Thinking through Jordan’s App Party.

Posted by Noob Master on Oct 16, 2012 in App-Party, business credit cards, Credit Cards, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Oh yeah. I’ve been counting down the days, and the time is finally here for another App Party!

I love being married for many reasons, and this makes the top 10. I get to throw more App Parties, which is fun, and earns me more miles. More miles=more free travel= wonderful life. Something like that….I do love my wife more than miles.

Applying for rewards credit cards is the easiest way to accumulate miles/points to travel the globe. I apply for multiple cards on one day, every 90-95ish days. I do this to earn a redic amount of miles/points (free travel currency) and to protect my credit.

I’m keeping all my credit activity to one day, taking the  2-5 hit from the initial inquiry, and then monitoring my credit. I watch as it rises over the next couple of months. It’s imperative that you’re monitoring your credit and not applying for cards if your score is in poor condition. Don’t apply for cards that have minimum spending requirements you’re uncomfortable with. If you need help with minimum spends, check out this page I created with links to all my posts with ways to help.

I also like to spread out my apps across the different banks. This helps to increase approvals and spread out activity over the 3 different credit bureaus. Check out creditboards.com to see which banks pull what bureau in your area.

I’ve finally met all the minimum spending requirements from my last App Party, so let’s pop a bottle and get this party started.

Citi Hilton Reserve

This is a new card, and one I applied for during my last app party. I’m pretty new to collecting Hilton points, since I’ve been a SPG and Hyatt man most of my life. To get real value out of Hilton, you need to know about Axon and Glon award nights. 

The Citi Hilton Reserve card comes with a sign-up bonus of 2 free weekend nights after you spend $2,500 in 4 months. 4 months is a generous amount of time to meet a minimum spend requirement. The 2 free weekend night certificates will be good at Hilton 1-7 category properties and select Waldorf properties. The certificates aren’t good for “all inclusive resorts” or Waldorf properties that don’t offer standard rooms. I value these two free certificates at 100,000 Hilton HHonors points.

But a huge reason I like the Hilton Reserve is for the automatic “Gold Status.” Boom. Gold status will get you free breakfast! I love free breakfast when I’m traveling. So convenient.  Plus, you get free wi-fi (I hate paying for wi-fi) and possible room upgrade. I just stayed at the Chicago Airport Hilton and enjoyed all of the above mentioned perks, and even got bumped to the top floor. It was nothing special, but I’m already seeing the benefits of holding the Hilton Reserve.

Check out my full review for all the other great perks.

Plus….wait for it….You can apply for two Citi Hilton Reserves cards at the same time! Aka, the double browser trick. For years, people have been applying for 2 Citi AAdvantage cards at the same time, and you can with the Citi Hilton cards as well. What’s great about the double browser trick is that your two initial inquiries will be combined into one. Sweeeet. All you have to do is open up different browsers and apply for the card in each one. I like to get two computers out and go crazy. Of course, there is always the chance that one app won’t go through, or Citi will want to verify. All you have to say is say, “I want two cards to separate spending and there isn’t a business card.”

Citi® Hilton HHonors™ Reserve Card

p.s. the annual fee isn’t waived the first year.

p.p.s. I always apply for Citi cards first during an App Party. They are the stingiest about denying for “too many recent inquiries.”

US Airways Card

I was waiting on the Grand Slam for this card, but that doesn’t seem to be happening this year. Bullocks. This is a no brainer for us, especially since I burned the majority of Dividend miles on our trip last month. I have to replenish. I had 13k miles left in my account, so I took advantage of the 100% share promotion and transferred them over to Jordan’s account. She now has a little over 26,000 US Airways Dividends miles. After signing up and swiping her US Airways card once – she will have 66,000. Balling.

Here are the full details of the card:

• $89 annual fee waived for the first year; 3% foreign transaction fee
• 5,000 mile discount when you redeem for US Air award travel
• 10,000 miles bonus  on every anniversary of account opening date, effectively making up for annual fee
• 40,000 Dividend miles on first use

The application states that you must be a Chairmans Preferred Member, but many people have received the card without having any US Airways status. Who has US Airways status anyway? Anyone?

Barclays will most likely pull Transunion, which is awesome because Jordan’s Transunion credit report is spot clean.

US Airways Barclays Card

LTO 50,000 American Express Business Gold

This is another card I’m pumped about. Yes, Amex has been having 75k one day specials all year for this card, but the timing was never right for me, AND the spend was $10,000 in 3 months. That’s pretty hefty. The spend on the LTO (expires Nov. 26th) is $5,000 in 3 months. That’s more like it.

I prefer to use my Membership Rewards points to transfer to British Airways, Aeroplan, or Delta when there’s a transfer bonus. There was just a 40% transfer bonus to British Airways.

• LIMITED TIME OFFER: Get 50,000 Membership Rewards® points when you spend $5,000 in the first three months of Card membership*
• 3X points on airfare
• 2x points on purchases in the U.S. for advertising in select media, gasoline at U.S. stand-alone gas stations, and shipping
• 1X points on other purchases
• Points are earned only on eligible purchases. Bonus points limitations apply.
  
• Earn points even faster to get more rewards for your business
• One million rewards from over 500 brands
•  24/7 support for everything from identity theft to travel emergencies
• $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $175
• Introductory annual fee for Additional Gold Cards in the first year is $0; then, $50 for the first Additional Gold Card and no fee for other Additional Cards
• Terms & Restrictions Apply

The Business Gold Rewards Card® from American Express 

Southwest Business Card

Jordan already applied for the “personal” Southwest card earlier this year. It’s time for her to go after the Companion Pass. The Companion Pass will enable her to bring a buddy (me) on any Southwest flights she takes in the next year.

Since this is a Chase card,  we will definitely have to call the reconsideration department to push through an approval.

You have to earn 110,000 qualifying Rapid Rewards points and for 2012, c.c. sign-up bonuses are counting. I will buy Marriott points and transfer over the extra points I need to reach 110k. This is the best domestic travel deal out there.

Jordan will receive 50,000 Rapid Rewards after spending $2,000 in 3 months.

The $69 annual isn’t waived.

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Business Card

The bounty

There you have it. Cards spread out over 4 different banks, some personal and some business. I think this is a great App Party. I always let Jordan have the final say, so she may only want to do 3 cards, but this is what I’m pushing for.

The total bounty would be 4 Hilton weekend nights and Gold Status, 40,000 US Airways Dividend miles, 50,000 very valuable Membership Rewards points, and 50,000 Rapid Rewards. I’ll take it!

If you have any App Party questions for yourself – don’t hesitate to email or chat. I love obsessing about this stuff.

[Disclaimer: I receive a referral credit for the Citi Hilton & American Express Business Gold cards.] I don’t receive a referral credit for the US Airways or Southwest Business cards, but don’t make me a hero for linking to them.

— Noob Master