terpaero's Debt Trap-O-Rama

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I am a noob to FWF, but by substantial lurking, I've gleaned a lot of info (and contributed some). Here's my new AOR contribution: My Debt Trap-O-Rama. I started this a couple of weeks before I found about FWF and inspite of that, it seems to have turned out quite ok.

6/28/06: Existing Credit & Loans(All Personal)

MBNA World Points MC: $19800 (balance paid in full)
Citi Diamond Preferred MC : $1500 (balance paid in full)
Citi Simplicity MC : $4500 ($4300 in 0% APR till April 2006)
Chase Platinum MC : $5000 (zero balance)
Auto Loan: $5100

In my ignorance, I'd closed 2 AMEX cards (one of which was 6 years old and my oldest account) over 3 months ago. They refused to reopen them subsequently.

Personal Credit Applied for:
7/25/06: Request CLi for existing Chase card from $5k to $10k reallocated below to $500 (deferred approval) --> Equifax
7/25/06:Sony Chase card: $100 on first purchase: (Instant Approval) $5k initial limit increased to $10k reallocated to $19.5k from other chase card --> Equifax 0% APR for 12 months $10-$75fee
7/25/06: BofA preapproved WorldPoints card $4500 limit 0% for 6 months --> No pull
7/25/06: Discover Card (Rejected as foreign national) --> TU
8/8/06: HSBC Platinum MC 0% for 12 months from mail offer: (InstaApproved for $750) Cancelled immediately --> Equifax

Business CCs Applied:
Pre-FW
6/29/06: AMEX Business Gold Card (Guaranty Bank offer): $100 statement credit on first purchase (Insta-Approved) Equifax
7/10/06: AMEX Business Platinum Card (Guaranty Bank) : $100 statement credit on first purchase (Insta-Appoved with $4800 CL) Equifax
Post-FW
7/23/06: CitiBusiness PremierPass Card: 15000 thank you bonus: (Defferred Approval for $7500) 0% for 12 --> Equifax
7/25/06: Capital One Business: (Deferred Approval for $7000) 0% for 12 --> EQ, EX, TU
7/25/06: Advanta Platinum 0% for 15 months: (Deferred Rejection - insuf mortgage, too many inq,insuf length of personal hist,insufficient bus hist) --> Equifax,RiskWise
8/1/06: BofA Business PowerRewards Platinum: Instaapproved for $15000 limit (0% for 6 months) --> Experian
8/10/06: CitiBusiness ThankYou Card: 10000 TY points: (Deferred Approval for $7000) 0% for 12 --> Equifax
8/10/06: Chase Business Card: 0% for 12 : (Deferred Approval for $6000) --> Equifax

New Bank Accounts
7/23/06: BofA Checking $100 bonus 100MBNA -->TransUnion
7/23/06: CitiBank $200 bonus CEPM --> Equifax
Citi eSavings 5% APY --> Equifax
NetBank Checking $75 bonus --> no pull
NetBank Money Market $75 bonus --> no pull
EmigrantDirect 5.15% APY --> no pull
Etrade Bank Money Market $50 bonus --> no pull
WashingtonFirst Bank $50 bonus --> no pull

Brokerages
Ameritrade: $500 bonus for Apex (funded with $10k from MBNA Billpay)
Fidelity: $100 bonus for $10k investment (bonus paid immediately)
Sharebuilder: CompassBank, iplangift promos

Previous Total Credit Limit: $30300
New Credit:
Personal $20250
Business $40300
Total New Credit: $60550

Total Credit: $90850 (tripled)

New inquiries:
Equifax 14 -3 = 11(Removed CitiBank inq by dispute)
Experian 3
TU 4

Credit Score Tracker:

Equifax ScoreWatch:
7/23/06: 736
7/27/06: 721
7/30/06: 716
8/05/06: 735 (After Citi inq dispute)
8/14/06: 700 (after BofA new account and BT reported)

Experian CreditExpert: (MSMoney free scorewatch)

7/25/06: 745
8/10/06: 746
8/15/06: 732 (after BofA new account and BT reported)

PrivacyGuard:
8/10/06
EQ 698 EX 732 TU 722



Update:
Second CitiBusiness Thank You card got approved with CL of $7000.
Brings my total CL to almost 100k.


Out of curiosity, why are you calling it a Debt Trap-O-Rama?

What are your ultimate intentions with the AOR? Pay down your car loan, earn interest on the excess cash, and then pay off the car loan + credit cards before the promo rates expire?


I like all your business cards. I think I will try that too. But you have stolen my crap-o-ramaŽ trademark, and I must inform you that you are being sued.


Curious about the "Debt Trap-O-Rama" name too. I don't see what makes it different from the standard AOR? Green for all the detail you give.


My primary reasons for this AOR was CC bonuses and 0% money to invest in banks/brokerages for interest and additional bonuses. And yeah, pay down my car loan. So, mbaker4096, you are right!

I just wanted the name to rhyme with App-O-Rama, so no particular reason. I do plan to use the additional credit, so I will be in a lot of debt. Sorry cameron2003, while a Debt Trap can be crappy, it can also be quite sweet if you make the money work for you (Thanks to Sis, DH, and others). I must warn you that if you sue me, i will get advice from codename on how to sue back!!


Great info, OP.
Any additional details about the Discover rejections on "foreign national" grounds?


terpaero said: I must warn you that if you sue me, i will get advice from codename on how to sue back!!Why wait ?


g10ny said: Great info, OP.
Any additional details about the Discover rejections on "foreign national" grounds?


I've been rejected by them in the past for the same reason. I'm on a student visa. Maybe they got that info from my previous application. Dunno. I'm not sure if I want their business anymore even if I become a US citizen in the future. And maybe they should stop sending me junk mail!!!


hey terp! this is prob a silly ? i didn't want to raise a red flag by calling cc co and askin'.

i tried to overpay by -$10k bt from chase to mbna. but mbna returned the bt to chase. what magic# should i use to overpay so i can get a credit refund check fro cc co?
--------------------------------
thanx terp! humm, thinkin'
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mbaker4096/hknight thanks for the tips. being a lazy bumb- not researching myself- i deserved that. seriously, it's all about doing homework, research, research, research. right?!


bryany127 said: hey terp! this is prob a silly ? i didn't want to raise a red flag by calling cc co and askin'.

i tried to overpay by -$10k bt from chase to mbna. but mbna returned the bt to chase. what magic# should i use to overpay so i can get a credit refund check fro cc co?


Actually I have no idea. I've heard MBNA does not like overpayments. When I said that I used MBNA billpay to fund Ameritrade, I meant just that. Ameritrade is one of the merchants available in Billpay choice. Very convenient. Just pay Ameritrade from MBNA and BT from other CC to MBNA.


bryany127 said: i tried to overpay by -$10k bt from chase to mbna. but mbna returned the bt to chase. what magic# should i use to overpay so i can get a credit refund check fro cc co?You're lucky. I'm surprised MBNA hasn't closed your account by now. Hopefully you haven't accumulated any rewards on that card -- they'll be gone after closure.

Another example of why it's bad to emulate others without researching beforehand. MBNA's negative reactions to overpayments are widely known and well publicized.


Citi does not seem to mind overpayments and even has a function on the website to auto-request credit balance refund.




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