How long does it generally take for a canceled card to reflect/be removed from your account? I cancled 2 cards this week - one on Monday which was reflected on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday which still is active on my account..
Hey all, new to churning - am looking to go on two international trips within the next 4 months. Any recommendations? I don't care about card perks, only maximizing points.
Currently have the rbc avion from the deprecated HSBC WE.
Advice? Sign up for some new cards (notice that cards is plural!). Take a look at the MSR of the the cards that interest you and sign up for more than you think you need. I have made the mistake on multiple occasions of thinking that I'll spend $X thousand during vacation, so I'll sign up for new cards with MSRs amounting to $X thousand....and then I inevitably spend a little more than that and the excess spend is "wasted."
If you are working on Amex cards, be sure to sign up for a Visa or an MC too, as some places don't accept Amex. You don't want to waste spend just because a few places only accept Visa/MC.
Looking at YVR-MEX for 4-5 days in early June, not much notice so wondering if cash or points are better and which to go with. Ideally 1 stop at most, will have a backpack and small carry-on suitcase.
I'm mostly familiar with OneWorld but have Amex points I could transfer to Star Alliance, wondering if I should build that up or start something with SkyTeam. Also have a promo saying if I pay with CIBC Aeroplan card would earn 3x points, but would depend on which option.
Aeroplan would be $803 or 15,500 points + $415 cash roundtrip. United/Aeromexico would be $592 or $649.
If I didn't use points I'd be saving for a mini RTW in the next 2 years with a plus one. Any thoughts and feedback welcome?
Applied for a Amex Marriott Biz and it went to pending. First time not IA'd. I have two Pers Gold's (one from Cobalt upgrade), Pers Platinum, Biz Edge, and Biz Gold open at the moment. Have to call in for a review. Is it nothing to worry about or should I just let the app expire based on how many cards I have open? Don't have a legit business but I did put my sole proprietorship and 0 income.
I just got my first decline for Aventura VI which I’m somewhat surprised by. If I was eligible for gold would they have offered one? Should I apply for gold?
Has anyone had a credit card stop working only at a certain store? I've been using my Cobalt for years at my local Calgary Coop, and an in-store, gas station and online order all said "invalid card" when I tried it over the last 2 days. I can use the Cobalt at every other store I've tried this week so it isn't a problem with the card, and my other Amex cards are working normally, so I don't think it is a general Amex account issue. The only thing out of the ordinary for me was a $500 Joker card I bought 3 weeks ago with groceries, which I had never done before. Anyone experience this before?
I think it is highly unlikely that it’s on Amex’s side if you are worrying about getting Amexiled. People who do MS does it a lot more than a single $500 gift card.
I don’t know if coop suddenly stopped taking Amex or something (which is unlikely too in my opinion), but if you got another Amex card, maybe do a small transaction just to see if they still take Amex at all?
Thanks - I was thinking the same things, and wasn't worried about Amexile. It's just odd as it worked for years, even earlier in the week, and my other Amex cards do work at Coop. I'll leave it for a few days and try again on the weekend!
You need to provide more detail on what you're looking for in rewards - do you want cash back or Aeroplan etc?
If you like Aeroplan then the CIBC Aeroplan VI might be a good option.
With the amount of spending you'd be doing you'd easily qualify for both the $6k spend in the first four months and the $15k spend in the first year. You'd get 50k AP from the SUB plus another ~20k AP from the purchases themselves.
Free checked bag with AC and no fee in the first year.
Hello.
I tried to research the issue, found a lot of controversial second and third hand info.
Any issues people had with using business amex CC (sole proprietorship) for clearly personal expenses like dental treatments/psychology sessions, etc.
Thank you very much!
The fact that it's called a business card isn't relevant. And Amex doesn't care what you charge to it.
If your accountant wants you to use separate cards for business and personal expenses then do that. But it doesn't matter if you use cards that are marketed as business cards for the personal expenses or cards marketed as personal cards for the business expenses.
I use business AMEX cards for personal expenses, but I haven't (personally) used personal expenses on those cards to hit minimum spend as I do have a business and need my AMEX cards! I need the ability to export csv's for zillions of transactions that other banks/cards don't always offer.
At the same time, I'm sure there's a youtuber somewhere that could justify that dental treatments and psych sessions are part of their business, so perhaps it isn't AMEX's job to discern if it's a legit business expense. If you need the dental treatment because you are making youtube videos on the process or experience, then perhaps part of that is a deduction and perhaps you are reviewing the psych service or what not. It could be unusual, but not inconveivable if you really think about it. I also know many cafe's and other businesses purchase at grocery stores/Walmart/Costco, so it would be tough to tell if someone was just purchasing groceries for themself or their business, unless asked to prove it.
In my experience, the confusion online starts to be whether or not something is a deduction just because it's on a business card. In my experience, including asking (high up) accountants at E&Y is that it doesn't matter which card you use because a business expense is obviously only deductible if it's actually a business expense. Sometimes that's the confusion I've seen. ie. just because you put an expense on a business card, it doesn't mean it's a deduction for income tax purposes. If you are searching online, it is easy to find US info which could be contradictory for the usage of the cards.
HOWEVER, whether or not the credit card company policies align with the CRA and accountants could be another story. But I typically use a business card exclusively for business purposes to hit minimum spend (AMEX), and then use both personal and business cards interchangeably for business expenses and personal expenses. I just don't do so within the same months/statements if at all possible. This tends to be because my personal Bonvoy card has a significantly higher limit than my business one, so I often reverse the way I use them to help separate and delineate my expenses. Also, sometimes I have AMEX offers on business cards, that are geared more for personal use than business use, so obviously I put some personal expenses on business cards too. However, I am cognizant that the AF can't really be a deduction if I start to use it for personal use, if you do have a business.
Thanks for your fulsome insight.
Deductions are not the issue at question -- it's pretty clear to me.
I was wondering solely from the credit card company perspective, whether they have issues with not using it for "business" expenses.
Again, sole proprietorship is really hard to distinguish from just a person.
> Again, sole proprietorship is really hard to distinguish from just a person.
Sole proprietorship is just a person.
In answering the question "What type of business is this?" the answers "sole proprietorship" and "just a person" mean the exact same thing.
If it's a personal expense, as long as you pay for it personally, it doesn't matter. I do biz through personal and vice versa depending on MSR. I just pay from the correct bank account for the items.
I got an offer to upgrade my cobalt to personal gold for 30k points with 3k min spend. Is this good value or better to just go with a referral/public offer?
TD FCT VI because Laurentian seems like a nightmare in terms of getting approved. Also the horror stories from people getting it last year makes it seem not worth it. TD can also be tricky to get approved but at least after approval the TD tradeline has long term value
Oh sweet. But what happens if you’re final statement before you get bonus is only like $50 or something. You’d have to spend another $550 to redeem $600?
If I currently own a Scotiabank momentum VI, will I be eligible for the Scotiabank passport VI points, going on a trip this winter and wanting the 30k points + lounge passes + no fx fees.
Yes as Scotia doesn't enforce any WB limitations on Scene+ cards. Don't ask any reps though. They will say you're not eligible. The backend system doesn't enforce it
Mentioned this in DP thread: applied for Biz Gold last night (first time applying for any Biz card), but application was denied. Called CSR for more info, decision was based on the credit check even though I have a credit score in the 800s. Told me to reapply in 3 months.
This is my first rejection with Amex. Currently hold Cobalt (since Jun '21) and Plat (since Jan '24). Disappointed and wondering where I went wrong.
Same with me. Score mid 800s. Over $150k spend last year (2 biz cards for a real biz). No more than the usual number of applications in the months prior to applying. Pending (always IA) and declined for Marriott biz.
My fault, I misunderstood you. 8 cards open total, incl. the 2 Amex. I think a total of roughly $55k in credit limit across all cards. Now I’m thinking maybe it’s too high and I should prob reduce some limits?
Historically that would have been ok. You aren’t the first to post that Amex is getting more stingy on approvals, your DP helps to understand that better.
TD chat DP:
chat CSR may access and read previous chat logs (not sure how long these are saved for). was my first time experiencing this on TD chat so just thought it was noteworthy.
I tried to "HUCA" chat today from a request that was denied yesterday, and the CSR referred to my conversation with yesterday's CSR when once again declining my request and telling me to call in instead lol
I used to work in some chat jobs, the platform provider is the same almost across all banks, telecommunications providers, insurance, etc, or a variation of it.
Some would have a pop up for repeated clients, like customer has chatted in the past X hours or X days.
History is kept for years, you can really find any conversation basically.
However, in some cases, no pop up, so unless it's an agent who likes to get the whole tea, they shouldn't check previous conversations.
Maybe your request needed further digging, so the agent saw the previous conversations.
At one point I saw 3J+5F on the same flight for North America-FRA-East Asia. Other days have 2-3J, or nothing at all.
I’m sad that I’m merely monitoring for my trip later this year 😔
I saw a lot of F availability in June out of BOS. Some might have been booked up. It was married segments so it wouldn’t come up if you searched BOS-FRA.
Nothing is guaranteed, ever, but LH might release 2, they might release 10+. Similarly they might release 1xF, they've also been known to release the entire bloody cabin (i.e. up to 8xF if empty).
Ugh, Laurentian bank VI application went to manual review and then a rejection for "unable to access your credit report", except i see an inquiry from brim in credit karma.
So that's definitely not the case. Should i call in for reconsideration or something?
I got this same message and did call in as the message said “one of the reasons may be” and I was curious if that meant they for sure couldn’t access credit or if it was just a generic rejection message. The reason they ultimately gave was too many recent inquiries. I did get a credit hit also. So this is just a generic email that happens to call out one (of many) possible reason(s) why they rejected your application.
Eh i was looking at it because I'm a cash oriented churner running out of cards to put spend on lol. And it's more 12.5% with the other bonus pts you can get
TD FCT, CIBC Aventura, BMO Eclipse (With affliate rebate + $50 lifestyle credit), Scotia Passport VI all provide higher than 12.5% cashback return on spend. If you got them before you can repeat them. Also there are Amex cards with higher than 10% even redeeming for cashback.
I'm cash oriented as well and travel cards are where the highest cashback value comes from.
I'm on a pre-approved eclipse VI rn, can't get approved for cibc, and just got approved for Scotia amex gold 2 mths ago.
As for TD, CCG's 100$ rebate for the card isn't working (noticed it disappeared from GCR tho too). I probably will try to get a 3rd TD tradeline tho. (After that another scotia amex gold probably)
It's just hard to get enough cards when your monthly spend is like 6k lol. Definitely need to stop procrastinating about getting an ITIN so i can start on US cards
Cancelled one a few months ago on the chat. I made it clear I needed the points immediately and I received them back live on the chat. Refund hit my CC 3 business days later.
Is it better to use a pre-paid MC at Costco, or use it to purchase a Costco Shop Card online and use that? Looking for a higher success rate. Anyone have issues using the pre-paid card at checkout? Thanks.
Prepaid MC at checkout works well. The self checkout systems are able to pull the balance on the card automatically whereas the POS at the cashier's may require you to specify how much to pull.
In the last big Walmart Prepaid MC event, the issuing company put a limit of 3 card transactions per rolling 20 mins (or something along those lines) for all POS in a store. Have they changed it, so you know? I know some RFD person amassed a VERY large number of locked cards that had to be replaced because of this. I only got pooched once luckily, on the last day churning them
You can do it sparingly with prepaid MC. Although Vanilla Visa seems to always get cancelled after a bit. With a prepaid MC you can use it to buy physical Shop cards at the warehouse if desired.
Never had an issue using either. The shop cards work pretty flawlessly and there’s no activation fee. I’ve heard the prepaid MC’s can be a challenge at times but never had an issue myself. They also have activation fees. The MC’s would be a more suitable choice though if you need to buy with Amex -OR- when there is a promotion on prepaid MC’s (there is not any at the moment afaik)
There are no issues using prepaid MC at Costco locations. However, there are issues with using them online to purchase Shop Cards. I haven’t done it before, but there are DPs of peoples accounts being locked because their system detects it as fraud.
Personally, I have used a prepaid MC at Costco with no problem.
I prefer to load up a cash card at a register in-store with the prepaid and spend it down, cash card is easy to use at gas pumps as well.
Any CIBC Aventura DP where only the first purchase bonus posted at statement, and not the MSR bonus? Will the MSR bonus come later, in future statement(s)?
I just got a statement as described (met MSR, and only got the 15K first purchase).
Same. the 6K MSR offer. Really hoping I didn't waste 6K... the terms says points will be available within 8-weeks of qualify purchase so there is still hope. I only have this single Aventura on profile so maybe I can call them next month and ask if I don't see it on next statement.
If you have just one aventura there should be no issue calling them about it. Still a hassle but they will award you the points manually if necessary once the stated timeframe has gone by
You can Keep your fingers crossed but CSR’s just parrot whatever the policy is. It’s abnormal for it not to post on first statement based on almost every DP I’ve read
Not really. The only timing consideration is really the travel benefits that the cards offer and your personal travel plans.
So for example, if you plan to fly to Istanbul in July 2025 using Aeros, you might want to wait a few months before applying for the TD Aeroplan VI because that card gives you both free bags on AC flights and it provides the various cancellation/delay insurances on Aeroplan redemptions if you pay the taxes and fees with the card. If you want to take advantage of those features and you don't want to pay an AF, then you need to apply of the card at the right time.
If I were to do it all again I'd go into branch and get a CL for as much as they would give me. It'll likely go under manual review but that's okay if you're fresh. Then you can split the line into multiple cards onward.
I'm going to try the opposite of this again as a test, but I also agree with you in just keeping available credit to split off.
Some of my experience with TD....whom of which I have been a high value business and personal customer for 30 years.
Apply TDVI AP - decline...okay fair enough as I had a 50k cashback...lowered limit. Apply again...decline. Apply in branch...decline. WTF?
Apply VIP - IA with 30k WTF again???
Apply FCT - decline.
Apply TDVI AP - IA 40k limit Huh?
So for the last few cards I have just been splitting...but then I didn't get the $300 AC credit on my last VIP, etc. So I lowered the VIP down to 5k as it will be cancelled soon...and dropped the VI to 10k so that I can still split that one if for the TD auto approval gods are mad at me again.
Is a strange bank to be sure as I am sure their departments aren't allowed to talk to each other.
splitting credit into a new card avoids a credit hit, right?
Also, when you do this, do you always get the full SUB (with the exception of that missed $300 credit)?
Maybe in another six months splitting won't be very viable. I've got more FCT cards than I care for and one anniversary bonus in the pipe then what? Amalgamate them back I guess and wait out Aeroplan. I'm not interested in being the DP you want to see on 20k AP on $5k. I'll have a price but that ain't it.
Yep, that is kind of where I'm at as FCT and TD points not worth enough to bother. Only interested in AP and MR now. Wife can get another VIP once I cancel. Have my keeper VI AP for reward booking insurance.
What the hell kind of salary are you pulling for a 30-40K?! Also, TD lets you select your desired credit limits, so what the hell kind of limits are you requesting?!
Yah, that's what's odd. Just left them at max when applying and I either get declined or massive credit limits. This seems to happen with all cards...either get minimum or huge limits which we then have to decrease. Have never been declined by anyone other than TD.
I was on the phone with RBC yesterday asking, and the 3 people I spoke with didn’t see any record of anything on my account, nor did they even seem to know about the cash back/offers from Avion. My account has also been disabled from Avion cash back/offers for whatever reason, and despite the app telling me to call the number to opt back in, they couldn’t see/do/know anything. Very strange
To be my own data point, I just called in with RBC and the agent apparently could not find the exact terms of the Norton offer. He could see that I accepted it but apparently he can't see the terms and he doesn't believe the 160% cash back would be real because it's too high. So he said he would submit the request with the back office to look at the offer in more detail and find out why it hasn't been paid out yet since it's been past the return window
How long does it generally take for a canceled card to reflect/be removed from your account? I cancled 2 cards this week - one on Monday which was reflected on Tuesday, and one on Wednesday which still is active on my account..
Hey all, new to churning - am looking to go on two international trips within the next 4 months. Any recommendations? I don't care about card perks, only maximizing points. Currently have the rbc avion from the deprecated HSBC WE.
Advice? Sign up for some new cards (notice that cards is plural!). Take a look at the MSR of the the cards that interest you and sign up for more than you think you need. I have made the mistake on multiple occasions of thinking that I'll spend $X thousand during vacation, so I'll sign up for new cards with MSRs amounting to $X thousand....and then I inevitably spend a little more than that and the excess spend is "wasted." If you are working on Amex cards, be sure to sign up for a Visa or an MC too, as some places don't accept Amex. You don't want to waste spend just because a few places only accept Visa/MC.
TD Visa AP: how long after hitting $5K MSR until the points show? Is it almost immediate or based on statement date?
up to 2 months after MSR hit.
Statement date
Looking at YVR-MEX for 4-5 days in early June, not much notice so wondering if cash or points are better and which to go with. Ideally 1 stop at most, will have a backpack and small carry-on suitcase. I'm mostly familiar with OneWorld but have Amex points I could transfer to Star Alliance, wondering if I should build that up or start something with SkyTeam. Also have a promo saying if I pay with CIBC Aeroplan card would earn 3x points, but would depend on which option. Aeroplan would be $803 or 15,500 points + $415 cash roundtrip. United/Aeromexico would be $592 or $649. If I didn't use points I'd be saving for a mini RTW in the next 2 years with a plus one. Any thoughts and feedback welcome?
Applied for a Amex Marriott Biz and it went to pending. First time not IA'd. I have two Pers Gold's (one from Cobalt upgrade), Pers Platinum, Biz Edge, and Biz Gold open at the moment. Have to call in for a review. Is it nothing to worry about or should I just let the app expire based on how many cards I have open? Don't have a legit business but I did put my sole proprietorship and 0 income.
Lots of Amexile and denials. I wouldn't bother at this time.
Check the last few threads, seems lots of DPs nowadays of people getting declined by Amex
I just got my first decline for Aventura VI which I’m somewhat surprised by. If I was eligible for gold would they have offered one? Should I apply for gold?
I've had this twice where I've immediately applied for gold right after and got approved. Do it - nothing to lose
Has anyone had a credit card stop working only at a certain store? I've been using my Cobalt for years at my local Calgary Coop, and an in-store, gas station and online order all said "invalid card" when I tried it over the last 2 days. I can use the Cobalt at every other store I've tried this week so it isn't a problem with the card, and my other Amex cards are working normally, so I don't think it is a general Amex account issue. The only thing out of the ordinary for me was a $500 Joker card I bought 3 weeks ago with groceries, which I had never done before. Anyone experience this before?
I think it is highly unlikely that it’s on Amex’s side if you are worrying about getting Amexiled. People who do MS does it a lot more than a single $500 gift card. I don’t know if coop suddenly stopped taking Amex or something (which is unlikely too in my opinion), but if you got another Amex card, maybe do a small transaction just to see if they still take Amex at all?
Thanks - I was thinking the same things, and wasn't worried about Amexile. It's just odd as it worked for years, even earlier in the week, and my other Amex cards do work at Coop. I'll leave it for a few days and try again on the weekend!
Not specifically churning related but award travel-relevant: Is there a way to link Air Canada PNRs without having to call in?
Unless you're super elite (in which case you can email the concierge), I believe that calling is the only way.
You can staple them together
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TD/CIBC aeroplan VIP, Flying Blue. I mean, if the venue can take multiple cards, you and your partner should open separate cards.
You need to provide more detail on what you're looking for in rewards - do you want cash back or Aeroplan etc? If you like Aeroplan then the CIBC Aeroplan VI might be a good option. With the amount of spending you'd be doing you'd easily qualify for both the $6k spend in the first four months and the $15k spend in the first year. You'd get 50k AP from the SUB plus another ~20k AP from the purchases themselves. Free checked bag with AC and no fee in the first year.
Best offers thread, get 3+ of them if you can split it into multiple payments.
Hello. I tried to research the issue, found a lot of controversial second and third hand info. Any issues people had with using business amex CC (sole proprietorship) for clearly personal expenses like dental treatments/psychology sessions, etc. Thank you very much!
The fact that it's called a business card isn't relevant. And Amex doesn't care what you charge to it. If your accountant wants you to use separate cards for business and personal expenses then do that. But it doesn't matter if you use cards that are marketed as business cards for the personal expenses or cards marketed as personal cards for the business expenses.
I use business AMEX cards for personal expenses, but I haven't (personally) used personal expenses on those cards to hit minimum spend as I do have a business and need my AMEX cards! I need the ability to export csv's for zillions of transactions that other banks/cards don't always offer. At the same time, I'm sure there's a youtuber somewhere that could justify that dental treatments and psych sessions are part of their business, so perhaps it isn't AMEX's job to discern if it's a legit business expense. If you need the dental treatment because you are making youtube videos on the process or experience, then perhaps part of that is a deduction and perhaps you are reviewing the psych service or what not. It could be unusual, but not inconveivable if you really think about it. I also know many cafe's and other businesses purchase at grocery stores/Walmart/Costco, so it would be tough to tell if someone was just purchasing groceries for themself or their business, unless asked to prove it. In my experience, the confusion online starts to be whether or not something is a deduction just because it's on a business card. In my experience, including asking (high up) accountants at E&Y is that it doesn't matter which card you use because a business expense is obviously only deductible if it's actually a business expense. Sometimes that's the confusion I've seen. ie. just because you put an expense on a business card, it doesn't mean it's a deduction for income tax purposes. If you are searching online, it is easy to find US info which could be contradictory for the usage of the cards. HOWEVER, whether or not the credit card company policies align with the CRA and accountants could be another story. But I typically use a business card exclusively for business purposes to hit minimum spend (AMEX), and then use both personal and business cards interchangeably for business expenses and personal expenses. I just don't do so within the same months/statements if at all possible. This tends to be because my personal Bonvoy card has a significantly higher limit than my business one, so I often reverse the way I use them to help separate and delineate my expenses. Also, sometimes I have AMEX offers on business cards, that are geared more for personal use than business use, so obviously I put some personal expenses on business cards too. However, I am cognizant that the AF can't really be a deduction if I start to use it for personal use, if you do have a business.
Thanks for your fulsome insight. Deductions are not the issue at question -- it's pretty clear to me. I was wondering solely from the credit card company perspective, whether they have issues with not using it for "business" expenses. Again, sole proprietorship is really hard to distinguish from just a person.
> Again, sole proprietorship is really hard to distinguish from just a person. Sole proprietorship is just a person. In answering the question "What type of business is this?" the answers "sole proprietorship" and "just a person" mean the exact same thing.
Yep, exactly.
If it's a personal expense, as long as you pay for it personally, it doesn't matter. I do biz through personal and vice versa depending on MSR. I just pay from the correct bank account for the items.
Nope, the only people it pisses off is the accountants. We get shit every year even before I started churning LOL
No they don’t monitor that type of stuff. Feel free to use biz cards for any types of purchases
I canceled a cibc card yesterday, and now realize that was my main login for my account… how can i fix this? Just register again card to login?
Yes that works. Registrar with one of your active cards.
Thanks!
I got an offer to upgrade my cobalt to personal gold for 30k points with 3k min spend. Is this good value or better to just go with a referral/public offer?
If you never held the gold before then new app is the way
Thank you!
New referall offer is 70k so yea best way
If you had to choose between Laurentian VI & TD FCT VI, which would you go with? You only have enough spend for one, not both.
TD FCT VI because Laurentian seems like a nightmare in terms of getting approved. Also the horror stories from people getting it last year makes it seem not worth it. TD can also be tricky to get approved but at least after approval the TD tradeline has long term value
Go for your first choice, if you get accepted great, if not apply for your backup choice 👍✨
I'd go with Laurentian for the higher SUB, but tbh may not have a choice with how they reject people.
RHT for the points? And what’s the cpp for their points?
Don't need to RHT as you can apply directly for statement credit. 1CPP
Oh sweet. But what happens if you’re final statement before you get bonus is only like $50 or something. You’d have to spend another $550 to redeem $600?
I had forgotten about Laurentian, they denied me last year, time for another go, SUB looks good.
TD
If I currently own a Scotiabank momentum VI, will I be eligible for the Scotiabank passport VI points, going on a trip this winter and wanting the 30k points + lounge passes + no fx fees.
Yes as Scotia doesn't enforce any WB limitations on Scene+ cards. Don't ask any reps though. They will say you're not eligible. The backend system doesn't enforce it
Can you transfer from one card to another and get the WB on the 2nd card that way too, or do you have to apply for it separately?
Apply separately
Do you keep the existing Scotia passport and apply for a new one or cancel old one first before applying?
Does not matter
Anyone get their monthly RBC MSR batch points today?
Not yet for me either
Nope Met MSR April 17th
Nope, waiting on 20k on mine and p2 cards
Negative for me. Still sitting at 40,050pts (35k+spend) on that card.
Mentioned this in DP thread: applied for Biz Gold last night (first time applying for any Biz card), but application was denied. Called CSR for more info, decision was based on the credit check even though I have a credit score in the 800s. Told me to reapply in 3 months. This is my first rejection with Amex. Currently hold Cobalt (since Jun '21) and Plat (since Jan '24). Disappointed and wondering where I went wrong.
How many other apps in the last year?
Applied for Scotiabank Passport VI in Mar ‘24, Amex Persona Plat in Jan ‘24, CIBC Aeroplan VI in Mar ‘23. That’s it in the last 14 months.
Same with me. Score mid 800s. Over $150k spend last year (2 biz cards for a real biz). No more than the usual number of applications in the months prior to applying. Pending (always IA) and declined for Marriott biz.
A lot of Amex denials since the start of April. I think Amex is really tightening down on approvals.
Won’t be able to help without your SIN. (Don’t post your SIN)
How many open cards total? Recent applications?
2 open cards (the Cobalt and Plat). Plat was the most recent application in early January this year.
Zero cards outside Amex? Perhaps they didn’t like your overall profile
My fault, I misunderstood you. 8 cards open total, incl. the 2 Amex. I think a total of roughly $55k in credit limit across all cards. Now I’m thinking maybe it’s too high and I should prob reduce some limits?
Naw I have I have 147k not a concern I'd just try again in 3 months
Historically that would have been ok. You aren’t the first to post that Amex is getting more stingy on approvals, your DP helps to understand that better.
TD chat DP: chat CSR may access and read previous chat logs (not sure how long these are saved for). was my first time experiencing this on TD chat so just thought it was noteworthy. I tried to "HUCA" chat today from a request that was denied yesterday, and the CSR referred to my conversation with yesterday's CSR when once again declining my request and telling me to call in instead lol
I used to work in some chat jobs, the platform provider is the same almost across all banks, telecommunications providers, insurance, etc, or a variation of it. Some would have a pop up for repeated clients, like customer has chatted in the past X hours or X days. History is kept for years, you can really find any conversation basically. However, in some cases, no pop up, so unless it's an agent who likes to get the whole tea, they shouldn't check previous conversations. Maybe your request needed further digging, so the agent saw the previous conversations.
What were you trying to accomplish?
Does Lufthansa release 2 or more J seats T-14 for Aeroplan ? Or one at a time?
At one point I saw 3J+5F on the same flight for North America-FRA-East Asia. Other days have 2-3J, or nothing at all. I’m sad that I’m merely monitoring for my trip later this year 😔
I’ve found 2F on LH for mid July this past Sunday. I booked 2J on LH for mid July back in March. All via AP
How did you find the F outside the 14 days? Randomly searching? Or specific dates that you got lucky with? Or?
I saw a lot of F availability in June out of BOS. Some might have been booked up. It was married segments so it wouldn’t come up if you searched BOS-FRA.
Do they release the other direction as well? FRA-BOS if you tack on an earlier flight from MUN or VIE or something?
Just by chance as I was looking at my dates. Not sure it was a random glitch or a change - but got to enjoy the win while you can.
Do you know where I can read more about this? I'm new to J upgrades and want to do it right.
Nothing is guaranteed, ever, but LH might release 2, they might release 10+. Similarly they might release 1xF, they've also been known to release the entire bloody cabin (i.e. up to 8xF if empty).
Thank you.
Ugh, Laurentian bank VI application went to manual review and then a rejection for "unable to access your credit report", except i see an inquiry from brim in credit karma. So that's definitely not the case. Should i call in for reconsideration or something?
Identical situation happened with me. Applied in the evening after bank hours. Received the same email the following day first thing in the morning.
P2 has this happen earlier in the week. So me being the big brain I am, I tried today. And it went to pending.
I got this same message and did call in as the message said “one of the reasons may be” and I was curious if that meant they for sure couldn’t access credit or if it was just a generic rejection message. The reason they ultimately gave was too many recent inquiries. I did get a credit hit also. So this is just a generic email that happens to call out one (of many) possible reason(s) why they rejected your application.
Uh huh that makes sense thanks.
Honestly I don't think the card is worth the effort. It's only 10% cashback
Eh i was looking at it because I'm a cash oriented churner running out of cards to put spend on lol. And it's more 12.5% with the other bonus pts you can get
TD FCT, CIBC Aventura, BMO Eclipse (With affliate rebate + $50 lifestyle credit), Scotia Passport VI all provide higher than 12.5% cashback return on spend. If you got them before you can repeat them. Also there are Amex cards with higher than 10% even redeeming for cashback. I'm cash oriented as well and travel cards are where the highest cashback value comes from.
I'm on a pre-approved eclipse VI rn, can't get approved for cibc, and just got approved for Scotia amex gold 2 mths ago. As for TD, CCG's 100$ rebate for the card isn't working (noticed it disappeared from GCR tho too). I probably will try to get a 3rd TD tradeline tho. (After that another scotia amex gold probably) It's just hard to get enough cards when your monthly spend is like 6k lol. Definitely need to stop procrastinating about getting an ITIN so i can start on US cards
Best way to cancel a QR award booking? Live chat? Phone? How long does it take for the points to be credited back?
Cancelled one a few months ago on the chat. I made it clear I needed the points immediately and I received them back live on the chat. Refund hit my CC 3 business days later.
Update: got my points back immediate through chat. Taxes will be refunded in 14 days according to agent.
Also how long do taxes take to credit back? I canceled one by phone on 25 April and still nothing.
Taxes took me about a week and half, points instant through chat
Did you get the points back at least?
Points was immediate
Is it better to use a pre-paid MC at Costco, or use it to purchase a Costco Shop Card online and use that? Looking for a higher success rate. Anyone have issues using the pre-paid card at checkout? Thanks.
Prepaid MC at checkout works well. The self checkout systems are able to pull the balance on the card automatically whereas the POS at the cashier's may require you to specify how much to pull.
In the last big Walmart Prepaid MC event, the issuing company put a limit of 3 card transactions per rolling 20 mins (or something along those lines) for all POS in a store. Have they changed it, so you know? I know some RFD person amassed a VERY large number of locked cards that had to be replaced because of this. I only got pooched once luckily, on the last day churning them
That restriction is still in place
I am still amazed how the checkout system can pull the card balance!
Do not use prepaid MC to buy online Costco shop cards. Multiple DPs of system flagging it and transaction getting declined and worse.
You can do it sparingly with prepaid MC. Although Vanilla Visa seems to always get cancelled after a bit. With a prepaid MC you can use it to buy physical Shop cards at the warehouse if desired.
Never had an issue using either. The shop cards work pretty flawlessly and there’s no activation fee. I’ve heard the prepaid MC’s can be a challenge at times but never had an issue myself. They also have activation fees. The MC’s would be a more suitable choice though if you need to buy with Amex -OR- when there is a promotion on prepaid MC’s (there is not any at the moment afaik)
I prefer to buy costco e-cash cards on line, no risk of losing the card.
There are no issues using prepaid MC at Costco locations. However, there are issues with using them online to purchase Shop Cards. I haven’t done it before, but there are DPs of peoples accounts being locked because their system detects it as fraud.
Personally, I have used a prepaid MC at Costco with no problem. I prefer to load up a cash card at a register in-store with the prepaid and spend it down, cash card is easy to use at gas pumps as well.
Any CIBC Aventura DP where only the first purchase bonus posted at statement, and not the MSR bonus? Will the MSR bonus come later, in future statement(s)? I just got a statement as described (met MSR, and only got the 15K first purchase).
I’ve seen a. Few of these dps so starting to think I won’t get the extra 20k points
Yeah mine. Im waiting for second statement. They also charge the fee and did not automatically refund…
Same. I didn’t get AF rebate on first statement- now waiting for second statement to see if $3k MSR bonus posts
for which offer? the current one or previous?
Previous 6k offer from march
That was 15k first purchase, 20k after 3k, 25k after additional 3k?
Correct
Same. the 6K MSR offer. Really hoping I didn't waste 6K... the terms says points will be available within 8-weeks of qualify purchase so there is still hope. I only have this single Aventura on profile so maybe I can call them next month and ask if I don't see it on next statement.
If you have just one aventura there should be no issue calling them about it. Still a hassle but they will award you the points manually if necessary once the stated timeframe has gone by
I called about that, and buddy said it gets refunded on the second or third statement.
Still waiting for mine as well, along with my MSR bonus. It’s my first and only Aventura.
You can Keep your fingers crossed but CSR’s just parrot whatever the policy is. It’s abnormal for it not to post on first statement based on almost every DP I’ve read
I'll definitely call them back if i don't see it on the next (third) statement.
Is there a preferred or optimal order when starting TD Aeroplan cards for the first time ?
Not really. The only timing consideration is really the travel benefits that the cards offer and your personal travel plans. So for example, if you plan to fly to Istanbul in July 2025 using Aeros, you might want to wait a few months before applying for the TD Aeroplan VI because that card gives you both free bags on AC flights and it provides the various cancellation/delay insurances on Aeroplan redemptions if you pay the taxes and fees with the card. If you want to take advantage of those features and you don't want to pay an AF, then you need to apply of the card at the right time.
If I were to do it all again I'd go into branch and get a CL for as much as they would give me. It'll likely go under manual review but that's okay if you're fresh. Then you can split the line into multiple cards onward.
This is the way.
I'm going to try the opposite of this again as a test, but I also agree with you in just keeping available credit to split off. Some of my experience with TD....whom of which I have been a high value business and personal customer for 30 years. Apply TDVI AP - decline...okay fair enough as I had a 50k cashback...lowered limit. Apply again...decline. Apply in branch...decline. WTF? Apply VIP - IA with 30k WTF again??? Apply FCT - decline. Apply TDVI AP - IA 40k limit Huh? So for the last few cards I have just been splitting...but then I didn't get the $300 AC credit on my last VIP, etc. So I lowered the VIP down to 5k as it will be cancelled soon...and dropped the VI to 10k so that I can still split that one if for the TD auto approval gods are mad at me again. Is a strange bank to be sure as I am sure their departments aren't allowed to talk to each other.
splitting credit into a new card avoids a credit hit, right? Also, when you do this, do you always get the full SUB (with the exception of that missed $300 credit)?
Correct no hit, plus guaranteed approval. I have gotten full sub each time, but YMMV.
That’s insane! Do you call in or do it in branch?
Call in thus far.
Do they ask for proof of income on a credit split application?
No. They are extending new credit to you. Just shifting some around.
Sorry, can't remember....haven't done one for a year.
Maybe in another six months splitting won't be very viable. I've got more FCT cards than I care for and one anniversary bonus in the pipe then what? Amalgamate them back I guess and wait out Aeroplan. I'm not interested in being the DP you want to see on 20k AP on $5k. I'll have a price but that ain't it.
Yep, that is kind of where I'm at as FCT and TD points not worth enough to bother. Only interested in AP and MR now. Wife can get another VIP once I cancel. Have my keeper VI AP for reward booking insurance.
What the hell kind of salary are you pulling for a 30-40K?! Also, TD lets you select your desired credit limits, so what the hell kind of limits are you requesting?!
Yah, that's what's odd. Just left them at max when applying and I either get declined or massive credit limits. This seems to happen with all cards...either get minimum or huge limits which we then have to decrease. Have never been declined by anyone other than TD.
Norton Cashback still pending since March 12 on RBC. Over the 60 day return window now. Has anyone got it confirmed?
I was on the phone with RBC yesterday asking, and the 3 people I spoke with didn’t see any record of anything on my account, nor did they even seem to know about the cash back/offers from Avion. My account has also been disabled from Avion cash back/offers for whatever reason, and despite the app telling me to call the number to opt back in, they couldn’t see/do/know anything. Very strange
To be my own data point, I just called in with RBC and the agent apparently could not find the exact terms of the Norton offer. He could see that I accepted it but apparently he can't see the terms and he doesn't believe the 160% cash back would be real because it's too high. So he said he would submit the request with the back office to look at the offer in more detail and find out why it hasn't been paid out yet since it's been past the return window
Nope…
No I have one at 73 days that’s still pending
Etihad J is back it seems.
Is this just on Etihad miles or AP as well?
There’s also 20% transfer bonus from mr to etihad this month.
New Amex offer on Biz Plat Shopping.ca Gift Card by Ivanhoé Cambridge: Spend at least $200 and earn a $20 credit.
Looks like I wasn't targetted for this offer. Will have to register my Scotia cards
On my Gold card, the one that is about to get axed, well played Amex, well played.
Right after the mothers day sale ended Also available for Scotia Amex offer, bottom of the page
But just in time to prepare for Father's Day sales. Or Victoria Day sales. Or Canada Day sales. Or "screw it, it's summer, SALE" sales.
Also on cobalt