How Many Credit Cards Do You Have?

[steve dave]

hmph

Cancel each year.

I don't like to cancel cards because I don't want to bring down my avg acct age on my report.

just keep the oldest non-fee 1 or 2.  I have a visa from my bank that hasn't been used in, like, 6 years. 

[Trim]

hmph

Cancel each year.

I don't like to cancel cards because I don't want to bring down my avg acct age on my report.

just keep the oldest non-fee 1 or 2.  I have a visa from my bank that hasn't been used in, like, 6 years. 

I've still got at least one unused since college when I got a free t-shirt for applying.

[GoodForAnother]

hmph

Cancel each year.

I don't like to cancel cards because I don't want to bring down my avg acct age on my report.

just keep the oldest non-fee 1 or 2.  I have a visa from my bank that hasn't been used in, like, 6 years.

That's what I did with the discover and shitty chase but I've opened like every other card I have in the last year or two which is bringing down the average

[Trim]

hmph

Cancel each year.

I don't like to cancel cards because I don't want to bring down my avg acct age on my report.

just keep the oldest non-fee 1 or 2.  I have a visa from my bank that hasn't been used in, like, 6 years.

That's what I did with the discover and shitty chase but I've opened like every other card I have in the last year or two which is bringing down the average

I guess you can't get any more credit cards and will have to pay for your flights and hotels for the foreseeable future.

[GoodForAnother]

hmph

Cancel each year.

I don't like to cancel cards because I don't want to bring down my avg acct age on my report.

just keep the oldest non-fee 1 or 2.  I have a visa from my bank that hasn't been used in, like, 6 years.

That's what I did with the discover and shitty chase but I've opened like every other card I have in the last year or two which is bringing down the average

I guess you can't get any more credit cards and will have to pay for your flights and hotels for the foreseeable future.

dammit

[steve dave]

was just thinking about travel coming up in the next 12 months and wanted to show which programs/miles I used to show how great this stuff is:

Kauai
8 nights at Grand Hyatt Kauai - 176k Hyatt miles
Got these from 100K Chase Sapphire signup and mrs. dave's 50k Sapphire sign up as well as some spend on my card.  Will be a Hyatt diamond while there using the Hyatt diamond challenge so we will get free breakfast and probably a very elite room as well as misc. other benefits.
$1,050 in Hyatt gift cards - 105,000 Citi Thank You points  
Got these via the Citi Thank You preferred cards for myself and mrs. dave.  50k citi miles after $2,500 in spend.  Could have used the points for airfare or anything else but with this trip coming up wanted to be able to spend it at the resort spa, bar, etc.
2 Round Trip coach tickets from Omaha to Kauai. 80k United Miles
Been accumulating these for awhile and had gotten the original Chase United 50k card.

Chicago
Round Trip coach ticket from Omaha to Chicago.  9k Avios
Remaining from the original 100k Chase BA Visa offer
Suite upgrades for 4 rooms at the Hyatt.  4 Hyatt suite upgrades
I got 4 suite upgrades on paid stays by doing the Hyatt Diamond challenge.  We are paying to stay but we got a really great rate and I can only use the suite upgrades on paid stays so this was a good opportunity. 

Vegas
Round Trip coach ticket from Omaha to Las Vegas. 25k Frontier Miles
Have about 75k Frontier miles from flying them quite a bit and some leftover from a 50k Frontier mastercard offer from a few years ago.  Mrs. dave has a conference at the Cosmo so I'm staying free and her flight is paid for.

London/Paris
2 First Class tickets from Omaha to London.  125k AA Miles
Had accumulated quite a few from various Citi 100k/75k visa offers. 
5 nights at the Crowne Plaza London Kennsington.  125k PC points
Got an 80k PC Chase Visa and had been accumulating the rest from mostly stays at the Manhattan Holiday Inn.
5 nights at the Hilton Arc De Triomphe Paris.  200k HH points.
Have been accumulating these for awhile and got the last 70k with a Hawaiin Airlines card where I transfered the miles at 2:1 to Hilton.  Have a Hilton Amex and Visa which both have no annual fee.
2 Coach tickets from Paris to Omaha.  40k AA Miles.
Same place as the flight to London

New York
2 Round Trip Coach tickets from Omaha to New York.  50k United Miles.
Same as trip to Kauai.  Still have 100k United miles left.
4 nights at the Hyatt at 48th and Lex in NYC. 2 Hyatt free night certificates and 30k Hyatt points
mrs. dave and I each have the Hyatt Visa.  Every year you get a free cat. 1-4 stay. This hotel is a cat 4.  The rest of the ponits we got from my Chase Sapphire spend.

After spending all of those points my awardwallet account (it's combined with mrs. dave's so some of these are hers too) still shows a balance of 366k miles/points among various programs.  You can add up what all of that travel would cost someone if they paid for it OOP and it would be a huge figure.  Hell, the 2 first class tickets to London would be over $10k and maybe closer to $20k.  Obviously I'm not flying first class anywhere and probably not staying at some of these places if I'm paying cash but it blows the mind anyway.

[GoodForAnother]

I'm raging with jealousy

[Dr Rick Daris]

was just thinking about travel coming up in the next 12 months and wanted to show which programs/miles I used to show how great this stuff is:

Kauai
8 nights at Grand Hyatt Kauai - 176k Hyatt miles
Got these from 100K Chase Sapphire signup and mrs. dave's 50k Sapphire sign up as well as some spend on my card.  Will be a Hyatt diamond while there using the Hyatt diamond challenge so we will get free breakfast and probably a very elite room as well as misc. other benefits.
$1,050 in Hyatt gift cards - 105,000 Citi Thank You points  
Got these via the Citi Thank You preferred cards for myself and mrs. dave.  50k citi miles after $2,500 in spend.  Could have used the points for airfare or anything else but with this trip coming up wanted to be able to spend it at the resort spa, bar, etc.
2 Round Trip coach tickets from Omaha to Kauai. 80k United Miles
Been accumulating these for awhile and had gotten the original Chase United 50k card.

Chicago
Round Trip coach ticket from Omaha to Chicago.  9k Avios
Remaining from the original 100k Chase BA Visa offer
Suite upgrades for 4 rooms at the Hyatt.  4 Hyatt suite upgrades
I got 4 suite upgrades on paid stays by doing the Hyatt Diamond challenge.  We are paying to stay but we got a really great rate and I can only use the suite upgrades on paid stays so this was a good opportunity. 

Vegas
Round Trip coach ticket from Omaha to Las Vegas. 25k Frontier Miles
Have about 75k Frontier miles from flying them quite a bit and some leftover from a 50k Frontier mastercard offer from a few years ago.  Mrs. dave has a conference at the Cosmo so I'm staying free and her flight is paid for.

London/Paris
2 First Class tickets from Omaha to London.  125k AA Miles
Had accumulated quite a few from various Citi 100k/75k visa offers. 
5 nights at the Crowne Plaza London Kennsington.  125k PC points
Got an 80k PC Chase Visa and had been accumulating the rest from mostly stays at the Manhattan Holiday Inn.
5 nights at the Hilton Arc De Triomphe Paris.  200k HH points.
Have been accumulating these for awhile and got the last 70k with a Hawaiin Airlines card where I transfered the miles at 2:1 to Hilton.  Have a Hilton Amex and Visa which both have no annual fee.
2 Coach tickets from Paris to Omaha.  40k AA Miles.
Same place as the flight to London

New York
2 Round Trip Coach tickets from Omaha to New York.  50k United Miles.
Same as trip to Kauai.  Still have 100k United miles left.
4 nights at the Hyatt at 48th and Lex in NYC. 2 Hyatt free night certificates and 30k Hyatt points
mrs. dave and I each have the Hyatt Visa.  Every year you get a free cat. 1-4 stay. This hotel is a cat 4.  The rest of the ponits we got from my Chase Sapphire spend.

After spending all of those points my awardwallet account (it's combined with mrs. dave's so some of these are hers too) still shows a balance of 366k miles/points among various programs.  You can add up what all of that travel would cost someone if they paid for it OOP and it would be a huge figure.  Hell, the 2 first class tickets to London would be over $10k and maybe closer to $20k.  Obviously I'm not flying first class anywhere and probably not staying at some of these places if I'm paying cash but it blows the mind anyway.

 great write up

[Cartierfor3]

SD, is the NYC trip Preseason NIT related?

[steve dave]

No, just going for the hell of it

[Rams]

I just started last month and when our next statements close my wife and I will have a total of 160k SW rapid rewards and the companion pass, 140k hhonors, 100k aa miles, and 50k ultimate rewards. If all goes well in the next 6 months we should have about 400k hhonors, 150k ultimate rewards and 200k aa miles.

Waiting to apply for the next round is going to be brutal.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[GoodForAnother]

I really enjoyed NYC, got to visit for the first time back in December.  I paid for my flight though the hotel was free.

[FP TC etc.]

I just started last month and when our next statements close my wife and I will have a total of 160k SW rapid rewards and the companion pass, 140k hhonors, 100k aa miles, and 50k ultimate rewards. If all goes well in the next 6 months we should have about 400k hhonors, 150k ultimate rewards and 200k aa miles.

Waiting to apply for the next round is going to be brutal.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

I thought you could only get the companion pass with paid flights? I didn't think points from credit card rewards counted?

[Rams]

I just started last month and when our next statements close my wife and I will have a total of 160k SW rapid rewards and the companion pass, 140k hhonors, 100k aa miles, and 50k ultimate rewards. If all goes well in the next 6 months we should have about 400k hhonors, 150k ultimate rewards and 200k aa miles.

Waiting to apply for the next round is going to be brutal.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

I thought you could only get the companion pass with paid flights? I didn't think points from credit card rewards counted?

All credit card spending counts including, as of right now, the bonuses. Also any points transferred from Hyatt or Marriott...as of right now.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[TheHamburglar]

I don't feel like reading 88 pages. I'm a credit card noob. Up to now I always used my parents card for big purchases to take up their points for family trips. What card should I get? SD, you've trained your whole life for this. I'm counting on you.

[steve dave]

SPG or Chase Sapphire Preferred are what I put all my spend on. Let me know if you want a SPG referral.

[steve dave]

Here's a write up about the SPG card and why it's good to spend on:

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/mommypoints/2012/04/29/why-the-spg-amex-won-the-ftu-best-credit-card-in-the-galaxy-award/

[FP TC etc.]

I only have 50k SW points from the Chase SW card, but that's enough points for A-list status.

I called and the lady said points from credit card rewards don't count... but I thought someone said you can get the companion pass via reward points... should I call again and throw a fit until they give me A-list status? 

[Rams]

I only have 50k SW points from the Chase SW card, but that's enough points for A-list status.

I called and the lady said points from credit card rewards don't count... but I thought someone said you can get the companion pass via reward points... should I call again and throw a fit until they give me A-list status? 

a-list and companion pass are different programs.  your points count for companion but not a-list.

[Mikeyis4dcats]

I only have 50k SW points from the Chase SW card, but that's enough points for A-list status.

I called and the lady said points from credit card rewards don't count... but I thought someone said you can get the companion pass via reward points... should I call again and throw a fit until they give me A-list status? 

Southwest clearly states on the site that credit card bonuses and promos do NOT count towards A-List status.

[FP TC etc.]

I only have 50k SW points from the Chase SW card, but that's enough points for A-list status.

I called and the lady said points from credit card rewards don't count... but I thought someone said you can get the companion pass via reward points... should I call again and throw a fit until they give me A-list status? 

Southwest clearly states on the site that credit card bonuses and promos do NOT count towards A-List status.

I bet you also read the terms of service for iTunes every time before you update.

[Mikeyis4dcats]

I only have 50k SW points from the Chase SW card, but that's enough points for A-list status.

I called and the lady said points from credit card rewards don't count... but I thought someone said you can get the companion pass via reward points... should I call again and throw a fit until they give me A-list status? 

Southwest clearly states on the site that credit card bonuses and promos do NOT count towards A-List status.

I bet you also read the terms of service for iTunes every time before you update.

it's not very hidden, says it right on the page below the descriptions of the service levels.

[FP TC etc.]

I only have 50k SW points from the Chase SW card, but that's enough points for A-list status.

I called and the lady said points from credit card rewards don't count... but I thought someone said you can get the companion pass via reward points... should I call again and throw a fit until they give me A-list status? 

Southwest clearly states on the site that credit card bonuses and promos do NOT count towards A-List status.

I bet you also read the terms of service for iTunes every time before you update.

it's not very hidden, says it right on the page below the descriptions of the service levels.

 

Go read your cable bill or something.

[ChiComCat]

Airline CC points pretty much never count towards status.  Hotel CC points sometimes do.

[ChiComCat]

http://www.priorityclub.com/hotels/us/en/global/offers/venetian_palazzo_50off.html?cm_mmc=EMAIL-_-AH_HRG-_-PCRAMER_VP_FlashSale_2012-_-AMBUSEN-_-primary_cta

Not bad value there if you want a nice room in vegas