M² Episode 103: Credit Card Approvals, Amex Clawbacks, and Thanksgiving Travel

Follow Up

0:23 Amex Personal Platinum 100k + 10x Update

• Regular direct link randomly showing 100k +10x at gas/grocery for 6 months (last week it was just Resy doing this)
• Some seeing 125k through pre-approved offers
• Referrals oscillating between 60k and 75k, but [sometimes] do include the 10x at gas/grocery for 6 months
• Squirreled away Personal Platinum +3x referrals still working, showing 75k + 10x
• Reports of people not getting the pop-up even when they’ve had or still have the card
• My wife has been unable to get any cards for at least 18 months.  She’s gotten the dreaded ‘no sign up bonus’ popup.
• Last year we got around this with green star referrals
• I also upgraded an Amex Everyday to an Everyday Preferred recently for her, and that’s been her daily spend card with increasing spend over the last year.
• She was approved for a card with a 3-for-all link in early Oct, and the bonus for that posted.
• I went in for the 100k/10x offer and was happy to receive no popup and instant approval.  I *THINK* this means she’s completely out of the penalty box.

12:48 Amex Clawback

• JSL DP: downgrade biz plat to biz green in January, closed card in september, clawed back 1 week later; downgrade is not a viable path to avoid clawback
• Would things change if the downgrade occurred in a calendar year different in which the incidentals were earned? We’ll know in early January on this for sure.
• Tiallyx I’ve noticed you guys never mention the United Travel Bank as an option for the Amex airline credit. As of 1-2 weeks ago it’s still working.
• https://www.united.com/offers/travelcash
• Straight funding to United Travel Bank, no tricks or flight cancellations needed.

News

17:42 Citi $25 Per Credit Card Holiday Promo

• Direct Link to add this to your cards
• To show our appreciation for our customers, we’re giving 5% back on up to $500 of online purchases1 as a statement credit for eligible enrolled Citi® credit cards. Start earning from enrollment or 11/24/2020, whichever is later, through Cyber Monday, 11/30/2020.
• Good reason to use your Citi cards (so they don’t close them)
• Especially Expedia card (points expire 18 months without activity)

19:25 Singapore 15% Transfer Bonus

• Direct link
• Bonus 15% occurs on the receiving end (so works with any bank point)
• Expires Dec 27, 2020
• Beware 3 year expiry with SQ miles even with activity

What We’ve Been Up To

20:04 Citi Premier Application: Approved

• This has been the ‘line in the sand’ that I’ve kept in my mind about 2020 and CC apps in general.
• We both applied back in May, and were denied.  This at the time seemed like a covid related freezing of the entire approval process outside of Amex
• I recently participated in a study with Citi on the Premier card (for $150).  There were no real direct “would you prefer this/that” question, it was more of an open forum for people to complain about citi cards.
• All that talk had me wanting to revisit the application and I’m glad I did. 60,000 TYP for $95 annual fee.
• Easy to meet Min spend with Vigo in $500 chunks.  (at 1%)
• The original idea was to double dip? Apply for and get multiple TYP cards and then hold off earning the sign up bonus on one until they were all opened.  I’m unsure how successful I’ll be. I’ve been using up every penny of my citi DC credit line, and this was a low approval ($5k).

24:46 Founders Card Coming Up for Renewal

• Did 6 month free trial
• Took advantage of First Republic $800 Business Checking, Adidas 30% off, Wine Library free shipping, maybe Wine Access $100 off $200 + 10% recurring
• Went to cancel, offered $95 for another year which is what I was after in the first place
• Would unlock $20,000 stripe and other perks that aren’t available with the trial
• Worth keeping?

33:17 Upcoming Thanksgiving travel

• Sam
• I leave in a few days for Brekenridge.
• No longer in a cancellation window, so we’re in the final prep stages
• Triple booked with a car rental.  Ultimately found a good deal with National using an alumni code.
• Some snow in the forecast for the drive up (uh oh). Makes the redundant bookings potentially useful if I can’t get a vehicle with AWD at one place.
• Robert
• Planning to head to FL
• New dynamics with Covid for sure (space at a premium, flexible cancellation, school schedules, new adventure)
• Covid tests
• United Monday over JetBlue Wednesday (Amex Platinum $200 travel credit, $100 Wells Fargo Propel World air incidental)
• Hertz corporate rate less than AutoSlash (almost had to consider Fox, close call). 

No Louse this week! Have  a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, and looking forward to catching up next week.  All the best from us both.