Year: 2012

My First App-o-Rama of New Credit Cards (FlexPerks, Hilton, and US Airways)

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I decided this past weekend to take part in my first app-o-rama. For those new to the term, what this means is I applied for several credit cards at the same time to hopefully minimize impacts to my credit scores. Also notice, performing an app-o-rama is really only recommended for those with excellent credit. It is not to say you could not try to pull one off without less than perfect credit, but your priorities should be to clean up your credit reports rather than gaming the system.

I am relatively conservative when it comes to applying for new credit cards. The main reason for being selective is I do not necessarily want to use up a credit card when a potentially better offer may be coming down the line. I am not overly concerned with new credit cards impacting my credit scores negatively because it is just not true if you maintain a healthy credit file.

I already had an excellent credit file and scores, and the couple of new applications and 2-5 point hit I will temporarily take for each new card will not effect things to much. Plus we have no large purchases coming up in the future. I have been so conservative in the past, that usually after each new card I have gotten in the past, my scores have either gone up or stayed the same. This is the first time I went and applied for four (4) cards at the same time.

I finally decided to roll the dice and start applying for cards because we have our 2.5 week Disneyland and Hawaii trip coming up. My thinking was that rather than place the spend on my existing cards, I am better off meeting the minimum spend requirements and really maximizing the amount of rewards I earn from credit cards. If I am going to spend $3,000 on this vacation, I might as well put it on a new card, netting me a free flight or more in the future.

So lets get right to it. Some may completely disagree with my logic on cards, and even I was slightly amazed at the route I went, but I think it will work out for our family at this time.

US Bank for the FlexPerks Travel Card

I was targeted by US Bank for the FlexPerks Travel Card. Also note, I am not a current US Bank account holder, although I did have a car payment and savings account with them in the past. While I never thought I would even give a second look at a US Bank credit card, they made the offer pretty enticing I felt.

  • 20,000 FlexPerks after $500 spend in 90 days
  • $25 credit towards in-flight purchases of baggage fees
  • No annual fee the first year; $49 thereafter
  • 0% interest on purchases for 12 months

While 20,000 FlexPerks might not appear like much, US Bank actually values the points at $2 each. Therefore, 20,000 FlexPerks = $400 in flights. In my opinion, I did not think that was that bad of an offer.

Before applying for the targeted offer, I called US Bank to see what better kind of business card they could offer me than the standard 10,000 FlexPerks available through their website. I was given the option to apply for the business version of the FlexPerks Travel card, awarding 17,500 points after $2,500 500 in spend within 90 days. I took the bait and applied over the phone.

In the end, if I am approved for both cards, I should easily be able to have enough rewards for $800 in flights after spend and bonus points.

Unfortunately, US Bank does not do instant approvals, and I have to wait a couple of days to see the status.

5/31/12 Update- After calling in to check on the status, I was approved for both versions of the card. In addition, I had US Bank waive the rush delivery fee.

6/4/12 Update- 2 Business cards arrived today, so I called to question what the bonus was on each before activating. One business card was issued, and when I called in to have it rush delivered, they cancelled the first card and rushed me a replacement card. The good news though is that the 17,500 bonus points is earned after only $500 spend in 90 days, not the original $2,500 spend in 90 days I was told when I applied. Sweet!

8/7/12 Update- After our business FlexPerks bonus points never posted, I called to inquiry and was told we did indeed need to meet the $2,500 minimum spend and not $500 as previously told. The agent could not do anything for me after repeated attempts to make them honor the $500 minimum spend.

American Express Hilton HHonors

I have something to admit, which you may already know if you regularly follow InACents. I have never owned an American Express card. So I am excited that I will now have one in my wallet. I applied for a limited time (until May 31, 2012), 50,000 Hilton HHonors American Express.

  • Earn 50,000 points after $750 spend in 90 days
  • 6 points/$ spent at Hilton; 3 points/$ everywhere else
  • No Annual Fee
  • Silver Status for the lifetime of the card

I found this card attractive for several reasons. First, we do like Hilton properties, so anything that could help our stays in the future is great, including Silver status. Second, 50,000 points was the best available offer at the time. Most importantly is there is no annual fee. So this will be a great card to continue holding in my portfolio in the future. I will not have to worry every year about canceling the card before the annual fee is due. I value my credit report very dearly, as everyone should, so anything I can do to make it better in the future by holding onto a card for the long term is great in my mind.

5/30/12 Update- I already had the card in my hand, ready to use. Now that is a fast turn around!

US Airways Premier World MasterCard

This is a card I have actually been eying and wanting to open for quite a while. The biggest potential, and thing I want to try with this card is the churnability (i.e. being able to open the card in the future and scoring the bonus again). Churning is something I always wanted to do, and never took the dive in, so I am excited for the opportunities with this card.

The card is issued by Barclays, which again is nice applying for a card from someone besides Chase. The offer below bills itself as a 60,000 mile offer, but really it is the standard 40,000 mile offer with a 10,000 bonus upon each subsequent annual renewal. I find it kind of funny that they stop at 60,000 miles because if you renew each year, the offer potentially can grow exponentially. The US Airways Dividend Mile Premier World MasterCard offers:

  • 40,000 Dividend miles after 1st purchase
  • 10,000 miles upon anniversary renewal each year
  • Double miles on US Airways purchases; 1 mile everywhere else
  • Earn 10,000 miles towards Dividend Miles
  • Preferred status
  • Up to two $99 companion tickets annually
  • Preferred check-In
  • Preferred Zone 2 boarding
  • One complimentary US Airways Club day pass annually
  • Discount on annual US Airways Club membership
  • Exceptional travel benefits
  • Preferred dining and entertainment experiences
  • World MasterCard Price Protection and Zero Fraud Liability

While 40,000 miles might not seem like a huge deal when others are offering 50,000 and up, US Airways really has not come out with better offers. The real advantage will be testing out churning this card in the future, and all for no minimum spend.

One additional benefit that I am gearing up for is the US Airways Grand Slam promotion in September. I have it on pretty good authority that the promotion is returning in 2012. I am excited to see if the card can be used to garner additional “hits” in the promotion, and thus extra miles.

I also applied for the business version of the US Airways card offering 25,000 Dividend miles after first purchase. The annual fee is $79, and is not waived the first year. Considering I did not have to meet a minimum spend, I considered purchasing 25,000 for a mere $79 a great deal.

Since I was immediately approved for the personal card, I also wanted to minimize my credit impact by making a business application at the same time, hoping for only one credit pull. Unfortunately, I was not immediately approved for the business version of the card, so we will see what happens over the next several days.

5/31/12 Update- I called in and had the rush delivery fee on the personal card waived. Unfortunately, I was denied the Business version of the card because I had so many recent inquiries and had no history with Barclays. They encouraged me to use the card for 6-12 months and apply again in the future. It is too bad I had to waste a credit pull, but sometimes you need to take risks to win big. The good news is I avoid having to pay a $79 annual fee upfront on the business line.

6/2/12 Update- I had to go and sign to pick up the card from FedEx, and after receipt and activation of the card, I immediately made a first purchase to qualify for the bonus miles.

The Wrap Up

The quick and dirty of everything is that by spending $3,750 1,750 (+$79 annual fee) across fivefour (4) credit cards over the next 90 days, I will walk away with approximately 40,000 US Bank FlexPerks = $800 in flights; 50,000 Hilton HHonors points; and 65,00040,000 US Airways Dividend Miles. Had I just put this spend for our vacation on a card I already had in my wallet, I would not obtain the benefits of new card owners.

The business applications always make me nervous only because they never get immediately approved, and I know I will have to plead my case to a live agent eventually. 5/31/12 Update- Fortunately, I only had to do this once, see above.

Could I have done better? Maybe, but I also left myself open to any great Chase offers coming down the line in the future. I could have applied for the Delta 45,000 + $100 (x 2) in credits I recently wrote about, but pairing that with the above would have added a massive amount of minimum spend, which might not have been obtainable for our family.

I also debated about adding on the Virgin Atlantic and/or Hawaiian Airlines cards because of their churnability and ability to transfer the points to Hilton HHonors at a great rate, but I did not want to add on extra minimum spend and annual fees. Maybe my next app-o-rama in 6 months or so will include some of these other options.

I am really excited to have completed my first pile of credit card applications, and knowing that it will massively help our family’s travel dynamic in the future makes me really happy.

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Note, I did not earn any commission from any of the links above, because they were not offered through my affiliate network.

[Expired] 45,000 Delta Skymiles + $100 Statement Credit American Express (Personal and Business)

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My wife and I both received mailers from Delta for 30,000 mile offers. We also both received emails for the Delta American Express cards. My offer was only for 35,000 miles; however, my wife’s offer came in at 45,000 miles + $100 statement credit. Here is the good part…the offer does not appear to be targeted as the applications did not autofill nor require an invitation code. The offer now appears to be targeted after you enter in your Skymiles number and Last name. In addition, the Personal and Business line are both offering the same bonuses. Apply and get accepted for both, and walk away with 90,000 Delta Skymiles + $200 in statement credits. Personally, I think this is a big bonus worthy of contention.

May 2012 Delta 45k Offer

The 45,000 Delta American Express card offer states:

  • 25,000 miles after first purchase
  • 20,000 miles after $5,000 spend in 6 months
  • $100 statement credit after Delta purchase within first 3 months
  • Free first checked bag for up to 8 people
  • Priority boarding
  • Save 20% on in-flight purchases
  • $25 Delta Sky Club access
  • $99 Companion Ticket (only valid within lower 48 States)
  • Double miles earned on Delta purchases; 1 mile on everything else
  • $95 annual fee (Waived the first year)

Offer expires June 17, 2012.

I am in the midst of a late app-o-rama of my own to maximize our returns for our Hawaii trip and spend this summer. Unfortunately, I just can not justify opening this card at this time because of the spend requirements and the cards I already opened/pending (more to come shortly on what we did). I for sure would be partaking in this offer if I had not already committed to some other cards AND knew we could meet the spend for both a business and personal line.

Note, I do not earn a commission off of this link. I have updated our Credit Card page with this new information.

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5/31/12- Updated as offer is now coming up as targeted after you sign in.

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Polka Dot Spends an Extra Free Night at the Ritz Carlton Cleveland

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I was very fortunate last week to jump on a deal for free/comped premium hotel rooms surrounding the grand opening of the new Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland. First up, I had a reservation at the Ritz Carlton Cleveland. My wife had plans for the evening, so I planned on taking the boys down to the hotel to at least enjoy the pool. Unfortunately, I had a problem with my Total Rewards card (my last name was completely wrong on my account), so I had concerns that my hotel reservations might not go through when I showed up under a different name. Even though I consider myself famous, I am not quite pass it off as a pseudo name.

So the game plan was to let my parents use the room, and after swimming, the boys and I would head home. My work around for getting checked into the room was to invite my parents down to stay in the room and temporarily watch my boys for a couple of moments until I could go next door and get the casino to fix the name on my account. Fortunately, after half a dozen phone calls prior to arrival, I got Total Rewards to change the name on my reservations, and I could deal with the name change on my account when I visit the casino at a later time.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Lobby 1 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Lobby 2
120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Lobby 3 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Lobby 4

After checking into the hotel, I knew I was in another world of accommodations that I was typically not used frequenting. The lobby was exquisite and elegant with beautiful wood trim, elaborate art and antiquities. The hotel staff had no problems checking the boys and I into the hotel, and my room was confirmed as being covered by Total Rewards. The only problem we had was our hotel cards were not working in the elevators, but it was quickly resolved and we were on the way up to our room.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Lobby 5 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Lobby Clock

The lobby/elevator attendant, prior to heading up, took my sister aside and gave her some toys to give to the boys. What an incredible, amazing touch for a hotel to do something so thoughtful. The boys were thankful for their new toys, as well as excited to spend time with my parents and sister. The surprises and hospitality towards families at the Ritz Carlton Cleveland did not stop there.

After getting into my room, there was already a crib waiting for us. I can not tell you how convenient that is as almost every time we check into a hotel, we have to wait for the staff to bring one to the room. Having it ready and waiting, just in case Lan-Shark (1) was sleeping was a well thought out and appreciated convenience provided by the Ritz Carlton.

Also provided with the room was a Protect Our Little Ones (P.O.L.O.) bag that included plug covers and thermal forehead strips for fevers. Wow! Is this what the rich have come to expect? Whomever put forth the thought to carry out the P.O.L.O. bags and the front desk toys was a genius in my opinion, and every hotel chain should strive for the same treatment to families. Just hopefully our boys do not come to expect toys at every hotel we go to check in at over the summer.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Toys 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland P.O.L.O. Bag
120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Crib 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Door Hang

Every part of the hotel felt like luxury, which is what I expected when associating a hotel with the Ritz Carlton brand. Our elegantly appointed rooms included granite counter tops, marble bathrooms, a flat screen television complete with a hook-up panel for all of your electronics, and Ritz Carlton signature bottles of water, robes, and towels. Our room was selected with two (2) queen beds because originally we had planned on using the room. Instead, my parents would have the room to themselves, or so I thought.

In my opinion what set the Ritz Carlton apart from other hotels was not necessarily the high end accompaniments, but rather the impeccable attention to detail and friendliness of the staff. They were all absolutely amazing, and made our stay at the Ritz Carlton Cleveland absolutely one of my favorite hotel nights ever.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Room Entry 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Room Entertainment
120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Room Beds 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Room Bath Amenities
120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Room Bathroom 1 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Room Bathroom 2

The Cleveland Indians were playing the Miami Marlins at home that night, so flying overhead was the Goodyear Blimp, although I am thinking the great staff called in a favor to impress my boys. Our room overlooked downtown on one side, but more importantly towards the riverfront on the other.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland View 1

The Goodyear Blimp was flying overhead for the Indians game.

 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland View 2

As you can tell from the picture, there is so much potential along our riverfront, yet nothing has been accomplished to draw people towards it. Someday we may have a magnificent waterfront district to draw in the crowds. No longer will our city be called the Mistake on the Lake and maybe the scenes of the river catching on fire will be pushed from people’s minds once Cleveland develops the riverfront.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland View 3

Our family made our way down to the pool on the 7th floor of the Ritz Carlton. I am still honestly kind of baffled how a hotel manages to get a swimming pool on a middle floor of a building. The whole time I wondered what might be going on below us, or what if the pool sprung a leak.

Once inside the fitness center, I was immediately impressed by the fruit infused water available for guests, as well as the pool facilities. There were separate areas for the fitness room (24 hours), the pool, massage rooms, and changing rooms.

We were mostly the only ones using the fitness center facilities (i.e. pool, hot tub, etc.) on a Friday night, which was nice that my boys could be boys with their grandparents, and I did not have to worry about bothering other guests of the Ritz Carlton.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Fitness Center Lobby 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Fitness
120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Hot Tub 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Pool

The mens locker room was in the fitness center was also quite impressive with all the same bath amenities as in our room in addition to a sauna, separate showers, and those wonderful signature bath robes. After putting one on to impress my family with my new rich lifestyle, they were thereafter shortly replaced with new robes, despite never really seeing any employees. Quite impressive customer service.

120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Men's Locker Room 1 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Men's Locker Room 2 120518 Ritz Carlton Cleveland Men's Locker Room Shower

While the hotel staff was most impressive and very down to earth and friendly, the occasional interaction we had with other guests of the Ritz Carlton were completely different. All of a sudden I felt like an outcast in the rich people’s snooty world. Maybe I am not cracked up for the rich life style, and am just as suitable in a Holiday Inn or Hampton. Somehow I think several of the cocky patrons must have been from the Miami Marlins, as on Sunday there were several of them that walked past me waiting in the valet area, and as soon as they walked into the open, fans approached them for autographs and photos. Not being a big sports guy, they seemed like any other business man to me, and I would not have known who they were if it were not for the fans outside.

Cleveland Horseshoe Casino

After a couple of hours at the pool, we all headed back to the room. My sister than graciously offered to watch the boys so my parents and I could go see the casino. Great decision, as the timing could not have been any better! First, we got right into the casino via the Tower City entrance. After seeing several hour waits all week long, I was worried there was no chance as getting in on a Friday night of opening week. When we left later on at night, the Indian’s game had let out and there were huge lines to get into the casino.

Once inside, all I can say is the Horseshoe Casino is beautiful! I have been in many casinos, both inside and outside of Las Vegas. The Horseshoe did an amazing job with gorgeous light fixtures and the surrounding environment. Keep in mind the Horseshoe is the first casino to open in Ohio, and is only temporary until they establish their new future location hopefully along the riverfront. So to say we were more than impressed with a temporary establishment is an understatement.

Since I had not anticipated going into the casino, I was only there for a short time to take a look around. I wish I could have taken pictures to capture the environment, but we all know how well cameras go over in a casino.

The only thing I thought that was rather disappointing was the food areas of the casino.

1) The area reserved for dining with several quick serve restaurants was rather small. Although I do see the point of feed people and get them back to gambling.
2) I realize kids are not allowed in casinos, but all of the food for guests is actually within the casino, and there is no way to even get to the buffet without entering the casino. It would have been nice to have an outside entrance to at least the buffet area so guests could feed their kids if chosen.

By the time my parents and I got done checking out the Horseshoe Casino and headed back to our room at the Ritz Carlton, the boys were out (and I think my sister was thankful). So at that point, I just opted to stay the night since there were two queen beds. My parents and sister ended up going out and back into the casino. By the time my parents got back to the room around 4:00 AM, they just went home, so the boys and I did end up having the room to ourselves.

Where is Polka Dot?

Fast forward to the next morning, and Bug’s (3) blanket, Polka Dot, went missing. After searching high and low, under every piece of furniture, and inside every drawer, Polka Dot was nowhere to be found. After calls to lost and found, visiting the front desk and searching the lobby, and going back through the car, I could not find Polka Dot anywhere. My elegant night at the Ritz Carlton will be marred with visions of Polka Dot getting lost. This is disastrous.

Once home and after tearing apart the house, we still had no luck finding Polka Dot. Surprisingly Bug took it much better than expected, but it might have been because the implications might not have set in yet.

While laying in bed that night, my wife encouraged me to call down the Ritz Carlton again to check if they found it. The truth is, Polka Dot figured he wanted another free night at the Ritz Carlton Cleveland, and opted to stay again. I come to find out he had been chumming it up at the Ritz Carlton lobby with the staff. The reason…those darn toys. Apparently as soon as my son saw the cars, Polka Dot got tossed like the sticky blanket he is. Somehow, with a 5:2 ratio of adults to kids, no one noticed Polka Dot lying in the Ritz Carlton lobby.

We fortunately were back downtown on Sunday to watch my sister in the Cleveland Marathon, so stopping in to escort Polka Dot home was easily accomplished.

The Ritz Carlton Cleveland blew our family away from the excellent accommodations and hospitality of the staff. Up next, we will be staying tonight at the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel, again comped on behalf of Total Rewards and the Horseshoe Casino. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend everyone!

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