Chasing 395,000 points interim update: Check status online? Did inquiries combine?

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Almost four weeks ago, I wrote about my recent batch of Chase credit card applications.  My wife and I applied for a number of Chase cards with the hope of securing 395,000 bonus points.  You can read the full details here: Chasing 395,000 points.  I don’t have final results yet (still waiting!) but I do have info about application response times, credit inquiry merging, and more…

ApplicationsChase Apps

I applied for the following card offers:

  • Chase Ink Plus: 60,000 bonus points after $5K spend
  • Marriott Rewards Premier: 87.5K bonus points after $3K spend plus adding an authorized user
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Business: 80K bonus points after $3K spend

And my wife applied for these offers:

  • Marriott Rewards Premier: 87.5K bonus points after $3K spend plus adding an authorized user
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Business: 80K bonus points after $3K spend

App Status

Here is the current status of each offer:

  • My Chase Ink Plus: Still waiting!
  • Marriott Rewards Premier: Approved after phone call (as described in previous post), but I still have not received the card.  I finally received an email saying that the card is on its way on March 29th.  I had applied on March 9th, so it took nearly 3 full weeks for Chase to process the application and get the card in the mail.
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Business: 80K bonus points after $3K spend.  Approved after phone call (as described in previous post).  I received an email on March 11 (just 2 days after applying) saying that the card was on its way.  It arrived about 5 days later.

And my wife applied for these offers:

  • Marriott Rewards Premier: Approved instantly.  87.5K bonus points after $3K spend plus adding an authorized user.  This card arrived just a few days after applying.  Apparently instant decisions also mean quick delivery!
  • Marriott Rewards Premier Business: Still waiting!

It’s hard to believe, but 4 weeks after applying for these cards, I don’t really know much more than I did initially.  I had made a decision to wait out the results of two of the applications: my Ink card and my wife’s Marriott business card.  Both are still pending a decision.

Check app status online, but not really

Last year, Julian published a great “Bet You Didn’t Know” post listing how to check your application status with each bank: Bet You Didn’t Know: Online Credit Card Application Status For All Banks.  I liked this so much that I incorporated the info directly into my Best Offers page where I list App Tips for each bank.

While most credit card issuers let you check your application status online, Chase makes you call in: 888-338-2586.

Chase App Tips

I hate having to call, so I was excited when Dem Flyers published “Check Your Chase Application Status Online!!!”  They had noticed that when you log into your Chase account and go to the Customer Center, you may now see a link to check your status, like this:

Chase check app status online link

That’s great!  Right?  It would be great, except that clicking the link brings you to a message saying that you have no application activity:

Chase check app status online

I was concerned that Chase had lost my applications so I called to see what was up.  The phone rep was able to see my pending applications (at the time: both the Marriott personal card and the Ink Plus card were pending).  She told me that they were still processing.

Conclusion: The new option to check application status online only works when you don’t have any applications to check.  It’s like a broken clock that is correct twice each day.

Clock_analog_clock

Check this broken clock at 4:05 each day

Yes, inquiries combined

After I published “Chasing 395,000 points,” a few people contacted me to ask if my credit inquiries were really combined into one as I expected (since I had applied for multiple Chase cards in one day).  They had heard that Chase personal and business application inquiries do not get combined.

I can’t promise that this will hold true for everyone, but in my case (and my wife’s), the answer is yes.  The inquiries were combined.  However, Chase did pull from two separate credit bureaus: TransUnion and Experian.

Maybe Chase pulled from TransUnion for my personal card application and Experian for my business apps (or vice versa)?  That’s possible, but consider this: In January I successfully applied for just one card, Chase Sapphire Preferred, and Chase still pulled from both TransUnion and Experian.  And, looking back over my history, I see that Chase has been pulling from both bureaus for at least the past two years.  And, each time, no matter how many Chase cards I signed up for in one day, I ended up with just one inquiry on each of the credit bureau reports (TransUnion and Experian).

Please note that credit issuers do not necessarily follow the same process for different people in different locations.  Your experience may not match mine.

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