Before introducing this method, readers should note that it is not as suitable for everyone as Reconsider. If your credit history is less than one year or your credit score is below 680, it’s best not to use this approach, or it may backfire badly. Now, back to the topic: for experienced credit card users, applying for multiple credit cards at the same time—also known as App-O-Rama, or AOR—is a special application technique. When used skillfully, it can produce some unexpected benefits. Today, we’ll briefly introduce and analyze it.

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What Is App-O-Rama (AOR)

The basic idea behind App-O-Rama (AOR) is to submit multiple credit card applications at the same time. These applications may be for the same card, different cards from the same bank, or cards from different banks. This approach often offers the following advantages:

  • Reduce the number of hard pulls (HPs) on your credit report
  • Increase the odds of instant approval
  • Get multiple cards and multiple sign-up bonuses at the same time
  • Make it easier to manage minimum spending requirements

Analysis of the Benefits of App-O-Rama (AOR)

Reducing the Number of Hard Pulls (HPs)

As we know, each time you apply for a credit card, the bank checks your credit report and then leaves an inquiry record on your report, known as a hard pull (HP). This inquiry has a negative side effect on your credit score. Also, after reviewing your credit history, if the bank sees that several other banks have recently pulled your report, it may assume that you have recently applied for multiple credit cards or loans, and it may be less likely to approve your application. So reducing HPs is very important.

With the AOR method, you may be able to reduce HPs from the same bank, though this does not work with every bank. Chase, BofA, and Barclays may combine HPs made on the same day. For example, if you apply on the same day for Chase Freedom, Chase United Explorer, and Chase Sapphire Preferred, that may generate three HP records at first, but Chase may automatically combine the three HPs into one. As a result, only one HP record will remain on your credit report. That is beneficial both for your credit score and for future applications.

Increasing the Odds of Instant Approval

Whether a credit card application gets instant approval often depends on your credit score and your relationship with that bank, and credit score updates are usually not real-time. After you apply for and are approved for one credit card, that creates an HP and a new account. Your credit score may then drop because of the HP and the reduction in your average credit history length. This decrease may not appear for anywhere from one week to one month, since it can take about a month for a new account to show up on your credit report.

With the AOR method, after you apply for the first card, your credit score is still unchanged at that moment. So if you immediately apply for a second card, the bank still sees your pre-drop score. That can improve your approval odds. Also, your newly applied-for account has not yet appeared on your credit report, so the bank does not yet know that you have recently applied for several credit cards. This is another key factor in increasing approval odds, especially the odds of getting approved through reconsideration.

Getting Multiple Cards and Multiple Sign-Up Bonuses at the Same Time

This used to be an important trick for applying for Citi credit cards, but Citi has now shut it down (see the notes below). Currently, BofA cards still support this strategy. For example, if the Alaska Airlines credit card issued by BofA has a 25,000-point sign-up bonus, some people open four browsers, load four application pages, and submit all four applications at the same time. If all are approved, they can receive 4*25,000 in sign-up bonuses. Of course, the tradeoff is one HP and four new accounts.

Easier Management of Minimum Spending Requirements

Most credit cards offer a sign-up bonus such as earning XX after spending XX within the first three months. If you apply for several cards on the same day, it becomes easier to track your spending progress, since you only need to remember one deadline. This is especially helpful for people who tend to forget their sign-up bonus spending tasks.

Limitations and Things to Watch Out For with AOR

  • Not suitable for people with short credit history or low credit scores
  • Citi only allows one credit card application per day, so you cannot apply for multiple Citi cards in one day
  • Other than the three banks mentioned in point 2, it is unclear whether other banks combine HPs, so AOR may not always be necessary
  • Opening multiple cards with the same bank in one day may increase that bank’s risk concerns about you and could lead to shutdowns, especially with Chase
  • Using AOR for the same card may cause the bank to think you submitted duplicate applications, in which case you may need to call and explain
  • Most banks only allow you to earn the sign-up bonus on the same card once within a short period, so using AOR on the same card usually does not work (currently only BofA is suitable for AOR on one card)
  • Although AOR can reduce HPs, new accounts will still appear on your credit report, so the impact still exists
  • Bank policies change constantly, so whether AOR is necessary depends on the latest situation

Summary

AOR may seem like a great method, but as bank policies have changed, it is no longer as useful as it once was. Still, if you already plan to apply for several cards, you can consider using it to reduce HPs and improve your chances of instant approval.

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