Credit Card Applications and Results: Fall 2017

As I mentioned in my last applications and results post, my fiance and I both have been active with new credit card applications after his yearlong hiatus. This fall didn’t play out too favorably for me, which indicates I may need to take a break soon. Here are all of our applications for Fall 2017.

My Applications

Hilton Honors Card from American Express

The offer I signed up for was 50,000 Hilton points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months and an additional 25,000 points after spending an additional $1,000 in the first 6 months. Unfortunately for me, there was a 75,000 points for $1,000 spend offer that I didn’t notice until after applying. As with all of my Amex applications over the past year, I was approved without a hard pull.

Result: Pending, but then approved

Bonus: 50,000 points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months and an additional 25,000 points after spending another $1,000 in the first 6 months. Hilton points aren’t worth much and tend to be valued at about 0.6 cents apiece, making this bonus worth about $450. However, I used these points for a Conrad Maldives redemption where I got a valuation of 1.15 points per dollar. Not bad for Hilton points!

Capital One Venture Card

The Capital One Venture card is the first travel card I opened back in 2015. I decided to try for this card again given the increased sign-up bonus. Given all of my credit card activity over the past year, the result wasn’t favorable. Now I have a hard inquiry on each of my credit reports for the next two years…

Result: Instant denial

Bonus: 50,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. These points are worth 1 cent each so this bonus is valued at $500.

Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select

I decided to apply after my Capital One rejection, but Citi and I have a tumultuous relationship. This is the third time I applied for this card in the past 13 months. Despite having only 1 inquiry in the past 3 months, 2 in the past 6, and 13 total, Citi once again told me to go f*ck myself.

Result: Instant denial

Bonus: 60,000 miles after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months. If you value these miles at about 1.4 cents apiece, this bonus is worth over $800.

Alaska Airlines Visa Signature

I made the mistake of applying for the Alaska card back in August, despite having too many Bank of America cards at the time. I closed one of my cards and waited 90 days before applying again. This also gave me enough time to escape Bank of America’s new 2-3-4 rule. I was nervous about this one because I needed 30,000 more miles to book one of the flights for my honeymoon. Bless Bank of America for their leniency when you do follow their rules!

Result: Instant approval

Bonus: 30,000 miles after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months and a $100 statement. There is a $75 annual fee but I came out $25 ahead thanks to the statement credit. The value of the miles is at least $500 (probably more) depending on how they’re redeemed.

My Fiance’s Applications

Chase Southwest Plus

This fall, Chase offered 60,000 points on all three of the Southwest cards. Even better, the timing was perfect for getting the Companion Pass for all of 2018 and 2019. We haven’t earned the Companion Pass yet, but come January 1st, we will complete the spending requirements on both.

Result: Instant approval

Bonus: 60,000 points after spending $2,000 in the first 3 months, worth about $900. Factoring in the $69 annual fee, the bonus is worth $831.

Chase Southwest Premier Business

My fiance received the bonus on the personal Premier card within the past two years so we had to open the Premier business card instead.

Result: Pending, approved within a few days

Bonus: 60,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first 3 months, worth about $900. Factoring in the $99 annual fee, the bonus is worth $801.

 American Express Starwood Preferred Guest Business

This fall, American Express offered an increased sign-up bonus on the SPG Business card. I referred my fiance, earning an additional 7,500 points on top of the bonus! This bonus had a huge spending requirement, but luckily, we had a payment to make at our wedding venue that more than covered the spending requirement. Better yet, we earned double points on the transaction since our wedding is at the Ritz Carlton!

Result: Instant approval

Bonus: 25,000 points after spending $6,000 in the first 3 months and an additional 10,000 points after spending an additional $4,000 in the first 6 months. The value can vary but is conservatively worth around $750.

Final Thoughts

This fall had its hits and misses, but we ended up getting all of the credit cards we needed to plan our honeymoon and to get the Southwest Companion Pass for two years. The total value of the points and miles earned this quarter is well over $3,000. And that doesn’t factor in all of the savings we’ll get from the Companion Pass. I plan on slowing down significantly this winter and my fiance will continue to focus on Chase cards until he’s no longer 5/24. Stay tuned to see what we decide to apply for this winter!