Category: Card Issuers

Hotel Credit Cards from American Express 

American Express has over 53 million credit cards in circulation in the United States and features some of the most iconic cards in the industry.

It is a unique credit card issuer for the fact that AMEX both issues cards and serves as a payment network (the institutions responsible for processing all electronic transactions and ensuring that merchants are paid).

American Express is also unique for being one of the only major credit card issuers to offer charge cards in addition to traditional credit cards. Charge cards do not allow for a balance to carried over from one month to another – the reason being that charge cards do not actually extend credit. As such, balances must be paid in full every month.

What Credit Score Do I Need for an American Express Hotel Card? 

Offering some of the most premium credit cards in the space, it’s widely recommended that applicants will need a credit score of at least 700 higher.

What to Know Before Applying for an American Express Card

American Express has three noteworthy limitations when it comes to their coveted rewards cards that limit how many cards you can be approved for in a certain period of time and whether you are eligible for the signup bonus.

• 5 AMEX card limit: Cardholder can only own 5 American Express credit cards at a time whether personal or business accounts. This does not appear to apply to charge cards, however. Those who wish to open a new credit card with them will have to cancel and close an existing credit card.
•  1-in-5 rule: Applicants can only be approved for one American Express credit card every five days (this does not include charge cards).
•  2-in-90 rule: Another card limit restriction, this rule stipulates that only two credit cards may be applied and approved for within a 90-day period (also does not apply to charge cards).
• In terms of signup bonuses, American Express has two written rules to thwart credit card churners and others who intend on gaming the credit card rewards system:
• Once in a Lifetime Signup Bonus: Card owners can only earn that card’s signup bonus once during their lifetime. Canceling the card and opening the exact same card a few years later will still cause you to be ineligible for that reward.
• Signup Bonus Clawbacks: American Express retains the right to retroactively withdraw any earnings from a welcome bonus if they feel an applicant is participating in card churning. Some actions that would raise red flags to AMEX are things such as closing the account before the 12-month mark, heavy gift card purchase activity, or peer-to-peer (P2P) payments.

What to Do if Your Application is Denied 

If you haven’t gotten an automatic response from your online application don’t fret. This card issuer is known for having a slight delay in its application statuses and will usually populate within a few minutes after the application has been submitted. To check, simply visit the American Express application status website, enter your social and zip code and select “Check Application”.

In the instance that your status is still pending or has flat-out been denied, you can call the American Express Reconsideration phone number at 800-567-1083 to speak with a live person to make your case. Our advice? Avoid making the signup bonus your primary reason for wanting the card and instead, let them know the reasons why the particular card you’re applying for would provide long-term value to you, whether it’s because you want lounge access, frequently travel abroad, or simply love a particular hotel chain.

Editorial Disclosure — The opinions expressed on HotelCards’ reviews, blogs, and all other content on or relating to the website are solely those of the content’s author. They are not reflective of any card issuer or financial institution and have not been reviewed or approved by these entities unless otherwise noted. Further, HotelCards lists credit card offers that are updated daily with information believed to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.

Hotel Credit Cards from U.S. Bank 

U.S. Bank is the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States and the tenth-largest issuer of credit cards in the country, with over 13.7 million active credit card accounts and nearly 2.5% of the entire credit card market share.

U.S. Bank currently offers two co-branded hotel rewards credit cards through its partnership with Radisson. U.S. Bank’s Radisson Rewards Visa Credit Cards offer excellent points-earning rates, enticing introductory bonus points for new cardholders, and the opportunity to earn free nights after meeting spending requirements each year.

What Credit Score Do I Need for a U.S. Bank Hotel Card? 

U.S. Bank offers a variety of credit card offerings to suit nearly every credit score, including secured cards for those looking to establish or rebuild their credit scores. Rewards credit cards, however, typically necessitate applicants to have a higher credit score. U.S. Bank’s Radisson rewards credit cards, for instance, usually require a good or excellent credit score, though there have been instances where applicants with credit scores in the 600’s have received approval.

What to Know Before Applying for a U.S. Bank Credit Card 

U.S. Bank, like other card issuers, has some rules, options, and unique quirks that applicants should be aware of before they apply. These include the following:

• U.S. Bank allows potential applicants to see pre-approved offers before applying. Pre-approval offers do not mean a person is guaranteed to receive a card but can provide insight into the likelihood of approval.
• Unlike other issues, such as Chase, U.S. Bank does not have a set limit to the total number of U.S. Bank-issued cards a person can hold. There is, however, a consensus that having multiple U.S. Bank cards does make it more difficult to get approved for subsequent new card accounts.
• Applying for multiple U.S. Bank credit cards in one day may result in all hard pulls being merged into one single pull – though this isn’t always the case.
• U.S. Bank will waive the fees for their checking accounts for U.S. Bank credit cardholders.

What to Do if Your Application is Denied  

If your U.S. Bank credit card application is declined, the best course of action is to call U.S. Bank’s Reconsideration lines, which are open from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm on weekdays and 9:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturdays. U.S. Bank has specific lines for each of their credit cards, including rewards cards like the Radisson Rewards Visa Cards.

•  Radisson Rewards Visa Card Reconsideration Line: 800-236-4012

If you applied for a U.S. Bank credit card online and received an “under review” response, your application status can be checked via the U.S. Bank website or by calling the application status phone number and speaking to an account representative.

•  U.S. Bank Application Status Line: 800-947-1444 (option 1)

Editorial Disclosure — The opinions expressed on HotelCards’ reviews, blogs, and all other content on or relating to the website are solely those of the content’s author. They are not reflective of any card issuer or financial institution and have not been reviewed or approved by these entities unless otherwise noted. Further, HotelCards lists credit card offers that are updated daily with information believed to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.

Hotel Credit Cards from First Bankcard 

First Bankcard is a division of First National Bank of Omaha and is one of the largest issuers of credit cards for other financial institutions, including Union Bank of California, TCF Bank, Union Plus Bank, and others. They currently partner with over 250 different institutions and brands, including such names as Jeep, Chrysler, and more.

This card issuer currently offers three hotel rewards credit cards: two with Best Western and one with MGM Grand – all of which offer excellent points-earning rates, enticing introductory bonus points for new cardholders, and the opportunity to earn free nights or other rewards after meeting spending requirements each year.

What Credit Score Do I Need for a First Bankcard Hotel Card? 

First Bankcard offers a variety of credit card offerings to suit nearly every credit score, including secured cards for those that want to boost their credit score or establish a positive credit history for the first time. Rewards credit cards, however, typically necessitate applicants to have a higher credit score, so those planning on applying for a hotel card should ensure their score is at least in the mid-to-high 600’s.

What to Know Before Applying for a First Bankcard Credit Card 

First Bankcard, like other card issuers such as Chase, has unofficial rules regarding hard pulls and inquiries on an applicant’s credit report. While there is no hard-and-fast rule, having more than 6 hard inquiries with the past 12 months will likely result in an application requiring further investigation and information.

Other rules and tips to know before applying for a First Bankcard product:

• Credit report inquiries are typically pulled from Experian
• The presence of a bankruptcy (either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13) will not disqualify an applicant
• Applying for multiple First Bankcard credit cards in one day may result in all hard pulls being merged into one single pull – though this isn’t always the case

What to Do if Your Application is Denied  

If your First Bankcard credit card application is denied, the best recourse of action is to call First Bankcard’s Reconsideration line.

•  First Bankcard Reconsideration Line: 800-444-6220 (option 1)

Editorial Disclosure — The opinions expressed on HotelCards’ reviews, blogs, and all other content on or relating to the website are solely those of the content’s author. They are not reflective of any card issuer or financial institution and have not been reviewed or approved by these entities unless otherwise noted. Further, HotelCards lists credit card offers that are updated daily with information believed to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.

Hotel Credit Cards from Chase 

Chase is the largest of the major credit card companies in the United States and has 91 million credit cards in circulation issued by JP Morgan Chase & Co.  (Capital One is the runner up with 89 million cards in circulation).  They are well known for offering some of the most exciting rewards credit cards in the industry (and some of the most generous signup bonuses) and their co-branded hotel cards are no exception.

Offering seven highly coveted hotel credit cards with notable signup bonuses, Chase has partnered with Marriott Bonvoy, Hyatt, IHG, and Disney to allow cardholders to earn their way to the most exclusive and decadent perks available within the hotels’ respective hotel loyalty programs.

What Credit Score Do I Need for a Chase Hotel Card? 

Chase credit cards are often considered the cream of the crop as such, they tend to be more selective with their credit card application. The majority of all their credit cards are only eligible to those with high credit scores (Good/Excellent), although there have been cases for scores in the 600’s and 500’s being approved for some of their non-premium cards.

What to Know Before Applying for a Chase Credit Card 

In addition to requiring applicants to have a high credit score (typically in the 700’s or higher), Chase is well-known for its unofficial rules that automatically make applicants ineligible for card offers.

The most commonly cited is 5/24 rule: applicants who have opened 5 or more credit cards (from any issuer) within the past 24 months will likely be denied on the newest credit application regardless of credit score or pre-existing banking relationship.

Chase also places a restriction on the numbers of cards that can be applied for with their 2/30 rule: only two cards may be applied for within 30 days.

If you were hoping to double up on a credit for one of their sweet does not allow applying for a Chase card that you currently own.

What to Do if Your Application is Denied 

If your application for a Chase credit card was denied, the best recourse of action is to call the Chase Reconsideration lines, which are open on weekdays from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm. There are two separate lines for personal and business credit cards, but both have the same hours of operation. It is important to note that if the above-unwritten rules mentioned above are the reason for a denial, calling these numbers won’t reverse that decision.

• Consumer Cards: 1-888-270-2127
• Business Cards: 1-800-453-9719

If you applied for a Chase card online and received the dreaded “under review” response, your application status can be checked via the website or by calling the application status phone number: 1-800-436-7927.

Editorial Disclosure — The opinions expressed on HotelCards’ reviews, blogs, and all other content on or relating to the website are solely those of the content’s author. They are not reflective of any card issuer or financial institution and have not been reviewed or approved by these entities unless otherwise noted. Further, HotelCards lists credit card offers that are updated daily with information believed to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.

Hotel Credit Cards from Bank of America 

Bank of America is one of the five-largest credit card issuers in the United States, with around 60 million active credit card accounts as of 2018. Also referred to as by its acronym, BOA, they account for over 10% of the total market share of credit cards in America, meaning their cards offer the kind of benefits and purchasing power on which consumers can rely.  These credit cards cover every facet of the credit card category space, with something just right for almost every consumer. These include two co-branded hotel rewards cards: one Sonesta and another with Caribbean resort kingpin Sandals.

What Credit Score Do I Need for a Bank of America Hotel Card? 

These credit cards offer exceptional perks and are highly prized by consumers. Because of this, BOA is selective when it comes to those whose applications are approved. Bank of America-branded credit cards – except for secured cards – are usually only available to those with high credit scores – though there have been instances where those with credit scores in the mid-to-upper-600s have been approved for some offerings.

What to Know Before Applying for a Bank of America Credit Card 

As there are with Chase and other large card issuers, there are unwritten rules regarding who can – and can’t – apply for their credit card products. There appear to be two informal Bank of America hard inquiry rules – the 7/12 Rule and the 3/12 Rule – which stipulate that those who exceed a certain number of hard inquiries within a 12-month time frame are likely to be rejected for any new Bank of America credit card.

The 7/12 Rule applies to current BOA customers and seems to indicate that those who have 6 inquiries within a 12-month period will be rejected for their 7th application. The 3/12 Rule, on the other hand, is for non-BOA customers and stipulates those with more than three inquiries with 12 months are likely to be rejected on their card application for their third and any other subsequent applications within that period.

Some other idiosyncrasies of the Bank of America credit card application process include:

• Applicants are discouraged from having too many BOA card accounts, there an informal – but firm – limit on 4 BOA cards per customer.
• To increase the chances of approval, applicants can free the lower of their credit scores (Experian, for instance). Some applicants have reported that BOA will then call to ask which credit report the applicant would like them to use.
• Applying for multiple Bank of America credit cards in one day may result in all hard pulls being merged into one single pull.

What to Do if Your Application is Denied  

If your Bank of America credit card application is denied it does not mean you can’t get approved. Your best course of action is to contact a BOA representative through their dedicated reconsideration lines, which are open from 8 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday.

• Bank of America Reconsideration Line: 800-732-9194
• Business Reconsideration Line: 866-695-6598

If you applied online and your application status was listed as “under review” or “pending” you can contact the Bank of America general application status hotline and speak to a credit specialist.

• General Application Status Line: 866-422-8089

Editorial Disclosure — The opinions expressed on HotelCards’ reviews, blogs, and all other content on or relating to the website are solely those of the content’s author. They are not reflective of any card issuer or financial institution and have not been reviewed or approved by these entities unless otherwise noted. Further, HotelCards lists credit card offers that are updated daily with information believed to be accurate to the best of our knowledge.