Note: IDA is now called SageStream.
One of the “killer” new credit cards from this past year is the US Bank Club Carlson Visa. You can get up to 85,000 Club Carlson points for signing up, earn 5X points on all purchases, and get a free night added to the end of every stay you have. That means that you can redeem 50,000 points for one night at a top-tier Club Carlson hotel and get the second night free if you have a 2-night stay. That also means that $10,000 of spending gets you 2 nights at a top-tier hotel if planned correctly. When you pay your annual fee, you get 40,000 bonus points.
UPDATE: The terms of this card offer have now changed and may not match the information in this post, but it can still be useful to freeze your SageStream/ARS credit bureau reports for other reasons.
However, the card is issued by US Bank, and a lot of people have had trouble getting approved by them. Much of this is due to an increased number of credit inquiries on a credit report.
It turns out that US Bank gets this information from two secondary credit bureaus: ARS (Advanced Resolution Services) and SageStream (formerly known as or “IDA”). It’s possible to “freeze” these 2 bureaus with a simple form request, thus disallowing US Bank from getting information from those two bureaus. Since these aren’t one of the three primary bureaus (Experian, Equifax, or Transunion), it shouldn’t affect any other credit card applications you have.
I just froze both my reports this month. I applied for the Club Carlson Business Visa and was approved instantly! I thought I’d share my experiences.
Freezing ARS
I found a telephone number to ARS and called them asking on how to freeze my ARS report. After getting that information, I came up with this letter and sent it by regular mail along with a copy of my driver’s license. The address is as of May 2013, as the company recently moved locations. You can amend the following with your info:
Advanced Resolution Service, INC
5005 Rockside Road, Suite 600
Independence, OH 44131To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to place a security freeze on the Advanced Resolution Service (ARS) files associated with my Social Security Number.
My information is as follows:
Full name: FIRST MIDDLE LAST
Social Security Number: 123-45-6789
Address: 123 Fake St, Springfield, IL 12345
Telephone Number: (555) 555-1234Proof of Identity (CHOOSE ONE):
() COPY OF DRIVER’S LICENSE/STATE-ISSUED IDENTIFICATION CARD
() COPY OF MEDICARE HEALTH INSURANCE CARD
() NUMI FORM, SIGNED AND DATED BY LOCAL SOCIAL SECURITY ADMIN OFFICERegards,
FIRST MIDDLE LASTSIGNATURE: X_________________
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
Placing a Security Freeze on Sagestream (formerly IDA)
After that, I found a phone number to SageStream, who said I needed to send my information via certified mail along with a copy of my driver’s license and passport picture page.
SageStream, LLC Consumer Office
PO BOX 503793
San Diego, CA 92150-2833To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to place a security freeze on the SageStream account associated with my Social Security Number.
My information is as follows:
Full name: FIRST MIDDLE LAST
Social Security Number: 123-45-6789
Street Address: 123 Fake St., Springfield, IL 12345
Date of Birth: MM/DD/YYYY
Phone Number: 555-555-1234Identity Verification (Choose TWO)
() COPY OF DRIVER’S LICENSE/STATE-ISSUED IDENTIFICATION CARD
() COPY OF SOCIAL SECURITY CARD
() COPY OF US PASSPORT (PICTURE PAGE)
() COPY OF UTILITY BILL WITHIN PAST 60 DAYS
() COPY OF VOIDED CONSUMER CHECK
() COPY OF ALIEN REGISTRATION CARD
() COPY OF BIRTH CERTIFICATERegards,
FIRST MIDDLE LASTSIGNATURE: X______________
DATE: MM/DD/YYYY
Less than one week later, I had a response from both ARS and SageStream stating that my reports have been frozen! It was pretty easy to do and was rather cheap (less than $5 worth of postage, including the certified mail fee). Seeing as how I was almost instantly approved for the Club Carlson Visa, I’d say it was a great investment of my time!
If you do apply for the US Bank Club Carlson Visa, I highly suggest making it the first app(s) you do if you are doing multiple applications. US Bank really seems to have problems with people who apply for multiple cards, so applying for a US Bank card first will mean they won’t see the next few applications you do.
