Tag Archives: Chase Ultimate Rewards Points

a blue card with white text

My Unsuccessful Chase Sapphire Preferred Reconsideration Call, Visit, and Tweets

Posted on by . 102 Replies

Good morning everyone.  A few weeks ago, I did an 8 card App-O-Rama.  One of my top credit cards to apply for was the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card.  I previously opened a Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card back in August 2012 which I then downgraded to the Chase Sapphire (Basic) Credit Card in August 2013 which I then converted to the Chase Freedom Credit Card in November 2013.  Since I received the sign up bonus back in August 2012, I waited the necessary 24 months to reapply.

When I first received the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card, the sign up bonus was 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $3,000 in 3 months.  The current sign up bonus is 40,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards Points after spending $4,000 in 3 months.  Long story short, I was low on Chase Ultimate Rewards Points (aren’t we all?) and I had waited long enough to reapply, so I was ready to apply for my second Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card.

Side note: Doctor of Credit and a few other blogs and forums are reporting that Chase has really cracked down on approving applications for people that have more than 5 credit inquiries total during the last 2 years.  I (foolishly) ignored those warnings and insisted that my previous 3 years with Chase, 16 total approved Chase credit cards (8 currently open), and reconsideration call skills would be enough to get approved for the Chase Sapphire Preferred Credit Card.

Spoiler alert: it wasn’t enough.   Continue reading →

a logo of a product

Gift Card Mall Activation Website Down, Must Call 1-877-426-2551 to Activate VGCs

Posted on by . 8 Replies

Good morning everyone, as of 8am PT 7/23/2015, the Gift Card Mall activation website is down and is not allowing any Visa Gift Cards to be activated.  I purchased a few $200 VGCs last week from Staples.com and was trying to activate the gift cards online last night.  I got the below error message that says “We cannot process your request at this time.  Please try again or call 1-877-426-2551.”  After calling the below number (open from 8am-12am CT), the nice rep confirmed that their activation website has been down for a few days and that she could activate them all over the phone.

Gift Card Mall Activation Error

Continue reading →

a woman holding her hands up with a man in front of him

My Thoughts on my Younger Brother’s First App-O-Rama (2 out of 3 Credit Cards Approved)

Posted on by . 19 Replies

Good morning everyone, my younger brother (a recent UCLA graduate with a masters in engineering) had no credit cards 2 weeks ago.  I would often get text messages from him late at night asking me to buy something for him on Amazon or to pay for his apartment’s electricity bill.  He would then Venmo money to me for the exact amount that I paid.  He would argue that he was helping me earn “points” and would guilt trip me into helping him.  From a profit point of view, the “points” I would earn would be less profitable than 1 $500 VGC, therefore not a big deal to me.  Graduation Throwing Caps and Credit Cards

Continue reading →

a blue and yellow logo

Transfer Times to Singapore Airlines from Chase Ultimate Rewards, AMEX Membership Rewards, Citi Thank You Points, and SPG Starpoints

Posted on by . 40 Replies

Good morning everyone, I hope your weekend is going well.  A few weeks ago, I learned about all the cool things you can do with Singapore Airlines miles (@ the SF Travel Hackers Meetup) and I am tempted to book my first award flight using Singapore Airlines miles.  I also heard that point transfers to Singapore Airlines were not instant, so I decided to run a few tests to see how long each transferable points program took to post to Singapore Airlines.

If you were to look at the below screenshot from my Singapore Airlines account, it would look like all the transfers took the same amount of time.  Not true.  The dates listed below are the dates that I initiated the transfer, not the actual dates when the miles posted.  I will go into more detail in the post, but here is the summary of transfer times:

  • Chase Ultimate Rewards Points: within 12 hours
  • AMEX Membership Rewards Points: within 24 hours
  • Citi Thank You Points: within 24 hours
  • SPG Starpoints: 6 days

Singapore Miles from Transferable Points Programs

Continue reading →

a red and white sign with black text

Upcoming Meetups and Travel Conferences (July 23 through December 6)

Posted on by . 9 Replies

Good morning everyone, happy Amazon Prime Day!  I couldn’t sleep last night, so I bought a new AmazonBasics 12-Sheet High-Security Micro-Cut Shredder at 3am and then I read Doctor of Credit’s post about Amazon eGift Cards on sale and bought those too.  If you do purchase anything today, please consider using my Amazon affiliate link.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Happy 20th birthday Amazon!

Anyway, with the recent news about FTU Advanced Newport Beach, I thought I would list all the meetups and travel conferences that I will be attending throughout the end of the year.  These are in chronological order and there may/may not be tickets left to purchase.

Let’s start with a local meetup in San Francisco.  This group is relative new, but the turnout of 30-50 people is impressive.  They have formal presentations once a month and then breakout discussions afterwards.  The organizers of this meetup are very passionate and knowledgeable.

  • Where: San Francisco, California (Meetup page)
  • When: Thursday, July 23 @ 7PM

SF Travel Hacker Meetup 7-23-2015

Continue reading →