Category Archives: Churning

How to Remove Inquiries From Your Credit Report

Posted on February 25, 2013 by | 42 Comments

[Disclaimer:  I am NOT a financial planner, nor am I a lawyer.  Nothing in this post should be considered as a recommendation, suggestion, or advice for YOUR specific situation.  You should NOT use information in this post to make or not make decisions relating to your credit.  Consult your lawyer, accountant, or financial planner before making decisions which impact your credit.]

Remove Credit Inquiry

If you are new to miles and points or don’t apply for many credit card, you can skip this post.

Many folks apply for credit cards to earn miles and points.  However, each time you apply for a credit card, the banks look at your credit report (sometimes from more than 1 credit bureau).  This is called a “hard inquiry” and stays on your credit report for 2 years.  There are 3 main credit bureaus in the US – Equifax, TransUnion & Experian. Continue reading →

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Posted in Churning

Emily’s December 2012 App-O-Rama – 8 Cards. 355,000 Miles & Points!

Posted on December 31, 2012 by | 111 Comments

[Emily and I get a referral for links to the Chase Ink Plus, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Barclays Frontier Airlines & Barclays Priceline cards, and Credit Sesame.  We do not get a commission for links to the Citi Hilton card & Barclays US Air card because they are better than my referral links and for the US Bank Club Carlson card in this post. We thank all readers who apply using our links!]

Emily and I set travel goals and we then collect miles and points to get to those goals. Our goals are quite simple. We want to have enough miles and points to travel within the US in coach to visit friends, to go to Michigan or Ohio to visit family and to have weekend getaways.

We also want to travel internationally 2 to 3 times a year – ideally in business or first class, but we’ll choose a flight in coach if it means less connections and more time on the ground (like we did when we visited Brazil during Carnival).

We also need hotel points since we have to stay somewhere. We don’t really care which airline we fly or hotel we stay in as long as we can save money while traveling. I’m partial to Hyatt because I’m a Hyatt diamond, but I won’t say no to free or cheap hotel stays.

Emily’s December Churn

Credit Card
Sign-On Bonus
Minimum Spending Requirement
Annual Fee
Chase Ink Plus50,000 Points$5,000 in 3 Months$95 Waived For 1st Year
Chase Sapphire Preferred40,000 Points$3,000 in 3 Months$95 Waived For 1st Year
Citi Hilton50,000 Points$1,500 in 6 MonthsNo Annual Fee
Citi Hilton50,000 Points$1,500 in 6 MonthsNo Annual Fee
Barclays Frontier Airlines35,000 Miles$750 in 3 Months$59 Not Waived For 1st Year
US Bank Club Carlson85,000 Points$2,500 in 3 Months$75 Not Waived For 1st Year
Barclays US Air40,000 MilesOne Purchase$89 Waived For 1st Year
Barclays Priceline5,000 PointsOne PurchaseNo Annual Fee
Total355,000 Miles & Points$14,250 in 6 Months$134 Not Waived For 1st Year

Emily applied for 8 credit cards and was approved for all of them except the US Bank Club Carlson card (still pending) after ~1 hour on the phone with the Chase and Citi reconsideration folks, so Santa was good to us!  In case you’re wondering, Emily has a ~6.5 year credit history and a credit score above 700.  This churn focused on international travel and hotel stays. Continue reading →

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Posted in Barclays, Business Credit Cards, Chase, Churning, Citibank, Frontier, Hilton HHonors, US Air

Daraius’ November 2012 App-O-Rama – 6 Cards. 205,000 Miles & Points + 4 Free Hilton Nights (~200,000 Points)

Posted on November 27, 2012 by | 75 Comments

 [Emily and I get a referral for links to the Citi Hilton Reserve, Chase Southwest cards, the Barclays Frontier Airlines card, & Credit Sesame but not for the Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines card in this post.  We're very grateful to all readers who apply using our links!]

Emily and I set travel goals and we then collect miles and points to get to those   goals.  Our goals are quite simple.  We want to have enough miles and points to travel within the US in coach to visit friends and family and to have weekend getaways.

We also want to travel internationally 2 to 3 times a year – ideally in business or first class, but we’ll choose a flight in coach if it means less connections and more time on the ground (like we did when we visited Brazil during Carnival).

We also need hotel points since we have to stay somewhere.  We don’t really care which airline we fly or hotel we stay in as long as we can save money while traveling.  I’m partial to Hyatt because I’m a Hyatt diamond, but I won’t say no to free or cheap hotel stays.

Credit Card
Sign-On Bonus
Minimum Spending Required
Annual Fee
Total205,000 Points + 4 Free Nights$10,750 in 4 Months$496 Not Waived For 1st Year
Chase Southwest Premier Business50,000 Bonus Points$2,000 in 3 Months$99 Not Waived For 1st Year
Chase Southwest Plus Personal 50,000 Bonus Points$2,000 in 3 Months$69 Not Waived For 1st Year
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 Months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 Months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Barclays Frontier Airlines35,000 Miles $750 in 3 Months$59 Not Waived For 1st Year
Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines35,000 Miles (Transferable to 70,000 Hilton Points)$1,000 in 4 Months$79 Not Waived For 1st Year

I applied for 6 credit cards the day before Thanksgiving and was approved for all of them after ~1 hour on the phone, so I had extra reason to be grateful on Thanksgiving.   In case you’re wondering, I have a ~12 year credit history and a credit score above 700.  This churn focused on domestic US travel and hotel stays. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Bank Of America, Chase, Churning, Citibank, Frontier, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest

The Best Credit Cards to Use With American Express Bluebird

Posted on October 25, 2012 by | 107 Comments

[Disclosure:  Emily & I get a referral for all the credit cards in this post except for the Delta Platinum (better offer than my referral link), Chase United Explorer, Chase United Club, Chase British Airways, Fidelity American Express, & Capital One Venture cards.]

There are many different debit and credit cards which you can use with American Express Bluebird, so let’s take a look at a few different options.  We’ll look at credit cards today and debit cards tomorrow.

After all, you don’t want to buy thousands of dollars worth of Vanilla Reload packs from CVS, Walgreen’s or other locations. with just a single credit card.

American Express Bluebird Credit Card

Which Cards to Use With American Express Bluebird?

Using different cards will help reduce the potential of attracting attention with Chase since you are spreading your purchases among different cards. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Airlines, American Express, Big Spenders, British Airways, Business Credit Cards, Chase, Churning, Citibank, Credit Cards, Debit Cards, Delta Skymiles, Hyatt, Mortgage, Pre-Paid Debit Cards, Southwest, Starwood (SPG), United Airlines

Emily’s September 2012 App-O-Rama – 5 Cards. 170,000 Miles & Points + 4 Free Hilton Nights

Posted on October 4, 2012 by | 50 Comments

 [Emily and I get a referral for links to the Citi Hilton Reserve, Chase Ink Bold, American Express Business Gold Rewards and Credit Sesame in this post.  We're very grateful to all readers who apply using our links!]

Credit Card
Sign-On Bonus
Minimum Spending Required
Annual Fee
Total170,000 Points + 4 Free Nights$21,000 (or $11,000 for 25,000 Fewer Points)$269 Not Waived; $270 Waived
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Citi Hilton Reserve2 Free Weekend Hilton Nights (~100,000 Hilton points)$2,500 in 4 months$95 Not Waived For 1st Year
Chase Ink BoldCurrently 50,000 points after spending $5,000 within 3 months. (Used to be 25,000 Ultimate Rewards Points after 1st purchase; 25,000 after Spending $10,000 Within 3 Months)0Currently $5,000 within 3 months. (Used to be none for 1st 25,000 points; $10,000 within 3 Months for extra 25,000 points)$95 Waived for 1st year
Bank of America Hawaiian Airlines35,000 Miles (Transferable to 70,000 Hilton Points)$1,000 in 4 months$79 Not waived for 1st year
American Express Business Gold Rewards 50,000 Membership Rewards Points$5,000 within 3 months$175 Waived For 1st Year

Emily applied for 5 credit cards in September.  So far, she’s been approved for 4 cards for 120,000 miles and points + 4 free Hilton nights.  In case you’re wondering, Emily has a 6.5 year credit history. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Bank Of America, Business Credit Cards, Chase, Churning, Credit Cards, Hawaiian Airlines, Hilton HHonors, Hyatt, Student, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic

When to Call The Credit Card Reconsideration Department?

Posted on October 1, 2012 by | 34 Comments

Don’t forget to follow me on  Facebook or Twitter!

If you apply for credit cards regularly, at some point your application will get denied.  This is most likely because of too many recent credit inquires on your credit report.

But Million Mile Secrets readers know that calling the bank’s reconsideration department and making your case will usually help get you approved!  For more information on how to convince the banks to approve you for a credit card and which telephone numbers to call, check out my earlier post on how to make your credit card reconciliation telephone call a success, which has 278 comments so far.

It almost always makes sense to call the credit card reconsideration department.  That’s because you’ve already got the credit inquiry recorded on your credit profile, so you might as well try to get approved for the credit card and get the sign-on bonus.

When to Call?

But readers often ask when is the best time to call the reconsideration line?  Is it as soon as you apply?  Or is it when you receive the denial letter via email or by US mail?  Perhaps it is best to call a few days after applying? Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Bank Of America, Barclays, Chase, Churning, Denial & Reconsideration, Uncategorized

Yes, You Can Get 2 Chase Ink Bold Cards For Separate Businesses

Posted on September 25, 2012 by | 28 Comments

[Disclosure:  Emily and I get a referral for links to the Chase Ink Bold in this post.  We have 3 Ink Bold cards at home and are grateful for your support!]

Link:  Chase Ink Bold Review

Link:  Why Most Folks Qualify for Business Cards

Update:  The 50,000 point sign-up bonus posted to Emily’s account after completing the minimum spending requirements.

Readers often ask if you can get 2 Chase Ink Bold (or other Chase business cards) for different businesses.  For example, Bob Smith may own two businesses and wonders if he can get separate Chase Ink Bold cards, each with a 50,000 Ultimate Rewards points sign-up bonus, for his two businesses.

I put the same question to the folks running the Ink link of credit cards at Chase when we met in June, and the answer was, yes, you can.

Personal Experience Continue reading →

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Posted in Business Credit Cards, Chase, Churning

Be Careful with Churning the Barclays US Air Card

Posted on August 24, 2012 by | 40 Comments

Don’t forget to enter my contest to win 50,000 Marriott hotel points!

Million Mile Secrets reader Ben posted his experience on trying to get the Barclays US Bank credit card for a second time.  A couple of other readers have emailed me with the same experience, so I thought I’d share it on the blog.  I realize that 3 reports does not a representative sample make!

I had written earlier that Emily was able to get a second US Air credit card, but that I wasn’t able to. Continue reading →

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Posted in Barclays, Churning, US Air

Reader Request: How to Get the Sign-Up Bonus for the AMEX SPG Card Again? [Expired]

Posted on August 19, 2012 by | 23 Comments

[Disclosure:  The links to the AMEX Starwood personal & business cards in this post give me a referral.  Emily and I are always grateful for your support, but you should try to get an extra 5,000 SPG points by using the refer-a-friend link instead!]

Link:  American Express Starwood Refer a Friend 5,000 Point Business & Personal Referral

Link:  American Express Starwood 30,000 Point Personal Credit Card

Link:  American Express Starwood 30,000 Point Business Credit Card

In yesterdays post, on why I’d still get the AMEX Starwood card even though it was overrated and not worth its annual fee to me, Shane wrote:

So are you saying this card can be churned yearly AND you’ll get the SPG points?
We canceled my wife’s back in July of 2011…
I can refer her, get 5,000 points and when she’s approved and meets the spend she’ll get another 30,000?

I’m salivating right now! I hope this is how I’m reading this…

History

Historically, American Express wouldn’t give you the sign-up bonus on a new credit card again.  But they would give you the difference if you applied for an offer with a better sign-up bonus. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Express, Churning, Credit Cards, Uncategorized

Credit Card Updates: Citi American Airlines 50,000 Mile Credit Card & 60,000 Point Thank You Premier

Posted on June 2, 2012 by | 76 Comments

 [I do NOT get a referral for any of the links in this post because my referral links are not the best offers for these cards.]

1.   Citi American Airlines 50,000 Mile Credit Card.   The number 1 Top Deal  credit card deal on the Hot Deals tab has always been getting 2 Citi American Airlines credit cards for 50,000 miles each or 100,000 miles in total (1 Visa and 1 AMEX) at the same time using the 2-browser trick.

It is only 12,500 miles for a 1-way trip in the US, 30,000 miles for a 1-way trip to Europe in coach or 50,000 miles in business class, so 2 Citi personal American Airlines cards is one of the easiest ways to have Big Travel with Small Money. Continue reading →

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Posted in American Airlines, Churning, Citibank