I love credit cards so much!

[DisneyMandC]

I'm trying to decide, do I poke the AMEX bear and ask why my tax payment didn't earn starpoints? It was in the missing points period (4/1), and the statement had closed already. It still doesn't show points in the beta version.

Next weekend is Vegas... found out the friend we were going to support in his race there isn't going now, because he's $500 short... not sure if that's for trip expenses, car expenses, or what, but what I do know is we're now just doing our own thing all weekend. So we could move our flight time up. Prices have gone up since we booked, so I figured if we were going to spend more we might as well use the GCs I had and earn double points from the promo. Now I just need to call and see if I can get my name changed on the return ticket... My original is in my maiden name, then I rebooked with my married name but the price had doubled. Fingers crossed I can change it, but at the end of the day it's still points so no OOP cost.

People have had luck getting the CIP expedited, right? Even though our car plans have changed a bit, I might get DH to apply this weekend, as long as Ford will take Plastiq payments. And maybe then we could have it before we leave Friday afternoon. I'm hoping he won't have trouble with it since he's 3/24 (2 in Aug 2016, 1 in Aug 2017, plus SPG biz).

I got DH’s CIP expedited no problem when I called in for him and gave them his name. I think I requested it on a Sunday afternoon and had it Tuesday.

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Oh god- there truly is no light at the end of this tunnel is there?..

Nope. If you are having website issues, I predict they continue.

 

[Lain]

People have had luck getting the CIP expedited, right? Even though our car plans have changed a bit, I might get DH to apply this weekend, as long as Ford will take Plastiq payments. And maybe then we could have it before we leave Friday afternoon. I'm hoping he won't have trouble with it since he's 3/24 (2 in Aug 2016, 1 in Aug 2017, plus SPG biz).

Yes, Chase will expedite the CIP to you if you call to request it expedited. Call 1-800-945-2028, which is the customer service line for the CIP, after DH is approved. Keep in mind the application can stay pending for a few days when factoring in your schedule. And yes, auto payments on the CIP should be fine on Plastiq. Good luck!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Honestly, on paper I’m at risk for a shutdown because of number of cards (avoiding Chase for now )
But IRL, I have a husband, a kid, a mortgage, same job for over 10years, live 4 blocks from my childhood home, where my mom still lives. I’m not going anywhere (even if I wanted to. lol) I doubt they take the real picture into account.

I don't just "doubt" that they take the real picture into account...they are legally not allowed to. They absolutely do take into account whether you have a mortgage or not though.

"On paper" as you say is truly the only thing that exists. When it comes to a lender's credit approval they cannot use marital status, where you live, or your gender as a basis for denial. If they happen to find out that information they also can't offer less favorable (or more favorable) terms because of it. They purely receive the info on your credit report to make this decision - since a credit report can tell them that you have a mortgage, that is taken into account and if you have one it is assumed that you own real property. Unfortunately (in this particular instance), if you've paid your mortgage off, as it relates to bust-out risk you may look riskier as they have no way of determine whether you own real property.

Alas, if they did they wouldn't be shutting down their Chase Private Clients.

Credit Card lending (unlike many other bank loans) does not include a lender's right to offset (meaning they can't take money from your accounts to payoff CC debts). In theory, a bust-out fraudster could become Chase Private Client, then get approved for numerous cards, then withdrawal all their CPC funds, then max out their CCs and then vanish. Combine that with the fact that I'm sure Chase wants to be very careful to not discriminate, I'd guess that's why they pay no mind to whether somebody is CPC or not as it relates to bust-out and shutdowns.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

I admire your plan to get to -5/24 to get the Chase cards. So far this year I have gotten the Discover card (we typically max out the Freedom 5x categories, so this seemed like a good keeper card) and the AmEx MB Platinum (because I am a sucker for the disappearing cards). I need to try to stay focused on business cards to possibly get below 5/24. I'll have two AmEx credit card slots opening this summer when I cancel the Hilton and SPG, so that should keep me busy for the rest of the year.

2 player mode made the "get under 5/24 effort" far easier. In the 21 months my wife sat idle (or hit biz cards) I got 24 cards myself, LOL! It just so happens a lot of my recent cards were biz cards so I only need to wait 11 months now to get under 5/24 myself. This will work well since my wife can get cards for the next year

 

[wendow]

I’ve just got a moment, and I haven't caught up with the afternoon's chatter, so I won’t be able to thoroughly dissect your post. But I was thinking along the same lines last night.

I think the big thing is there’s no cap on how much spending can earn 3x UR on the CFU in that first year, at least that I'm aware of.

The three Chase cards that are the big UR earners for us are the CIP (3x on Plastiq and eGift cards), CSR (3x on dining and travel), and the CF (5x categories, but capped at $1,500/quarter). Even without a standard 15,000 UR signup bonus, the 3x CFU replaces the CIP and CSR for all their spend for the next year, which I’d say easily amounts to over $10,000/year.

• In terms of the CFU replacing the CSR, I see one potential benefit: (1) downgrade the CSR to a CF/CFU if you won't be making any 1.5x redemptions in the next year or you have another CSR in your household, get a prorated AF back, and put travel and dining spend on the new CFU 3x for a year, then PC one of your Chase cards back up to CSR after a year.
• In terms of the CFU 3x replacing the CIP, I see two potential positives: (1) Plastiq and the gift card apps could stop earning 3x on the CIP at any time, but you’re guaranteed everything codes 3x on the CFU 3x for at least a year; and (2) I know a lot of people have considered cancelling the CIP after a year to avoid the $95 AF, so the CFU 3x gives them a card that will continue to earn solid 3x base on whatever they were charging to the CIP for at least a year.
• Relatedly, because the CFU 3x is such an earning machine, it makes for an obvious card to put (almost)* all your spend on for a year, which could cool down the desire to sign up for more cards in the next 12 months and could help bring down your x/24 count.
• There are a few instances where spend would go on other cards, like those for which you're trying to meet MSR, CF 5x categories up to $1,500/account, and maybe the Amex BCP at grocery stores.

Thanks, Lain. One of the first things I did was look for a limit and I'm still surprised there is not one, at least not one I saw

I did consider could I get rid of our CSR for one year but we only have one and unless I want to not redeem any points through UR site, we will have to hold it. However, we do have two CIP's that I would have not much use for so I could cancel both of those when AF's come due.

And yes, thought the same. COuld use this UR 'earning machine' (like your term!) to take a break from churning to bring down my */24 BUT could be earning a massive amount of UR's, which are my preferred 'currency' anyways. I'm thinking it'd be worth hitting the bank funding as much as I could also. Normally, I only look to bank funding to help with MSR's and the cards I seem to need help with are Amex which are difficult for bank funding.

 

[Lvsdisney]

Any Hilton fans have the Hilton Amex Ascend? I'm debating about applying. Pretty much I'd get 100k points for the minimum spends. I searched Hilton's site and found that I would get about 2-3 nights for 100 k.... not sure if it's worth it? Would I get better mileage out of the Chase Sapphire through the UR portal? I don't have a card with UR so I can't (at least I don't think I can) see how many points it would take for the equivalent stays...

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Any Hilton fans have the Hilton Amex Ascend? I'm debating about applying. Pretty much I'd get 100k points for the minimum spends. I searched Hilton's site and found that I would get about 2-3 nights for 100 k.... not sure if it's worth it? Would I get better mileage out of the Chase Sapphire through the UR portal? I don't have a card with UR so I can't (at least I don't think I can) see how many points it would take for the equivalent stays...

What's your 5/24 status?

 

[Lvsdisney]

What's your 5/24 status?

Right now 2/24 (Disney and SW) but Disney will fall off in Sept

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Any Hilton fans have the Hilton Amex Ascend? I'm debating about applying. Pretty much I'd get 100k points for the minimum spends. I searched Hilton's site and found that I would get about 2-3 nights for 100 k.... not sure if it's worth it? Would I get better mileage out of the Chase Sapphire through the UR portal? I don't have a card with UR so I can't (at least I don't think I can) see how many points it would take for the equivalent stays...

Right now 2/24 (Disney and SW) but Disney will fall off in Sept

First off - welcome to the thread (if you're new) and welcome to DISchurners too

I REALLY would recommend you consider the Ultimate Rewards (UR) cards from Chase. Do you have a business or a side hustle that could qualify as a "business"? The Chase Ink Preferred Card (CIP) is a great place to start! Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) and Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) cards are also excellent! The reason I started by asking your 5/24 status is that obviously Chase will only give you certain cards if you have gotten less than 5 cards in the past 24 months. The AMEX Hilton cards are not necessarily bad cards...but I'd wait on those until AFTER you've hit Chase hard and heavy first

I've found Hilton points to be worth $0.005 - $0.007 each so that 100,000 might only be worth $600 (or as you said 2-3 nights). By Comparison - the CIP signup bonus would be worth $1,200 or more (and could be good for 5-6 nights!). Plus URs are much more versatile - you can use them at Hiltons AND a lot of other places too! With just a CIP your points are worth 1.25 cents each towards travel. Partnered with a CSR card your points are worth 1.50 cents each towards travel. Hopefully this is helpful - ask some questions and start to devise a strategy - we're happy to help Also, when you do decide to apply please consider using a DISchurners link. Make sure you tell us what you're applying for though so we make sure the DISchurner link is the best offer

 

[afan]

Officially unemployed! Left on good terms with my boss with both of us offering to be a reference. Moat everyone I told I was leaving said good for you even when I told them I had nothing lined up. It's a sad show of where we work when people are happy for you leaving a job without another lined up. It did further prove to myself that it's the right decision and I feel so much better knowing I don't have to go there Monday.

Now to get signed up with the temp agencies, find a job and finally figure out how to start the blog I've been wanting to do for almost 10 years.

I'll meet the first part of my amex msr this weekend and have until Sept to get the additional 1k for the extra 10k miles. Easy peasy.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Officially unemployed! Left on good terms with my boss with both of us offering to be a reference. Moat everyone I told I was leaving said good for you even when I told them I had nothing lined up. It's a sad show of where we work when people are happy for you leaving a job without another lined up. It did further prove to myself that it's the right decision and I feel so much better knowing I don't have to go there Monday.

Now to get signed up with the temp agencies, find a job and finally figure out how to start the blog I've been wanting to do for almost 10 years.

I'll meet the first part of my amex msr this weekend and have until Sept to get the additional 1k for the extra 10k miles. Easy peasy.

What's your blog going to be about?

 

[miztressuz]

...

Where are you finding how many points you got per purchase. I don't see anything like that. They could short me and I'd never know.
...

My brain kept skipping over the button too. I was this close >< to asking on here when I spotted it.
Head to the Statements section, under the Chart on the far right there's a button for "Preview New Version". Go to preview and then when you select a transaction it opens a new page with further detail including the points earned in a purple outlined box. (Personally I'm not a fan of how that works, but I like being able to see it. Just wish they'd expand like Chase does)

I'm trying to decide, do I poke the AMEX bear and ask why my tax payment didn't earn starpoints? It was in the missing points period (4/1), and the statement had closed already. It still doesn't show points in the beta version.
...

So I fully admit I don't recall everything in the AmEx agreement but is there an exclusion for government payments? For weeks AmEx advertised, as their partner, the pay1040 site on my login page. Which for me I would think I'd be getting points for using my AmEx card with their partner. And if I didn't I'd be calling to find out why. I guess, is there anything sketchy on your card at the moment that you wouldn't want a rep to notice?

I'm not saying harder to "qualify". The people getting shut down are getting approved for the cards typically. This is back to the bust-out risk factors - if you look like a bust-out fraudster (i.e. signing up for lots of cards so that you can max them out and then vanish)...you probably don't have a mortgage tying you down.

This was the interesting point for me, is that Chase seems to approve and then checks your report. I always wondered why they would approve someone and then shut the whole thing down. But I was instantly approved for both CSR and CSP on Monday but my monitoring service says the one CR was pulled on Tue and the other on Wed. At first I thought maybe the monitoring service picked it up later but given how people are good for a couple days after approval I wonder if they really are blindly approving based on their soft info and then doing the HP as a confirmation.

 

[Lvsdisney]

First off - welcome to the thread (if you're new) and welcome to DISchurners too

I REALLY would recommend you consider the Ultimate Rewards (UR) cards from Chase. Do you have a business or a side hustle that could qualify as a "business"? The Chase Ink Preferred Card (CIP) is a great place to start! Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) and Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) cards are also excellent! The reason I started by asking your 5/24 status is that obviously Chase will only give you certain cards if you have gotten less than 5 cards in the past 24 months. The AMEX Hilton cards are not necessarily bad cards...but I'd wait on those until AFTER you've hit Chase hard and heavy first

I've found Hilton points to be worth $0.005 - $0.007 each so that 100,000 might only be worth $600 (or as you said 2-3 nights). By Comparison - the CIP signup bonus would be worth $1,200 or more (and could be good for 5-6 nights!). Plus URs are much more versatile - you can use them at Hiltons AND a lot of other places too! With just a CIP your points are worth 1.25 cents each towards travel. Partnered with a CSR card your points are worth 1.50 cents each towards travel. Hopefully this is helpful - ask some questions and start to devise a strategy - we're happy to help Also, when you do decide to apply please consider using a DISchurners link. Make sure you tell us what you're applying for though so we make sure the DISchurner link is the best offer

Thanks!!

I sadly have no business or side hustle to apply for the CIP. How much are the CSR points worth by themselves? I read on the TPG that the signup bonus is equivalent of $1155.... does that sound right?

ETA: It's so hard to judge the value of the points without having access to the UR portal.
ETA: Does Chase charge a fee to transfer points to partnering airlines/hotels?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

"On paper" as you say is truly the only thing that exists

So true. But length of time in one residence is also there. Showing people who move a lot vs stay in one place. IIRC apps ask for previous address if less than 3 years at current.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Thanks!!

I sadly have no business or side hustle to apply for the CIP. How much are the CSR points worth by themselves? I read on the TPG that the signup bonus is equivalent of $1155.... does that sound right?

ETA: It's so hard to judge the value of the points without having access to the UR portal.

Point value is very straight forward with ultimate rewards. You can cash out at $0.01 each OR see below:

Chase Ink Preferred (CIP)

• Best Online Offer = 80,000 Ultimate Rewards (URs) for $5k spend in 90 days (there is an in branch offer for 100k - it requires some additional work to apply in branch to with a BRM).
• Annual fee = $95 (not waived)
• Points are worth = 1.25 cents each through the travel portal OR transfer 1:1 to numerous partners
• Assuming you'd use the 1.25 travel option here's what you get:
• 80,000 bonus URs + 5,000 base URs (from min spend) = 85,000 URs worth $1,062.50 LESS $95 annual fee = $967.50
• Also of note - you could hold these points, get a CSR after and then you can redeem these points at 1.50 via the CSR making it worth $1,180

Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR)

• Best Offer = 50,000 Ultimate Rewards (URs) for $4k spend in 90 days
• Annual fee = $450 (not waived)
• Add'l perk = $300 travel credit that you can get 2 times in the first year
• Points are worth = 1.50 cents each through the travel portal OR transfer 1:1 to numerous partners
• Assuming you'd use the 1.50 travel option here's what you get:
• 50,000 bonus URs + 4,000 base URs (from min spend) = 54,000 URs worth $810.00 PLUS $600 in travel credits LESS $450 annual fee = $960.00
• (I'm NOT including the benefit of free TSA Precheck or Global Entry but you could attribute another $100 in value to that).

Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP)

• Best Offer = 50,000 Ultimate Rewards (URs) for $4k spend in 90 days
• Annual fee = $95 (waived year 1)
• Add'l bonus = add an authorized user (AU) and get 5,000 more URs (don't just add your spouse, let's talk about this one before you do it).
• Points are worth = 1.25 cents each through the travel portal OR transfer 1:1 to numerous partners
• Assuming you'd use the 1.25 travel option here's what you get:
• 50,000 bonus URs + 5,000 AU URs + 4,000 base URs (from min spend) = 59,000 URs worth $737.50 less NO annual fee = $737.50
• Also of note - If you apply for a CSR AND CSP at the SAME TIME you can earn both bonuses and then redeem these CSP points at 1.50 via the CSR making it worth $885

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Thanks!!

I sadly have no business or side hustle to apply for the CIP. How much are the CSR points worth by themselves? I read on the TPG that the signup bonus is equivalent of $1155.... does that sound right?

ETA: It's so hard to judge the value of the points without having access to the UR portal.
ETA: Does Chase charge a fee to transfer points to partnering airlines/hotels?

Chase does not charge a fee to transfer points.

Have you ever sold something on Ebay? You have a "business"

My wife makes cookies - had about $100 in "revenue" last year when people reimbursed her for costs to make them for parties... We have a "business"

There's a lot of ways to have a business - I'd REALLY reevaluate that position if you can That CIP offer is amazing.

 

[Lvsdisney]

Thank you @SouthFayetteFan for your wealth of knowledge! Real quick, why don't you suggest my spouse as my AU on the CSP?

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Thank you @SouthFayetteFan for your wealth of knowledge! Real quick, why don't you suggest my spouse as my AU on the CSP?

So (s)he can get her own and you can refer him/her (and get more points)

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Thank you @SouthFayetteFan for your wealth of knowledge! Real quick, why don't you suggest my spouse as my AU on the CSP?

Well - because I suggest your spouse join you in playing this game! LOL!

That's what we call 2 player mode. AND IT'S AWESOME!!! Basically you could get a card, then you can refer your spouse to that card later and earn the signup bonus AND the referral bonus If you get an AU card, that adds to the spouse's 5/24 status and makes it more difficult to work around with Chase.

The most common way to work around that is to order an AU card using your middle name or a nickname instead of a spouse.