I love credit cards so much!

[disneymagicgirl]

I’ve been reading stuff on reddit and this thread about Chase shutdowns. One of the factors relates to how you pay your credit cards and also with different accounts. I have done this a lot. I never realized it could be an issue. I guess I’m going to stop that and pick one account and use it going forward. Should I use one bank account for all Chase cards? Or just one account used consistently on each card? And does it matter how and when I pay? Like if I call in and pay by phone, or go online, or pay by check? And is it good or bad to make multiple payments during the month? I just figured they’d be glad to get the money, not be judging me on how I pay and from what account, LOL. Imagine if you pay your card with a balance transfer! They must go ballistic

What is a best practice for paying your cards without drawing undue scrutiny?

On every account we have with chase...I lost count, but multiple for each of us, I pay the balance in full on the last day of the month. For my husband's CSR (95% of his spending goes on here b/c he won't carry more than one card), I send a payment every time we get a check for his work expenses reimbursed. That is 2-4x per month. I do all payments online.

@disneymagicgirl - you're in TN, right?

https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/comments/8a8b6g/daily_discussion_thread_april_06_2018/dwxg3ni/

May be a fast way of hitting DH's CIP MSR. Warning, they do do a hard pull.

Thanks for thinking of me! I am going to pay the mortgage ($4k) on it thru plastiq and knock out the other $1k within a week organically.

 

[elgerber]

Conventional wisdom is Chase is comfortable extending credit lines up to 50% of the income reported on your application. If you're married, you should put down total household income. There are numerous DPs, including many people here, who have credit lines way more than 50% of income.

I am assuming this is just referring to your credit limits with Chase, and not all your cards combined?

 

[Lain]

I am assuming this is just referring to your credit limits with Chase, and not all your cards combined?

That's my understanding.

 

[babyready]

Yes. They may just ask for address verification or something easy like that, but they may also want to grill you about your business (or "business"). The general suggestion is to not make the call unless you feel very comfortable discussing every aspect of the business. Take it from someone who was put through the wringer, it's not fun.

And also to @babyready I personally would not call Chase until I heard it was a declination. They called me when I got my CIP and honestly I am still a little scarred from that phone call. I just don't see any point in getting on their radar if you don't need to be. If they want to talk to you they will call you and then you can deal with it then.

Called the status line this morning and he was approved! Yay!!

I went into my CIP account on something unrelated and noticed that I had like, 23,000 points pending my next statement. That is crazy. Could those referral points have hit my account already? He just applied yesterday. It isn't showing in the earning history. Scratching my head a bit on that one.

 

[WDWRook]

Conventional wisdom is Chase is comfortable extending credit lines up to 50% of the income reported on your application. If you're married, you should put down total household income. There are numerous DPs, including many people here, who have credit lines way more than 50% of income. Chase views personal and business credit lines together, but if you come to a situation where you offer to move credit around, you can't move personal to business or vice versa.

There's been more and more DPs recently where people have offered to move credit around to open a new card, but a Chase rep told them no, or they don't do that anymore, or offered to close one or more existing cards to open a new card. There are still more DPs of Chase allowing credit to be moved around to open a new card, however, so it seems like YMMV.

Whether one should proactively reduce their credit lines with Chase if they feel like they are reaching their limit (e.g., your new cards' credit lines are getting smaller, or you had to move around credit to open the last card, or your new card has a bare minimum credit line available for that card product) is debatable. Some people feel you should never proactively reduce your credit line because it takes away a chip that you can possibly bargain with by offering to move it around to open a new card. Also, reducing credit lines will reduce your total available credit, which will tend to increase the % of credit utilization and could lower your credit score. Others feel like proactively lowering their credit lines if they feel they're at or over what Chase is likely to extend to them, a month or more before submitting an app for a new card, will increase the chances of auto-approval.

Thanks Lain. I'm at around 75-80% credit vs income now. That's not counting tWife's credit limits (she has limited income).

 

[Lain]

Called the status line this morning and he was approved! Yay!!

I went into my CIP account on something unrelated and noticed that I had like, 23,000 points pending my next statement. That is crazy. Could those referral points have hit my account already? He just applied yesterday. It isn't showing in the earning history. Scratching my head a bit on that one.

Congratulations on DH's new card and what looks like a "support" bonus!

I highly doubt those 20k UR are from your husband's application. Chase "support" points tend to post on Tuesdays a week or two (up to three) after approval. You'll probably see the "support" points from DH's approval next Tuesday or next, next Tuesday. That probably means someone else used your link!

 

[mom2elal]

A question for Disneyland people...

We are choosing between the Springhill Suites and Residence Inn (both on the corner of Harbor and Katella) for our July DL trip. They're both the same number of points, both suites, both have hot breakfast. The Residence Inn is bigger but a lot of that extra space is in the full kitchen, which we don't need. Does anybody have experience with these, who can offer an opinion of which we should pick? I guess another thing I need to look up is the parking charges for each.

 

[Dugette]

Call the automated line again at lunch to see if there's any movement on your CSR application. Fingers crossed it's approved by then.

When you call in to recon, mention you are calling (only) about the CSR. I think if the Chase customer service agent looks hard enough he/she could see that you applied for both cards too, but if you direct their attention to only the CSR they may not notice or mention it. If the Chase agent does inquire, explain how you want to keep certain expenses separate using two cards. If the CSR agent mentions the One Sapphire Rule (most are not that knowledgeable), play ignorant and insist they push through the application anyway; almost all DPs I've read say that if they push an application through, it'll still bypass the One Sapphire Rule.

Thank you so much for all the help!

IT WORKED!!! Double dip at 4/24!

I called recon and asked her what I could provide to help move along the approval for the CSR since we have some travel expenses coming up that we'd like to use it for. Answered some questions, mostly repeats from the application. Then she had to move around some credit (forgot I had a ridiculous $28K limit on my Chase Hyatt, so moved $10K from that), then we were set. No mention of the CSP application at all, whew. And I'll be able to pay off our Disneyland Paris reservation with it, which should also allow me to use the $300 travel credit. Yay!

Now, to spend $8K in the next three months...that's a tall order!!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Will chase apply a referral after the fact? Friend of mine went to apply for a CIP with my link and at the last second backed out and applied for a CSR w/out telling me to he didn't use my link.

No, unfortunately I have never seen a DP of Chase giving the referral points without the link being used. Sorry, that stinks.

I was able to get credited for referral points when somebody didn't use my link. This was back in 2016 on a Southwest card. It was my father and I was able to provide his name, application date and address. They sent me a letter a couple weeks later and credited the points. That was a LONG time ago though...may not work the same now.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I’ve been reading stuff on reddit and this thread about Chase shutdowns. One of the factors relates to how you pay your credit cards and also with different accounts. I have done this a lot. I never realized it could be an issue. I guess I’m going to stop that and pick one account and use it going forward. Should I use one bank account for all Chase cards? Or just one account used consistently on each card? And does it matter how and when I pay? Like if I call in and pay by phone, or go online, or pay by check? And is it good or bad to make multiple payments during the month? I just figured they’d be glad to get the money, not be judging me on how I pay and from what account, LOL. Imagine if you pay your card with a balance transfer! They must go ballistic

What is a best practice for paying your cards without drawing undue scrutiny?

Paying from multiple accounts (i.e. a PNC checking, a BoA checking, a Chase checking) is specifically mentioned in the bust-out fraud paper. It's apparently an indicator that somebody is more likely to commit bust-out fraud. I would recommend with Chase you pick ONE checking account to pay from and just transfer funds into that account to pay.

 

[Lain]

A question for Disneyland people...

We are choosing between the Springhill Suites and Residence Inn (both on the corner of Harbor and Katella) for our July DL trip. They're both the same number of points, both suites, both have hot breakfast. The Residence Inn is bigger but a lot of that extra space is in the full kitchen, which we don't need. Does anybody have experience with these, who can offer an opinion of which we should pick? I guess another thing I need to look up is the parking charges for each.

I've never stayed at either, but they're literally right next to one another. My sister stayed at the SpringHill Suites around the time when the hotel first opened, and she enjoyed it. It's right above a CVS where you can buy provisions for not too steep of a markup. SpringHill Suites is also closer to the corner of Harbor and Katella, so it may save you a minute or two walk.

 

[ctinct]

I (well, DW) was denied the match to the 80K IHG offer. I replied to the SM and stated my disappointment in being denied a match to the higher offer, especially in light of the the anniversary night certificate being devalued before I'd even earned one. (It's still unclear if they are grandfathering new accounts in to the unrestricted certificate, right?) I'm actually not too sad about it, because a match would add $1K more to the large MSR I have to do in the next 3 months, but at the same time I always want more points! LOL.

I also chatted with AmEx tonight to confirm the date by which I have to meet the $7K MSR on my SPG Biz. I have until June 14th. And I removed the cash advance option from the card as a precaution, then set it up on Plastiq and scheduled next month's rent payment. Unfortunately I'll only be able to get in 2 rent payments towards the MSR, unless I pay July's early. We'll see when it gets closer to the deadline if I need to do that or not.

Now that I have an MSR that will keep me busy for the next 3 months, I want to focus on deciding my next move and a strategy for go forward. I think focusing on URs and SPG/Marriott points is a good short-term strategy for us since we already have cards/points in those programs and have gotten good value from our URs so far.

DW is 4/24 and won't have a card drop off until Nov 2019 so I need to be strategic about her next card(s). I am thinking CIP will be next for her, so I can refer her before my AF comes due in Sept since I plan to cancel at that point. Then she'll still be 4/24 to go for the Marriott personal (if it still exists by later this year). After that, an SPG card for her probably depending on what the options are.

I'm 2/24 so I have more options. I will apply for the Marriott personal the same month as DW so our anniversary nights will line up. I don't know if we'll end up keeping the cards past the first year, but at least we can get 2 free nights (plus 156K points) out of it for no AF. Besides that, the only other Chase card I want that is subject to 5/24 is the CIC. I'd rather get it as a new application (as opposed to PCing the CIP) so I can get the bonus. Should I apply for the CIC before or after I cancel the CIP?

I also got DW to commit to some travel plans for next year so I can seriously get to work on the points strategy. For February break, we want to do either a beach resort (Caribbean or Mexico) or a cruise out of FL. Somewhere warm! I know I'm probably a bit late in booking the best beach resorts on points since it's less than a year out, but if anyone has recommendations I'd love to hear them. My only requirement is that it be family-friendly, preferably with a kids club of some sort. My "back up plan" is a 4- or 5-night cruise out of FL. We've never cruised before so figure a shorter one would be good to try it out.

For next summer, I'm pretty sure we're going to go for London. Our youngest will be 6, and is becoming a better traveler with every trip, so we think by then she'll be ready. I've actually got that one somewhat figured out already as we've been considering it for a while. UR points for the flight - we already have over 220K so more than enough for economy tickets based on prices I've seen for this summer - and hotels can be covered with a combo of IHG free nights/points and Marriott/SPG points. Depending on where exactly we go, I'm toying with the idea of doing a couple nights each in Bath & Brighton in addition to 4 or 5 in London.

Anyway, this is a novel at this point. Any feedback on my plans (CC or travel) is appreciated.

Ava, I’m sorry your dw was denied for the match on the IHG card, but in a weird way it makes me feel better. Until now I was the only person I know who was denied. Let us know how your appeal works out. Mine was denied. I may try a third time, though I think my account may be coded as a “no go”

 

[Lain]

Thank you so much for all the help!

IT WORKED!!! Double dip at 4/24!

I called recon and asked her what I could provide to help move along the approval for the CSR since we have some travel expenses coming up that we'd like to use it for. Answered some questions, mostly repeats from the application. Then she had to move around some credit (forgot I had a ridiculous $28K limit on my Chase Hyatt, so moved $10K from that), then we were set. No mention of the CSP application at all, whew. And I'll be able to pay off our Disneyland Paris reservation with it, which should also allow me to use the $300 travel credit. Yay!

Now, to spend $8K in the next three months...that's a tall order!!

Congratulations on a successful double dip!

What is that... 60k for the CSP, 50k for the CSP, 10k from the support link, and 5k UR if you add a l.o. as an AU to the CSP? 125k UR! Am I missing anything?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Congratulations on a successful double dip!

What is that... 60k for the CSP, 50k for the CSP, 10k from the support link, and 5k UR if you add a l.o. as an AU to the CSP? 125k UR! Am I missing anything?

At least 8k from the MSR too so that's basically a minimum of $2,000 worth of URs!

 

[babyready]

Congratulations on DH's new card and what looks like a "support" bonus!

I highly doubt those 20k UR are from your husband's application. Chase "support" points tend to post on Tuesdays a week or two (up to three) after approval. You'll probably see the "support" points from DH's approval next Tuesday or next, next Tuesday. That probably means someone else used your link!

That is kind of what I was thinking. That would be amazing!!

 

[wisconsinmom]

Ugh, I feel like I've totally messed up with Chase. I had DH apply for the CIP because he's only at 1/24.

First, he got the call me XXX-XXX-XXXX message and 30 day email.

Then when I called the automated it first said 2 weeks but then about 36 hours later switched to 7-10 days.

When it switched to 7-10 days DH called the recon line. He said they said he needed to fax in his social security card and proof of business name and address.

When he asked if that could just be his name and address since he sells on eBay they said they need mail, bank statements, tax documents.

I'm frustrated, I guess we shouldn't have called!

What next? Just leave it?

I had him apply because I have $2700 on a medical bill to pay so I thought it would be an easy way to hit the minimum spend quickly.

Should he apply for a personal card? Will that be denied because it is too close to the business app?

Ugh. I'd really like to use this big charge to earn a bonus!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Where do bars stay open until 4:30am? Not here.

Lots in Chicago

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Cousin is getting married in Phoenix in November. The hotel block is at Embassy Suites. We have 0 points with Hilton. I am thinking I might use points to stay at the Holiday Inn Express a few miles away for 50k points. Other option is to pay for ES with UR points. It was around $300 for two nights for a refundable room. Another option is transferring our 28k MR to Hilton, but we would be short about 14k points. Not sure how much it would cost to buy those or what a cash/points reservation might look like. It won't show me those on the website for some reason (maybe because I have 0 points?).

There is a shuttle from the airport to the ES and they are providing transportation to the wedding venue which is about an hour away (no hotels close by) from the hotel, but I am thinking with a 13 month old, maybe it is better to drive there ourselves if we need to leave earlier than when the transportation is set to go back. So might look into rental cars.

The cheapest flights from DTW are showing up at $400 via American. We only have Delta points, but they want an insane number per ticket and we need 3 of them. I was planning to use Delta points for our WDW trip in March 2019. Not sure I would have enough for both. Southwest doesn't go that far into November, but might be a better option to wait and see.

Not really planning to get any new cards to make this trip happen, since we just got 3 new cards between DH and I. Appreciate any thoughts you all might have. Thanks.

 

[Lain]

Ugh, I feel like I've totally messed up with Chase. I had DH apply for the CIP because he's only at 1/24.

First, he got the call me XXX-XXX-XXXX message and 30 day email.

Then when I called the automated it first said 2 weeks but then about 36 hours later switched to 7-10 days.

When it switched to 7-10 days DH called the recon line. He said they said he needed to fax in his social security card and proof of business name and address.

When he asked if that could just be his name and address since he sells on eBay they said they need mail, bank statements, tax documents.

I'm frustrated, I guess we shouldn't have called!

What next? Just leave it?

I had him apply because I have $2700 on a medical bill to pay so I thought it would be an easy way to hit the minimum spend quickly.

Should he apply for a personal card? Will that be denied because it is too close to the business app?

Ugh. I'd really like to use this big charge to earn a bonus!

Did DH apply as a sole proprietor using his First and Last names only?

If he did, proof of ID should be all he needs. You could hang up, call again, to see if you can get a new rep, and see how you might satisfy verification.

You could also decide to withdraw the CIP. Personal applications are 2/30, meaning you can be approved if you’ve had less than 2 Chase applications in the past 30 days.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Ugh, I feel like I've totally messed up with Chase. I had DH apply for the CIP because he's only at 1/24.

First, he got the call me XXX-XXX-XXXX message and 30 day email.

Then when I called the automated it first said 2 weeks but then about 36 hours later switched to 7-10 days.

When it switched to 7-10 days DH called the recon line. He said they said he needed to fax in his social security card and proof of business name and address.

When he asked if that could just be his name and address since he sells on eBay they said they need mail, bank statements, tax documents.

I'm frustrated, I guess we shouldn't have called!

What next? Just leave it?

I had him apply because I have $2700 on a medical bill to pay so I thought it would be an easy way to hit the minimum spend quickly.

Should he apply for a personal card? Will that be denied because it is too close to the business app?

Ugh. I'd really like to use this big charge to earn a bonus!

Can you send any kind of statement from eBay that has name and address and maybe some earnings? Might be good enough and certainly wouldn’t make it worse.