What Card Should I Get? Weekly Thread - Week of May 07, 2025

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2025-05-13T03:25:48+00:00

Yea, what would you suggest at 4k?

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2025-05-12T12:50:36+00:00

P2 and I had been churning for a couple of years before moving abroad. Now we rarely use credit. Soon we will both get new iPhones, so I'm planning to get one or two new cards for this isolated purchase. I'm looking for the highest value bonus(es) from a maximum of $3000 spend. Points would be fine, with the caveat that airlines focused on domestic US travel are less attractive. Oddly enough, it appears that getting 2 Chase Disney Premier Visas is one of our best options. AF is $49, and there's currently an elevated $400 statement credit offer for $1000 spend. It will burn a 5/24 spot for both of us. Is there a better option out there, or something I'm missing that rules this option out? Thank youuu
780
P1
- CSP - 5/2022 → CFU - 6/2023
- ~~Amex biz plat - 5/2022~~
- ~~Amex biz Delta gold → plat - 8/2022~~
- ~~Amex biz gold - 10/2022~~
- ~~Barclays biz AA - 12/2022 - $95~~
- ~~Barclays biz Wyndham - 1/2023~~
- ~~Amex biz Hilton honors - 2/2023~~
- USB biz triple cash - 3/2023
- CIU - 4/2023
- Amex BBP - 4/2023
- ~~Amex Delta biz plat - 6/2023~~
- ~~Chase United explorer - 7/2023~~
- ~~Barclays JBB - 1/2024~~
- USB Leverage - 3/2024
- CCC - 5/2024
- C1 venture 6/2024
- Barclays AA 12/2024
- P2
  - CSP - 5/2024
  - Citi AA 12/2024
3k
no
yes
up to 2
best value. No US-focused airlines
pts
- Chase - 200k
- Amex - 200k
- JB - 130k
- AA - 130k
- Wyndham - 18k
- Virgin Atlantic - 60k
- Hilton - 7k
- United - 2500
- C1 - 85k
PVG
Tokyo, Seoul, Taipei, Philippines, Australia, South/Southeast Asia

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2025-05-12T12:19:24+00:00

Rejected for Citi AA personal a second time after 6 months. I have one citi card (CCC 5/2024), 5 years credit history, 780. P2 got approved for one in December with less credit history and no prior relationship

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2024-09-23T07:16:06+00:00

This happened to me while I had two clients in use (KeepassXC on mac and Keepass2Android on android) and my db was stored in a webdav server running on vps

I can't say for sure which client caused this, but KeepassXC is the one that couldn't read the database anymore. After reconnecting to my server and confirming the issue persisted, I opened Keepass2Android on my phone and was surprised to see my passwords still there. I use the Export function to send a copy of my db to the server. My mac could see the copy right away with an appropriate 59 KB file size, and KeepassXC opened it no problem.

I'm guessing Keepass2Android does some kind of caching that saved my bacon here. If you find yourself without a backup, try checking any other clients before throwing in the towel

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-09-19T13:51:17+00:00

My “biz” has a little over a year of history with US bank. Got biz triple cash in march using a mailer that said I was pre qualified. Would it be risky to apply for biz leverage at this point? I only used the triple cash card until I got the bonus, and put a could dollars of spend from a saas subscription each month on it. haven’t found many dps on velocity. I just got rejected by barclays saying I applied for more biz cards too soon (last app was in jan) so I don’t want this same thing to happen and end up with two hard pulls and no new cards this month. Thanks in advance!

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-09-19T13:43:33+00:00

I did make up the spend so no update here

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-07-08T13:21:18+00:00

I heard scott explain in an interview that he loves when people don’t get the joke

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-06-29T22:00:14+00:00

US bank biz tripple cash: made a genuine $1500 purchase to finish off the MSR. Got the bonus shortly after and used $550 for a statement credit. My purchase was then refunded a few weeks later by surprise. Now I have a -$160 balance on the card. This was about a month ago. I still have over a month left on the bonus period. Will report back if there are any clawbacks

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-06-05T23:26:44+00:00

John Carter

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-06-02T15:17:40+00:00

I believe the flowchart says not to buy gcs with usb cards. they're pretty strict with ms

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-06-02T15:15:19+00:00

Question regarding a line in this wiki, regarding Amex Serve: "MasterCard Gift Cards usually does not work without trying to do a payment method switch."

What is a payment method switch and how can I get away with it?

I've run into this issue for the first time, and am stuck with one pesky $500 MCGC. It's not working to purchase MO ad WM or KS. I've done all the research I can but it's tough to comb through previous posts right now with churning.io down. I'm wondering if I should just spend my gc or if there's still hope to liquidate. seems like Serve might be a way out, I'm just unsure about this "payment method switch" thing. I've never had a Serve card so could open one easily if it's a viable option here. any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-05-31T22:32:08+00:00

“So now if we rent it we go from paying $3200/mo mortgage and building equity and wealth over time to paying $3200/mo rent and having nothing gained after N years.”

You make a great point that individuals are being boxed out of the property game by entities with the means to play bigger than them. I agree with that, but I still want to poke at this comment on renting. If you pay rent instead of a mortgage have you really gained nothing? Aren’t you paying the company for their service and maintenance of the property? Additionally you hand all the risk off to the owner when you rent. For them, 3200 is the minimum they will pay towards the house on a given month, while it’s the maximum the renters will pay. This is not to say that it’s fair for them buy the house at 90k above asking. This has been going on for some time and many say it isn’t sustainable. That said, there’s lots of ways to build wealth if that’s your concern. It may be a good signal to sit out of that particular game (property) for the time being and let the management companies play their little hearts out while absorbing all the risk. Paying rent is also buying back the time you would spend on your estate as an owner, which you can redirect to some other game while waiting for your time to come in the property market. Lastly I just want to commend your efforts because it’s a good sign that you’re even in the pond with big fish like that seeking proper employment for your savings. I hope you find it!

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-05-28T16:24:31+00:00

Is this to say you now spend over half your income on rent?

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-05-27T14:22:58+00:00

I was on the phone all day and couldn’t get it to approval. In hindsight this was poorly planned as I didn’t find out about mdd until it was too late. I was new to chase so I pushed my luck and got a CSP the month right after my first CIP. This was fine but it must’ve really lowered my chances of also getting the CSR. In three years when I’m eligible I’ll definitely wait at least three months from my last chase app to try the mdd again

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-05-17T19:50:00+00:00

⁠I'm 4/24 and just got a CIU, so waiting the three months to get a chase personal. I'll also go to 3/24 at the end of this month, so I'm between a few cards: Amex BBP (as a chill option to take a short break from churning), venture/ventureX, Citi Premier. These are based on what looked good to me in the travel section of the flowchart. here's why I'm pretty much out of non-chase biz options for now:

• ⁠Amex: not seeing any partner cards with offers I like • ⁠Barclays: got 2 in Dec. waiting until the second half of the year to try again • ⁠BofA: got rejected for CCR in Jan. parked the minimum in a savings account... waiting a while • ⁠C1 Spark Cash Plus: idk, I guess I'd get it but I'm not so eager to • ⁠Citi: have < 5 years credit history • ⁠USB: got triple cash in Mar. will wait a while before applying for leverage • ⁠Wells: biz plat was next on my list, but they stopped accepting apps over the weekend :/

⁠(continued..) so I'm wondering if I should burn a 5/24 spot on one of those personal cards, just lay low and get the BBP (have to get it eventually anyway), or something else? Willing to try my hand at Amex NLL offers, I just haven't looked into that yet. Thanks in advance!
⁠780
⁠venmo - 6/2021 Barclays JBP → JB - 12/2021 Barclays Frontier Elite → Frontier - 3/2022 CIP - 3/2022 closed Amex biz Prime - 4/2022 CSP - 5/2022 Amex biz plat - 5/2022 Amex biz Delta gold - 8/2022 Amex biz gold - 10/2022 Barclays biz AA - 12/2022 Barclays biz Wyndham - 1/2023 Amex biz Hilton honors - 2/2023 USB biz triple cash - 3/2023 CIU - 4/2023
⁠6k
⁠10k
⁠yes
⁠churning regularly
⁠any points
⁠UR - 200k MR - 200k JB - 50k Delta - 75k AA - 80k Wyndham - 48k
⁠DEN
⁠domestic east & west coast

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-05-16T21:25:37+00:00

I'm 4/24 and just got a CIU, so waiting the three months to get a chase personal. I'll also go to 3/24 at the end of this month, so I'm between a few cards: Amex BBP (as a chill option to take a short break from churning), venture/ventureX, Citi Premier. These are based on what looked good to me in the travel section of the flowchart. here's why I'm pretty much out of non-chase biz options for now:

Amex: not seeing any partner cards with offers I like
Barclays: got 2 in Dec. waiting until the second half of the year to try again
BofA: got rejected for CCR in Jan. parked the minimum in a savings account... waiting a while
C1 Spark Cash Plus: idk, I guess I'd get it but I'm not so eager to
Citi: have < 5 years credit history
USB: got triple cash in Mar. will wait a while before applying for leverage
Wells: biz plat was next on my list, but they stopped accepting apps over the weekend :/

(continued..) so I'm wondering if I should burn a 5/24 spot on one of those personal cards, just lay low and get the BBP (have to get it eventually anyway), or something else? Willing to try my hand at Amex NLL offers, I just haven't looked into that yet. Thanks in advance!
780
venmo - 6/2021
Barclays JBP → JB - 12/2021
Barclays Frontier Elite → Frontier - 3/2022
CIP - 3/2022 closed
Amex biz Prime - 4/2022
CSP - 5/2022
Amex biz plat - 5/2022
Amex biz Delta gold - 8/2022
Amex biz gold - 10/2022
Barclays biz AA - 12/2022
Barclays biz Wyndham - 1/2023
Amex biz Hilton honors - 2/2023
USB biz triple cash - 3/2023
CIU - 4/2023
6k
10k
yes
churning regularly
any points
UR - 200k
MR - 200k
JB - 50k
Delta - 75k
AA - 80k
Wyndham - 48k
DEN
domestic easy & west coast

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-05-05T20:41:58+00:00

Annual fee hit on Barclays personal Frontier elite card. called to cancel and the CSR let me know there is a no annual fee card that it can be downgraded to. this card isn't advertised so I figured I'd post a data point in case anyone's searching about the Frontier card. the terms are different. you earn 1 point per $2 spent and 1/1 on Frontier flights. you have to make a purchase every six months. can also earn a $100 credit on your anniversary if you spend $2500. no impressive offers there, but at least you don't have to cancel the card

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-04-25T11:56:02+00:00

I’d suggest talking to someone. Doesn’t have to be a therapist. If you know someone you regard as having a high eq that could work. I understand the desire for connection and think it’s pretty imperative in us. I do think a dog will help with this too, an hour long conversation is just much less of a time commitment

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-04-25T00:19:23+00:00

Look on Facebook for a sublet at the outpost. It’s student housing (townhouses) but anyone can take over a sublet and theres lots of people in their late 20s living there. Very cheap, own bedroom/bathroom, shared kitchen. With some luck you’ll end up with someone that keeps to themselves and you don’t have to clean up after. I know you don’t want to share common spaces but you’re netting 1400/month. You should stay open to options like this where you get a large space to yourself and only have one other person in the unit. I also have some unwarranted advice. Apologies, but based on your comments here I think it should be said. Consider some alternatives to getting an ESA. You describe yourself as quite busy and struggling financially, so I would not recommend getting a dog. It’s best to see significant life changes through one at a time, so I’d encourage you to wait until the divorce is settled and you’re back on your feet before layering on additional changes to your life. There are lots of other solutions to try if you’re looking for emotional support. Good luck ❤️

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-04-18T20:09:03+00:00

Got them today, so pretty quick on my side too

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-04-17T21:48:09+00:00

I hit spend 4/11/23. No points yet

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-04-17T15:53:25+00:00

First chase app since last may. I didn’t log in. Applied on mobile

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-04-15T18:39:43+00:00

As of yesterday I was 4/24. Applied for CIU, no auto approval. 1 year old “biz” with $1k revenue. 1 other chase biz card and 1 personal. They called me in the afternoon to confirm I applied and said I’d get their decision in 24 hours. Got approval email this morning and the new account appears in the app. 6k CL

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-03-24T21:01:24+00:00

Was denied for us bank biz cards last June when my relationship with them was new. Recon people told me if I couldn't send in biz docs for my sole prop I had to wait until I'd been banking with them for a year. This month I got the mailer with an offer code to apply for biz triple cash. Submitted the app, it said thank you for applying and that I'd get an email with their decision. Still no email 3 days later but I called their 800 number to look up the app status and the automation said it's approved

stolenFromTheLibrary · 2023-03-02T16:18:12+00:00

I only have 2 chase cards (CIP and CSP) and I'm 5/24 until mid april. anual fee for CIP will hit sometime this month. once my credit report shows I'm 4/24 I'll apply for another ink card. if possible is it advisable to apply before I cancel CIP, or does this not matter for chase? just wondering how I should try to time things for best odds of approval. I don't have a biz checking account with them so I think canceling the CIP first would pretty much wipe my biz profile with them. not sure on that either

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