Many times, here at Travel On Point(s), we share what is in our wallets, what we are doing with our spending and stacking, or what spending we are working on. But sometimes, we share our card application strategies as well. So today I'll share my recent Amex card move and why I wanted the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card.
Card Line-up
First off, I am over 5/24 and at the 5 card limit for Amex credit cards. As a reminder, Amex has 5 credit card limit, but Pay Over Time cards do not count toward this limit. Here are my five Amex credit cards:
- Hilton Aspire
- Hilton Surpass
- Blue Business Plus
- Delta SkyMiles Reserve (personal)
- Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® card
Why Keep a Delta Card
As a Delta loyalist based in Seattle, I consider my Delta SkyMiles Reserve card as a must keep. With my gold mine for redemptions from Seattle and the status spend waiver (MQD), plus the MQM booster on spend, and the status and upgrades with Delta, the Delta SkyMiles Reserve card works for me. Plus, the card is now a cheaper option than the Amex platinum cards for SkyClub and Centurion lounge access.
Earlier this year, I had called for a retention offer on my Delta SkyMiles Reserve card for the second year in a row. Again, nothing. I was surprised given the fact that I had not received an offer last year. Although I was prepared to pay the Delta SkyMiles Reserve annual fee again, I had also been focusing on business cards, so the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card made sense for me. I decided to apply for the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card instead.
How to Do It
Many might think that if you are at the Amex 5-credit card limit, you need to first cancel one of your cards to apply for another one. But that is not necessarily the case. This is where the reconsideration call switcheroo comes into play. I applied for the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card, knowing full well that I would be declined. And indeed my application was declined.
With a quick call to Amex's recon line (1-800-567-1083), they confirmed the reason for denial. By the way, you Amex lets you check the reason for denial and see all your other applications here.
I mentioned to the reconsideration rep on the line that I wanted to cancel one of my 5 credit cards and get the Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card instead. The rep acknowledged that that was a possibility. He asked me which card I wanted to cancel, and I said it was the Delta personal card.
He then got another rep on the line who could process the cancelation. This took about 4 or 5 minutes total. Once that was done, the rep said he would send my application up for approval. He added that my application would be processed the next day, since I had called after hours. He also suggested to call back if I had not heard anything after a while. But later that night, I actually received the approval email and my new Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business card was on its way.
Final Thoughts
This was an easy move for me, for all the above reasons. I am still paying the same annual fee ($550) I would have been paying anyway to keep the Delta SkyMiles Reserve card. But instead, I can now earn the sign-up bonus on this new card and at least benefit further from my $550. The Delta SkyMiles Reserve Business Card made sense for me.
Have you swapped out cards via Amex's recon line before? Come over to our Facebook group and share your thoughts!
