A Bunch of Random Credit Card News
On Thursday, Chase started issuing new Chase Sapphire Preferred credit cards with the new EMV (chip and signature). To request your new card, call the number on the back of your current Chase Sapphire Preferred (no chip and signature for the Sapphire basic card). They will UPS Next Day Air the card to you. The account number, expiration date, and 3 digit CVV code on the back all stay the same. Chip and Signature is slightly better than a regular magnetic strip card, but not nearly as good as true Chip and Pin. Because the Chip does not contain a PIN, you will need to sign for every purchase with a signature, hence the name Chip and Signature. In some cases, like train stations in Europe, the Chip and Signature card actually works when a normal credit card would not. For example, in Amsterdam, my Chase Hyatt Credit Card (with Chip and Signature) worked in the train ticket machine when my Chase Sapphire Preferred card (pre Chip and Signature card) did not. Also, since I recently downgraded to the Sapphire basic card, I am literally the only one in my house that doesn’t have the new Chip and Signature card :(
In other credit card news, I am finally able to upgrade my AMEX Hilton HHonors credit card to the AMEX Hilton HHonors Surpass credit card. There is a link out there where you can check your eligibility (usually after 11 months of having the credit card). In this case, the upgrade would make me eligible for the 50,000 point sign up bonus. Check your upgrade eligibility here (try Google Chrome Incognito or use a different browser if it doesn’t show up).
However, if I apply regularly for the Surpass credit card, the sign up bonus is 60,000 points. I am thinking of upgrading and then sending AMEX a message asking for the other 10,000 points. If anyone has any experience doing this, please let me know.
Bank of America is up to something. Apparently having 1 Hawaiian Airlines credit card wasn’t enough, they want me to have 2. I just got off the phone with a CSR and she said that they changed the account number on my current card (5224) to 0745. I asked if I was receiving a new card in the mail and she said no, not until my current card expires in November 2015. What is going on over there? Not to worry, I plan on applying for the Bank of America Alaska Airlines credit card in a few weeks, so this card/cards will be gone soon.
I am attempting to apply for the Club Carlson credit card from US Bank and am trying to freeze my ARS (yes ARS – Advanced Resolution Service) and my IDA “credit reports.” I am following Amol’s post (Hack My Trip) and submitted 2 requests to have those “credit reports” frozen. I am not sure what US Bank will do when they try to access both reports, I guess they will have to pull one of the other 3 big credit reporting bureaus. I will post my results in the next week.
I received a nice email from PayPal telling me that I earned $17.57 cash back from October “debit card” purchases.
Here is a list of possible credit card offers that I may apply for in the next few weeks. I have several credit cards from Chase, Citi, and Bank of America, so when I apply for a card, if I am not automatically approved, I would be willing to close or transfer my credit line from an existing credit card. Most of the SWAP cards are either nearing their annual fee or are a card I would rather have instead of an existing card. I am not going to apply for all of these cards, these are just some of my options.
| Purpose | Bank | Card Name | Sign Up Bonus | Minimum Spend | Ann Fee |
| Upgrade | AMEX | Hilton HH Surpass | 50,000 Points | $3,000 | $75 |
| CL Swap HA | B of A | Alaska Airlines Personal | 30,000 Miles | $0 | $75 |
| CL Swap VA | B of A | Virgin Atlantic MC | 50,000 Miles | $2,500 | $90 |
| New | Barclay | US Airways Personal | 35,000 Miles | $0 | $0 |
| New | Barclay | US Airways Business | 25,000 Miles | $0 | $79 |
| CL Swap CS | Chase | IHG Hotel Personal | 80,000 Points | $1,000 | $0 |
| New/CL Swap | Chase | Ink Plus Visa | 50,000 Points | $5,000 | $0 |
| CL Swap AA | Citi | Hilton HH Basic | 50,000 Points | $1,000 | $0 |
| New | US Bank | Club Carlson Personal | 85,000 Points | $2,500 | $75 |
| New | US Bank | Club Carlson Business | 85,000 Points | $2,500 | $60 |
If you have any questions or suggestions, please leave a comment below.