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.
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(00:46) – 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 the interest is less than $50 if it means getting approved for even 1 more card per year with a large bonus. Would love to hear thoughts/experiences.
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(04:48) – ​​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?
(09:28) – 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?
(13:15) – How many airports do you have, Nick?
(16:50) – If the Chase Ink Business Premier® train shuts down, what would be the team’s strategy to earn more Chase points?
(17:47) – Greg- is that the complete Delft house collection behind you, or is there more??
(21:01) – ​​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
(23:11) – 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?
(28:41) – ​Which credit travel portals or travel booking portals have you confirmed that will still earn you your hotel points?
(32:44) – After listening to the last Coffee Break, you can freely transfer Chase UR points between spouses after setting it up. Correct?
(34:30) – How do we ask questions?
(35:15) – ​​What’s going on with Citi and suddenly freezing already approved Strata Elite accounts?
(35:55) – Hi guys! Are there times when you buy points?
(37:24) – There are a lot of reports of Chase telling people that the sign-up bonus on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (CSP) or Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card (CSR) is now once per lifetime. Did you hear anything on this?
(38:43) – Have Greg / Nick changed your evaluations of Alaska Atmos vs American Airlines miles after the removal announcement of Singapore and LATAM awards?
(42:12) – 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
(43:48) – What exactly does a CSR Authorized User get besides their own Priority Pass access?
(45:22) – 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!
(46:55) – What is your holy grail of a first-class suite? Emrites? Etihad? JAL?
(51:18) – 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
(54:10) – 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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You all look super bashable in that pic above
Ask us anything: It seems that some cards with no meaningful spending category bonuses (including travel) are categorized as “ultra-premium” travel credit cards. The only thing of note they offer is lounge access. For example, the Amex Delta Reserve. What specific criteria must a credit card have to earn the label of “ultra-premium?” Thanks in advance.
Accidental installment loan hack: I took out a loan against my car for unexpected medical expenses and paid it off in a few months. I got a letter from the bank absolving me of the loan so I could remove the lien against my car at the DMV, but I never bothered because I planned to keep the car forever.15 years later my credit report shows still shows the installment loan though the amount of the loan is $0. I always get an excellent appraisal on my credit score for installment loans, even though it’s literally the only one I’ve taken out in my life.
That’s a good hack.
I wonder if I can get a $75 loan on my 23-year-old Honda Civic…