hdporter

Safe to assume that you depleted your bank of Chase UR points? I opened a US Bank Cash + Visa so that I'd be eligible to apply for this card, should I choose to. But I can't see that happening anytime soon. (Bev and I have a prospective 2-year 4.5% cb free-for-all on all charges, via the combo of CSR and CFU ... assuming UR pts redeemed for travel rewards)

I take this as an opportunity to fill a gap in my credit reporting familiarity ... I've always assumed that any creditor could manually submit a correction to past reporting (presumably with some type of "dup" ability, to make the same submission to all 3 CRA's). Are you saying that some reporters aren't able to initiate corrections via what's described on the e-Oscar website as an Automated Universal Dataform (AUD), which is describes as: I remember when actively "repairing" credit I had one bank who insisted I had to file CRA disputes to effect an agreed deletion of a tradeline delinquency. I assumed they were just being lazy and thought it was a bit inane to implement a reporting change in such an indirect manner. It was a modest PITA to submit a dispute to each of the CRA's. Was I a bit hasty in dis'ing the CSR in my mind?

Whatever the situation, the reporting is simply bizarre. I've subscribed to Equifax Credit Watch Gold for about 10 years now (Product no longer open to new subscribers; I'm grandfathered in at approx $5/mo.) The credit reports it provides includes the same debt summary. I've never received a report that looks even a fraction as wacky as the one you shared! Maybe it's time for me to upgrade? 🙃

This is definitely one that you should call and ask Equifax to explain. Make sure to report back with the call outcome on a Friday ...

I'll concede that much (not sure why the quoted text didn't "quote"). However, when the CFPB was first put in place, it looked to serve as a proactive counterbalance to the excessive leverage financial firms have when it comes to consumer disputes. That was a good thing too ... and a stance that has been almost entirely abandoned as a consequence of the newer appointments to the bureau. Wouldn't it be great if CFPB could target both goals in a reasoned, balanced fashion ...

It's interesting you note the available cb rate boost for BA cardholders with savings/investment accounts. Just this last week the potential boost caught my eye. There are hikes at $20k/$50k/$100k invested balances. What I find particularly noteworthy is that retirement account balances are eligible. I'm considering transferring $100k from Vanguard to BA/Merrill (where I can invest in the same ETF's), and score some premium cashback. We already have a BA Cash Rewards card for the sake of earning 2% on Costco purchases and 3% on online purchases. The 75% cb boost from a $100k investment account would hike these rates to 3.5% and 5.5% respective (simply awesome for a no-fee card ... particularly on online purchases)!

I'll go as far as to say that any CA should be able to contact a debtor by any means that was permissible for the OC. However, this sounds like there's a breadth involved that could see a flurry of junk emails comparable to the "hunter/seeker" collection calls that are targeted based upon the merest possible association with the debtor. I don't want to wake up to a half dozen emails each morning, hunting for every "Porter" deadbeat in the book. And I don't want to even think about texting implications ...

I'm gonna guess that Urban Dictionary has an entry for ho-hummer ...

Very nice synopsis. While I won't claim to be fully versed on the full array of credit cards in the universe, this card strikes me as standing above most others ... particularly if you narrow that universe to CU issued cards. So many CU's seem to view their members as pigs at the trough, and slop out any number of unimaginative low-value credit card products. (Mind you, this is coming from someone who in the larger scheme is a CU fan.) In any case, it's entertaining the contemplate holding this as a sock-drawer card: It has it's own built in incentive to use it once or twice a year to collect on the $100 airline incidental charge credit. I can't think of another no-fee card with a built-in safeguard against dormancy closure

No such thing as "no doc" mortgages since the 2008 meltdown. Yes, there are still NINJA's (no income, job, or asset verification). However, the substitute is "alt-doc", where substantial documentation of an adequate cash flow track record sufficient to service the loan is required. (40% min down payment is typical as well.) Hopefully someone can respond who has gone the alt-doc route.

I should know I can count on a "reality check" from you, cv! 😎 Details at PenFed are a little lacking (and I presumed some of what's missing based on "convention"). TPG has the real scoop: https://thepointsguy.com/2018/01/penfed-pathfinder-amex/ No cash redemption of points. Gift cards yield about $.85/100 pts, at best. Air travel is suggested at netting about $.85-$.90/100 pts. Hotel bookings through their travel portal can offer a premium yield (a test Hilton hotel booking via their portal vs hilton.com came in at an exceptional $1.27/100 pts; they suggest $1.18 is more typically as good as it gets). Although I travel frequently, my hotel stays are usually booked on my behalf. So I'm going to stick with $.85 as a valuation, taking the "4% in points" rebate on travel charges to a tangible 3.4%. That's superior to my best no-fee travel rebate card (Chase AARP, at 3%), and the SUB (25k pts after $2500 spend in first 90 days) is no slouch. But (at best) I view Pathfinder a toss-up compared to Chase Sapphire Reserve. I'm holding back on an app, for now. (btw, my bad ... the annual $100 travel credit is specifically identified as an air travel credit for incidental expenses ... baggage/lounge access/in-flight food/bev. Like many here, I already recoup these 95%+ of the time based on elite status or other credit card perks.)

Much appreciated, Occam! What I had intended to include in my post was that after reading through the card details, I found myself scanning through 3 more times, trying to determine the annual fee ... there isn't any! I don't think you can touch a card similar to this that doesn't entail at least a $95 annual fee ... PenFed Pathfinder Rewards is a real "unicorn" 😲

I finally got around to joining PenFed, prompted by a mailed invitation last month. (It's the only financial account option that actually found its way to my "bucket list" a few years ago.) I'm in no rush to sign up for a credit product, but was idly paging through the account options tonight and happened upon the Pathfinder Rewards. After viewing details ... 4% cb rewards (points) on travel purchases (when you have an American Access checking account, else 3%) / 1.5% rewards on all other purchases, $100 travel charge reimbursement annually, TSA Pre/Global Entry fee reimbursement, and a $250 (point) sign up bonus ... I was surprised that this didn't get more active mention here. I've derived strong value from my Chase Sapphire Reserve beyond first year use and intended to renew for a 3rd year when the current year had passed. However, in my book this is a far superior product, coming out on the fee front ahead by $250/yr, and while it's 0.5% shy of the 4.5% redemption potential of the Chase, the flexibility of Pathfinders point redemption puts it pretty much on par on that front. So, is this a fair assessment of the card, or have I overlooked something. (I suggest setting aside issuer "vagaries" aside in reply ... both PenFed and Chase have their haters and lovers ...)

An external Google search led me to a link to this sub-board ... what a hoot! 🤩 Talk about climbing into a "wayback machine" ...

For a one year period, a new no fee Discover Miles looks good at 3%. So does a new Chase Freedom Unlimited, also at 3% on $20k in charges. Of course, if you also have a CSR and redeem for airfare, then you're looking at 4.5%. (that's where I'm at for the next year)