MileKing

OO, I see nothing wrong with what the original poster is doing. Marriott VISA made an offer and the poster accepted it. The poster's wife accepted it as well...different person so what's the problem? The small business card is a different product than the regular VISA so what is wrong with applying for that and receiving the benefits of that offer as well?

One may question cancelling of the card and re-applying a year later, but it is not violating any of the terms and conditions of the offer. If Marriott or VISA is concerned about this, they could easily alter the offer so that the bonuses/certificates are only awarded once, regardless of how many times you apply for and/or cancel the card. In fact, some credit cards already do this.

Dick

Many people look for deals, promotions, or even loopholes to take advantage of free miles, points or other promotions.

I have received hundreds of thousands of miles and tens of thousands of dollars in free tix by taking advantage of promotions...some more than once.

Next thing someone will tell me that I shouldn't transfer balances from one zero interest CC to another.

lcuy

I also see nothing wrong with taking advantage of this kind of offer..if the CC didn't want "repeaters, they could very easily put that in their literature and screen out repeat SS numbers.

Besides, for everyone who does this, there is one college student that get carried away with the "free, no credit check" cards and ruins their credit, or another person (like my MIL) who has their credit ruined when the CC companies send unsolicited cards or blank checks to non-secure mailboxes.

My concern though, would be that your credit score can take a real dive when you are constantly adding credit cards. Not a problem to some people, but if you plan to get a mortgage or buy an expensive car on credit it can do damage. Even if you cancel cards later, your rating still takes a hit.

Patty

I think the "hit" that your credit score takes for each new credit inquiry or card that you add is relatively small in the overall scheme of credit scoring. Sure it does affect your credit score to some extent, but if you have a lengthy credit history with no late payments or high outstanding balances, the overall effect is minimal. The example of a college student is different - I believe that would have a much greater effect vs. someone with a long, established credit history.

lcuy

Thats true, but if you are getting 3 new credit cards each year, that will cause a noticeable dip.

Like said, it won't be a problem if you have a good long credit history or if you aren't trying to get big credit, but something to be aware of!

I'm in real estate and often people with otherwise good credit are shocked when they find out their scores are less than stellar due to too many charge accts.