What are you spending on annual fees? | Ask Us Anything Ep79 | 9-3-25

63 snips

Sep 9, 2025

The discussion kicks off with insights on annual credit card fees and their impact on rewards. Navigating the complexities of credit denials becomes a key topic, as personal experiences shed light on potential strategies. Listeners learn about selecting ideal business class flights while avoiding the duds. A fun debate arises over the perks of adding authorized users to premium credit cards, and the hosts even share their memorable first-class travel tales. The conversation rounds out by dissecting the evolving world of casino status and the implications of annual fees.

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ADVICE

Pragmatic 5/24 Strategy

Don't rigidly avoid going over Chase 5/24; balance chasing limited offers now versus future Chase cards.
Apply selectively and use household members to pick up bonuses if needed to avoid exceeding 5/24 limits.

INSIGHT

Portals Can Preserve Hotel Credits

Some travel portals now book direct-like reservations so stays can earn hotel points and elite credits.
Look for loyalty-number fields or portal flags that indicate eligibility before booking through a portal.

ADVICE

Move UR Points Between Households

You can transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards between household members by adding household authorized users.
Move points to a grandfathered Reserve to lock 1.5cpp redemption and move them back later if needed.

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What are you spending on annual fees? What's the holy grail of first-class suites? We answered these and many other questions on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on September 3rd, 2025.

(00:37) - As banks tighten up on credit card approvals, I’m sure many have received a denial for “lack of recent installment loan information.” Has anybody taken out a loan to improve their odds? To me, it makes sense to take out a loan where interest is <$50 if it means getting approved for even 1 more card per year with a large bonus. Would love to hear thoughts/experiences.

See our application rules by issuer guide here: https://frequentmiler.com/complete-guide-to-credit-card-application-rules-by-bank/

(04:28) - Recently canceled a stay at Calala Island inside the cancellation window and sadly had 225,000 Hilton Honors points taken away. Have any of you ever forgotten to cancel an award in time and had to pay the price?

(08:49) - There are good and bad business class products, sometimes even within the same carrier(depending on plane/route). How do you quickly filter out the bad options when doing award searches and alerts?

(12:24) - How many airports do you have, Nick?

(15:54) - If the Chase Ink Business Premier® train shuts down, what would be the team's strategy to earn more Chase points?

(16:48) - Greg- is that the complete Delft house collection behind you, or is there more??

(19:46) - Am I using award tools wrong? I set alerts and sometimes get emails for them, but the awards always seem to be gone by the time I check them an hour or two later. Not sure what to do differently

(21:44) - What are your 5/24 strategies? Do you always stay under? If/when you do go over, how much do you go over, and do you bunch the applications or do you spread them out?

(26:51) - Which credit travel portals or travel booking portals have you confirmed that will still earn you your hotel points?

(30:27) - After listening to the last Coffee Break, you can freely transfer Chase UR points between spouses after setting it up. Correct?

See our How-to video for transferring Chase Ultimate Rewards points to others in your household here: https://frequentmiler.com/how-to-move-chase-ultimate-rewards-points-within-your-household-video/

(31:58) - How do we ask questions?

(32:31) - What’s going on with Citi and suddenly freezing already approved Strata Elite accounts?

(33:08) - Hi guys! Are there times when you buy points?

(34:29) - There are a lot of reports of Chase telling people that the sign-up bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card is now once per lifetime. Did you hear anything on this?

(35:34) - Have Greg / Nick changed their evaluations of Alaska Atmos vs AA miles after the removal announcement of Singapore and LATAM awards?

(39:00) - Y'all have all flown some epic flights to Asia… what’s your all-time favorite way to get to Asia? Looking to book a trip to hit Tokyo/Shanghai/Hong Kong

(40:30) - What exactly does a CSR Authorized User get besides their own Priority Pass access?

(41:58) - Any tips for improving approval odds with Citi? Recently denied for the AA personal card. I do have a Costco card that I have not been using, but other than that, no Citi cards. Thanks!

(43:05) - What is your holy grail of a first-class suite? Emrites? Etihad? JAL?

(47:04) - Nick, I’m curious if you continued on with casino status matching in Atlantic City? I still have Bally's Superstar and am now eligible to rematch at Hard Rock/Ocean. Curious if you’ve done so yet

(49:40) - What are you spending on annual fees? I love the game and do the same, but I’m curious what your fees are looking like. Thanks!

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Music Credit – “swappin’ back n’ forth” by up @ night

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