Another Chase bank rant

[Sarah in SC]

I bit the bullet and got the personal and the Chase business card after a talk with the Chase recon line last week. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, honestly. I'm waiting for them both to come in the mail, and see how I do in scoring the companion pass for SW.

[brewer12345]

DW applied for the United explorer card last night. Decision deferred, probably due to the fact that she is self employed. Shoudl she have listed herself as a homemaker instead?

[JakeBrake]

I like the Chase Freedom cards. We have 3. We use for roadtrip cards. When we go on a roadtrip we take a card with a zero balance and charge everything from McDonald's senior coffee to lodging and car rental. We get 1% back on everything and 5% back on some categories. After the trip when the bill arrives we have an excellent trip journal which I file with our other trip journals. We can transfer all the cashback from all 3 cards to 1 card. We usually use the cashback to offset the payment. Recently we we able to offset over $400 from a payment. I think I can probably do better than their merchandise offerings by shopping around.

With the Chase Freedom Card you can choose your payment date (rechoose once every 6 months, I think). So, the payment dates on our cards are interspersed during the month. When we go on a trip we use the card with the payment date shortly before we leave on a trip. That way we can get the whole trip on one statement and we have maximum float time.

I have reached that point in my life where I'm through borrowing money (other than the float time on my credit cards) and I'm through shopping credit cards. I don't know or need to know my credit score.

For everyday we use a Discover Card. We don't use it on trips because it is not accepted everywhere, especially in Canada.

We also have a credit card from a credit union that we use for automated payments when there is a financial advantage for automated payments.

[Gotadimple]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeBrake I like the Chase Freedom cards.

Like you I had been using the points from this card as a statement credit. There was an interesting item on the Chase site about connecting your Freedom card to your Amazon account.

It seems you can now use points to pay for purchases at Amazon. The rate is the same: 100 points = $1.

Works for me!

-- Rita

[Sarah in SC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 DW applied for the United explorer card last night. Decision deferred, probably due to the fact that she is self employed. Shoudl she have listed herself as a homemaker instead?

It just flags the app. If she's willing to call the reconsideration line, they will approve her. My first couple also got deferred. When I had to get DH to call Amex for the Delta card, he was very unwilling at first, then realized it wasn't really a big deal.

[JustMeUC]

Yes, just call and they will ask her a few questions and they should approve her. I have never heard of them turning down anyone who actually called in. I would say that half my Chase cards I had to call in.... but in the end all were approved.

[Sesq]

Don't list as a homemaker until the proposed change to Reg Z is effective sometime next year (google "Card Act" and "Stay-at-home" for a discussion of why homemakers are for a period not able to claim household income except in community property states. A change was proposed in October but is still in the comment period).

As for card bonuses (sorry I am slow) - I will list my cards from the past year and what they were worth to me. I got 90% of my info from flyertalk (the thread linked above), 10% Fatwallet. I made 14 card applications in 2012 (not sustainable) and my average yield was over $500 per card in cash and travel. Blows away my old 2% schwab card that I was happy with for years.

It is a little complicated to administer, but not really. My wallet is primarily Citi Forward for restaurants and Amazon, Amex BCP for Groceries and Gas, and whatever card I am working on minimum spend for (how you earn bonuses).

I keep getting approved for cards, and even a best rate car loan last year (after more than 12 cards), so while my credit no longer flirts with 800, it seems plenty high. That said, my homemaker wife won't let me do 10-15 cards in her name next year if they lift the Reg Z restriction. I think I can talk her into 4. 6 would be better (Citi AAx2, Chase United, Chase Sapphire, Chase Marriott, and some kind of Amex would be my list, I go for highest value points which is usually the airlines).

[Texas Proud]

OK... an update to my OP....


I sent an email to Chase stating my displeasure with their decision. The response I got back was basically "We noticed that you had two Freedom cards and you can not have two".... Now, considering that JakeBrake said he has 3.... seems a bit strange....


I reponded to them... "I had a Freedom card and a Perfect Card, you changed my Perfect Card to a Freedom card without asking me. I did NOT want two Freedom cards. Now, you change my Freedom card with the best rewards to a Flexible card without asking me.".... it was a bit longer, but you get the gist...


Their response "The program that your Freedom card was on closed. We can not put you back onto that program. We will give you 2,500 points for your trouble"....


SOOO, their first email was a lie... you can have more than one Freedom card. Their second was the truth.... they did not want that program anymore and took me off... So, they have taken me off their Perfect card (5% back on a number of things), their good Freedom card (3% off on a good number of things).... and have left me with the regular old 1% card...

Now, I know they have the right to do this.... but now this card will be used very little...

BTW, they did inform me that I had not used my Sapphire card since 2003 when they changed a good card to that one.....

[Chuckanut]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sesq The TY Premier has a crazy annual fee that kicks in during year two, so cancel at month 11. If you cancel though you need to clear out the points w/i 30 days.

How do you clear out the points? Where do they go?

[Sesq]

Texas - If you want your 5% back for Groceries, Gas and Drug - take a look at this one - only good for 12 months though:

creditcards.CitiCards.com/usc/ThankYou/Preferred/2012/Nov/internal/default.htm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuckanut How do you clear out the points? Where do they go?

Redemption options are flights for 1.33 cents per point through a website (comparable to Expedia/Travelocity, reports are the pricing is proper) with the Premier card.

Various gift cards, mostly 1 cent per point ("cpp"), but sometimes 1.11 cpp or 1.25 cpp on Citi's Thankyou.com (I link it from my card).

Mortgage/Student loan checks at 1 cpp made out to your financial institution. Wink-wink, some folks find that a check made out to the bank where your checking account rest could be simply deposited at Thankyou.com

But if you do nothing for 30 days they disapear into ether. I'd spend the points before closing. If you have multiple TY point products be aware that citi keeps detailed records and that transfers from say the premier to the forward has a clock ticking. So transfer for redemptions only. Citi also has a complicated Flight Point system for the premier that can goose the earnings on that card, but best to read at flyertalk for that.

I lurk here every few weeks, so PM me if you need more.