MaddHatter's AOR 8-13-07: All done, but for Citi rolling thunder

Edit: Apps away on 8/13, results in quick summary

Vitals
Age: 28
HHI: 105k, 20k increase from HHI reported on last app spree (wife and I; she has crap credit so no wife-o-rama)
Credit History: 12 years worth, consisting of 4 paid car loans, mortgage, credit cards, utilities. No blemishes. I do not know my credit score, this will be a “flying blind” AOR as of now (did it get hotter in here all of a sudden?). Pulled free report last month and no erroneous info.
Assets/Obligations (no e-bragging, but in case of FR considerations): 60k in savings, 33k in Roth/401k. Will owe 50k on 80k mortgage (125k house) after 10k payment this month. In house since ’02, two cars paid-for. CC obligations below.

Current cards (Issuer and type/approx age/current bal/CL/comments)
Citi Phillips-Conoco-Unocal 76 Platinum MC/4 yrs/$0/$4000/unused in years, Citi won’t allow reallocation
Citi AT&T Universal MC/10 mos/$0/$13200/ Have two months to use “BT” for 12 mos 0%
Citi Diamond Express Rewards AMEX/10 mos/$8777/$11000/ 0% BT up in Oct
Discover Platinum/6 yrs/$0/$10000
Discover Gas Card/10 mos/$6100/$7500/ 0% BT up in Oct, gas spender
Chase Platinum Visa/2 yrs/$0/$1000/got fraud alert call and new card/# last fall, previously had reallocated 9k to below card
Chase Cash Rewards Plus MC/10 mos/$8950/$12000/ 0% up in Oct, daily spender
HSBC Best Buy Card/4 yrs/$0/$2300/used to buy TV at 0% Edit 7/20 Card is "inactive" and I'd need to mail in a request to be officially closed... since it's "not in their system", I'll expect HSBC not to deny me based on having a card

Total balance/CL: 23827/61000 = 39% util (cards with balances are estimated for month-end after purchases)
Edit: Paid all bals to <50% 7/31, overall util <30%.
The only other CC is a 3yr old Citi Platinum Dividend Select I let them close last fall following elimination of 5% and my app spree/reallocation (consolidated to AT&T and instructed them it needed to be shown as closed at my request).
Average account age: just over 2 years

Goals
1. Get as much OPM at 0% as possible thru a number of cards I can reasonably handle.
2. Overall CL to keep utilization reasonable.
3. Bonuses are nice, but not a huge deal
4. Keep a hedge for future 0% when this round is up (hello Citibank)
5. Keep it as straightforward and "easy" as it can be, i.e. keeping all BTs at 6 or 12 mos, no calls to cancel 2nd year annual fees or whatever, etc Edit 7/22 Aw nuts to this, I'm in it to win it. Enter the business cards, 2nd yr cancellations, and FRs

Planned applications Issuer and type/BT months/Max BT fee/comments or tentative post-app plans (all BT rates are 0% if applicable)
1. AMEX Blue/12/$0/targetted offer expiring 7/20 Edit 8/12: no-go thru site, application line said I could mail it in, customer service gave me a fax #. Will fax in tonight, but will it do any good?
2. AMEX In:Chicago/6/$0/$50 bonus, would reallocate to Blue before BT, or if no Blue just use it here
3. Citi Professional/12/$0/15k TYP Before You Go. request BT check to self
4. Citi Driver’s Edge/12/$0/BT offer good for 12 months after opening, plan to use this after using as daily spender for a year, may try to reallocate portion to Professional
5. BOA Platinum Plus Visa/12/$0/ phone request direct deposit
6. BOA Worldpoints Platinum Plus/12/uncapped/ would make 1 purchase for $50, payoff immediately, then reallocate to Platinum Plus before BT
7. National City Visa/6/$0/ think I’ll send this to Chase Cash Plus (not at app)
8. WAMU ESPN Total Access Visa/12/$75/ targetted offer, instead of 6 mo offer, but not requesting BT until I see CL
9. Juniper National Parks Visa/12/$50/ would wait for BT welcome checks and hope to write to wife
10. Juniper Emigrant Direct Mastercard/6/$75/No BTing here, non-EDP spender unless I get the HSBC 2%
11. US Bank Baylor Alumni Visa/12/$0 BT to Discover Gas?
12. Chase Sony Visa/12/$75/$100 bonus/ Would reallocate from existing Cash Plus and the below and hopefully get welcome check?
13. Chase USBC MC/12/$75/$35 bonus, reallocate to Sony Visa
14. HSBC/Orchard Bank 2% CB MC/NA/NA/ if I get the 2% back, no fee one with at least 1000 CL it’s my non-EDP spender. Should I be canceling my BB card about now?
15. RBS Kroger 1-2-3 MC/12/$75/ hope for BT welcome checks, otherwise ? may keep the unused CL
16. Discover Miles Card/12/$75/ 1000 miles for 1st 12 months with purchase, fortunately 0% on those too
17. Captial One Platinum/NA/NA/for $50 bonus and overall CL only

Why not business cards (Likely because I’m a schmuck…)
Edit 7/22 Yes, business cards
1. Citibusiness Card/12/$0/15k TYP "before you go", BT offer good for first 12 months and would plan to use as such
2. AMEX Gold Business/NA/NA/25k points, $100 gc thru TigerDirect, remember to cancel in 1 yr
3. Bank Atlantic Business rewards (Juniper)/15/$75
4. Chase GM Business Card/12/$75/$30 thru cardselection
5. Chase United Mileage Plus Platinum/12/$75/25k miles with $250 in purch, remember to cancel in 1 yr
6. Advanta Business/15/$50/$25 thru cardselection
7 .Discover Business/12/$75/$40 thru cardselection
8. National City Visa/6/$0?
9. M&T Bank Visa/6/$0
10. Citbusiness Premier Pass/12/$0/15k TYP, $75 annual fee in yr 2, so would use this Citi first for any BT
Edit 8/15/0711. Fifth Third Business Mastercard/12/$0/came across the link, why not apply

Plan of action and musings
1. 7/30, 7/31 payments will be applied to the three cards with balances above, taking each utilization below 70% Overall utilization would fall below 35%. These cards’ statement dates fall around 8/6.
Original plan was to leave balances on the cards to have something to launder with, but after writing it all out, it doesn’t look like I’d need much, if any, for balances to BT to. Edit 7/20 Scheduled add'l payments next week, on 8/1 all balances will be under <50% and overall util will be <30%
2. 8/6 Try for soft CLIs on existing Citi cards (or should I be doing that nowish?) Edit: Tried and failed on Citi softs 7/18 This is also when 10k would be going from savings -> mortgage.
3. 8/11 – 8/12 Confirm all web links/phone numbers. I will be on a Mac, and have Firefox as a backup for anything Safari doesn’t like.
4. 8/13 Noonish – Apps away. Selected for Monday-ness and to allow time for balances to update.
Will go in general order of desire, but should phone app(s) come first/last? Now with so many cards and instant reporting I'm more preoccupied with the "ideal order".
5. After hearing word from most/all applications, I will call Citibank to reallocate to existing AT&T/new Professional and probably get screwed.
6. Hit the AMEX crack-CLIs (keeping it under 20k/card) if I have the cards, request hard-pull CLIs from others?
7. Attempt to perform BTs as indicated in app list, as well as existing AT&T BT. Funds will wind up at Emigrant. I will try to keep well <80% overall utilization, and not go over 90% on any one card.
8. Following payoff of Citi Diamond AMEX, attempt reallocation to Professional and BT.
9. Pray for no AMEX FR if applicable.

I am appreciative of all constructive feedback and recommendations. I will either act on it or attempt to explain my reasoning for not. I also hope my experience can be of assistance to others; to give back a little to a board I’ve enjoyed thoroughly, so I will continue to post updates. I have lurked (and READ!) on the board for a year plus, conducting a mini-app spree (AOR .5) last September. This will be AOR “Version 1”, and I hope to enjoy the success many other FWers have. Thanks for reading.

If 8/13 is your target application date, then you want to try for soft pull CLIs NOW. Give them enough time to get reported.

My recommendation would be to wait until your three cards with substantial balances are paid off. Not that we know what the effect will be on your credit score, but it might be significant.

markkundinger said: If 8/13 is your target application date, then you want to try for soft pull CLIs NOW. Give them enough time to get reported.

My recommendation would be to wait until your three cards with substantial balances are paid off. Not that we know what the effect will be on your credit score, but it might be significant.

Soft pulls on Citibanks were all no-gos, ouch.
And I wouldn't necessarily even need to hold off, I could get the money out of Emigrant and against the cards by the 24th. But I guess I'd need to make that decision quickly huh. These cards' close dates are around 8-6, and I've been figuring whatever I pay down by then would report by the 13th.

why aren't you using the 0% BT check that comes in the sony welcome package?

MaddHatter said: Why not business cards (Likely because I’m a schmuck…)
GET THE BUSINESS CARDS! My mom just applied for 9 business cards as a sole prop., $0 revenue, 0 years in business. She knows nothing about business nor what a sole prop. even is. She was approved for ALL 9 and received almost 125 grand in business credit alone she can take to 95% utilization that doesn't show on your credit report. I will copy my little guide again for you:

If you do not have a business, and want to apply for business cards for 0% promos for personal use, just put Sole Propritership and your name as the business title, then use your SSN as the TIN. This is perfectly legal option (you can even ask the reps if you dont' believe me).

You are also the owner of a sole prop, so you have authorization to make transactions and get credit. As long as you have ever sold anything (ie books, electronics, especially anything online (eBay/Amazon) that could be verified) you are indeed a sole prop. There is not filing with the state need for a sole prop, and for tax purposes, your TIN is your SSN.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND using your day job randomly as the business name unless you are an authorized officer to make transactions on behalf of your buinsess. Regardless, you should not be using your day job business as a basis for your personal 0% money either way. This is fraud and could land you in serious trouble both with the credit card company and your job and the government.

To summarize:

Business type: Sole Prop.
Business name: Your exact name here
Tax Identification Number: Your social security number here.

**Do not lie about your revenue/business income if asked (never lie about anything). Be honest, it doesn't mean you will get rejected. It could just mean you are a startup to the credit company. I only had less than 1k revenue in eBay sales and managed to get almost 50k of total business credit through 6 different cards.

I had 5 business apps on my wife-o-rama launched the other day (all deferred). Put income and revenue as $1,000 (she does some freelance graphic design). I'll report back on the results of those biz cards as they come.

lrothkcsa said: I had 5 business apps on my wife-o-rama launched the other day (all deferred). Put income and revenue as $1,000 (she does some freelance graphic design). I'll report back on the results of those biz cards as they come. Great! Take advantage of those offers. Don't be bothered by the deferred status, almost all business apps get deferred at first, but typically come in as some of your highest credit lines. Good luck. Alright people, my employer is demanding I do 15 minutes of real, actual work this week, so I will return in about 45 minutes (have to eat lunch )

kittenmittens said: MaddHatter said: 1. AMEX Blue/12/$0/targetted offer expiring 7-30, wonder if I could apply late via web or phone?
You could apply earlier than the others, this doesn't seem like a very difficult card to get so they might not care as much about utilization - you can poke around creditboards to see if it's an ok card to get while your report is still damaged.

Do you have any other Am3x offers that are past their expiration date that you could try starting an application with to see if the correct terms show?

I don't, unfortunately. And I typo'd the expire date, it's 7-20. I think tomorrow I'll call the number on the offer, tell them I'm interested in the card but am leaving town for 3 weeks and do not want it in my mailbox over that time, could I be given another offer code/will this one still work? If no luck, looks like you're suggesting one pre-AOR inq may be acceptable if it gets me the card? Hmm...

Squeezer99 said: why aren't you using the 0% BT check that comes in the sony welcome package?
Wasn't sure there was one. If so, I'll do exactly that.

I hear everyone on the business card issue. At this point it's basically the # of cards issue. I know generally business offers > personal offers, but I think I'm doing fairly well with what I have down here. For my first AOR, and in light of my time commitments, I don't want to find myself with another 10 or so cards to manage. But there's always "version 2" (which may be close to new house time, so all the better for some business apps).

After I call AMEX tomorrow I think I'll call and cancel my Best Buy card in advance of going after the 2% card.

I'm also almost decided on scheduling another round of payments early next week for the 3 cards with balances. This would take each to below 50% after month-end payments, and overall util to < 30%.

MaddHatter said: kittenmittens said: MaddHatter said: 1. AMEX Blue/12/$0/targetted offer expiring 7-30, wonder if I could apply late via web or phone?
You could apply earlier than the others, this doesn't seem like a very difficult card to get so they might not care as much about utilization - you can poke around creditboards to see if it's an ok card to get while your report is still damaged.

Do you have any other Am3x offers that are past their expiration date that you could try starting an application with to see if the correct terms show?

I don't, unfortunately. And I typo'd the expire date, it's 7-20. I think tomorrow I'll call the number on the offer, tell them I'm interested in the card but am leaving town for 3 weeks and do not want it in my mailbox over that time, could I be given another offer code/will this one still work? If no luck, looks like you're suggesting one pre-AOR inq may be acceptable if it gets me the card? Hmm...

I have an expired AMEX bluesky targetted app (3.99 LOB) that, when I tried to put in the numbers online, it failed. It told me to call if I still wanted to apply, but it didn't promise me I'd be able to keep the offer. So it seems that AMEX targetted apps are only good for the life of the actual offer.

OTOH, I have a Cap1 offer that expired in march that, when I put the numbers in, it still appears online.

MikeR397 said: Great! Take advantage of those offers. Don't be bothered by the deferred status, almost all business apps get deferred at first, but typically come in as some of your highest credit lines. Good luck. Alright people, my employer is demanding I do 15 minutes of real, actual work this week, so I will return in about 45 minutes (have to eat lunch )

Precisely my approach. According to creditsecure, all the queries have hit, other than citi (odd, since we got instant approvals on 2 of the 3 citi cards we applied for). Advanta pulled Experian, but for some reason, the online application status check is showing no record of the app (not sure if it's similar to the BofA system which never updates, but at least I know the app went through).

Called the # on the AMEX Blue today and not much help. CSR wasn't sure if the RSVP code would work after expiration or not. Said to give it a try but if not, they'd still process it if sent by mail or by fax, which doesn't really help me.

Called to cancel the HSBC Best Buy card and was told by a CSR and supervisor it is "inactive" as of '06 and "not in their system" so I must mail in a request for it to be officially closed. Also couldn't tell me how that would report vs. an "officially closed" card. Whether I bother or not, it won't be updated in time for the AOR... but gee, it sure sounds like HSBC shouldn't deny me for more than one active card.

Also scheduled payments for next week on the 3 cards with balances, on 8/1 each will be below 50%.

OP will be edited in light of the above.
(Oh, and if anyone thinks I deserve a pat on the back for trying, wouldn't mind a touch of green to offset kitsapfreeloader's red, to bring me back to base level and not being filtered out).

lhendricks92 said: you'll get my green when you add some business cards.

ok, that's ridiculous. green for you. <shrug>

Alright, I give up! I give up.
I will do some researching and add at least a handful of business cards to the list (not sure when they'll be added, I've got some time). I can not put up much of a case for not doing it.
P.S: Thx

On a random note, I got a mail offer from Wamu today on the ESPN Visa. TWELVE months 0% here, but $75 fee. Granted 12 mos 0% with $75 fee > 6 months 0% no fee (well, who knows what my CL would be, but hopefully), but then saw this little gem in the print: "Balance Transfer fees are added to the purchase balance and subject to the APR for purchases" further down..... "Payments will be applied first to finance charges and fees, then to balance categories in the order of lowest APR to higher APR".

Now, you'd think a balance transfer fee would be "fees", but then why the first part? Seems fishy. This here is why I'm not eager to play any BT games on a card with fees (managed to stay away from it so far).

lhendricks92 said: Here's a WaMu card with a BT offer you might actually use after the promo period

Same language with the BT fee subject to purchase APR. First time I've ever seen that. But, we're talking about 10% of $75 divided by 12 (plus compounding, whatever). The minimum finance charge is $1, so now we're talking about an extra $15-20 for the year. No biggie.I added that card to my list one week ago, and I am positive it was 9 months 0% BT. I clicked this link and the one I saved and now it says 12 months BT. Looks like they just gave us longer to keep thier money! Great! I'll take it.

The RBS Kroger card you will be applying for pulls the same thing as WAMU on the BTF. They charge it as a purchase at 15% so it works out to about an extra $12 or so for the year.

MikeR397 said: lrothkcsa said: I had 5 business apps on my wife-o-rama launched the other day (all deferred). Put income and revenue as $1,000 (she does some freelance graphic design). I'll report back on the results of those biz cards as they come. Great! Take advantage of those offers. Don't be bothered by the deferred status, almost all business apps get deferred at first, but typically come in as some of your highest credit lines. Good luck. Alright people, my employer is demanding I do 15 minutes of real, actual work this week, so I will return in about 45 minutes (have to eat lunch )

I like the second part of your answer, your employer demandin 15 mins.... I think that is sort of rude, what insane employer is this? 15 minutes of work is too much to demand, don't you think? If I were you I would start looking.

A few tweaks:

I would replace US Bank phone app with the Baylor app - 1) the Baylor app is online and 2) i believe the BT fee is waived only at the time of application for the phone offer. also, make sure you're in US Bank's geographical area. (e.g., They don't do business in Virginia.) Otherwise, you'll just waste a hard pull.

RBS will turn you down for too many inquiries. Might want to do that one early, if you think it's worth it.

I think that BofA Iowa deal is dead.

Godspeed.

EDIT:

btw, turns out my wife was deferred, not denied. they wanted more information and were confused because she applied for 2 other us bank/elan products on the same day. virginia wasn't the problem.

Good thread. Bump. Green.

Excited to see the results.

RBS approved me on my aor and they didn't pull my app for two days. So it's a crapshoot with them.

Make sure to note what order you apply for the apps when you're interleaving the business and personal apps.

answered my own question...

after tweaking the offerid in the URL, found this ESPN app page with a 12 month BT:

linkage

the kroger 1-2-3 rewards card will have a convenience check come in the welcome package. i got mine 4 days after i received my card. you can make it out to yourself and deposit in a checking account and it will be at the 0% 12month BT rate. i confirmed this with a CSR in my AOR.

CreditKaram also pulls TU, but the scoring is unknown. WAMU pficos seem to trend lower for me, but they also are 'lagged' on when they pull credit (usually around the end of the month for me) and when they display it mid month)

So, in conclusion, there are no conclusions to be drawn.