I love answering questions from my readers and want you to travel for less!
Please leave a comment below — or e-mail me at daraius@millionmilesecrets.com — with any requests, travel anecdotes, or topics which you’d like me to cover on the blog.
I’d be delighted to make your travel dreams a reality!
I have earned and redeemed millions of airline miles and hotel points to travel the world for free. Now I'm blogging to help more people do the same! 
Daraius,
A friend of mine with a small business would like a card that would help them get to Hawaii. Given the difficulty of getting to Hawaii on miles, is there a specific card that they should apply for or should I just tell them to get an Ink Bold/Plus and a Sapphire and combine the points?
I got a Citi AA card that offers a $150 statement credit with a AA purchase. I cant buy a AA gift card because I live in NJ and they dont ship to NJ. I dont have any plans to fly with them anytime soon. Do you have any idea how I can get the credit without a gift card or flying? If any other NJ residents had this problem please let me know if you have a solution. Thanks
@Greg – AMEX Membership Rewards has a 35% transfer bonus to British Airways, and Chase Ultimate Rewards also transfers to British Airways.
@Igor – It was us and you’ve got mail!
@Mieke – Did you use a Tax ID with one business and a social security number for the other? If so, you should be able to get bonuses. But if you used your social security number for both businesses, you may not get the 2nd bonus.
@Erik – Here’s a link to the reconsideration departments. The Marriott card is issued by Chase, and I wouldn’t call Barclays for at least a week. Good luck!
@Paul S. – That sounds like a good option, because you can use the points on United or at 1.25 cents towards cash back. They could even get the Citi American Airlines cards and use American Airlines miles for a 1-way and the United miles for the other 1-way.
@Willy – Go to the airport and pay for someone’s bag fees! Or use it to pay the taxes and fees on an American Airlines award.
really have hard time with Barclay reconsideration line. any suggestions? thanks.
D: Two questions… 1) Once you have used a Chase product (i.e. Personal Southwest card) is the norm being able to apply for it AGAIN 2 years after you close or from when you applied for it?
2) Have US Air miles to burn and wondered about the Round-The-World award ticket they offer…I’m based in Atlanta – if it was you what places would you visit to maximize the ticket? There isnt anything I really NEED to see, although Petra, Jordan intrigues me. Any thoughts provided by Daraius or anyone else on the blogs is appreciated.
Daraius, What is “business income” for application purposes? For example, owning rental real estate, say:
Rents 100,000
Property Tax 10,000
Expenses 10,000
Depreciation 10,000
Mortgage 10,000
I would be inclined to put $100,000 for purposes of a credit app because all that cash flows through the business, but would a credit analyst think that I really only have income of 70,000? 60,000? (depreciation not an out of pocket cost?).
@yen – Barclays is tough to deal with, so the best suggestion is to not try again after 4 to 6 months.
@Rodney21 - You can get the bonus on the different versions of the card in less than 2 years. As for US Air, I’d choose a destination you really want to visit as opposed to a destination just to maximize the ticket.
Hi Daraius, I have planned my family trip back to Hong Kong by end of the year, there are 4 adults and 2 babies. Yes, I have twins. By the time they are traveling, they will be 1 year and 3 months, we booked 2 cathay business award ticket and 2 Jal business award tickets. And, infant will be charged 10% of the business fare on Jal, BUT cathay is charging 25% of the fare. So, two babies are going to fly with my wife and me on Jal. That way, we save some money.
And my parents-in-law are flying cathay business.
My question is, Since japan yen is considered devalued at this period, I am wondering if there is anyway to charge the fees ( infant 10% fare ) in JAPAN YEN, by this way, we can actually save some because of the exchange rate.
After reading your blog, I applied 2 citi cards for my family members, that’s 8 citi cards total, finish the minimum spending. And booked the 4 business award seats ahead of time. Thank you for every effort you put in the blog.
I just started using bluebird last night, bought 4k visa gift card, and went to walmart, took less than 5 mins to finish the add-in fund. 1k each day.
D: Woud you say apply with Chase again two years from opening the card or from closing it? Very aware of the multiple products like Southwest, more curious for when the products have been exhausted and you want to go back to the well
Darius, thanks for all your help. I would like your advice on Chase. My husband had a bad experience with Chase 6 years ago. When he recently applied for a Chase Marriott Card, he was denied the card based on “past experience with Chase (not sure that it said “adverse”). Today he received a targeted email naming him to apply for a Chase United Mileage Plus card. My question is this, are targeted offers more likely to get approved since they invited you instead of cold applying for one? I don’t know how the denial of the Marriott card is affecting his credit score and would he be compounding the negativity if he applied and got denied again for a Chase United card? Should he just stay away from Chase in general Your thoughts, sir?
@Jerry – Thanks for reading! I really don’t know if you can pay in Japanese Yen or not, so sorry I can’t be of much help. If you are charged in Japanese Yen it will be best to NOT use the Citi cards because they charge a 3% foreign transaction fee.
@Rodney21_us – 2 years from closing.
@Sharon – Getting a targeted offer doesn’t mean that you are more likely to get approved for it. It just means that the marketing folks think you may like the offer. Being denied for a card doesn’t affect your credit score, but if the denial was recent, it could be best to stay away. If you really want to apply, you could apply and then call the Chase reconsideration line.
Getting the cards is the easy part. Knowing which cards to cancel, and whether the anniversary bonus makes them worth keeping is the hard part. The blogger who puts this in a chart will build in a frequently-checking-back audience. Can you help?
Also, it’s such a hassle to call in and cancel cards with them running in circles telling you all the reasons you should keep it. The less of those calls you have to make, the better. Too bad you can’t cancel over the internet.
@titfortat- who doesnt cancel cards over the internet ? not only can you cancel them you can even first move the credit line over and cancel them via seccure message. I have done this with chase alllllll the time
On UA award tickets, is there such a rule that the inbound and outbound cannot go around the world?
I was trying to book a UA award ticket round trip SFO to HKG. On the outbound (June 23, SFO->HKG), there’s no saver business class available from the Pacific Ocean side, but to my (pleasant) surprise there’re business seats available connecting at MUC (Atlantic Ocean side, thru Lufthasa). Then on the inbound (July 5, HKG->SFO), there’s no saver award available in any class. However, if I try to search one-way HKG->SFO, I do find savers business seats connecting thru PEK (Air China, Pacific Ocean side).
I then called UA and a rep told me that an award ticket cannot go around the world. If the outbound routes thru the Atlantic side, the inbound has to route thru that side as well. Is that true? Thx!
Hi, Daraius
My question is, I am interested in applying for 75000 amex business card( offer won’t last long) but Its a little tight to do the 5k in 3 months, because I was thinking to apply for my wife too. If we both got approved, its 10k in 3 months, OR for my parents-in-law right after, in this case, the minimum spending will shoot up to 20k in 3 months for 4 people. Do you see any problem if applying 4 gold amex business card, we all living in the same household. 4 of us apply 2 citi in jan, is there any issue of not approving?
And, do you see any issue or red flag if I purchase visa gift card online from giftcardmall or giftcards.com or even go to local cvs to purchase prepaid card or vanila reload by using amex business gold to meet the minimum spending, and liquidate through blue bird? I got my bluebird, and wife applied for bluebird last week, we are planning to apply bluebird for parents-in-law sooner or later.
Please, any advise will help,
Thanks.
Hi Daraius!
A quick thank you for all your help and advice. I just started about 6 months ago and things are great. I just got the AMEX 75K card via your link. My question is to help with the 5K spend requirement I have yet to tap into VR and GC. Living in NYC can I buy Visa gift cards to pay for money orders for my rent?
Thanks, James
Hi D,
Quick question – has there been any chatter about when AA and US will allow merging miles? We’re all collection US Air miles in the hope that it will happen eventually, but is there a tentative period (Q4 2013, maybe?)?
Thanks,
H
Daraius,
What is the easiest way to get Hyatt Diamond Status? The Diamond Challenge?
Thanks,
Dan
Hi D,
On July 2, 2013 I will do my next churn [91 days exactly, I am organized], I will go for the Citibank AA cards again [currently have the Visa with 1000 bonus any month spend 1000 for 16 months + plus $85 statement credit from when I called in to cancel]. I got my wife both a Visa and Amex in late Feb. by writing a letter after the second card was auto denied as multiple, but I am wondering if that will work again for me [I am a good letter writer...]. I am contemplating simultaneously applying for two of the same 50K and writing a letter, or simultaneousl applying for a MC Gold and AMEX Platinum 80k [or 90k?] or using two credit pulls for the 80k 0r [90k?]. Citi pulls from transunion for me and I have and/or will have 0-1 hard inquiries via B*. I would like to focus on Citi and Barclay cards, as both pull from transunion for me, I am thinking about the 50,000 Lufthanza, another US Air card [after cancelling a second card the month before in June] and the 40,000 Barclays miles [really points] card for starters. Also, I just got the 75,000 MR via your link [instant approval even!] – thank you for promptly posting how to get the 75K offer when the 50K offer appeared! [as that happened to me...]. Thanks again. See you next time FTU is in Southern CA [or my wife will let me get away somewhere...] I will try to apply for multiple Barclay’s cards if the first, second…are instantly approved [Wondering whether B* will permit auto approval with Barclays...] Sorry for ALL the info…thought other “followers” would also be interested in the above analysis…
@ Marriott Marty, what is B*?
Morning Daraius, if I transfer UR points to HHonors. do those points count toward elite status???? (As they do for SW?)
Thanks!
Hi Daraius – Me and my husband work from home and travel a lot in/out of US. We have decent number of point on various credit cards, which we either got by applying for CC or by charging the card of our usual purchases. Here is our dilemma, we are now getting confused about how to go about using these points, we haven’t really used many of them, especially not for international flights. For example we are planning for a trip to Paris/France in Aug/Sep and would like to know how to start using our points specifically for this trip and how much more points we need for flights/hotels etc. It’s a newbie question and would really appreciate some guidance and direction on it.
Thanks!
Hi Darius:
Thanks for an awesome website with TONS and TONS of useful info! I’ve dug a few hours into reading numerous older and newer posts and am ready to start! I’m starting off with a small goal and that’s to book a trip to Hawaii in the late summer/early fall with the wife and little one (1 year old, no so flight seat needed, right?). So far I’m considering the Hawaiian Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Cards for some Hilton Points to stay at the Hilton Hawaiian, but am unsure which card to use for my flights. We’ll be flying from SFO – what card/s best works for this flight? Finally, you mention not to apply for cards 2 years before applying for a big loan. Would you consider an auto loan a big loan (about $50K worth towards the end of the year)? If so, would I still be safe if I apply for a couple of cards? My wife and I have about 140K Chase Freedom Points (which I am SO glad I didn’t cash out last year!) and I could get a Sapphire Preferred to get the flights no problem. Thanks in advance!
Hi Daraius:
On the Hyatt credit card deal, is there an expiration on the certificates for the free room nights? In other words, is it one year from when they’re sent to you?
Thanks as always for all your help!
Jeremy
Hi Darius,
Just wanted to say thank you (again)! We got Companion Pass per your directions and are now traveling the US for free! In addition, we got the Hyatt card and the Chase Ink business card as well (coverting those points into Hyatt points). In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if the Hyatt points were a good deal since you can covert points into dollars (15,000 points = $150, which might not be worth it for some of the Hyatt hotels since I can book through Priceline for cheaper). However, I have discovered that you can spend 22,000 points to book a room at one of the Hyatt Resorts (worth $500-600 and even with a priceline deal it is still $400!!). Without this, I know I wouldn’t be able to afford such nice places for a couple more years I am so grateful to your commitment to sharing you knowledge with us and just wanted to say thank you again.
Best,
Jessica
Thanks for the great website and your through honest opinion.
I see most card is for business, I don’t have any business, how can I apply for those cards?
Hi, I have been trying to find any Avios flights from TVC to DTW or even (TVC to DEN) both flights I find on AA website but do not show up on BA site. I have read all the “how tos” but they seem a bit outdated as the screen shots don’t quite match up with what I see (like certian options and search features aren’t there. Example: Search Partner Flights).
Anyhow, I would appreciate it if you could check and see if there are any open flights and if you do find them what dates and the process you used to find them.
Would appreciate it very much!
Thanks,
Dan
Hi Dariaus,
I just got approve for 75ooo point after spending $5000 in 3 month for Amex gold business card, but after i read so many thread regard to financial review on flytalk, dandeals and fatwallet. It seem like 90% people who use this business will face the financial review at some stage along the line, which make me worry very much. Since i don’t have a legit business and I wouldn’t survive at all if they financial review me. So do you think it is best for me to not use this card? no worry i am not calling you on this or anything i just want an advice from an experience chum credit card offer like you. If i don’t active the card when it arrive do they automatic cancel my card after 3-4 month for not active? because i don’t want to take another hit to call in and cancel the card after apply for it couple day ago. I have a Chase southwest business card but it seem Chase is more easy to get the point than Amex, which make me very sad
i just hate to miss a very nice offer like this, but it will be even more hassle to fullfill the document when they financial review me. Once again thank for everything you done on this blog, hat down to you my friend 
Daraius-
You had 2 other bloggers join you a while back. They ran a fairly funny blog if I remember. Are they still working with you? Do they still do their own blog? What was it called?
Thanks
Paul
Daraius
My question, I know British Airways is tough to navigate . I can`t figure out how to do what I want
I am considering transferring a bunch of AMEX rewards to BA and maybe some Ultimate rewards to try for a trip fro DFW to SJD in July
I am finding direct flights on AA, but I can`t find them with reward availability on BA
AA 1257 DFW – SJD 7/14/13
AA 2074 SJD – DFW 7/20/13
this would be for 8 of us , a family trip with daughters, sons in law , grand kids
Whatcha think do you see a way to do it ??
Let me know if you need more info
The other choice is Spirit Airlines , I am not real pumped up about them
Hey Daraius,
Regarding the HHonors AMEX Surpass card, my annual fee is going to be due soon so I called to cancel the account. They said they didn’t have any promotions to renew and could not waive the annual fee. They also refused to downgrade me to the standard HHonors AMEX card though they did offer to switch my account to a different AMEX card. They said that they are not allowing any Surpass members the option to downgrade at this time.
Have you encountered this issue?
Thanks!
also do you know if I am at risk of forfeiting HHonors points if I cancel my AMEX Surpass card?
Hi Darius,
What are the chances of getting 40k bonus on Chase Sapphire application again?
I had this card before that was cancelled a year ago.
I read their T&C – it says “This one-time bonus offer is valid only for first-time cardmembers with new accounts. Previous and existing cardmembers/accounts are not eligible for this bonus offer.”
Amex on the other hand allows applicants to get bonus after 12 months. It seems Chase has a stricter rule. What is your experience? Any tricks and tips to get Sapphire preferred with 40k bonus again?
Thanks!
Hi Darius,
I am new to the site but would like to know how to take advantage of the 55000 UNMP explorer card offer. My wife and I have United Mileage Plus Select Visa Signature cards and are both authorized users on each others accounts. I just applied on line for the 30000 miles + 5000 miles when a 2nd authorized user is added. There was a place on the application to add an authorized user so I did this on both of our new applications. Does this qualify us for the additional 5000 mile each or should I have waited until the cards were issued and then added the authorized user?
2. Both the original Select Signature cards are active with mileage accounts. Will this disqualify us for the new Explorer card bonus mile offers on 2 new accounts?
3. Is it possible to ask for the 55000 mile upgrade while in the application process?
4. Should we wait to see if the new explorer cards with 35000 miles are approved and then ask for the upgrade to 55000 miles?
5. What is the best procedure for asking for the additional miles if that is an option?
I would appreciate any help with my questions. It is a little confusing on what the best options are to take advantage of the current offer of 55000 bonus miles, if you already have existing Visa Select Signature cards and want to upgrade to Explorer cards.
Thanks for your help,
Ken M
Darius, I really like your website it is very informative. I am a rookie at the points/miles game. My biggest question is in regard to the holding time for these credit cards. I have read a little on this topic in some of your posts, but would like a little clarification. I know that you said not to get rid of the cards right after you have earned the points, but I do not want to pay the annual fee on a card that waives the fee for the first year. Is it OK to cancel the card just prior to the year anniversary? I have a spreadsheet started to track my cards and when they were applied for and when I received them. How many credit cards do you personally own that are active and current. I would assume that at some point, the credit card companies will see how many cards that you have an start denying your applications. Thanks for all your help.
Have you been able to pay bills at walmart with gift cards and pins? I am having trouble getting the money center clerks to let me pay my credit card bill at all. They wanted to charge me 9 bucks even though the sign says $1. I was trying to use a paypal debit mastercard.
I do not want to buy to many money orders and my bluebird is full.
hi… I like to open an account at Bankdirect. can you send me a referral link?
thank you !
Min
I am new to this website but I love it!!! I have some United Airlines miles that are going to expire in September and I would love to “move” the miles but can’t find a way unless I transfer to another user. Is there a way to transfer to a hotel chair or anything like that?
Thanks!
Darius could you provide any info on all the ways to get Jet Blue points. Partners and transferring points from other hotels or bank reward cards??
Thank you!
Apologies for missing the comments for a week. I wasn’t getting email updates for these!
@titfortat – Ha! I’ll add it to my long to-do list! As mike fein says, you can cancel them on the internet by sending a secure message!
@best_daddy – You could book 2 1-ways to get around that. Or call back.
@Jerry – It is too late, but having different folks apply for the card shouldn’t be an issue. BUT, make sure you can complete the minimum spending requirement comfortably. You can order gift cards, but don’t order solely from an online shop and also buy them at stores to spread out the purchases.
@James Ecklund – I don’t believe it is as easy to get VRs in New York City. You can buy gift cards, but will have to go to Wal-Mart to buy money orders. It is much less hassle to use William Paid to pay your rent. Sure there is a 3% fee, but it saves you a lot of time.
@Hitesh – I’d guess they will let you transfer miles in Q4 2013 or Q1 2014.
@Dan – That would be it!
@Marriott Marty – I’d guess that a letter won’t help you get approved for another card if you already have one, but you could try. I’m fairly sure that the Gold MasterCard is considered a separate product and that you should be able to get that. I’m not sure about the AMEX Platinum, though, so let me know what happens! Congrats on the 75K AMEX and thanks for using our link! Barclays is unpredictable, so I’d start with the Lufthansa or Arrival card and apply for the US Air card last (in case having it recently results in a denied application). Good luck and please let us know how it goes!
@Sam Emara – Here you go!
@Donna C – You can’t transfer points from UR to Hilton directly, but you can transfer them to Virgin Atlantic and from there to Hilton. But they don’t count towards status and neither do transferred points to Southwest. But you can get Hilton Gold elite status with the Hilton Reserve card.
@Tahira Rizvi - It costs 30K in coach and 50K in business class for a 1-way to Europe using American Airlines or United miles to Europe. You can find award availability on the American Airlines or United website or contact an award booking service who will book the flights for you.
@Gabe – Welcome! You’re right that an infant can sit on your lap until he/she is 2 years old. The best bet could be to get either the Sapphire Preferred or Ink Bold and you could then transfer the points from the Freedom to either United or British Airways (British Airways partners with American Airlines, so you could fly on American Airlines) for the flights. I can’t comment specifically, but I applied for a few cards when I was in grad student and was applying for student loans.
@Jeremy – The certificates expire 12 months from when they were issued.
@Jessica - Congrats! And thanks so much for sharing – I love success stories! Hyatt points are very valuable because, as you discovered, you can redeem them for stays at top tier Hyatt hotels which are usually very expensive!
@saber - You can apply for them if you have a start-up business.
@Dan – If you see low level flights on AA.com, you can book them using Avios. But you sometimes have to call BA and feed the agent the flights segment-by-segment.
@Lee - Only you can decide what to do, but if you spend in small amounts, you are usually fine. You don’t have to submit the financial review documents (though they close all your AMEX cards if you don’t). So you could spend in small amounts on the card instead of cancelling it.
@Paul - That was Points Envy and they still have their own blog.
@Jerry – I see at least 7 seats on AA at the low level on 7/14/2013 so you may be able to book them using British Airways Avios. And I see them when I search for DFW to SJD on the BA website as a 1-way.
@Dave G - I haven’t heard of that happening, so thanks for sharing. You won’t lose the points in your Hilton account if you cancel the Surpass card.
@vrt – You may be able to get the Sapphire Preferred MasterCard version and some readers have got the bonus again after a few months with the Visa, but ymmv.
@Ken M – I replied to your email!
@Brandon – Welcome! It is fine to cancel a credit card after 8 to 9 months if there is no benefit to keeping the card (such as a free night, mile rebates etc.)
@Drew – You don’t have to do the expedited payment, but the fees for that aren’t $9. I haven’t tried with a gift card, but know that it is possible with a debit card.
@min – Thanks! I sent you a referral.
@Jessica – Welcome! This post may help!
@Kevin – I’m not that familiar with Jet Blue, but they do have an AMEX credit card. And here’s a list of the partner mile earning opportunities.
Darius, does Chase still offer its Sapphire MasterCard? I haven’t been able to find a link for it anywhere. I currently have the VISA, but would like to cancel it and get the MC if possible. Thanks in advance.
Is it possible to get a 2nd Fairmont card as a business card? How about a 2nd Hyatt card? I would be a sole proprietor and be using my sox sec number. Thanks!
Thanks again Daraius,
I will keep you posted on how the milage bonus works out with my New Explorer Cards and upgrade inquires with Chase. I have forwarded your site to a friend and will pass it on to others. Is there anyway I can help you?
Sincerely,
Ken M.
Hi Darius! Thanks in advance. And so sorry to hear about Emily’s grandma. I’m new to the points and miles world and just had points posted from my first churn. I have 50k Virgin Atlantic, 50K Membership Rewards, and 50K Ultimate Rewards. I recently was accepted to a last minute medical mission trip to Panama. I need to fly into PTY (from either JAX or GVN; connection MIA); then connect on a domestic Air Panama flight from PAC to BOC. I was thinking of transferring my MR points to Avios, then redeeming on American Airlines. Do you have any better suggestions for a better value? Also, any suggestions on redeeming points for Air Panama flights? Thank you so much!
Hi Daraius,
I am new to miles and points. But I have been applying to lot of credit cards whenever I thought I got a new deal. (mostly cash back. too bad that I dint know about these great deals posted at MMS)
I ended up with 12 open credit cards, 3 Auth user and 5 closed cards. Out of which 3 cards were opened in March 2013 (from MMS links). The previous one was in July 2012. I have a score of ~750. But my age of credit history is just 3 years due to a lot of newer cards.
Now, I really want to open 4 credit cards. I am trying to spread it out across banks (Citi, Chase, Capital One and Discover). How are my chances if I apply all of them on the same day? Will it hurt my chances if I want to open a AA card later towards the end of the year? or should I open the AA card also in this round itself to have a better chance?
I really appreciate if you could give me some advice.
@Sam - You can find a link on Frequent Flyer University or on FlyerTalk. I’ll link to it on my credit card tabs soon.
@DIANE – I don’t believe so since they track your application by your hotel loyalty number.
@Ken M. – Thanks!
@Meghanb904 – Thanks for your thoughts. Avios will likely require the fewest miles to go from JAX to PTY (and taking advantage of the 35% transfer bonus will also help!), but United could be an option as well (for a few thousand more miles) and it depends on what works for your schedule. I don’t believe you can redeem any of those points for Air Panama flights, but you will get 1 cent per point if you book the flight using AMEX’s Pay with Points feature. You will get 1.25 cents if you book through the Ultimate Rewards portal, but I personal prefer using AMEX MR points than Chase UR points. Safe travels!
@Sara - If your last cards were in March, I’d wait at least 3 months before applying for more cards. It doesn’t hurt to apply for the AA card later rather than sooner.
Thanks Daraius. I will wait. It does not hurt to be cautious I guess.
Hi Daraius!
I have had the AA MC for almost 4 years. If I applied for the Visa Plat, would I get the bonus? Or should I get rid of the MC first?
Also, would Citi let me convert my AA card for a Citi Forward?
Thanks
Hey Daraius,
I received two certificates good for coach on Delta, and I’m trying to figure out what the best way to use them is. The specific terms are:
Booking Class:
DL – L
KL – Q
Cabin Of Service:
Coach Class
Valid On:
DL Designated Flights Operated by 9E,CP,EV,OO,RP,S5,XJ,G7,KL
KL Designated Flights Operated by KL,WA
What would you recommend?
I got 2 AA (personal) last month. Will Citi let me apply for a business card now?
Thanks
Hi Daraius,
question regarding the 5k limit on bluebird card. Does it a 30 days cycle? or count it monthly? thank you.
Jerry
@Sara - It doesn’t hurt to be cautious. You could just apply for the Citi American Airlines card if you’re worried that the link will expire, but I’d wait on the other cards.
@Alex – You should be able to get the AA Visa Platinum since it has been more than 18+ months from when you were last approved for the card. I don’t believe you can convert it to the Citi Forward card.
@Toby – I’m not sure I understand the question. If these are companion certificates, I’d do the math to see if it is better to buy 2 of the lowest price tickets than to buy 1 higher priced ticket. If these are certificates for a free flight, use them where it makes sense for you. It seems like these are electronic vouchers, right?
@Alex - You should wait at least 65 days and ideally 95+ days to get the business card.
@Jerry - It resets by calendar month.
@
Daraius,
Can you write about (or at least let me know) if getting the US Airways Dividend Mastercard is something that could be wise given that it might get eliminated soon with the merger? I hesitate a bit because they aren’t waiving the fee and it’s only 40,000 but don’t want to miss a chance to stockpile miles with the new American.
Jamie
Hi Daraius, I have another question regarding the Admirals Club One-Day Pass, we receive this pass after signing up citi AA credit card. We will fly Lax-hkg by end of this year in business class cathay pacific and jal. Since we already redeem the business ticket with the mileage. I assume its FREE to access the business lounge in LAX for both Cathay Pacific and JAL. Correct me with I am wrong, thanks
Jerry
Hi Darius,
I just got my first card rejection (the Barclays Arrival card) since I started this points/miles collecting game about 8 months ago. The rejection was because I had opened the Barclays US Airway card only a few months ago. Anyways, I’m sort of nervous about applying for new cards now, as my confidence is a bit rattled. My strategy up until this point was to apply for one card, work through the minimum spend, and then once the minimum spend is hit (usually in 2-3 months), put it away and get my next card. Am I able to keep going with this strategy, or should I lay off the new cards for a few months?
Any suggestions/advice is helpful! Thanks so much!
Hi Darius-
My wife just canceled her Sapphire Preferred when we received the statement for the annual fee. Can she now apply for the Sapphire “Nonpreferred” now and get the 10,000 bonus? Thanks!
@Jamie – Yes, it does make sense to get the Barclays US Air card. There is a link to a 35K offer with the annual fee waived in the Airline credit card tab!
@Jerry – That’s correct. You can access the lounge for free with your business class tickets.
@N – I can’t tell you what to do, but Barlcays is tougher than other banks. You could either call their reconsideration line or try for a different card.
@John - That could be possible or you could get the Sapphire Preferred MasterCard.
Hi Darius,
I have been following your posts in the last 3 months and I am a new been in the points world.
Just started with a Chase Freedom for me and Chase Mileage plus card for my wife. With in the signup bonus and some good united activity, my wife reached the 65k miles and I have reached 25k Chase Ultimate reward points.
Our goals is to have 80k miles in each of our United accounts for a reward vacation trip.
Looks like I can buy up to 5k UR points each month for $125 and assuming the standard 1% back, the avg cost of point is 2.47c.
Can you please advise if its worth to buy 5k points each month with chase and then convert it to United Miles.
I am seeing United Miles always expensive.
I would appreciate your advise on this.
Thanks !
Sorry Daraius…addressed your name wrong before.
I am close to completing the SW companion pass, just cleared the bonus for the business and my total sits at 105k miles for the year. Am I allowed to spend any miles before I get the pass, or should I wait until I am at 110k RR points?
Thanks.
@D- in your previous comments you advised john to consider CSP MC. has it been reinstated ? Last we discussed it had been pulled..
Thanks
Daraius, I notice that you seem to apply for several credit cards on the same day rather than spacing out the applications. Is there any reason for this? Does this make it more likely of getting accepted? Or is this just for convenience (take care of it all at once)?
Thanks for all you do for us!
Hey Darius….
As I start to get more cards I’m concerned about my average credit length impacting my credit score. Do you think it’s smart to get a regular no annual fee Chase Sapphire card and keep it forever OR keep switching to different American Express offers because I believe you stated that Amex will calculate total length with the company regardless of type of card. Thanks! JOHN
Hi Daraius!
I own an apartment that I have been reporting as a personal investment on my tax forms. Can I apply for a business credit card using the apartment as the reason? If I could, then, would I need to change the way I have been reporting it to the IRS? In other word, would I need to start reporting it as a business?
Thanks for your insights.
Hi Darius
I have a question which echoes John’s question he asked above. How do multiple credit cards from the same bank look on your report with regards to the age of credit? Say I have 3 chase cards and 2 amex’s. Will the credit age be calculated using the oldest chase and oldest amex card (assuming all are in good standing)? Or is it calculated using the time these 5 individual cards have been open for?
And if so, I’m guessing it makes sense to responsible churn on AMEX/Chase only using the above example. I’m super concerned about age of credit since this is the only segment I am weak in. Else, everything else is stellar and I do plan to apply for student loans in the next 2-3 years for grad school so I want as high as score I can have while also responsibly accruing “some” cards to rack up points and miles.
Regards and Thanks in advance.
@Veer – Welcome! It depends on the redemption you’re aiming for. If you need to buy another 90K points, it will cost $2,225 @2.25 cents per point. But what is the price of the ticket which you’d otherwise buy? It could be lower than buying the points. Another option, is to apply for another United card for you or the Ink Bold/Plus which offer 50K miles and points after spending $5K within 3 months.
@Alex – You can spend the points since there is a separate counter for points which you can use for flights and points towards the Companion Pass.
@mike fein – There’s a link in an FT post which I’ll link to on the Bank Credit Card tab.
@Jamie - It is a little of both reasons!
@John – That is a valid concern and the Chase Freedom could be the better no-fee card because it lets you get the 5X category bonus. AMEX will backdate your card to when you first got an AMEX card, so that will help your average credit length.
@Alex - You could get a business card for the expenses on the personal property. But you should ask an accountant your tax questions!
@AJ - It is calculated based on the open date reported by the banks on ALL cards. AMEX will report the open date as the date on when you 1st got an AMEX card, so that will help your average age.
My wife and I will be travelling to San Francisco for 3 nights in Sept. (25th – 28th) and are hoping to use HHonors points for the hotel. We would like to stay near downtown so we don’t have to rent a car. I have 150k points, and she will have over 50k once her last stays’ points come through. Can we book a 4 night AXON stay before June 15th (145k for category 7 before the rates go up) and only use 3 nights (versus 60k per night for a total of 180k)? Are there any other options to get a good deal other than extending the stay to 4 or 5 nights?
Thanks for the reply, do credit unions also backdate like Amex? Or is this something that varies from credit union to credit union?
Hi Daraius,
I am planning to open a couple of bank accounts that allow me to use credit card for opening deposit. I gather that Citi codes them as cash advance and so I will avoid Citi cards. Do you know if Capital One or Discover considers this as purchase? I see that I can use Chase cards. However, I would like to use my chase card for other purposes. What do you think?