Thinking Through My Wife’s App-Party.

Posted by Noob Master on Jul 6, 2012 in American Express, Chase Bank, Citi Bank, Credit Cards, Membership Rewards, Miles, Starwood Preferred Guest, Uncategorized | 17 comments

I love a good party. Who doesn’t enjoy the mingling, the food, and drinks? Parties are rad. But I have just as much fun applying for multiple rewards credit cards on one day every 90 days (App-Party) as I do knocking back a couple beers with the fellas.

It’s fun and the value is insane. I’ve been getting a lot of emails from readers who have been throwing their own app parties. I would love to hear about more of them, and if you would like some guidance, don’t hesitate to email me. In fact, I’ll Skype anyone during their app-party for a little support and a little fun.

Where was I? Oh yeah… back to processing my wife’s app-party next week. Just another perk of being married. I’m getting pumped just thinking about it. Here are the cards I’m considering for her.

Citi AA Biz 50k

This beauty comes with a sign-up bonus of 50,000 AAdvantage miles when you spend $3,000 in the first 4 months. I just applied for and received this card a couple months ago, so it compliments our household miles very nicely. You will also receive a statement credit for $100 after you make a qualifying AA purchase.

A couple warnings with this card. I had a biotch of a time getting approved for this card as a sole proprietor and even when I got an EIN. It’s the only card I have ever been denied for, and that has happened twice. For whatever reason, Citi has made it harder to get this card over the past few months. They will often ask for additional documents, such as: proof of business address (home if you are a sole p.), utility bill, or cell phone bill. Fortunately, I wasn’t asked to provide any documentation 2 months ago when I applied and got approved. My wife has had this card before, so I’m not worried about her getting approved for it again. It seems like the process is smoother for those people who have had the card before. Go figure.

Also, this is “technically” an expired deal, so the landing page has no mention of the sign-up bonus. There is some risk in applying, but many people have reported receiving the 50k sign-up bonus. Of course YMMV (your miles may vary).

I use my AAdvantage miles a little bit differently than the norm. I have redeemed them a couple of times for all inclusive stays at resorts. Sometimes we just have to get away and do nothing but soak up the sun and sip on margaritas. I’ve found the all inclusive deals to be a great value with AA miles. There is also incredible value in using AAdvantage miles for flights to Europe- non-peak MilesSAAver flights are 40,000 round trip. Pretty sweet. The other way I prefer to use AAdvantage miles is for business/first class tickets on Cathay Pacific. Because Cathay Pacific is a partner of AA, you can book flights with them. Cathay Pacific flies to many international cities and has a great business and first class product.

Link: Citi AA Business card

Hyatt Visa or British Airways Visa (or both!)

I’m torn here. I have the Hyatt Visa and 2 more free night certificates would be sweet for our upcoming Euro trip. BUT the British Airways Visa is expiring July 18th, so I better take advantage of it. I was searching flights for a quick Mexico trip yesterday and they were pricing at 30,000 Avios and $80 in business class. I like that a lot. I have also been using Avios for short haul domestic flights. They are growing on me.

Man, I love both these cards! I could always just apply for both. I was approved for 2 Chase personal cards in my last app party and I previously held 4. I didn’t have to close any, either. Jordan does have an old Continental card that has transformed into an Explorer (she has two of those now) and she could close it in order to open the second application. I really prefer to do 1 business and 1 personal with a certain bank during an app-party, but she already has the Ink Bold.

The Hyatt’s two free certificates come on first spend and the card also comes with Platinum status (free wi-fi, late check out). The British Airways Visa comes with a sign-up bonus on first spend of 50,000 Avios miles. If you spend an additional $10,000 in 12 months you get another 25,000 Avios AND if you spend another $10,000 you get another 25,000 Avios miles! That’s potentially 100,000 Avios. I’m too busy meeting other minimum spends to get the additional 50,000 Avios, but I could go for the second tier bonus of 25,000 Avios. The $95 isn’t waived the first year, but 50,000 Avios miles for $95 is a bargain.

I’m leaning towards the British Airways if I apply for one, but that could change.

Link: British Airways Visa Signature Card®  Review 

Link: Hyatt Credit Card Review

Amex Starwood Preferred Guest Card

The SPG card is a no brainer and I’m a little shocked Jordan hasn’t applied for this card yet. Come on, J! I love SPG’s cash and points method when redeeming points. You can really stretch out 25,000 Starwood Points this way. And the properties are legit. You can also transfer Starwood Points into American Airlines at a 1:1 ratio with a 5,000 bonus for every 20,000 transferred. Personally, I don’t do this, but it’s an option.

You will receive 10,000 Starwood points on first purchase and 10,000 more when you spend $5,000 in 6 months. 6 months people. Very doable.

Link: Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express.   Review

Barclays US Airways Card

Oh, how I adore the US Airways card from Barclays. This is another no brainer. 40,000 Dividend miles on first spend and another 10,000 every anniversary. That’s worth the annual fee in my mind. The annual fee is waived for the first year. (psssst. I have 2 of these cards. Read here for more info.)

I use my Dividend miles to fly Star Alliance partners to Europe. US Airways usually has discounted flights to Europe in Jan. and Feb. for 35,000 economy and 60,000 in business. Great deal. And if the Grand Slam comes back, you get a “hit” for using your US Airways card.

Link: US Airways Card  

[I do receive a referral credit for some of the cards listed above. If you do apply through one of my links....fist bump.]

These are the card options that Jordan and I are thinking through for her App-Party next week (notice how each bank is represented). I can’t wait to bust out the two laptops and start applying. It’s a great thing to know that in one day we are going to earn close to over 200,000 miles and points. And of course we can do it all while protecting our credit…nah…keeping it in excellent condition.

I hope this helps as you think through your apps. If you have any questions about which cards to apply for, or about your credit score- don’t hesitate to email me. I don’t bite.

— Noob Master