It kind of tells you in the picture "Earn 5% cashback on up to $1,500 in combined purchases in bonus categories each quarter you activate."

They will have different categories each quarter, such as grocery stores or gas, and you will receive 5% cashback on purchases at those vendors during that quarter. For example: this quarter (July-September), the category was Lyft, Walgreens, and gas. I spent $1500 on my card at Walgreens, so I got $75 back.

Most of the reselling sites are only going to give you ~80% of the value for those gift cards, so I highly recommend finding another way to liquidate. Are they Membership Rewards points, and what CCs do you have with Amex?

A more advanced churning move would be to open the Amex Schwab Platinum cc. The bonus +credits + perks should more than outweigh the annual fee and make it a profitable card opening on its own, and then you have the ability to transfer at a 1:1.25 ratio to your schwab brokerage account. If you only have 1000 MR points, this might not be worth it to you, but if you have 100k MR points and won't be transferring to hotels or airlines, I highly recommend it.

Yeah MR points from me and fiance getting the 50k amex business gold, which we will close before the annual fee happens beginning of year 2.

That sounds interesting. Don't have a schwab brokerage acct but im sure that wouldn't be that hard to open either. I don't plan to do any other amex cards in the near future though I don't think so I may not do this if it isn't worth a significant more than just spending them on gift cards.

Thx

So let's say you have 100k MR from the 2 cards combined.

The AF on the Schwab card is $450. There's currently a 60k spend bonus on $5k in spend. This could be a deal breaker if you don't MS. However, if this spend is achievable, that 60k signup bonus is worth $750 when transferred to a Schwab brokerage account (which you can then withdraw if you want). The 100k MR that you have already would be worth $1250 when transferred. If you were to resell those gift cards, you would probably only get around $800 for them. So now you're looking at a $300 profit from the signup bonus + $450 profit from the points you have and there is zero risk compared to the small risk of reselling cards gift cards.

Now consider the additional perks from the Platinum: $200 Airline credit that you can use once in 2018 and once in 2019 as it is per calendar year. You could buy gift cards with these and resell for $368. You also get free Global Entry or TSA Pre, which is worth $95 if you don't have it and fly often. Plus throw in $15 in Uber credits per month + $20 in December for up to $200 per year if you use Uber. Also consider that you can get into Centurion lounges in airports if you travel through certain cities, and they are usually pretty sweet. Throw in Amex offers if you're interested in those (you can find some great value with these).

I've made a few assumptions here, but basically, if you can meet the spending threshold of $5000 in three month, this card is a no-brainer worth over $1k in your situation.

P.S. One problem that I forgot is that you can't transfer MR between anyone. So I'd recommend getting one for you and one for the fiance

P.P.S. You will get a hard pull from Amex AND a hard pull from Schwab for this. The nice thing is that the Schwab brokerage account is pretty great, as their debit card has no FTFs and refund ATM fees I believe, which is rare for a debit card. Been a while since I did any research though, so this is all just from memory and could have changed!

Thx for breaking it down, appreciate it. I'll take a look at the schwab card as it sounds like it's prob worth it. I don't really like to MS but the 5k/3mo is doable as long as I time it well with when I know we'll have an extra expense we don't normally have. I imagine it will be doable before I need to close the gold cards before the AF hits. Hopefully the sign up bonus remains around the same.

Yeah, 11 for 4 accounts is beyond gross, especially since I'm trying to play this more for the long-term. App'd for 8 cards since late Feb, 3 pulls for c1, and 2 for WF.

Approved:

US Bank Cash+ $8K, late Feb (TU)
5/3 Trio $5K, late Feb (TU)
Cap1 QS $1K, late Feb (all 3)
Discover $1000 (since auto bumped to $1500) mid May (EQ or EX)

Denied:

Paypal, late Feb (TU)
BOA, mid May (EQ or EX, I don't remember which one of my May apps was EQ and which one was EX)
Citi DC when they had the bonus I think early July (EX)
WF Propel, early Sep (TU and then EX 2 days later, thanks ass holes!)

Chase and Amex give me nothing on prequal, so probably holding off on them until 19, or 2020. Then again Boa and Citi offer me all kinds of ****, I got a pre approval mailer from Citi the day after my rejection letter. I'd like to go for the Venture or Savor, but I don't like my odds, and who needs 3 more INQ's.

As much as I hate not getting anything for my spend I'm thinking of holding off until next year. Unless someone talks me into apping???

I'll try to talk you into apping!

So, the best way to help your future approval odds with WF and BOA are to open a bank account with them now. There's currently a $200 WF bonus, but the BOA one just expired I believe. I personally keep $1500 in a WF account to keep it fee free and use it for unlimited MO deposits as they seem to not care. I don't keep a BOA account for more than 6 months as I like to churn that one.

Barclays might be an option with the Arrival+. It's a gamble though, as they are hit and miss. I recently opened an A+ with lots of inquiries, but I have a decently long history with Barclays and a pretty thick credit file at this point. It would be worth $500+ though if you're approved.

You might be able to snag an Amex card as they tend to not care about inquiries. Amex EveryDay might be an easier one to get. Some of the easier cards to get approved for are co-branded cards like Hilton cards, but that depends on what rewards you're looking for. It seems to me like you target cashback, so I'd probably avoid hotel and airline cards.

In regards to pre-approvals, DOC has a list of all the banks and approval places : https://www.doctorofcredit.com/view-...t-card-offers/

I would definitely check out Amex and Cardmatch preapprovals.

I would make Halloween the deadline. They usually just ask for your last 2 statements.

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Hey these are my three cards. Seems like Chase rigs their categories to overlap Discover a lot. Might trade in the Freedom for the Unlimited just for the bonus.

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I have not applies for a cash back card yet. I found another promising 1. I currently have a capitol 1 platinum card which I have had for a year and a half. Has a low balance. 10 or so years ago i had a cap 1 i defaulted on. What are the chances i get approved for this. Is cap1 less likely to approve since i have a card already? According to credit karma i only have good odds.
I don't want to app a bunch of cards to limit inquiries and denials. Any help or advice would be nice thanks

this card has no annual fee or foreign transaction fees

Hey guys! Just need a quick line check regarding a problem I had with a flight booked through Chase Sapphire Reserve points, and figured this was the best place for a quick answer.

I had a flight for Barcelona to Lisbon, booked months in advance for $138 in points (2 tickets- TAP Air Portugal). We arrived at the airport 2+ hours before the flight, scheduled to leave at 12:40, but was told it was canceled (no reason given). Horrendous customer service and communication as they tried to place people on later TAP flights. Eventually, after an hour, we were told that we couldn’t fly to Lisbon that day, we’d be put in a hotel, and would fly out the next day or day after that. They could not tell us when exactly the flight would be, or where the hotel was located.

It was almost noon, and I ran to the Vueling ticket desk as it was the only other airline with a Lisbon flight (12:55 departure). Seats were available, but TAP refused to place us on any flight that cost more than our original tickets. I really didn’t have time to consult the Reserve travel insurance fine print, so decided to take the Vueling tickets for a ridiculous $850.

I called TAP the next day, and they had me email for a refund. I asked for compensation, seat upgrades on my upcoming TAP flight from Lisbon to NYC, etc., but still haven’t received a response 6 days later.

I also called Chase, but was essentially told that I was completely out of luck. The travel insurance apparently only covers pre-paid expenses, not newly incurred expenses. So, if I sat in BCN for 2 days, I could have received a refund on my pre-paid hotel in Lisbon, but get nothing for paying 6x the airfare for essentially the same flight. Chase also told me that they would work on getting a refund from TAP, but have also not gotten back to me in 6 days.

Is seeking a refund for the original flight tickets really my only recourse? I’m not a frequent traveler, but it seems like it allows TAP to cancel under filled flights at will, and ensure full flights in the following days by rebooking their screwed-over customers.

There is a difference between trip insurance, which covers your pre booked stuff, and trip delay insurance, which covers expenses due to a major delay. This usually is for hotels, essentials, meals etc. Youd have to dig into the materials but I cant imagine it includes booking a new, expensive flight, otherwise people would take advantage of that like crazy anytime there was a qualifying delay.

Tap certainly owes you a refund but your bigger issue here is that you did not show up for your outgoing tap flight (and you didn't tell them and have your return rebooked) , and if you booked as a round trip your return leg as likely cancelled, definitely not upgraded. This is standard in airline industry that most people dont understand, but if you miss a leg of your itinerary they cancel the whole thing. You need to get in contact with then asap, not via email.

I was likely very confusing, but the ticket for the flight that was canceled was just one-way. The subsequent TAP flight that I had booked was for a week later; not connected to the canceled flight.

Sapphire Reserve provides both trip insurance and trip delay insurance, but as you said, it appears that neither apply.

I figured I have no recourse and have to eat the expense, but the whole thing was infuriating and didn't sit well. The only experience I have had with delays/cancellations was a 4-hour weather delay with JetBlue, who showered us with vouchers unsolicited. Thanks for the info!

I think this topic was discussed before but this thread is too big to go back and find what I'm looking for. I have a question about the cable company & collections.

Before my question, I have a PSA: if you cancel your cable and turn in your equipment make sure you keep the receipt somewhere you can find it after you move. I've closed 4 different cable accounts in the last 10 yrs and every single time they've come after me 6 months later saying I didn't turn in the equipment. To make matters worse they don't bill you, and after that amount of time you can't login in to your old account so if you don't have the receipt proving you turned in the cable boxes you're sol. It's easy to lose that receipt or figure you're in the clear after 6 months and chuck the receipt (that's how they got me the first time).

They got me again last September when I moved. I went to the Charter store to turn in my 2 cable boxes and pay my final bill. I've learned to save the receipts.

I moved, updated my address, and never heard from Charter again. In May or June I got a notice that my credit score dropped. I logged in and of course it's an $83 charge from Charter cable.FML. Charter never sent me any bill after moving and I knew I had the receipts from when I closed my account and turned in the equipment.

I was busy with work and wasn't sure where the receipts were so I put it off. Last week I got an email from a collector called convergent outsourcing and my credit report no longer shows I owe Charter but shows I owe Convergent now.

I finally went to the storage unit tonight and, after about 2 hours, I found the receipts showing I paid my account the day I closed it and a receipt for returning the equipment.

Does anyone have advice on the easiest way to make this go away? Creditkarma has a button you can click on to dispute an account, can I just do that? The collection agency says I have to notify them in writing within 30 days if I dispute the charge. Can I do it via email or do I have to send them an actual letter via USPS?

How bad does your credit get ****ed up if your car is repo'd? I have 3 years left on my loan but I just got accepted into a 20 month radiography program that starts in January. My income is gonna drop 60-70%. I won't be able to make the payments while I'm in school. I'm thinking of letting them repo the car and getting a scooter while in school. My credit is already pretty bad as it is. Will this bite me in the ass in 2-3 years when I'm done with school and want to get a car again?

It stays on your report for 7 years. Selling the car and using the next 2-3 years to improve your credit would be a significantly better long term play. Letting your car get repoed is pretty much only a reasonable strat if it's the only way you can survive the next 6-12 months.

I think I'm gonna take car off road, store it at my buddy's house and just make the car payments. I won't need to pay gas or insurance.

I think car loan companies require insurance. Might be exceptions to the rule though.

They do, but insurance companies aren't always super thorough on lienholder recordkeeping or sending out notices when insurance has been canceled. YMMV. You could also look into insurance for stored vehicles. I've done that before and it was pretty cheap. Cuts out all (or most, don't remember) of the liability and collision coverage, keeps comprehensive coverage so you're OK if your car is stolen or your storage unit burns down.

I am pretty sure if the lien holder finds out you don't have insurance they may male you pay the full balance of your loan or put a high cost insurance that covers them if the car is totaled and they will add it to your payment.

talk to your lender first, they might let you restructure the loan where you will make smaller payments for the next 18 months in exchange for larger payments towards the back end of the deal

I had a question about authorized users and balance transfers. I recently found out my gf has racked up a decent of amount of credit card debit nearly 3k. Her credit has went from 650 to 550. If i get approved for a new card with a 0% apr on a balance transfer would she be able to transfer her debit to mine? Also since her credit is low would it effect my chances of getting approved?

I just got pre qualified for a cap 1 savor 1 card and a discover it card. Are pre approvals solid indicator i will get approved for that card.

1) You can generally transfer anyone's debt to your account. However, unless you KNOW the relationship will be solid for many years to come, it is NOT worth assuming someone else's debt. If she walks out the door tomorrow, she is free and clear while you still pay for that bad memory for at least a few months (depending on how much you put towards your cards each month). $3K is simply not a lot of debt and if she cannot manage it, then you have to ask whether you really want to be co-mingling finances...there is the additional question of what APR that is sitting at. There ARE occasions where a few thousand may be sitting at a zero promo and isn't costing anything.

For her credit to have only been in the mid-sixes and drop to the mid-fives says there are a LOT of other issues going on as well.

2) Pre-qual will vary by issuer. Expect multiple hard pulls from both of those issuers if you DO pull the trigger. As I recall, CrapOne pulls all three and Discover was pulling twice. I don't carry either since there are far better options out there for my needs...

I paid down some CC debt a few weeks ago, dropping my utilization from 20% to 13%, and my score dropped 30 points. Any idea why that happened? Nothing else changed.

Same number of cards have balances? Remember that Fair Isaac looks not only at overall util% but also each card AND the ratio of cards to cards with balances.

Question also needs to be asked...was it a score or was it a skore? If it isn't a true Fair Isaac model, then it is irrelevant and has no real bearing on reality.