A Surprising Transaction That Can Hurt Your Credit Score and New Perk for British Airways First Class

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About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Despite reading the MoneyWatch article I still don’t understand why a back would do a hard pull if YOU are giving THEM money.

    More importantly, I don’t understand why people are putting money into CDs. Just yesterday I was researching where to park some cash, and the difference in yield–between a CD, where my cash is locked up, and a money market fund, with instant liquidity–was just 2/10ths of a percent. Plus with the money market there is no credit pull.

  2. Seven months ago I opened a new credit union checking/savings account. During the process I specifically asked the rep if they do a hard pull. I was told that no they just do an information verification. I then asked if they do this with one bureau or more than that. Was told just one.
    Well, it was a hard pull across all three. I do believe that this person did not lie to me. Its obvious that they were very uninformed and poorly trained.

  3. Freezing your file at all 3 agencies should help prevent any nasty surprises like that. Just unfreeze right before you want to apply for a new card. It only takes a few minutes and I sleep much better knowing identity thieves and overzealous bankers will get a face palm.

  4. @Rob.

    +1. Freezing your credit bureau accounts is the best thing you can do to protect yourself from identity theft.

  5. RE: Airlines — Thank you. I took my life in my hands as a college student by flying from Tijuana to Mexico City in 1963. I’m wiser now, one would hope. Questions: Technically (legally) Avianca Costa Rica is a subsidiary of the parent Columbian company Avianca, and Volaris Costa Rica is a subsidiary of the Mexican parent company Volaris. Does this affect the parent companies also? That would be HUGE! and affect other subsidiaries. Or does it relate to air/ground safety and operations within Costa Rican airspace/airports for only these subsidiaries?

  6. has anyone looked at your car insurance bill?? It says we checked your credit score(usually on my non-credit car daughter who has no credit) and we have adjusted your bill..according to findings????. Not good if we have paid state farm for 35 years on time??? crazy

  7. Hard credit pull story sounds exaggerated. No banks listed by name makes me wonder. And the recommendation to just ask if they pull credit when it has to be fully disclosed is questionable.
    A better story might be for readers to “Just read the documents you are agreeing to.” Or Just read the Contract! before signing it.

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