Selling Tradelines / Piggybacking Part II: $1000+/hr, 20-40k/yr. Side Gig

[MasterStache]

I have one Barclay's card (no annual fee) and I'm thinking of applying for more, since you guys are praising their cards so much, but I'm afraid this will drag my credit card history down. How much does it matter?

If your score is good now, I would say minimal.  It will reduce your average age of accounts a bit.  If you have a decent avg age now (older cards basically), then I really wouldn't worry about it.

If you post some more info, I am sure more specific advice can be given (if you like).

P.S. The NFL card used to do a decent bonus for minimal spend.  You could get that or another one and let it age for 2 years.

I just asked Barclays for credit line increase and that dropped my credit score (Transunion) by 2 points.  Is that a lot?  Currently credit karma reports my score as 785 (Transunion) and 800 (Equifax).
If I don't ever plan to take out a loan, does any of this matter? When I apply for a cc, do they look at my score when deciding how much creditline to give me?

When you are talking scores around 800, 2 points is pocket change. Nothing to worry about. My score fluctuates 15-20 points in any given year but still stays around 800.

[MasterStache]

My first tradeline sale!

I added a Barclay's card with the old company a few days ago and just got a sale. It's a newer card so only $50. But I just got hit with the first $89 annual fee so this will take care of half that. Meanwhile the Capital One card I added six months ago when they were taking newer cards hasn't done anything yet. The removal date is three months from now in August so I wonder if that's changed from the 2-month cycle that was originally posted.

I very rarely pay an annual fee, especially on a card that is already a year old.  And by rarely I actually mean never thus far, now that I think about it.  Almost always the benefits are not worth the annual fee in years 2-N.

Have you considered downgrading?  Most cards have downgrade-to-$0-annual-fee options, and you'll still keep the same credit line and limit and age on your credit report.  Sometimes the account number even stays the same.

Anyway, consider downgrading.  And if you don't downgrade and report your TL sales on Schedule C, don't forget to deduct the $89. :)

So I just called to try and downgrade (15 minutes on hold, not too bad) but the representative said there is no longer a free option available. I guess the Barclay Arrival has been discontinued. But she did inform me I could use 8,000 points to pay for the annual fee. Of course as luck would have it I just used 15,000 of my 17,000 points as a $75 cash back statement credit about three hours ago. And of course that is non-reversible. So I basically wasted about 10,000 points by not calling first. Well I just need to get a couple more sales this year to make up for it. By next year I should be getting $175 per spot too.

Ouch, I know a lot of folks prefer the cashback option. Barclays is P2's main spend card because of the 2X points on everything. We stay in cabins and an occasional Airbnb so Barclays comes in handy for wiping out those travel charges. 

[Catica]

I have one Barclay's card (no annual fee) and I'm thinking of applying for more, since you guys are praising their cards so much, but I'm afraid this will drag my credit card history down. How much does it matter?

If your score is good now, I would say minimal.  It will reduce your average age of accounts a bit.  If you have a decent avg age now (older cards basically), then I really wouldn't worry about it.

If you post some more info, I am sure more specific advice can be given (if you like).

P.S. The NFL card used to do a decent bonus for minimal spend.  You could get that or another one and let it age for 2 years.

I just asked Barclays for credit line increase and that dropped my credit score (Transunion) by 2 points.  Is that a lot?  Currently credit karma reports my score as 785 (Transunion) and 800 (Equifax).
If I don't ever plan to take out a loan, does any of this matter? When I apply for a cc, do they look at my score when deciding how much creditline to give me?

When you are talking scores around 800, 2 points is pocket change. Nothing to worry about. My score fluctuates 15-20 points in any given year but still stays around 800.

Thanks

[Catica]

I'm curious, is it better to have one credit card with with higher creditline or two or more with lower creditlines from the same bank?

[MasterStache]

I'm curious, is it better to have one credit card with with higher creditline or two or more with lower creditlines from the same bank?

If you are talking about tradelines, then that would depend. For instance between my spouse and I we have 4 Barclaycards in the system. But I only have 1 USAA card because it's far more prone to getting shut down. 

[Catica]

I'm curious, is it better to have one credit card with with higher creditline or two or more with lower creditlines from the same bank?

If you are talking about tradelines, then that would depend. For instance between my spouse and I we have 4 Barclaycards in the system. But I only have 1 USAA card because it's far more prone to getting shut down.

Yes, for tradelines.  I'm thinking of another Barclay's card.  But does Barclay's look at how many cards you already have with them to determine the amount of credit line to give you.  For example, with BofA I applied for a new card, this was my second.  Then I asked for a credit increase on the first card and they said they couldn't increase it because I just got a new card.

[Car Jack]

Each tradeline co has a schedule of payments based on age of card and credit limit.  If you want to know what it is, send them a message.  They do periodically change them based on their demand and number of available cards.

Yes, Barclay (and any cc company) will both limit the number of cards they approve for you AND they will move the credit limit around.  I used this to my advantage with BoA some time ago.  I got on the phone with them and we arranged so that I closed 1 of 4 cards, put the majority of my credit limit on the oldest one and set the last 2 at like $5k. 

[Michael in ABQ]

My first tradeline sale!

I added a Barclay's card with the old company a few days ago and just got a sale. It's a newer card so only $50. But I just got hit with the first $89 annual fee so this will take care of half that. Meanwhile the Capital One card I added six months ago when they were taking newer cards hasn't done anything yet. The removal date is three months from now in August so I wonder if that's changed from the 2-month cycle that was originally posted.

I very rarely pay an annual fee, especially on a card that is already a year old.  And by rarely I actually mean never thus far, now that I think about it.  Almost always the benefits are not worth the annual fee in years 2-N.

Have you considered downgrading?  Most cards have downgrade-to-$0-annual-fee options, and you'll still keep the same credit line and limit and age on your credit report.  Sometimes the account number even stays the same.

Anyway, consider downgrading.  And if you don't downgrade and report your TL sales on Schedule C, don't forget to deduct the $89. :)

So I just called to try and downgrade (15 minutes on hold, not too bad) but the representative said there is no longer a free option available. I guess the Barclay Arrival has been discontinued. But she did inform me I could use 8,000 points to pay for the annual fee. Of course as luck would have it I just used 15,000 of my 17,000 points as a $75 cash back statement credit about three hours ago. And of course that is non-reversible. So I basically wasted about 10,000 points by not calling first. Well I just need to get a couple more sales this year to make up for it. By next year I should be getting $175 per spot too.

Ouch, I know a lot of folks prefer the cashback option. Barclays is P2's main spend card because of the 2X points on everything. We stay in cabins and an occasional Airbnb so Barclays comes in handy for wiping out those travel charges.

I had planned some travel but that's obviously on hold for a while. I figured now that this card was at risk of being shut down I didn't want to keep a balance on my reward points.

[MasterStache]

My first tradeline sale!

I added a Barclay's card with the old company a few days ago and just got a sale. It's a newer card so only $50. But I just got hit with the first $89 annual fee so this will take care of half that. Meanwhile the Capital One card I added six months ago when they were taking newer cards hasn't done anything yet. The removal date is three months from now in August so I wonder if that's changed from the 2-month cycle that was originally posted.

I very rarely pay an annual fee, especially on a card that is already a year old.  And by rarely I actually mean never thus far, now that I think about it.  Almost always the benefits are not worth the annual fee in years 2-N.

Have you considered downgrading?  Most cards have downgrade-to-$0-annual-fee options, and you'll still keep the same credit line and limit and age on your credit report.  Sometimes the account number even stays the same.

Anyway, consider downgrading.  And if you don't downgrade and report your TL sales on Schedule C, don't forget to deduct the $89. :)

So I just called to try and downgrade (15 minutes on hold, not too bad) but the representative said there is no longer a free option available. I guess the Barclay Arrival has been discontinued. But she did inform me I could use 8,000 points to pay for the annual fee. Of course as luck would have it I just used 15,000 of my 17,000 points as a $75 cash back statement credit about three hours ago. And of course that is non-reversible. So I basically wasted about 10,000 points by not calling first. Well I just need to get a couple more sales this year to make up for it. By next year I should be getting $175 per spot too.

Ouch, I know a lot of folks prefer the cashback option. Barclays is P2's main spend card because of the 2X points on everything. We stay in cabins and an occasional Airbnb so Barclays comes in handy for wiping out those travel charges.

I had planned some travel but that's obviously on hold for a while. I figured now that this card was at risk of being shut down I didn't want to keep a balance on my reward points.

I haven't heard of any shutdowns with Barclays. There is of course always that possibility.

[Michael in ABQ]

I haven't heard of any shutdowns with Barclays. There is of course always that possibility.

I figure better safe than sorry. No reason to keep building up those reward points if the primary use has now switched to tradeline sales.

I just applied for a Bank of America card with a $500 sign-up bonus. I figure I'll claim that, get the statement credit, and then start seasoning it for tradeline sales. Probably add a second Barclays card as well. So far their online interface has been very easy with the two I've added. Same with requesting a credit increase. No sitting on hold and talking to someone. Just fill out a quick form and get an email an hour or two later with the decision.

[MasterStache]

I haven't heard of any shutdowns with Barclays. There is of course always that possibility.

I figure better safe than sorry. No reason to keep building up those reward points if the primary use has now switched to tradeline sales.

I just applied for a Bank of America card with a $500 sign-up bonus. I figure I'll claim that, get the statement credit, and then start seasoning it for tradeline sales. Probably add a second Barclays card as well. So far their online interface has been very easy with the two I've added. Same with requesting a credit increase. No sitting on hold and talking to someone. Just fill out a quick form and get an email an hour or two later with the decision.

Premium Rewards? Got one for my spouse last year and one for me earlier this year. Already collected the bonuses and sitting in the sock drawer. This is why I haven't made the plunge into the other Barclay products. Some good sign up bonuses on other future tradeline cards. 

[frugalnacho]

Does anyone get AU that have multiple last names?  The last several for me have had 2 last names and no middle name.  It's not hyphenated, it's two separate names, and based on the first name I'm sure it's a male.  Is this a thing in mexican culture?

[secondcor521]

Does anyone get AU that have multiple last names?  The last several for me have had 2 last names and no middle name.  It's not hyphenated, it's two separate names, and based on the first name I'm sure it's a male.  Is this a thing in mexican culture?

Yes and yes, but in my case I believe the name was Asian in origin.

[Michael in ABQ]

Does anyone get AU that have multiple last names?  The last several for me have had 2 last names and no middle name.  It's not hyphenated, it's two separate names, and based on the first name I'm sure it's a male.  Is this a thing in mexican culture?

Yes. I have several guys in my (New Mexico) National Guard unit with names like that. Depending on the system they might go by Garcia but their last name shows up as Garciaramos or Garcia Ramos or Garcia-Ramos. Then the name tape on their uniform might be any one of those three versions. Confusing as hell sometimes.

[MasterStache]

Does anyone get AU that have multiple last names?  The last several for me have had 2 last names and no middle name.  It's not hyphenated, it's two separate names, and based on the first name I'm sure it's a male.  Is this a thing in mexican culture?

Yes and yes, but in my case I believe the name was Asian in origin.

I just received one with two last names as well.

[ducky19]

Does anyone get AU that have multiple last names?  The last several for me have had 2 last names and no middle name.  It's not hyphenated, it's two separate names, and based on the first name I'm sure it's a male.  Is this a thing in mexican culture?

Yes and yes, but in my case I believe the name was Asian in origin.

I just received one with two last names as well.

Ha! I've got you all beat - had one with two first names AND two last names! Looked strange, but I made the add and it went through just fine.

[frugalnacho]

Hmm ok, good to know.  I thought it was odd and I felt awkward because it was citi and I have to do it over the phone, so I have to tell the person it's two separate last names.  They haven't flinched when I say it, but it feels awkward because I've never encountered that in my life outside of people that get married and keep their maiden name hyphenated.

[erutio]

That surnaming convention is the norm in Spain and in most hispanic countries in the americas.  You take a paternal and maternal surname from your respective parents.  There is no dash and it's not combined into a longer surname.  Those are attempts to convert those last names into the american conventions. 
If you are male, you pass on your paternal surname, and if female, you pass on your maternal surname.

[merula]

That surnaming convention is the norm in Spain and in most hispanic countries in the americas.  You take a paternal and maternal surname from your respective parents.  There is no dash and it's not combined into a longer surname.  Those are attempts to convert those last names into the american conventions. 
If you are male, you pass on your paternal surname, and if female, you pass on your maternal surname.

Almost; both mother and father typically pass along their paternal surname. And there are local conventions as to hyphenation (it's most common in Puerto Rico).

For example: Lily Evans and James Potter's son is Harry Potter Evans. Molly Prewett and Arthur Weasley's daughter is Ginny Weasley Prewett. The shorter versions of both of these names is given name plus paternal surname, so Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. Harry and Ginny's children are James Sirius Potter Weasley, Albus Severus Potter Weasley and Lily Luna Potter Weasley.

Note that this allows for multiple generations to share the same names, like James Potter, but be differentiated by their maternal surnames.

[erutio]

You're right, I don't know where I got my last sentence from. 

Regarding the dash, I wonder if it was adopted in PR to conform to american birth certificate standards?  Do you know what other localities typically use dashes?

Also, this is getting foamy.  Sorry.

[Car Jack]

An added perk of doing all these AUs is the mail that comes to "them".  I seem to get Cap One and Discover offers for all of them.  I also get collection agency letters for many of them.  I laugh, opening either.  If they include a paid return envelope, I stuff it with junk and mail it back.

[Michael in ABQ]

Bank of America just sent a letter to my parent's address to verify my identity for opening a new card with them. I have literally lived at 10 addresses in the 15-20 years since I left home. I have no idea why they sent that letter to that address instead of the one I included in the application, or one of the many more recent ones from my credit history. Luckily for me they haven't moved since I left home so they sent me a picture of the letter.

Then when I called in they said to verify my identity they would have to call the phone number they have on file (which they wouldn't tell me). I explained that I'm deployed and my cell phone number is turned off. So I might have to wait until I get back to apply for that card again.

[DadJokes]

I had a non-Chase card pass the 1 year mark, so I sent the new company an email to see what their minimums were. $20k limit AND 10 years old. I guess I'll check back in another year or two.

I'm still kicking myself for buying in to Dave Ramsey wholeheartedly ~5 years back and cancelling my cards.

[MasterStache]

I had a non-Chase card pass the 1 year mark, so I sent the new company an email to see what their minimums were. $20k limit AND 10 years old. I guess I'll check back in another year or two.

I'm still kicking myself for buying in to Dave Ramsey wholeheartedly ~5 years back and cancelling my cards.

I canceled a Capital One card about 3 years ago because they lowered my CL and I was just pissed at them. Ha, whoops!

[MoMoney88]

Every time I read about Barclay cards on this thread I KICK myself.  I have a 7 year old Barclays card with a $30k CL.... unfortunately back in 2017 I missed a payment (my only one EVER on any card) and so none of these tradeline companies will take it.  I tried writing to Barclays to see if they would excuse the missed payment (it was an oversight on my part when I converted from manual pmts to autopay).  They said NO DICE.

Oh well, I think I've got 10 more months before that missed pmt rolls off of my record.   UGH!

[ducky19]

An added perk of doing all these AUs is the mail that comes to "them".  I seem to get Cap One and Discover offers for all of them.  I also get collection agency letters for many of them.  I laugh, opening either.  If they include a paid return envelope, I stuff it with junk and mail it back.

Ha! I'm gonna have to do this the next time I get something!

[ducky19]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

[dragoncar]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

I tried to get my barclay fee waived or downgrade it but spent hours on hold before they disconnected me.  Secure message they said they couldn’t refund fees or downgrade and I have to call.  Finally got through and they said they can’t.  So I had to cancel

My gut tells me this is due to decreased call center staffing but I’m not going to pay an annual fee for a travel card when I can’t travel

[ducky19]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

I tried to get my barclay fee waived or downgrade it but spent hours on hold before they disconnected me.  Secure message they said they couldn’t refund fees or downgrade and I have to call.  Finally got through and they said they can’t.  So I had to cancel

My gut tells me this is due to decreased call center staffing but I’m not going to pay an annual fee for a travel card when I can’t travel

Yeah, that really sucks. We just hit the limit on # of users on her Aaviator card and it just renewed with the fee. I waited until the last AU was removed then told them using Secure Message we wanted to close it and have the fee refunded. They at least did that, but we were cancelling the card off the bat. I don't blame you for not wanting to pay the fee if you can't travel. The only reason I justified the fee while using it for AU is that it made $125 per user and sold out consistently. Makes a $99 fee seem pretty insignificant!

[MasterStache]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

I tried to get my barclay fee waived or downgrade it but spent hours on hold before they disconnected me.  Secure message they said they couldn’t refund fees or downgrade and I have to call.  Finally got through and they said they can’t.  So I had to cancel

My gut tells me this is due to decreased call center staffing but I’m not going to pay an annual fee for a travel card when I can’t travel

Yeah, that really sucks. We just hit the limit on # of users on her Aaviator card and it just renewed with the fee. I waited until the last AU was removed then told them using Secure Message we wanted to close it and have the fee refunded. They at least did that, but we were cancelling the card off the bat. I don't blame you for not wanting to pay the fee if you can't travel. The only reason I justified the fee while using it for AU is that it made $125 per user and sold out consistently. Makes a $99 fee seem pretty insignificant!

That's pretty much the logic I am using to keep my Aviator card as well. I'll happily pay the annual fee in order to potentially make thousands in tradeline sales.

[Catica]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

I tried to get my barclay fee waived or downgrade it but spent hours on hold before they disconnected me.  Secure message they said they couldn’t refund fees or downgrade and I have to call.  Finally got through and they said they can’t.  So I had to cancel

My gut tells me this is due to decreased call center staffing but I’m not going to pay an annual fee for a travel card when I can’t travel

Yeah, that really sucks. We just hit the limit on # of users on her Aaviator card and it just renewed with the fee. I waited until the last AU was removed then told them using Secure Message we wanted to close it and have the fee refunded. They at least did that, but we were cancelling the card off the bat. I don't blame you for not wanting to pay the fee if you can't travel. The only reason I justified the fee while using it for AU is that it made $125 per user and sold out consistently. Makes a $99 fee seem pretty insignificant!

That's pretty much the logic I am using to keep my Aviator card as well. I'll happily pay the annual fee in order to potentially make thousands in tradeline sales.

Why not use free Barclay's card for that?

[erutio]

Sometimes fee cards will get higher credit limits.

[MasterStache]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

I tried to get my barclay fee waived or downgrade it but spent hours on hold before they disconnected me.  Secure message they said they couldn’t refund fees or downgrade and I have to call.  Finally got through and they said they can’t.  So I had to cancel

My gut tells me this is due to decreased call center staffing but I’m not going to pay an annual fee for a travel card when I can’t travel

Yeah, that really sucks. We just hit the limit on # of users on her Aaviator card and it just renewed with the fee. I waited until the last AU was removed then told them using Secure Message we wanted to close it and have the fee refunded. They at least did that, but we were cancelling the card off the bat. I don't blame you for not wanting to pay the fee if you can't travel. The only reason I justified the fee while using it for AU is that it made $125 per user and sold out consistently. Makes a $99 fee seem pretty insignificant!

That's pretty much the logic I am using to keep my Aviator card as well. I'll happily pay the annual fee in order to potentially make thousands in tradeline sales.

Why not use free Barclay's card for that?

The free cards don’t net me AA miles.

[Catica]

Sometimes fee cards will get higher credit limits.

I see.

[Catica]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

I tried to get my barclay fee waived or downgrade it but spent hours on hold before they disconnected me.  Secure message they said they couldn’t refund fees or downgrade and I have to call.  Finally got through and they said they can’t.  So I had to cancel

My gut tells me this is due to decreased call center staffing but I’m not going to pay an annual fee for a travel card when I can’t travel

Yeah, that really sucks. We just hit the limit on # of users on her Aaviator card and it just renewed with the fee. I waited until the last AU was removed then told them using Secure Message we wanted to close it and have the fee refunded. They at least did that, but we were cancelling the card off the bat. I don't blame you for not wanting to pay the fee if you can't travel. The only reason I justified the fee while using it for AU is that it made $125 per user and sold out consistently. Makes a $99 fee seem pretty insignificant!

That's pretty much the logic I am using to keep my Aviator card as well. I'll happily pay the annual fee in order to potentially make thousands in tradeline sales.

Why not use free Barclay's card for that?

The free cards don’t net me AA miles.

OK, I thought it was just for tradelines.

[Car Jack]

You can use Barclay cards for "low balance forgiveness".  Go to Amazon, add 99 cents, wait for your statement closing and they forgive the 99 cents.  If you sell no tradelines, it's a good way to keep the card active for free.  Well, actually, they pay you 99 cents a month.

[erutio]

I just keep my credit cards with fees now, for a few reasons.  I've had close to 20 cards across the companies, so I'm running out of no-fee credit cards to apply for.  I deduct the fees as a business expense.  And I figure a sub $100 dollar fee for >$1000 sales per year is good trade-off.

[MasterStache]

You can use Barclay cards for "low balance forgiveness".  Go to Amazon, add 99 cents, wait for your statement closing and they forgive the 99 cents.  If you sell no tradelines, it's a good way to keep the card active for free.  Well, actually, they pay you 99 cents a month.

Hmmm, I may have to throw Barclays in the mix as well then. USAA forgives 0.99 cents and Wells Fargo 1.99. I got in on the 12 month Hulu deal for $2/mo using my Wells Fargo. I basically pay 0.17 in taxes for Hulu every month and the rest is written off.

[Car Jack]

I just keep my credit cards with fees now, for a few reasons.  I've had close to 20 cards across the companies, so I'm running out of no-fee credit cards to apply for.  I deduct the fees as a business expense.  And I figure a sub $100 dollar fee for >$1000 sales per year is good trade-off.

You're not looking hard enough.  I've got 2 dozen active cards at the moment.  Zero of them have a fee.  Lots of obscure named cards are just big name cards private labeled to make them seem different.  Personally, I only have cards with no annual fee that give me cash back.  Well, besides Uber that changed from cash to useless uber points (I never use Uber and given the choice would rather take a taxi).  Just a few examples are college branded cards, Sears mastercard (Citi), Harley Davidson (US Bank), or course, Discover Card, Home Depot card, Shell Card.  Bank of America has a gazillion different cards (I had 4 and dropped a private label one to increase my credit limit on another).  The hard ones are the ones to get first.  Chase and Cap One will shut you down with a relatively small number of applications across the board, so expect a denial with a Cap One Savor card (I was denied) if you've received a bunch of cards over the last 2 years.  The trick to maximize is to figure out what a card can bring you.  The sign on bonus is obvious.  The extra 30 cents a gallon discount for the next 5 fill ups at Shell is obvious (and I combine this with stop and shop gas points and get the full 20 gallon max each time).  Is the card of any use for tradelines at the old or new company?  And yes, I know there are some sketchy companies who will take virtually anything, then you get a letter that you're a part of a fraud investigation.....no thanks.  And last, low balance forgiveness.  All this requires some organization.  I find an excel spread sheet is all I need to be sure I've got balances on all sold tradelines and low balance forgiveness for the cards that don't get sold.  Also keep track of rotating categories for Freedom and Discover and the cards that let you choose your various reward categories.  I put tape on the front of each.  So my Freedom this quarter has tape saying 5% grocery.  My discover, 5% gas. 

[katsiki]

PSA: I just received a letter in the mail from Barclay for one of my wife's accounts that we're seasoning that stated if she didn't use the card within 30 days they would be closing the account. I promptly added $5 to our Amazon account with it, then went and checked to see when the last statement balance was on it. Turns out it was right at a year ago, May 2019. I don't recall ever having this happen before with Barclay, so I don't know if this is new or if I've just always used all of our cards at least once a year, but I thought I would pass it along in case any of you have some sitting in your sock drawer collecting dust. I'm glad they at least sent a warning before just closing it - I've had that happen a few times in the past year from other issuers. Thankfully they were low limit cards I didn't really care about. At any rate, don't let your cards get cancelled folks!

Same here.  Got my first letter from BC 2 months for a card that was seasoning also.

Lesson learned: always open mail from BC :)

[frugalnacho]

How many AU can you have on a card simultaneously?  I have a citi with 2 slots in the portal that sell pretty regularly.  My wife is also an AU on the and is listed as such in the portal.  I already have the 2 slots filled, for a total of 3 current AU, and I just got a request to add another.  Did they forget to tell me to remove the AU that has already posted?  Should I go ahead and remove her before adding the new guy?  Or just add the new guy anyway?  I emailed the company, but probably won't get a response until tomorrow. 

[secondcor521]

How many AU can you have on a card simultaneously?  I have a citi with 2 slots in the portal that sell pretty regularly.  My wife is also an AU on the and is listed as such in the portal.  I already have the 2 slots filled, for a total of 3 current AU, and I just got a request to add another.  Did they forget to tell me to remove the AU that has already posted?  Should I go ahead and remove her before adding the new guy?  Or just add the new guy anyway?  I emailed the company, but probably won't get a response until tomorrow.

It depends on the card, the company, and your comfort level.

I've had situations where the remove date in the portal is a month later than it's supposed to be, so it's possible that one of your current 2 "commercial" AUs can be removed now.

I've also had situations where the company oversold my slot limit by mistake or in weird circumstances (like a canceled order or a renewal order).  Sometimes I bend my slot limit and add the AU anyway, other times I don't and the company finds a different card from some other seller for that particular AU.

I'd generally recommend sticking to what you're comfortable with in terms of the AU limit on each card.  If I were in your shoes, I'd also look at when the closing date is on that card, and if possible wait to hear from the company and also remove any AUs before adding the new one.  Usually you have a few days between receiving the AU order and the closing date.

If you don't feel comfortable and they've exceeded your AU limit, you can always tell them that and they'll move the order to someone else.  I've done that a time or two and haven't experienced any repercussions as far as I can tell.

[Catica]

I want to get more cards for tradelines.  I already have 2 BA that I'm using. I'm seasoning 2 Barclays cards and 2 Discover cards.  What other cards would you guys recommend?

[MasterStache]

I want to get more cards for tradelines.  I already have 2 BA that I'm using. I'm seasoning 2 Barclays cards and 2 Discover cards.  What other cards would you guys recommend?

More Barclaycards ( :
Only have 1 CapOne card in the system but it has been very reliable and sells pretty frequently. It's an old card with a higher limit though.

[Catica]

I want to get more cards for tradelines.  I already have 2 BA that I'm using. I'm seasoning 2 Barclays cards and 2 Discover cards.  What other cards would you guys recommend?

More Barclaycards ( :
Only have 1 CapOne card in the system but it has been very reliable and sells pretty frequently. It's an old card with a higher limit though.

But if you use more than one card from the same bank and just keep adding AUs doesn't your chance of getting your cards cancelled go way up?

[Car Jack]

I want to get more cards for tradelines.  I already have 2 BA that I'm using. I'm seasoning 2 Barclays cards and 2 Discover cards.  What other cards would you guys recommend?

My favorites are Barclays, USBank, Capital One and Chase because I can add AUs online without the hassle of phone interaction.  Of course Chase and Cap One are notorious for restricting your ability to be granted a new card with the famous Chase 5/24 and Cap One is even more stringent.

[ducky19]

I want to get more cards for tradelines.  I already have 2 BA that I'm using. I'm seasoning 2 Barclays cards and 2 Discover cards.  What other cards would you guys recommend?

More Barclaycards ( :
Only have 1 CapOne card in the system but it has been very reliable and sells pretty frequently. It's an old card with a higher limit though.

But if you use more than one card from the same bank and just keep adding AUs doesn't your chance of getting your cards cancelled go way up?

Not with Barclays. I have been with this thread from the get go and read the entire previous one and have not heard of anyone having a card shut down by Barclay. They truly don't give an f and allow the most user slots of any issuer that I know of. Maybe it's because they are a British company and not US based?

[Padonak]

Not with Barclays. I have been with this thread from the get go and read the entire previous one and have not heard of anyone having a card shut down by Barclay. They truly don't give an f and allow the most user slots of any issuer that I know of. Maybe it's because they are a British company and not US based?

Barclays bank has a huge presence in the US, especially in NYC.

[frugalnacho]

How many AU can you have on a card simultaneously?  I have a citi with 2 slots in the portal that sell pretty regularly.  My wife is also an AU on the and is listed as such in the portal.  I already have the 2 slots filled, for a total of 3 current AU, and I just got a request to add another.  Did they forget to tell me to remove the AU that has already posted?  Should I go ahead and remove her before adding the new guy?  Or just add the new guy anyway?  I emailed the company, but probably won't get a response until tomorrow.

I was instructed to add the AU anyway, and the previous AU that has posted will overlap until early June.  Citi added the AU, then transferred me to the fraud department where they sent me a text message with an authorization code and also made me verify my address.  Everything seems to have gone through, but it makes me a little nervous that they flagged me and sent me to the fraud department.

[MasterStache]

I want to get more cards for tradelines.  I already have 2 BA that I'm using. I'm seasoning 2 Barclays cards and 2 Discover cards.  What other cards would you guys recommend?

My favorites are Barclays, USBank, Capital One and Chase because I can add AUs online without the hassle of phone interaction.  Of course Chase and Cap One are notorious for restricting your ability to be granted a new card with the famous Chase 5/24 and Cap One is even more stringent.

Are you currently selling tradelines with Chase? I never wanted to risk it with Chase because we have numerous cards with them and routinely collect tons of UR points. I haven't run into any issues landing CapOne cards but we haven't been churning as hard the last couple years. Ramping it back up this year though.