My personal mini AOR 1.0

After soaking in some wisdom from this esteemed forum, I executed my own mini A0R.

Goals: get some 0% BT money, a good Cash Back card and some free Delta miles. Also, do CLI on my existing cards. Didn't want to do any business cards.

"Before" status:
HHI: mid-100's.
Score: CK 754. (Never cared about getting the real scores.)
Inq. last 12 months: 0 (per CK).
Cards: 1) AMEX Blue cash 27k 3 yrs old, 2) Chase Freedon 20k 12 yrs old (both are daily spenders 3-5k/month combined), 3) WFCB store card 6k 1 yr old (carrying promo balance 3k). Yes that's all folks.

What I applied for (in chronological order), and results:

(EQ, then again EQ) Citi Professional Card (12m 0% no-fee BT + $150 bonus for the first purchase). Instant approval for 3k -- disappointing. Called them with a CLI request (which cost me an add'l hard from "PROCD/CBSD" on my EQ?!?!?), was denied. Got the card, did that 1st purchase, not sure what to do next -- how to talk them into a CLI? Would very much like to use their generous BT offer -- "As long as first balance transfer is completed within 12 months from date of account opening, 0.00% for 12 months from date of first balance transfer". (For reference: this spring I closed a 12k / 4 years old Citi card.)

(EX) NEA WorldPoints Platinum Plus Visa Card (12m 0% $30 BT). Instant approval for 9k. After a by-phone CLI to 18k, reallocated 3k from Schwab card, for a resulting CL 21k. Done a BT.

(TU) Coast to Coast Visa Signature Card with REC REWARDS (12m 0% $75 BT + $25 bonus for the first purchase or BT). Instant approval for 6k. Done a by-phone CLI to 10k. Done a BT.

(TU, then EQ) The Linux Fund Visa Signature Card (12m 0% no-fee BT + $10 bonus for the first purchase). Instant approval for 25k. Requested a CLI, agreed for a FR with documentation (which cost me an add'l hard from "USBK EXIST" on my EQ?!?!?). While the FR is still in progress, done a BT using the existing limit.

(EQ) Wachovia Visa Platinum with Rewards Card (12m 0% $99 BT). Instant approval for 6k. Phoned for a CLI and was rejected (can't do before 6 months). Hesitant to do a BT -- too small margin after taxes.

(TU, EX) The Schwab Bank Invest First Visa Signature card + Schwab One Brokerage (2% Cash Back). No instant approval; called and got approved for 7k (of course the reason was the earlier NEA application). Eventually, transfered 3k limit to NEA, left only 4k on Schwab. Hope to do a CLI reasonably soon as I switch to this card for my daily spending.

(no inqs) PBR Visa Signature Card (12m 0% no-fee BT). Admittedly, I got too greedy agter Linux; for PBR I was rejected -- US bank said "duplicate application".

(EX) Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card (25k miles after 1st purchase + 10k miles after 1k in purchases in first 3 months. No annual fee for the first year, then $95). Instant approval for 13k. Got the card, made that $1,000 purchase already.

Also, about 3 weeks before this A)R I requested my existing AMEX CLI to 50k, agreed for a FR, and was granted that CLI 1 week after the A0R.

Also, paid off my existing WFCB store card and immediately requested CLI; was rejected.

"After"-scores as of 9/1 (no card reported BT's yet): TU 752 / EX 737 / EQ 748 / CK 746.

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Edits: Added CRA inqs.

No business cards?

Citi professional.. probably not going to happen, try getting to a senior account exec and have them verify account balances and w2's.

Wachovia - I'm not a big gamer like the rest of these guys, but it might be worth it. If you have a HYS open and you're not to the 25k limits or whatever, I'd say go for it. But if you have to open another account and it's more work you gotta do just to get the 4% on an additional 6k. I say forget it.

I had the same conundrum when I applied for the Wachovia card. It was approved at 5k with the $99 BT fee. In your situation, you would take out around 5k, and the $99 = just under 2%. Depends on how long you think you will be able to get over 2% rate (probably at least the 12 months) and if you want to even fool with having another account to pay off for that small amount of money.

I ended up taking out of my other cards and using Wachovia to keep utilization that much lower.

VanceWade said: I'd enjoy the bonus on Citi Pro and make a note to try to CLI before 12 months is up and then do your BT at that time if you get more limit.

Even if OP doesn't get a CLI before 12 months, can do a $100 BT right before the 12 months is up; that keeps the offer going and allows for continued attempts to get a CLI; if it comes through, then can do a worthwhile BT.

VanceWade said: I'd enjoy the bonus on Citi Pro and make a note to try to CLI before 12 months is up and then do your BT at that time if you get more limit.
bauzer71487 said: Citi professional.. probably not going to happen, try getting to a senior account exec and have them verify account balances and w2's.
Citi pro... my options:
a) wait for a CLI decline letter for an official explanation;
b) ask for a FR / offer them w2's, tax returns, etc.;
c) play out somehow (how?) my old citi account with 12k CL that I closed this spring (reallocate 12k from the closed account to this new citi pro account?! can it fly?);
d) start utilizing the new card and request CLI in ~3 months...

flyingtwopigs said: regarding The Linux Fund Visa Signature Card, T&C states that,
"Balance Transfer Fee: No Balance Transfer Fees for balances transferred with this application. Thereafter: 3.00% of the transaction amount, $5.00 minimum"

so you did BT after you got approved? did you have to pay 3% BT fee?
I requested BT on Linux after I got an instant approval, but it was the last step of my credit card application session. No BT fee indeed. (B.t.w., they limit BT to 90% of the CL.)

But yes you're asking a good question -- say if I am approved for a CLI on this card (FR currently in progress), will I be able to make an additional no-fee BT?

PorStaker said: I had the same conundrum when I applied for the Wachovia card. It was approved at 5k with the $99 BT fee. In your situation, you would take out around 5k, and the $99 = just under 2%. Depends on how long you think you will be able to get over 2% rate (probably at least the 12 months) and if you want to even fool with having another account to pay off for that small amount of money.

I ended up taking out of my other cards and using Wachovia to keep utilization that much lower.
I decided to do the same. Not worth the hassle, considering a) it's not the whole 12 months but something like 11.5; b) my marginal tax rate; c) mandatory minimum payments that reduce the principal; d) risk of rates going down.

That's awesome!

The Delta 35k miles offer seems to have expired, when I click on the personal card, I get to the AMEX application page with 20k miles. Is there another direct link? Thanks!

OP,

How much did you manage to get as far as 0% BT's CL's?

ymf said: Update.

The Linux Fund Visa: got a CLI to $50k! Now t's time to find out whether I can make an incremental no-fee BT...

You could always pay my current balances, you know...lol!

Good for you, glad everything worked out.

i'm new here, what is CLI and AOR?

thanks

Direct deposit. However, they actually sent a paper check (not an ACH) to my bank. A week lost to snail mail.

They did it to me, months ago, twice.

Thank you for sharing your AOR ymf. I am preparing to do a similar style mini AOR:

"After by-phone CLI", who do you talk to, the Account manager? is there a particular department to call?

Do you basically just tell them you want a CLI? what is a recommended strategy?

Also is there any way to know which bureau a particular bank or card will pull?

YMF - Thanks for answering my question. Another question - Where you are parking your BT money ? I see 1.25-1.5% interests everywhere (unless you are doing the High Interst checking with 10 debit card transactions etc).

ymf said: So far smooth sailing, other than Citi Professional. After reopening my old Citi card, I called and asked them to move the CL from the old to the new card, and was told their policies prohibit any CL moves. Strangely enough, after saying this the rep asked me from which to which card I wanted to move the CL and commented that their policies prohibit the CL moves from personal to the business card. I wonder: has anybody succeeded recently reallocating the CL between Citi personal and "professional" cards? any recent experience on what it takes to get a serious CLI on Citi Professional? I think I'll keep the reopened Citi personal card unused other than maybe one burger each half a year (helps the average age of my accounts), and will start utilizing Citi pro in a hope to get a future CLI...

On the bright side, the incremental BT from Linux just posted to my checking.

From what I recall the Citi Professional card was sort of a hybrid between a personal and business card. It appears on your personal credit report but in the past, you could use it to transfer credit lines from personal to business cards and vice versa. However, I keep reading that most issuers are no longer allowing this practice. I would like to know if anyone ha any experience with re-allocating credit lines between business cards for Citi.

So... I tried a CLI on Schwab card with, predictably, no success -- but didn't hurt either (only a soft pull). They noted the overall CC utilization was too high (>50%), and refused to consider any supporting documentation (W2s, 1040) that I offered them.

Just to give an update: Chase rejected that British Air CC app. Branch visit / phone calls didn't help. Not a surprise at all, considering my current AOR debt. I was too optimistic to apply in the 1st place. Oh well...