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I hadn’t applied for any credit cards since November, so I was starting to get the itch for some new ones.  We’re planning a trip that will include stays at a few Hilton properties, so I was looking to boost my HHonors points balances.  And I looked around to see what other cards might be useful for some travels in the next year or two.  Here’s what I went with.
Citi Hilton HHonors Visa Signature.  This is the second open Citi HHonors Visa Signature Card I have open.  And the third time I’ve been approved for one.  So, even though it takes a lot of points to redeem at Hilton properties these days, Hilton seems to give out HHonors points like candy.
Bonus: Â 50,000 HHonors points after spending $1000 in the first four months.
Approval Details: Received a “pending decision” message after my application.  With seven open Citi cards and nearly $150,000 in credit available through Citi, I thought they were going to make me close some old cards, which I wouldn’t have minded.  When I called the reconsideration line, they just asked me to verify my address, my mother’s maiden name, and my annual income.  As soon as the friendly Citi rep entered that information, I was approved for the HHonors Visa Signature card with a $15,500 credit line.
Hilton HHonors American Express Card. In line with my goal of shoring up my HHonors balances, I applied for another HHonors card.  I like this one because there is no annual fee, and such a low minimum spending requirement!
Bonus: 50,000 HHonors points after spending $750 in the first three months.
Approval Details: Immediately approved with a $17,000 credit line.
Chase Hyatt Card. Now that Hyatts have increased the number of points needed for a nightly redemption, I definitely saw more value in this card since it gives a flat out two free nights, regardless of hotel category, and we don’t have to redeem any “points” for a stay at a Hyatt.  I’m thinking about a trip to France and Morocco in the next 18 months or so, and the two free nights would be great to use at the luxurious Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris.
Bonus: Two free nights at any Hyatt property
Approval Details: Received “pending decision” message after my application.  I called, and I agreed to shut down an old card that I no longer use (Chase Air Tran) and move that $23,000 limit to the new Chase Hyatt card.  I was approved by the end of the call.  For me, I have determined that Chase does not like me to have any more than $65,000 in open credit at any given moment.
Poor timing?
I was a little bummed because within a few days of submitting my application, I saw that the sign up bonus for the Citi HHonors Visa signature card had been increased to 60,000 points.  Then I saw that Amex had upped its bonus for its Starwood SPG card.  In previous years, this increased bonus always took place in August.  I definitely wanted to apply for this card come August, and I thought that would’ve given me plenty of buffer time in between Amex applications (May to August) to get approved for the SPG card.  But now that the SPG card bonus is running in June, it’s highly unlikely that I would get approved.  So, I’ll either have Ken apply for it, or maybe we can just wait until next year.  He already has the personal version of this card from his September AOR, but he can always apply for the business version.
Oh well! Â I’ll call Citi to see if I can get my bonus bumped up to the 60,000 points, but if not, I’ll live!
Have you applied for any new credit cards recently?
