Credit Card Thread - Now with a Beginner's Guide to free travel/FAQ

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by blind dog, Apr 10, 2015.

  1. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
    Donor
    Penn State Nittany LionsGreen Bay PackersChelseaHartford WhalersPhoenix Rising

    Surprised they didn't offer you any sort of retention. I call to threaten to cancel every year and they just waive the AF.
     
  2. Oshie

    Oshie single dad no kids
    South Carolina GamecocksWashington Capitals

    I was too but barely touch my Barclaycards any more (had the Sallie Mae cashback as my daily user before they discontinued it). From what I've read they do pay attention to consistent vs dormant cardholders.
     
  3. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    a
     
    #6203 ohhaithur, Jul 13, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2020
  4. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    Yeah I'm hard pressed to get rid of my Delta Amex for this reason.

    It's 400 a year but at least I get a free flight
     
  5. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    There's also a new free Citi AA card that could be a downgrade option
     
  6. pratyk

    pratyk Arsenal FC, Rutgers Scarlet Knights
    Rutgers Scarlet KnightsArsenal

    So i took a retention offer of 25000 MR for 3k spend (5k instantly - 20k after spending 3k in 3 mos). Messed up with timing of the fee & would've received a prorated refund of 470 odd instead of the full 550. With Airline credit, Uber & Saks, I guess it should be OK with 1 year.
     
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  7. CUgator

    CUgator Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Colorado BuffaloesFlorida GatorsTampa Bay Lightning

    My wife is a retard, as many of you know from the other thread. Get the Marriott 100k points card, and she freaks out that it’s a terrible deal because you pay $95 for it in the first year (really just want the bonus). Instead she wants the chase sapphire with 50k points and no first year fee. Justification: her twin sister has it and likes it.
     
  8. Jimmy the Saint

    Jimmy the Saint The future is a benevolent black hole
    Donor
    Penn State Nittany LionsGreen Bay PackersChelseaHartford WhalersPhoenix Rising

    Correct answer would seem to be get both.
     
  9. CUgator

    CUgator Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Colorado BuffaloesFlorida GatorsTampa Bay Lightning

    She’s one of these people that thinks credit cards are the devil. Didn’t have a credit card until she was 27.
     
  10. tjosu

    tjosu This is kind of like the breakfast club, huh?
    Donor
    Oklahoma State CowboysHouston AstrosHouston TexansTiger Woods

    She's not a retard by any means
     
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  11. wolfpck

    wolfpck haters gonna hate
    Donor
    North Carolina State Wolfpack

    Looking at getting a new card. Currently only use CSR for essentially every purchase I make. Probably gonna get the Chase Ink Business Preferred to get that 80k points. Anything else I should be looking into? I'm a 26, single male, so majority of my spending is regular bullshit like groceries, dinners, travel. My company pays for my gas, so I don't spend anything there. Spend shouldn't really be an issue as I can pay my rent for my roommate and myself on it ($1,900) which would put a good dent into it (unless this is a bad idea for some reason I don't realize).
     
  12. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Ink is a good choice for sure

    Categories don't matter at this point for you if you're under 5/24. One bonus is more than you'll make in years in category spend
     
    wolfpck likes this.
  13. The_Baumer

    The_Baumer Go Mordecai!
    Donor

    tjsblue likes this.
  14. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

  15. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    no
     
  16. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    So it's labeled business, but that doesn't mean shit? No tax ID or anything
     
  17. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    your ssn is your ein
     
  18. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    Chase UR cards >>>
     
  19. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    its super easy, we were selling a bunch of stuff when we moved so i considered that my income, ssn as tax id, made business name just my name, etc

    SHAMELESS REFERRAL

    https://www.referyourchasecard.com/21/2GSD3N289G
     
    Where Eagles Dare likes this.
  20. The_Baumer

    The_Baumer Go Mordecai!
    Donor

    T
    no. Make it a sole proprietorship. You’ll also will have an opportunity on the application to add your personal income.
     
  21. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
    Donor
    Auburn TigersAtlanta BravesWashington Football TeamAtlanta United

    So I guess an 80k chase ink is probably the best chase reward if I have a CSR
     
  22. The_Baumer

    The_Baumer Go Mordecai!
    Donor

    For sure
     
  23. You

    You Gold Jacket, green jacket, who gives a shit. Ogre.
    Donor

    What factors play the most important in deciding which kind of credit card to get? I’ve never had one before and feel I should get one to start building credit.
     
  24. Lyrtch

    Lyrtch My second favorite meat is hamburger
    Staff Donor

    what do you spend money on

    do you travel/want to

    do you have no credit history at all?
     
    You likes this.
  25. You

    You Gold Jacket, green jacket, who gives a shit. Ogre.
    Donor

    I spend money on random tidbits. I pay for gas, rent, telephone, insurances, and I’ll be spending more money for groceries soon enough. Also will be driving 600 miles roundtrip 2-3 times a month soon, so gas will be a good portion of my expenditures.

    My girlfriend is coming to the U.S. for her MBA, so maybe I can put her trips to Panama on my card to gain more advantages. In the near future, though, I don’t intend to travel a whole lot, not until I get married in a couple years.

    I’ve never had a credit card, so I would assume that I have no credit history, but I really have never tried to look anything up. I saw my parents get a bit in debt when I was younger, so I figured I would wait to get one until I was sure I was responsible enough with my money and habits.
     
  26. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    no loans?
     
    You likes this.
  27. You

    You Gold Jacket, green jacket, who gives a shit. Ogre.
    Donor

    No sir. I saved while I went to junior college to pay my way through university. I’d had some help from my family for certain things, but fortunately I didn’t have to borrow too much. All paid up, now, same with my car.
     
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  28. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    how aggressive do you think you'll be in the credit card game here? Do you just want one card or are you going to be a degenerate or somewhere inbetween?
     
    You likes this.
  29. tjsblue

    tjsblue I was right at the time
    Donor

    Your girlfriend should get the Chase Shapphire Reserve for the global entry and buying her flights/ the travel insurance/ travel points. And for the signup.

    You should get it for reasons too.
     
    You likes this.
  30. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    He's not getting the CSR with no credit history at all
     
  31. You

    You Gold Jacket, green jacket, who gives a shit. Ogre.
    Donor

    My girlfriend wouldn’t qualify as she doesn’t have a social security number (at least, I believe that to be a requirement).
    I don’t think I will be super aggressive with it, I’ll just try to shift my monthly payments to it as well as groceries, gas, and meals.
     
  32. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Yeah, your GF won't get it and you won't get a CSR yet.

    I would say that if you're only going to get one card and be a 1 out of 10 agressive: Get the Citi DoubleCash and just have that be the end of it. You won't get points but you'll get 2% back on everything and that sounds valuable to you. There are no referrals or bonuses for this card.

    If you want to be a little aggressive (like a 2-3 out of 10 aggressiveness) - get the Citi AA platinum. It's $99 a year with the first year waved. Get the bonus and after exactly one year, just after the $99 fee hits, call Citi and have it switch to the free Doublecash and get that 2% I mentioned above. No referrals, but you could get five one-way flights to Panama out of the bonus. So that's nice. Only problem is you might get rejected for it with your lack of credit history

    I think a better option if you ever plan to dabble in big savings in the future (you don't need to be super aggressive, just if you want to get a few cards a year to get a bunch of free trips) is the Chase Freedom: only $150 bonus to start but no annual fee and most people itt would suggest getting in with Chase to build your credit for future big savings (most all of us travel for free). Editor's note, I do have a referral you're not obligated to use but if you get the card it doesn't hurt you, it just helps me

    https://www.referyourchasecard.com/2/GGZ4P9B3TQ
     
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  33. You

    You Gold Jacket, green jacket, who gives a shit. Ogre.
    Donor

    Awesome, thanks man. Much appreciated. I’ll look into these options and I’ll use your referral should I go with Chase.
     
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  34. Baseballman86

    Baseballman86 Well-Known Member
    Alabama Crimson TideAtlanta BravesAtlanta Falcons

    Not sure if you’d wuakify with no credit history, but Discover It Cashback Match is a good, simple starter option as well. Basically becomes 2% on everything and 10% on bonus categories the first year
     
    -Gus- likes this.
  35. Zebbie

    Zebbie Hey Mike, guess what I have in my underwear?
    Donor
    Texas Tech Red RaidersTexas RangersChicago CubsDallas StarsTexas Tech Red Raiders alt

    ohhaithur I’ve seen you say that your dog has an AAdvantage account, is that so you can get the targeted CC offers in the mail & then get another Citi AAdvantage card from the code in the targeted offer?
     
  36. comrade static

    comrade static i love french fries
    Donor
    Oklahoma City ThunderPhiladelphia EaglesOklahoma SoonersBarAndGrillBig 8 Conference

    Speaking of this, it seems like it has been a month or longer since I signed up my dog and also my friend Johnny Sevens and have yet to get a mailer to the house. How long does it typically take?
     
  37. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Fish and yes
     
  38. Zebbie

    Zebbie Hey Mike, guess what I have in my underwear?
    Donor
    Texas Tech Red RaidersTexas RangersChicago CubsDallas StarsTexas Tech Red Raiders alt

    Interesting....so they don’t ding you for having another of that same card within the last 2 years & you still get the bonus from it?
     
  39. Arkadin

    Arkadin inefficiently efficent and unclearly clear
    Donor

    Correct
     
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  40. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    I'm just following the rules
     
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  41. Zebbie

    Zebbie Hey Mike, guess what I have in my underwear?
    Donor
    Texas Tech Red RaidersTexas RangersChicago CubsDallas StarsTexas Tech Red Raiders alt

    I’ll be damned - so if I’m eligible to apply for another one because I converted the last one I had to a Citi Double Cash in July 2016, should I go ahead & apply without an offer code & then apply again with an offer code me or either one if my dogs gets in the mail?
     
  42. ohhaithur

    ohhaithur e-Batman
    Donor

    Yup
     
  43. comrade static

    comrade static i love french fries
    Donor
    Oklahoma City ThunderPhiladelphia EaglesOklahoma SoonersBarAndGrillBig 8 Conference

    Anyone have a referral for the chase business unlimited cc?
     
  44. The_Baumer

    The_Baumer Go Mordecai!
    Donor

    Unfortunately, I don’t think referrals are available. I just checked my account.
     
  45. Oranjello

    Oranjello Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Green Bay PackersNew Orleans SaintsGrateful DeadMississippi Rebels

    Going to be planning a honeymoon soon so I figured I might as well get back into the CC/points game to at least get a free flight. As it currently stands, honeymoon location hasn't been discussed (and therefore it's hard to pick a specific airline), but I'm thinking either Mediterranean, Caribbean, or French Polynesia (in that order). Preferably I'd like to get two tickets in either business or first class, but I realize that may be a stretch without already having miles accrued with a particular airline. Nevertheless, what is currently the best general sign up bonus for accruing points/miles towards flights?

    Given the uncertainty around the destination, my initial thoughts were to go with SPG Amex, but due to the upcoming devaluation I'm not sure that's accurate anymore, or if they will continue the 5k bonus points on each 20k point transfer to airlines. For what it's worth, I anticipate having around 60k UR points around the time of booking that I'd be willing to spend on this.

    TIA
     
  46. The_Baumer

    The_Baumer Go Mordecai!
    Donor

    What Chase cards do you currently have? 5/24 status?
     
  47. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersTennessee VolunteersBarcelonaUnited States Men's National Soccer TeamLiverpool

    If you change your mind from that one and decide to do the Chase Business Ink Preferred then a number of people in here (myself included) have referrals.
     
  48. Oranjello

    Oranjello Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Green Bay PackersNew Orleans SaintsGrateful DeadMississippi Rebels

    CSP and a Freedom, which was downgraded from a CSR. Not sure how that counts against 5/24.

    I obtained the CSR in January 2017, so at least 1 hit against 5/24 and potentially 2 (if the Freedom counts against it).
     
  49. CoastalOrange

    CoastalOrange Well-Known Member
    Donor
    Clemson TigersTennessee VolunteersBarcelonaUnited States Men's National Soccer TeamLiverpool

    Chase apparently realized I had just started in the card churning game and reduced my available credit on the CSR and CSP from around $18k and $16k to $5k for each card. Not sure how to take this. Someone tell me how I should feel.
     
  50. BrickTamland

    BrickTamland You're not Ron...
    Donor
    Florida State Seminoles

    Fiancée is transferring her UR points to me...

    275,000 UR points :taxes:
     
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