the perks that both have and we like are the $200 airline credit, Fine Resorts and Hotels benefit, Gold status with Hilton, SPG/Marriott. I love the Centurion lounge access. Amex membership rewards don't transfer to United. You can transfer to Air Canada and book on United though.

Thanks! I think I'm leaning toward not trying too hard to get the Marriott card. I wouldn't put any regular spend on it, and I would rather not push my 5/24 date out any farther by getting that one, because I'd like to re-up on one or a combo of CSP, United and/or SW when I pass my 2-year mark of having cancelled those to get the bonuses again. Just to clarify, I wasn't sure from your response whether the Club Carlson card would impact my 5/24 status with Chase. Even if it does, I'm tempted to get it, because I do see the value there, and we have stayed at a number of Radisson Blu properties. Thanks for the tip about freezing ARS and IDA/Sagestream. I'm also leaning against the Amex Platinum since I can only get the personal card and the points just aren't going to be that useful for me, as compared to UR points. Plus the AF is staggering (although I realize it gets reduced by the $200 airline credit and possibly $200 in Uber credits, but I don't use Uber that much).

 

[Albort]

Thanks! I think I'm leaning toward not trying too hard to get the Marriott card. I wouldn't put any regular spend on it, and I would rather not push my 5/24 date out any farther by getting that one, because I'd like to re-up on one or a combo of CSP, United and/or SW when I pass my 2-year mark of having cancelled those to get the bonuses again. Just to clarify, I wasn't sure from your response whether the Club Carlson card would impact my 5/24 status with Chase. Even if it does, I'm tempted to get it, because I do see the value there, and we have stayed at a number of Radisson Blu properties. Thanks for the tip about freezing ARS and IDA/Sagestream. I'm also leaning against the Amex Platinum since I can only get the personal card and the points just aren't going to be that useful for me, as compared to UR points. Plus the AF is staggering (although I realize it gets reduced by the $200 airline credit and possibly $200 in Uber credits, but I don't use Uber that much).

its possible to break 5/24 rule if your preapproved. you can walk into the branch and ask or you can see if the chase app has anything for you there. of course it would add more # to the 24 though lol

 

[AmyAnne]

Thanks everyone for helping me with my Marriott points question. Now I'm wondering, though, if I should think about the SPG card instead. If I understand correctly, I could transfer 30,000 SPG points into 90,000 Marriott points? The signup bonus is 25,000 points after $5,000 in spending, which would be the exact number of points I need. Is this right?

@calypso726 Regarding the hotel, I've been looking at hotels near the British Library and so far my favorite is St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which is right across the street and gets very good reviews on tripadvisor. I'm definitely open to suggestions, though. There are a zillion hotels in London!

 

[Ngwira]

Yes MR transfer to aeroplan, Ana and jal. They are star alliance members and you can book united flights on them.

It wouldn't hurt to check for an in branch offer. That's the only way around 5/24 now. CPC no longer works to get around it. There is only one card I would have waited a year to go under 5/24 to get and that was the CSR. We have the Marriott card but I don't put spend on it. We do enjoy the annual free night at cat 1-5 properties. However, if we didn't have it I wouldn't really feel the loss. Our travel habits are similar, so hotels aren't a priority. That said, I love my Club Carlson card and have received a ton of value from it all vet the years. I do recall the bloggers advising to freeze ARS and IDA/Sagestream before applying for any US Bank cards. This is a secondary bureau that US Bank often uses in addition to the big 3 and will deny based on number of recent applications. Speaking of which, there are rumors US Bank is going to come out with a new premium card that is supposed to give the CSR some competition.

I prefer the Business Platinum card over the Personal. Some of the perks that both have and we like are the $200 airline credit, Fine Resorts and Hotels benefit, Gold status with Hilton, SPG/Marriott. I love the Centurion lounge access. Amex membership rewards don't transfer to United. You can transfer to Air Canada and book on United though.

R

 

[calypso726]

Thanks! I think I'm leaning toward not trying too hard to get the Marriott card. I wouldn't put any regular spend on it, and I would rather not push my 5/24 date out any farther by getting that one, because I'd like to re-up on one or a combo of CSP, United and/or SW when I pass my 2-year mark of having cancelled those to get the bonuses again. Just to clarify, I wasn't sure from your response whether the Club Carlson card would impact my 5/24 status with Chase. Even if it does, I'm tempted to get it, because I do see the value there, and we have stayed at a number of Radisson Blu properties. Thanks for the tip about freezing ARS and IDA/Sagestream. I'm also leaning against the Amex Platinum since I can only get the personal card and the points just aren't going to be that useful for me, as compared to UR points. Plus the AF is staggering (although I realize it gets reduced by the $200 airline credit and possibly $200 in Uber credits, but I don't use Uber that much).

Sorry @Calfan I forgot to address that point. Yes it would count towards the 5/24. All new credit cards or store cards are going to count towards 5/24 with the exception of some business cards.

 

[Calfan]

Sorry @Calfan I forgot to address that point. Yes it would count towards the 5/24. All new credit cards or store cards are going to count towards 5/24 with the exception of some business cards.

Ok. Thanks! I still might do that one.

 

[calypso726]

Thanks everyone for helping me with my Marriott points question. Now I'm wondering, though, if I should think about the SPG card instead. If I understand correctly, I could transfer 30,000 SPG points into 90,000 Marriott points? The signup bonus is 25,000 points after $5,000 in spending, which would be the exact number of points I need. Is this right?

@calypso726 Regarding the hotel, I've been looking at hotels near the British Library and so far my favorite is St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, which is right across the street and gets very good reviews on tripadvisor. I'm definitely open to suggestions, though. There are a zillion hotels in London!

Yes that is correct about the SPG.

Club Carlson is a hotel card I'd look into. I've loved all of our Radisson Blu stays for free in Europe. You'd get 97,000+ points after making the spend and then get 40,000 points on the card anniversary.

 

[AmyAnne]

Yes that is correct about the SPG.

Club Carlson is a hotel card I'd look into. I've loved all of our Radisson Blu stays for free in Europe. You'd get 97,000+ points after making the spend and then get 40,000 points on the card anniversary.

Is there a specific Radisson Blu hotel you'd recommend in London? It looks like there are ten or so options not counting the airport hotels. I'm not opposed to taking the tube (or a cab).

 

[Lain]

Just received my new metal Amex platinum card. It's just like the CSR...looks and feels great.

No, it looks and feels better! The new Platinum card is heavier and actually feels metallic. I love the clean, modern design too. The CSR by comparison feels plastic-y, since the actual metal is sandwiched between plastic film. The clear coat on my CSR began flaking off within the first week.

 

[Albort]

No, it looks and feels better! The new Platinum card is heavier and actually feels metallic. I love the clean, modern design too. The CSR by comparison feels plastic-y, since the actual metal is sandwiched between plastic film. The clear coat on my CSR began flaking off within the first week.

i keep asking everyone this but never got a straight answer... which card makes the better sound when u drop it on the Table...

 

[BklynGirl]

My BF & I have to make two trips on JetBlue in the next year and I'm trying to figure out the best way to maximize the TrueBlue points I will accumulate for the first trip to apply towards the second trip. I have a Barclay JetBlue Plus MasterCard which earns 6x TrueBlue points on all JetBlue purchases so I will use that to purchase the airfare for both of us. JetBlue also gives you 6x points if you book on their website for all Mint flights. However, you can only get those points on one TrueBlue account - in other words, if I am signed in to their website with my TrueBlue account when purchasing the tickets, I will receive 6x points on my ticket for booking online and 6x points on both tickets for using my JetBluePlus card, but no 6x points for my BF's ticket.

So I was thinking of purchasing my ticket, while signed in as myself - getting the 6x points twice; then signing out and signing in with BF's TrueBlue account and still using my JetBluePlus card so that we will get the 6x twice on his ticket. Do you think that they will let me use my credit card to buy his ticket? And, if so, will they give us the 6x twice for each ticket that way? Just want to make sure I'm collecting as many points as possible LOL.

 

[GPC0321]

So, I got over my freak-out about Discover, etc. I'm happily using my Barclaycard CashForward for everything right now to meet the minimum spend for my $200 sign-up bonus. After that's done, I'll go back to Chase Freedom for groceries and drugstores for the rest of this quarter, and Discover for Home Improvement and Wholesale Clubs. Possibly Sam's Mastercard for gas (I'm so reluctant with that one right now because I'm trying to gather as much cash back as I can before our December trip and wouldn't get the Sam's Club cash back until February.

Today, I got an offer for a Human Rights Campaign BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa. Sign-up bonus is $100 after $500 spend, and the cash back is 3% on gas, 2% on grocery stores and wholesale clubs, 1% on everything else with no annual fee.

I can't see a reason NOT to apply for this card. Can anyone else?

 

[Albort]

So, I got over my freak-out about Discover, etc. I'm happily using my Barclaycard CashForward for everything right now to meet the minimum spend for my $200 sign-up bonus. After that's done, I'll go back to Chase Freedom for groceries and drugstores for the rest of this quarter, and Discover for Home Improvement and Wholesale Clubs. Possibly Sam's Mastercard for gas (I'm so reluctant with that one right now because I'm trying to gather as much cash back as I can before our December trip and wouldn't get the Sam's Club cash back until February.

Today, I got an offer for a Human Rights Campaign BankAmericard Cash Rewards Visa. Sign-up bonus is $100 after $500 spend, and the cash back is 3% on gas, 2% on grocery stores and wholesale clubs, 1% on everything else with no annual fee.

I can't see a reason NOT to apply for this card. Can anyone else?

if your done with chase cards, then it wouldnt matter what card u get next. At that point, if your looking for cash back, would i suggest you look into bank bonuses? No spending required... or high interest bank accounts...

 

[calypso726]

Is there a specific Radisson Blu hotel you'd recommend in London? It looks like there are ten or so options not counting the airport hotels. I'm not opposed to taking the tube (or a cab).

We stayed at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street hotel in Covent Garden a coupple of months ago. We chose it initially because it had pretty good reviews, 4 1/2 stars on TripAdvisor and was in walking distance to the theater where Harry Potter & the Cursed Child is playing. It sits right next to the Seven dials pillar. It was also in walking distance to several other theaters on the West End, the British Museum and also the Lamb & Flag. This is a historic pub. I liked the location and the room. We were upgraded and allowed early check in due to our gold status for having the Club Carlson card. There is a restaurant and room service which was convenient. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. The staff was sooooo nice!

 

[AmyAnne]

We stayed at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Mercer Street hotel in Covent Garden a coupple of months ago. We chose it initially because it had pretty good reviews, 4 1/2 stars on TripAdvisor and was in walking distance to the theater where Harry Potter & the Cursed Child is playing. It sits right next to the Seven dials pillar. It was also in walking distance to several other theaters on the West End, the British Museum and also the Lamb & Flag. This is a historic pub. I liked the location and the room. We were upgraded and allowed early check in due to our gold status for having the Club Carlson card. There is a restaurant and room service which was convenient. I would stay there again in a heartbeat. The staff was sooooo nice!

Thanks. That does look like an awesome hotel. Do you have the personal or the business Club Carlson card?

 

[platamama]

Speaking of which, there are rumors US Bank is going to come out with a new premium card that is supposed to give the CSR some competition.

DoC had this on his website earlier this week http://www.doctorofcredit.com/additional-information-regarding-new-altitude-reserve-card-u-s-bank/

It does sound intriguing...

 

[calypso726]

Thanks. That does look like an awesome hotel. Do you have the personal or the business Club Carlson card?

I have the personal card and so does DH.

DoC had this on his website earlier this week http://www.doctorofcredit.com/additional-information-regarding-new-altitude-reserve-card-u-s-bank/

It does sound intriguing...

That's how I found out about it.

 

[Alice Sr.]

UR point transfers are virtually instantaneous. MR or SPG transfer can take days to a week or so.

Good to know, that significantly reduces my desire for AMEX. Glad I found that out before I applied. Thanks