Strategy to obtain US Amex

[_TheTraveller_]

Yes you need to call at the time the specialized team is open .

Post automatically merged: May 31, 2022

This second hitch is provably because this is your second gt application.

Yep. I did hear a couple people here say that they had some issues with their 2nd GT application. I'll wait till tonight and give them a buzz.

 

[http_x92]

Yep. I did hear a couple people here say that they had some issues with their 2nd GT application. I'll wait till tonight and give them a buzz.

Which card did you apply for with the 2nd GT? I got instantly approved for the Hilton No Annual Fee card with the 2nd GT. Is it a higher tier card? I was asked to show a US bank statement with the first GT, so that probably made the second GT process very smooth.

 

[DC3]

Yep. I did hear a couple people here say that they had some issues with their 2nd GT application. I'll wait till tonight and give them a buzz.

I have 3 x Hilton cards by GT over 18-plus months with no issues. No phone calls needed. The most recent was about six months ago.

 

[levelnine]

I have 3 x Hilton cards by GT over 18-plus months with no issues. No phone calls needed. The most recent was about six months ago.

I'm interested in the order in which you applied to maximise sign up bonuses and possible upgrade offers.

 

[http_x92]

Personally I am waiting for a 150-160k upgrade offer from the No Annual Fee to the Surpass card.

Unlike our system over here once you get the welcome bonus offer on that specific card that is it. However, you can downgrade to the no annual fee and wait for another Surpass upgrade offer to come for example.

Also understanding that if you got the bonus points from the upgrade offer you need keep the Surpass card for at least 12 months which means you cant cancel or downgrade during that time.

 

[desafinado74]

Used 2 cards almost exclusively in australia right from start even had permanent addres updated to oz . No issues ever .

Thank you for the reply.

 

[DC3]

I'm interested in the order in which you applied to maximise sign up bonuses and possible upgrade offers.

Aspire, then No Fee, then Surpass.

Downgrade/upgrade will be left for another time, for me. The SUB was the key, plus benefits of the Aspire.

 

[sudoer]

Also understanding that if you got the bonus points from the upgrade offer you need keep the Surpass card for at least 12 months which means you cant cancel or downgrade during that time.

Do they claw them back if you don't?

 

[desafinado74]

Some feedback given to me was earlier in the thread was to avoid large purchases for a while. I made about ten small transactions after opening my card with an $8k limit, then got pinged from a ~$700 USD online booking with JAL.

I imagine that purchases made with chip & pin in person are probably less likely to trigger fraud alerts compared with using CC number, expiry & CVC for online purchases.

That aside I had no issues getting my card reactivated using NotaryCam and an AU passport.

Thank you for your reply.
Yes, i was wondering how one could reach the 4k qualifying spending limit within 3 months for the bonus 150k Hilton points , without alerting the fraud team.

Did you manage to get the bonus 150k Hilton points in the end ?

 

[levelnine]

Aspire, then No Fee, then Surpass.

Same path I'm planning to go with the Hilton cards as it gives me Diamond for the coming year, which I need, and the option to downgrade to the No Fee after 12 months if I don't feel the need for Diamond status in the second year.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Which card did you apply for with the 2nd GT? I got instantly approved for the Hilton No Annual Fee card with the 2nd GT. Is it a higher tier card? I was asked to show a US bank statement with the first GT, so that probably made the second GT process very smooth.

First card was Aspire and the card I applied for was Green. I was actually embolded by an earlier post when someone applied for two cards via GT at the same time. I probably got pinged because I used GT only almost 3 months ago.

Thank you for your reply.
Yes, i was wondering how one could reach the 4k qualifying spending limit within 3 months for the bonus 150k Hilton points , without alerting the fraud team.

Did you manage to get the bonus 150k Hilton points in the end ?

I reached 4K within 3 weeks. It was a mix of spending in the US and Australia. Had no issues with being flagged but I most likely helped that I was spending in the US first before I started spending in Australia. I had a couple big QF purchases 3x 1.5K purchases within a fortnight and seemed to go through okay. It's probably worthwhile if you make some purchases in USD before huge foreign demoniation expenditures? YMMV

 

[desafinado74]

First card was Aspire and the card I applied for was Green. I was actually embolded by an earlier post when someone applied for two cards via GT at the same time. I probably got pinged because I used GT only almost 3 months ago.



I reached 4K within 3 weeks. It was a mix of spending in the US and Australia. Had no issues with being flagged but I most likely helped that I was spending in the US first before I started spending in Australia. I had a couple big QF purchases 3x 1.5K purchases within a fortnight and seemed to go through okay. It's probably worthwhile if you make some purchases in USD before huge foreign demoniation expenditures? YMMV

Thank you for sharing. Ah, in that case, i will probably purchase some miles / hotel points in USD first (Or buy something from Nordstrom online for example) , since i have no plans to visit America within the next year or so.

 

[http_x92]

Do they claw them back if you don't?

I dont think there will be a clawback when you get the bonus points but I think the US credit card system works differently because they won't be able to tack on the annual fee of the credit card right away after the upgrade. It can only be done after 12 months, so they want to see you pay the annual fee first.

 

[http_x92]

Thank you for sharing. Ah, in that case, i will probably purchase some miles / hotel points in USD first (Or buy something from Nordstrom online for example) , since i have no plans to visit America within the next year or so.

Buy the United Travel Bank as well in the first 3 months as part of the $4000 required spend. It still counts towards the $250 airline fee reimbursement, and it lasts 5 years so there is no immediate rush to use it.

 

[desafinado74]

Buy the United Travel Bank as well in the first 3 months as part of the $4000 required spend. It still counts towards the $250 airline fee reimbursement, and it lasts 5 years so there is no immediate rush to use it.

That is a great tip. Never thought of that !

 

[_TheTraveller_]

Just gave them a call. It looks like they picked up my other card and didn't let me use GT without a FICO score. They said I should try again once I got a FICO score (not sure if they meant via GT or via standard) but it seems like the consensus is that it would be best to get a FICO score before trying GT for a 2nd time.

Guess I'll patiently wait for my FICO score!

 

[ithongy]

For those with Chase UR points an extra 30% more miles transferring to BA Avois might be of interest for short haul flights with OW partners, booking SYD-MEL think it’s 5k points & taxes? Happy to be corrected.

30% Transfer Bonus from Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways Avios

Chase is offering a 30% bonus when transferring Ultimate Rewards to your British Airways Avios account. This offer ends on July 31, 2022.

frequentmiler.com

 

[blacksultan]

Curve fintech has finally launched in the US .couldn’t register with my text now number as I didn’t receive verification text .

 

[tlam]

Curve fintech has finally launched in the US .couldn’t register with my text now number as I didn’t receive verification text .

I read reviews, they are pretty much same as Revolut.

 

[Daventry]

Do you get a better signup bonus for the Hilton Aspire card if you're referred?