I love credit cards so much!

[Eighty8Keys]

To recap: Applied for CSR online on 8/27 got "7-10 day review." Called for status on 9/1, told that I was denied due to 5/24. Hung up, pulled my credit reports, counted 4 plus 1 AU. Called recon on 9/2 asking for reconsideration due to one AU. She recommended me for approval but sent my app to a Sr. Analyst for final review. Have been waiting impatiently ever since.

Yesterday, received a letter from Chase stating that after a second review they were still unable to approve due to already extending the maximum amount of credit. The letter suggested I call to redistribute my credit lines. Called this morning and spoke to a rep who wasn't able to see my application and speculated that I was denied because I already have three Chase accounts. He finally transferred me to the lending department, where a very nice woman was happy to move some of the credit from my Disney and Amazon cards and immediately approve me for the CSR. Just checked my online account and it's already showing up.

If it wasn't for this thread, I would never would have thought to call even once, let alone three times, to question their decision. Heck, I never would have expected to ever apply for a credit card with a $450 annual fee. Not worried about making the $4K spend with property taxes due in two months. That will eat up at least 3/4 of it.

 

[CaterFamily]

To recap: Applied for CSR online on 8/27 got "7-10 day review." Called for status on 9/1, told that I was denied due to 5/24. Hung up, pulled my credit reports, counted 4 plus 1 AU. Called recon on 9/2 asking for reconsideration due to one AU. She recommended me for approval but sent my app to a Sr. Analyst for final review. Have been waiting impatiently ever since.

Yesterday, received a letter from Chase stating that after a second review they were still unable to approve due to already extending the maximum amount of credit. The letter suggested I call to redistribute my credit lines. Called this morning and spoke to a rep who wasn't able to see my application and speculated that I was denied because I already have three Chase accounts. He finally transferred me to the lending department, where a very nice woman was happy to move some of the credit from my Disney and Amazon cards and immediately approve me for the CSR. Just checked my online account and it's already showing up.

If it wasn't for this thread, I would never would have thought to call even once, let alone three times, to question their decision. Heck, I never would have expected to ever apply for a credit card with a $450 annual fee. Not worried about making the $4K spend with property taxes due in two months. That will eat up at least 3/4 of it.

Isn't it an empowering feeling - to know how the system works and then make it work for you!!!

Congrats on the CSR!

to the club!

 

[kidsfirsttrip]

To recap: Applied for CSR online on 8/27 got "7-10 day review." Called for status on 9/1, told that I was denied due to 5/24. Hung up, pulled my credit reports, counted 4 plus 1 AU. Called recon on 9/2 asking for reconsideration due to one AU. She recommended me for approval but sent my app to a Sr. Analyst for final review. Have been waiting impatiently ever since.

Yesterday, received a letter from Chase stating that after a second review they were still unable to approve due to already extending the maximum amount of credit. The letter suggested I call to redistribute my credit lines. Called this morning and spoke to a rep who wasn't able to see my application and speculated that I was denied because I already have three Chase accounts. He finally transferred me to the lending department, where a very nice woman was happy to move some of the credit from my Disney and Amazon cards and immediately approve me for the CSR. Just checked my online account and it's already showing up.

If it wasn't for this thread, I would never would have thought to call even once, let alone three times, to question their decision. Heck, I never would have expected to ever apply for a credit card with a $450 annual fee. Not worried about making the $4K spend with property taxes due in two months. That will eat up at least 3/4 of it.

Woo Hoo! Welcome to the CSR club.

Just for reference I was approved online immediately. My credit score was 813 and i was at 2/24 so I figured that would happen. I got a 30K limit. Now working on the 4K spending! I wish the card they sent didn't look so much like the CSP, I accidentally used that one the other day! Doh!

 

[laceltris3]

So I don't really intend to ever be a hard core travel hacker, but the CSR is looking really interesting to me. My normal hack is simply to pay for as much as possible with gift cards that I can buy at Kroger with my old legacy Amex Blue Cash where I get unlimited 5% cash back at grocery stores + 2X or 4X fuel points. And I live in a United hub, so I have a United card, also with Chase. I am pretty sure I will be approved as I have good credit and only opened one card in the last 2 years. The bummer of the situation is that the one new card I had to close one month later (as well as another card I had with BofA) because of identity theft that occurred during that credit process. So now I have a credit freeze, which I am willing to lift to open the card, but am questioning the best way to do it mechanically. I assume I should just apply and I would be either denied or pending because they can't access my credit, and then I would call for reconsideration and at that point talk to underwriting at that point to figure out which credit report they want to run and then temporarily lift the freeze for them? Any idea which number I should call for that?

 

[AmyAnne]

I have used Marriott points to stay at the St. Ermin in London and it was great. I am using Club Carlson points to stay at a Radisson Blu on the West End next February. I have also used that card's points for stays in Edinburgh and Dublin. My favorite credi card for International stays is the Club Carlson because it gives you 40,000 points each anniversary and the sign up bonus is pretty good. I have also used the Starwood Guest Preferred card for a stay at a Sheraton Grand in Edinburgh. I liked that property the best and it was only 12,000 points per night. I just happen to value SPG points more for airline transfers. But if you are looking for the best of both worlds then this would be the card to get.

Thanks for this info. I looked up the St. Ermin and it looks like a great hotel. Interestingly, it seems that the only room that can be booked fully on reward points is the standard room with a single queen bed. To upgrade to two double beds is an additional 85 pounds per night, in addition to the 160,000 points for a four-night stay. Not that I really see how I would acquire 160,000 points -- the sign-up bonus is 80,000 points. Do you mind explaining how you earn enough points on a hotel credit card?

 

[calypso726]

So I don't really intend to ever be a hard core travel hacker, but the CSR is looking really interesting to me. My normal hack is simply to pay for as much as possible with gift cards that I can buy at Kroger with my old legacy Amex Blue Cash where I get unlimited 5% cash back at grocery stores + 2X or 4X fuel points. And I live in a United hub, so I have a United card, also with Chase. I am pretty sure I will be approved as I have good credit and only opened one card in the last 2 years. The bummer of the situation is that the one new card I had to close one month later (as well as another card I had with BofA) because of identity theft that occurred during that credit process. So now I have a credit freeze, which I am willing to lift to open the card, but am questioning the best way to do it mechanically. I assume I should just apply and I would be either denied or pending because they can't access my credit, and then I would call for reconsideration and at that point talk to underwriting at that point to figure out which credit report they want to run and then temporarily lift the freeze for them? Any idea which number I should call for that?

It will go to pending and then you call recon. Ask which bureau they need to see so you don't have to unfreeze all 3 bureaus.

Thanks for this info. I looked up the St. Ermin and it looks like a great hotel. Interestingly, it seems that the only room that can be booked fully on reward points is the standard room with a single queen bed. To upgrade to two double beds is an additional 85 pounds per night, in addition to the 160,000 points for a four-night stay. Not that I really see how I would acquire 160,000 points -- the sign-up bonus is 80,000 points. Do you mind explaining how you earn enough points on a hotel credit card?

You're welcome. Once I figure out which credit cards I will need to hack a particular trip I always have DH and I each apply for the card individually. That way I get 80,000 and he gets 80,000. If for some reason we were unable to make the spend for each of our cards at the same time then one of us would apply first and when the spend is made the other would apply for the same card. If the significant other isn't an option then apply for the Marriott business card which also has an 80,000 sign up bonus. You can transfer Chase UR points into your Marriott account. UR points can be used to pay for a hotel stay as well. Personally I wouldn't do either but that is because I value my UR points more as airline miles. But, that still is an option.

Sometimes I have to mix and match points in order to hack a trip which is why a diverse portfolio of points and miles is useful. Normally, I don't focus much on cash back cards. That said, I've picked up cash back travel cards a few times for this purpose. One year I picked up a Barclay Arrival Plus and so did DH. We used it to pay for a few nights at a B&B in Inverness and to pay for our parkhopper tickets to Disney Land Paris. Then when we got home we were able to pay the bill with the points. I cancelled the card and then applied for it again the following year, along with two other cash back travel cards, a Capital One Venture Card and a Wells Fargo Propel card. DH did the same. We did it for the express purpose of using the points to pay for all of our excursions and on board expenses during an 11 day Disney Cruise to Norway, Iceland and Scotland. We were able to wipe off about $3,000 worth of charges with those points. Therefore, a cash back travel card may be another option for you.

Then of course there is always manufactured spending which is not for the faint of heart and no where near as easy as it used to be. This involves purchasing pin enabled Visa gift cards that work like a debit card and using them to purchase money orders and then depositing the money order into your bank and then paying the credit card card. It is advised that you open a bank account with a bank that you wouldn't mind being banned from using when doing this. There are those that will MS over $40,000 per month. Not me.

Hope this helps.

 

[AmyAnne]

You're welcome. Once I figure out which credit cards I will need to hack a particular trip I always have DH and I each apply for the card individually. That way I get 80,000 and he gets 80,000. If for some reason we were unable to make the spend for each of our cards at the same time then one of us would apply first and when the spend is made the other would apply for the same card. If the significant other isn't an option then apply for the Marriott business card which also has an 80,000 sign up bonus. You can transfer Chase UR points into your Marriott account. UR points can be used to pay for a hotel stay as well. Personally I wouldn't do either but that is because I value my UR points more as airline miles. But, that still is an option.

Sometimes I have to mix and match points in order to hack a trip which is why a diverse portfolio of points and miles is useful. Normally, I don't focus much on cash back cards. That said, I've picked up cash back travel cards a few times for this purpose. One year I picked up a Barclay Arrival Plus and so did DH. We used it to pay for a few nights at a B&B in Inverness and to pay for our parkhopper tickets to Disney Land Paris. Then when we got home we were able to pay the bill with the points. I cancelled the card and then applied for it again the following year, along with two other cash back travel cards, a Capital One Venture Card and a Wells Fargo Propel card. DH did the same. We did it for the express purpose of using the points to pay for all of our excursions and on board expenses during an 11 day Disney Cruise to Norway, Iceland and Scotland. We were able to wipe off about $3,000 worth of charges with those points. Therefore, a cash back travel card may be another option for you.

Then of course there is always manufactured spending which is not for the faint of heart and no where near as easy as it used to be. This involves purchasing pin enabled Visa gift cards that work like a debit card and using them to purchase money orders and then depositing the money order into your bank and then paying the credit card card. It is advised that you open a bank account with a bank that you wouldn't mind being banned from using when doing this. There are those that will MS over $40,000 per month. Not me.

Hope this helps.

Thanks again. The problem with signing up for two cards is the initial spending requirement. I think I am slowly figuring out a very limited manufactured spending plan that will hopefully help, but (thankfully, I guess) our chargeable expenses are usually limited to about $1,000 a month. I think there is a way to charge things like a mortgage payment but I also think it involves giving your SSN to a cashier at Walmart, which I am not sure I am ready to do.

 

[CaterFamily]

Sort of on topic - just got this email from Hawaiian Air about their airfares:

https://www.hawaiianairlines.com/de...42_Fare_20160913_PNW&RID=333263472&MID=447602

 

[Albort]

I think there is a way to charge things like a mortgage payment but I also think it involves giving your SSN to a cashier at Walmart, which I am not sure I am ready to do.

Look up Plastiq. u should be able to pay ur mortgage with that. comes with a fee though, but it's worth it to meet spending bonuses... other than that, it's not worth it.

 

[peel]

Look up Plastiq. u should be able to pay ur mortgage with that. comes with a fee though, but it's worth it to meet spending bonuses... other than that, it's not worth it.

This is what I did to meet the CSP spending requirement a few months back. I normally would never pay a fee to pay a bill, but it was worth the $25 to ensure my 50K UR bonus. I think I'm going to use them for my mortgage 2 more times now that DH got his CSR. I think we can meet the requirement without it, but I want to err on the side of caution.

 

[CaterFamily]

Anyone with Delta Skymiles - who happens to live in WA - sign up for this: https://www.12status.com/

Basically since Delta is fighting with Alaska Air for the Seattle Hub they're giving out literally free air miles for how well the Seahawks do this season.

Game 1 vs Dolphins: 260 points

 

[Aanna]

As an aside, I have learned not to count on my bonus to post with my first statement, even if I met my spend.

Received my cards, met the spend by Sept 2, statement closed on Sept 11, but no bonus posted! I called and was told that I met my spend too close to the statement date, so the bonus won't post until next month,

All the things I'm learning...

 

[CaterFamily]

As an aside, I have learned not to count on my bonus to post with my first statement, even if I met my spend.

Received my cards, met the spend by Sept 2, statement closed on Sept 11, but no bonus posted! I called and was told that I met my spend too close to the statement date, so the bonus won't post until next month,

All the things I'm learning...

Us too. I did manage to meet my spend on CSP, Ink+ and almost done with CSR from normal monthly spending in August and so far in September. Now on to the Plat Amex and the $10k spend req.

 

[laceltris3]

So I spent 20 minutes on the phone on Tuesday and was approved for my CSR. And much to my delight, I received a notice yesterday from UPS that the card was coming today! I didn't even ask to have it expedited. They said within 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, the card required signature at delivery, and they won't let me redirect the package or have it sent to a UPS store, so the only thing I can do is pay $8 to have the 4 hour window tomorrow narrowed down to a 2 hour window. And the UPS guy then also refused to deliver the toilet paper or whatever was coming in my Amazon Subscribe & Save order and said that required a signature too. Not a big deal, but a pain to deal with after a string of recent unpleasant package delivery experiences.

So now I have to wait another 24 hours to get it.... And I already have a list of bills etc I need to pay when it comes.

 

[Albort]

So I spent 20 minutes on the phone on Tuesday and was approved for my CSR. And much to my delight, I received a notice yesterday from UPS that the card was coming today! I didn't even ask to have it expedited. They said within 2 weeks.

Unfortunately, the card required signature at delivery, and they won't let me redirect the package or have it sent to a UPS store, so the only thing I can do is pay $8 to have the 4 hour window tomorrow narrowed down to a 2 hour window. And the UPS guy then also refused to deliver the toilet paper or whatever was coming in my Amazon Subscribe & Save order and said that required a signature too. Not a big deal, but a pain to deal with after a string of recent unpleasant package delivery experiences.

So now I have to wait another 24 hours to get it.... And I already have a list of bills etc I need to pay when it comes.

is it cuz of your neighborhood? They have all just dropped my package in the mailbox and leave. Your other option is to have them hold your package at the UPS facility(usually after 8pm) and u can go in to pick it up. Ive done this a few hundred times because the UPS guy sees a gate at my old apartment complex and never tries the door... haha.

 

[Albort]

4th quarter Chase Freedom has no Amazon... (((((

 

[havaneselover]

4th quarter Chase Freedom has no Amazon... (((((

I never use Amazon. Always cheaper for me to buy discounted gift cards at Kroger.

Wish I could max out Costco more. I can't spend more than $500/quarter there.

 

[peel]

4th quarter Chase Freedom has no Amazon... (((((

Can we get around this by buying Amazon cards at a drug store?

 

[Albort]

I never use Amazon. Always cheaper for me to buy discounted gift cards at Kroger.

Wish I could max out Costco more. I can't spend more than $500/quarter there.

i tend to buy gift cards when the quarter is ending... although im close to my max already.
Currently " you've earned 54 dollars out of 75 dollars since the beginning of this quarter"

im getting close... probably will max out on tmobile gift cards. Then i got another quarter to max out on Sams Club... haha.

 

[Albort]

Can we get around this by buying Amazon cards at a drug store?

yes, you can... but its 100% chance we wont see a 10% UR points off amazon like last year...