Strategy to obtain US Amex

[thedamon]

Got my first Equifax report. 739/850. First US card opened Jan 2023, second one Aug 2023. Any ideas on whether this is good or bad? Tried sending application for a Sapphire card. Manual review... Did not get an email confirmation that the application was received/being processed, is that normal?

 

[blacksultan]

Got my first Equifax report. 739/850. First US card opened Jan 2023, second one Aug 2023. Any ideas on whether this is good or bad? Tried sending application for a Sapphire card. Manual review... Did not get an email confirmation that the application was received/being processed, is that normal?

Not abnormal . Do you have a previous chase card ? You can check in your account .

 

[thedamon]

Not abnormal . Do you have a previous chase card ? You can check in your account .

No chase credit cards. I have a Chase debit card and bank account (but applied using another email, as my Chase details is not connected to my ITIN but to my foreign passport). Used all other same details: address, phone number etc.

 

[QF_Flyer]

Final days of points earned on the Hilton Amex cards contributing towards base points it looks like. The tier systems are going back to pre-COVID times. It does contribute towards LTD, which is 2m base points or 1000 nights!

Yes, I was secretly hoping this would continue, as it was a nice contributor towards LTD, but never mind! Doesn't really matter as I've got the Aspire anyway, but somehow this year I've organically qualified for Diamond via points through spend on this card.

 

[blacksultan]

No chase credit cards. I have a Chase debit card and bank account (but applied using another email, as my Chase details is not connected to my ITIN but to my foreign passport). Used all other same details: address, phone number etc.

If it has been linked you can usually check application correspondence under notices and statements in your chase account .

 

[http_x92]

Ahhh... the Chase Hyatt card looks really good... $95 for it with Discoverist status and a Cat 1-4 award which is easily redeemable here. SUB could be better but overall it is very easy to make up the $95 fee each year.

$5000 USD is a lot of money for 2 elite night credits so might not push hard for that as it is unlikely that I will be a Globalist, which is where the program is really worth it.

The ITIN journey will be a long one and will take some planning and patience.

 

[levelnine]

Ahhh... the Chase Hyatt card looks really good... $95 for it with Discoverist status and a Cat 1-4 award which is easily redeemable here.

I wouldn't say it is really good, but it is good enough to keep.

Although Hyatt's footprint is frustratingly small in Aus, there are plenty of cat 4 properties, which makes the cert very easy to use. That's the best part of it imo.

I wouldn't spend for status unless you're very close already or have unlimited spend, in which case go for it!

 

[Franko Costa]

hey mate, how did you go with this. I just ordered the same GC. Awaiting GC delivery...

kept getting declined. I then ordered an airbnb through office depot, but the credit hasn't applied yet. On my statement it doesn't come up with OD but giftcards. Plus this was physical, but I'll update if I get the credit

 

[QF_Flyer]

I wouldn't say it is really good, but it is good enough to keep.

Although Hyatt's footprint is frustratingly small in Aus, there are plenty of cat 4 properties, which makes the cert very easy to use. That's the best part of it imo.

I wouldn't spend for status unless you're very close already or have unlimited spend, in which case go for it!

A way to earn Hyatt points at all in Aus would make it worth keeping imo, for $95. They're difficult to accrue, unless you have other options from overseas cards (or stay at Hyatts a lot).

In theory, Hyatt Place Essendon Fields is really convenient for me, I could easily mattress run there, but the pricing and lack of decent options domestically mean I'd easily be better off just paying for a suite or higher room category in hotels where I'd get status related benefits anyway.

 

[maverick1]

kept getting declined. I then ordered an airbnb through office depot, but the credit hasn't applied yet. On my statement it doesn't come up with OD but giftcards. Plus this was physical, but I'll update if I get the credit

My staples order got cancelled earlier today - they require additional information...

 

[Franko Costa]

My staples order got cancelled earlier today - they require additional information...

Lmk if you come up with a solution. I have tried different name, different email address, different card (where I wouldn't get the credit) and different US phone number.

All rejected

 

[levelnine]

It is Christmas Eve where I am for the holidays and in celebration I was going to write up a long post on MS, explaining how it is a way of thinking rather than a particular method, but then I came across this absolutely amazing interview with one of the leading bloggers in the space that pretty much covers everything I was going to say.

It is the episode 'Credit Card Arbitrage' on the Risk of Ruin podcast. If you are at all interested in exploring MS, you absolutely need to listen to it. Probably thrice.

Some resources that will be well worth your time if you decide to explore this rabbit hole:
Doctorofcredit
Milesearnandburn (the interviewee's website)
Reddit's churning subreddit
Frequentmiler (they have a 'complete guide' to MS that lays out some basic ideas)
Flyertalk's MS forum

Finally, although it is mentioned in the podcast episode, I will underscore the importance of understanding the risks of anything you do. There is the possibility of having funds frozen (for long periods of time) and even lost with some forms of MS, so never float more than you can afford to lose. Take it slow and ramp up anything one step at a time. It also takes a long time and a lot of reading to work out what can and cannot be done from Australia, so you need to be patient and persistent. I've encountered a lot of dead ends.

Merry Christmas!

 

[Franko Costa]

It is Christmas Eve where I am for the holidays and in celebration I was going to write up a long post on MS, explaining how it is a way of thinking rather than a particular method, but then I came across this absolutely amazing interview with one of the leading bloggers in the space that pretty much covers everything I was going to say.

It is the episode 'Credit Card Arbitrage' on the Risk of Ruin podcast. If you are at all interested in exploring MS, you absolutely need to listen to it. Probably thrice.

Some resources that will be well worth your time if you decide to explore this rabbit hole:
Doctorofcredit
Milesearnandburn (the interviewee's website)
Reddit's churning subreddit
Frequentmiler (they have a 'complete guide' to MS that lays out some basic ideas)
Flyertalk's MS forum

Finally, although it is mentioned in the podcast episode, I will underscore the importance of understanding the risks of anything you do. There is the possibility of having funds frozen (for long periods of time) and even lost with some forms of MS, so never float more than you can afford to lose. Take it slow and ramp up anything one step at a time. It also takes a long time and a lot of reading to work out what can and cannot be done from Australia, so you need to be patient and persistent. I've encountered a lot of dead ends.

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for the podcast link. I find the Reddit and FlyerTalk forums more interesting than helpful in Australia. Also much of it is MS <$1k and almost impossible to scale

 

[levelnine]

Thanks for the podcast link. I find the Reddit and FlyerTalk forums more interesting than helpful in Australia. Also much of it is MS <$1k and almost impossible to scale

That's exactly what the podcast talks about. Scaling is a function of creativity and dedication. Sizeable MS is all about pushing beyond where 99% of people give up. It's a mentality rather than a technique.

To give a concrete example, I went to a wedding in the US last year where gifts were solicited by means of an online registry. You could give a cash gift to the happy couple and pay by credit card with only a ~2% fee. Most people would think nothing of it. A low-level MSer would think, what sort of checks do they have on the back end? Turns out you could set up an account for a new happy couple, gift them money by credit card and get it paid straight into your bank account. The low-level MSer would stop at a few hundred or thousand of MS through that method because they didn't want to risk shut downs. A mid-level MSer would push the boundaries and keep going until they got told to cut it out or get their wedding registry shut down. A high-level MSer would set up 99 employee cards under different names (each with a sign-up bonus) so it looked like the gifts were coming from all sorts of people, donate amounts from $100 to $5,000 to the happy couple then repeat this across multiple registries. I didn't go that far, but I know people who have put mid six figures through these registries.

It's all about mentality.

 

[_TheTraveller_]

That's exactly what the podcast talks about. Scaling is a function of creativity and dedication. Sizeable MS is all about pushing beyond where 99% of people give up. It's a mentality rather than a technique.

To give a concrete example, I went to a wedding in the US last year where gifts were solicited by means of an online registry. You could give a cash gift to the happy couple and pay by credit card with only a ~2% fee. Most people would think nothing of it. A low-level MSer would think, what sort of checks do they have on the back end? Turns out you could set up an account for a new happy couple, gift them money by credit card and get it paid straight into your bank account. The low-level MSer would stop at a few hundred or thousand of MS through that method because they didn't want to risk shut downs. A mid-level MSer would push the boundaries and keep going until they got told to cut it out or get their wedding registry shut down. A high-level MSer would set up 99 employee cards under different names (each with a sign-up bonus) so it looked like the gifts were coming from all sorts of people, donate amounts from $100 to $5,000 to the happy couple then repeat this across multiple registries. I didn't go that far, but I know people who have put mid six figures through these registries.

It's all about mentality.

That's absolutely mental but very cool. Definitely don't have the stones for that!

 

[Tiki]

Many years ago there were Vanilla gift cards in the USA. I remember popping into a CVS pharmac_ in Maui while my husband held our place in line to enter a luau while I bought a few to deposit in my B of A account and pay the credit card. This has been shut down years ago though. I have also heard of buying stuff on Ebay from your spouse or partner, never tried it though. All I really want to do is meet the high minimum spending for the SUB because I don't really spend that much in everyday life.

 

[Tiki]

That wedding registry is insane! I have heard of professional MSers buying stuff for resale but it's risky. I am too risk adverse for stuff like that. I do plan on getting an Ink card next year in time for when I buy a new (read 2-3 years old) SUV and getting the dealer to put most of it on the Ink. These cards are 0% for one year and I would plan to have it paid off by then or do a BT to a 0% offer on another card.

 

[Franko Costa]

That's exactly what the podcast talks about. Scaling is a function of creativity and dedication. Sizeable MS is all about pushing beyond where 99% of people give up. It's a mentality rather than a technique.

To give a concrete example, I went to a wedding in the US last year where gifts were solicited by means of an online registry. You could give a cash gift to the happy couple and pay by credit card with only a ~2% fee. Most people would think nothing of it. A low-level MSer would think, what sort of checks do they have on the back end? Turns out you could set up an account for a new happy couple, gift them money by credit card and get it paid straight into your bank account. The low-level MSer would stop at a few hundred or thousand of MS through that method because they didn't want to risk shut downs. A mid-level MSer would push the boundaries and keep going until they got told to cut it out or get their wedding registry shut down. A high-level MSer would set up 99 employee cards under different names (each with a sign-up bonus) so it looked like the gifts were coming from all sorts of people, donate amounts from $100 to $5,000 to the happy couple then repeat this across multiple registries. I didn't go that far, but I know people who have put mid six figures through these registries.

It's all about mentality.

Insane! I am looking forward to listening to it tonight.

I currently MS about $10k a month but I can't really scale it up anymore. I also have 2 cards on payall. Always looking for new opportunities

 

[Tiki]

Insane! I am looking forward to listening to it tonight.

I currently MS about $10k a month but I can't really scale it up anymore. I also have 2 cards on payall. Always looking for new opportunities

Do your methods require a large cash float? I can't handle much all at once.

 

[Franko Costa]

Do your methods require a large cash float? I can't handle much all at once.

$10k gets caught up for about 3 weeks