UPDATED
AMEX ZYNC: APPROVED! (NPSL)
AMEX GOLD DELTA: APPROVED! ($2000)
AMEX COSTCO: APPROVED! ($6500)
CHASE SOUTHWEST: APPROVED! ($5000) after recon
DISCOVER MORE: APPROVED! ($9000)
Even though I applied for the Costco AMEX in-store on the same day as the other two, I got a delayed approval that resulted in a second EX inquiry that hit on 5/7.
FINAL RESULTS: 5 apps, 5 approvals, $22500 + ZYNC, 4 inquiries (AMEX & Chase pulled EX, Discover pulled TU)
Got a letter from AMEX when my ZYNC arrived that says my EX FICO score is 734. Much higher than I imagined! I've had two inquiries since then, but it still seems like EX is my highest score. Looking forward to the AMEX backdating to 1999 (will be my oldest account) and increased AAoA.
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I've been building my credit for a while now and feel like the next logical step for me is apply for better credit cards than the subprime junk cards that I currently I have.
As of today's FICO reports, I have:
TU Score: 719
EQ Score: 697
Merrick Bank Visa - $3 balance / $1850 limit / Opened February 2008
Orchard Bank Secured - $8 balance / $500 limit / Opened February 2008
Bellco CU Platinum Visa - $0 balance / $1500 limit / Opened July 2011
Bellco Auto Refi Loan - $7037 balance / $7512 original loan / Opened October 2011
Student Loan #1 - $3294 balance (in deferment) / Opened March 2011 (shows as zero balance on EQ)
Student Loan #2 - $5341 balance (in deferment) / Opened March 2011 (shows as zero balance on EQ)
I have other closed accounts (zero negatives) that aren't currently reporting that are older as well.
Credit History: 6 years (TU); 10 years (EQ)
AAoA: 3 years (EQ)
Baddies: One 30 Day Late on a Paid & Closed Wells Fargo Auto Loan from 10/2011. Shows on all 3 reports. Bellco sent my refi check to Wells Fargo 32 days beyond my Wells Fargo due date and Wells Fargo won't remove the 30 Day Late even though Bellco provided a letter taking responsibility for the check arriving late.
Also have a collection account from 12/2006 that I paid in full for deletion. It doesn't show up on EX or TU, but still shows up on EQ even after calling the collection agency, getting a letter from them that says PAY FOR DELETION then disputing the item on my EQ report.
Inquiries:
TU: None
EQ: None
EX has three inquiries:
6/3/11 - When I originally applied for auto refi and credit card at Bellco
10/3/11 - Bellco again, because they didn't complete the auto refi paperwork in time
2/21/12 - Collection Agency for a debt that my dentist sent to collections because they submitted my claim to the wrong insurance company and thought I was delinquent. Once I got them the correct info, my insurance covered the bill, but apparently the collection agency still had the right to pull my credit. Not sure why it's a hard pull. I haven't tried to get that removed yet.
If you've made it this far... THANK YOU TONS! I'm trying to come up with a game plan that will allow me to efficiently apply for the appropriate cards in the correct order.
THE NOMINEES
BELLCO: When I originally applied for the Bellco Platinum Visa last year, I was only given a $1500 limit instead of the $5000 limit that my credit score and income level qualified me for because I had a Public Record / Judgment on my credit report that is no longer on my credit report. In order to get a CLI on the Bellco card, I would need another EX hard pull, which would be my 4th in a year, unless I can get that Collection Agency pull removed or if I wait until after 6/3/12, that first Bellco inquiry will be over a year old.
AMEX / COSTCO?: I also learned from American Express that I was an Authorized User on my Dad's card back in 1999 and if I apply for an AMEX card, I will receive backdating to 1999. That makes AMEX a priority in my mind. Not sure which AMEX card, maybe the Gold Delta?
I'm also a Costco member, so I was thinking of driving to the "ghetto" Costco that's in a neighborhood that surely has lower average FICO scores than the Costco where I shop and applying in-store. Would applying in-store help my chances? What about the Costco location? Some people seem to think that the Costco AMEX isn't worth it under any circumstance. The lady at the store encouraged me to apply for the Costco Business AMEX because it has better rewards. Would it still report to my personal credit report? I'd hate to apply for the Business Card, get rejected, and have to apply again for the regular card. She told me that they would have to make 2 separate pulls if I got declined for one and wanted to apply for the other.
CHASE SOUTHWEST: I fly Southwest Airlines quite often and would LOVE to have the Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards card. I'm worried about being declined because I had a Chase / Bank One card that became delinquent in Feb 2003, was last reported Nov 2004 and fell off of my credit report in 2009. I may have settled with the collection agency that assumed the debt, I settled with many and can't remember. I'm concerned about being blacklisted by Chase. Is there any way I can find out if I am?
DISCOVER / WALMART?: I have an invitation to apply for a Discover More card and have a low enough utilization %age and FICO score that I may qualify, but might they be picky about my 30 Day Late from six months ago? I like Discover's 5% cash back rewards on groceries, etc. and would likely use this card when the rewards matched my purchasing patterns. I also shop at Walmart often and have seen others tout the benefits of getting free FICO scores and potentially a Discover card from Walmart. Perhaps I apply in-store for the Walmart Discover?
RENTAL CAR CREDIT CARD: I read on this forum that Delta Community CU has the best rental car coverage of nearly any card. The post was old, is that still true? Having a card specifically for renting cars would definitely be valuable to me.
CAPITAL ONE: I used Capital One's pre-approval soft pull page and was told that I was pre-approved for a Green Cash card. I had a Charge-off with Capital One around the same time that I did with Chase (2003/2004). Same blacklist concerns, I'd consider this card low on my desired list.
1. Bellco (easy CLI?)
2. AMEX / COSTCO? (backdating + costco questions)
3. Chase Southwest Airlines (rewards)
4. Discover / Walmart? (invitation + rewards + walmart?)
5. Rental Car Card
6. Capital One (low priority)
I'm sure there are others that I'm not thinking of... I thought about Barclay's via Apple or Frontier Airlines since I fly Frontier when I'm not flying Southwest. Citibank may be a good fit. If I'm going to apply for this many cards, should I just go all out and try for most of the majors? Narrow it down to the few most important? Given that I have zero inquiries on TU & EQ, I figure that applying for cards that pull from those two CRAs would be where I should start first. Especially TU since EQ has that 5.5 year old collection account still showing. I also read that Capital One hard pulls from all 3 CRAs, so perhaps if I don't go all out, maybe I'll leave them alone all together. I hope I am approaching this in the right way. I hope I didn't overwhelm one post with too much information. I appreciate all wisdom, knowledge, help, and advice and will definitely report back once I get the ball rolling.
In the meanwhile, I'm going to contact the two collection agencies from my past that added that inquiry and didn't delete the collection from EQ even though they said they would.
Thank you for caring and sharing,
ReadyFireAim
Starting Scores: EQ 697 (4/3/12) / TU 683 (4/3/12) / EX FICO 643 (3/16/12)
I'm an Amex BCP fan but it really comes down to your needs and spending habits. Amex is usually an Ex pull.
Chase is okay, it you're already positioned for a good CL.
Walmart comes with a free TU FICO score. I don't know how many lendors use/buy that formula but many would argue it's slightly more useful than what is sold here.
I nearly got caught up in the Walmart madness here but really didn't want another account and rarely shop there. 
Personally I would still dispute the lates and collection account first. With the collection account, call the equifax executive offices for better service. For the late, I would dispute as never late and send letter from cu as proof and see what happens. Money thing is possible for you to win and lose. They just remove the trade line. Also, make sure reported balances are reported ideally, 0 balance on all cards but one that report 1-9% utilization on that card. You are borderline on top tier cards so any points will help now 2nd, your goals right now card wise is to find cards that will grow with you and have no annual fee unless you love the card. Also maybe maximize rewards if interested.
LIMITS IN CARD DESCRIPTIONS
Definitely do Amex as backdating will probably help your score. You are borderline for Amex so you need to do charge card and then app for credit card same day. Charge card first though and then ask to app for credit card. Hopefully they do one inquiry. If they do two, the credit bureaus will often remove the 2nd as duplicate. With charge card and good history for 6 months, the credit card becomes more likely even if rejected on that first try. For you, that backdating is heaven as helps fill in hole when you messed up
@Crashem wrote:
Definitely do Amex as backdating will probably help your score. You are borderline for Amex so you need to do charge card and then app for credit card same day. Charge card first though and then ask to app for credit card. Hopefully they do one inquiry. If they do two, the credit bureaus will often remove the 2nd as duplicate. With charge card and good history for 6 months, the credit card becomes more likely even if rejected on that first try. For you, that backdating is heaven as helps fill in hole when you messed up
+1 on Zync, Green, Gold or PR Gold
FICO 9: 
Filed Chapter 13 on 6/1/2017 after job loss. Discharged 6/1/2022.
Goal: Gardening!
Filed Chapter 13 on 6/1/2017 after job loss. Discharged 6/1/2022.
Goal: Gardening!
I wouldn't apply for ANYTHING until you took care of the 30 day late. How do you do that? Hound them until you find the right person...File a Better Business Bureau complaint,. Do anything and everything to become a squeaky wheel. 99% of people give up...Here's your chance to become a 1%er. Why is it important to have patience and get a completely clean report? Because you will have a much easier time getting improved not only from a higher score but also you can and will be denied PRIME cards in some cases. Don't let this haunt you for 7 years. This is REAL WORLD advice not someone "guessing". Case in point....I have a perfectly clean Equifax now and after getting it this way, I was able to get easy approvals with BIG credit lines. Be patient and get yourself in the best possible situation..,Utilization less than 10% preferably all on 1 report, 0 inquiries last 6 months or as close as you can get...etc. Even if it took you 1 year to get your report in order, I just know you will be much better off with the results and I know you can get Wells to crack with enough constant pressure. I'm extremely impatient normally but working on getting my credit file has helped me there. I still pay up for extra shipping charges when ordering from the Internet even if I don't need it right way...
@Crashem wrote:
Definitely do Amex as backdating will probably help your score. You are borderline for Amex so you need to do charge card and then app for credit card same day. Charge card first though and then ask to app for credit card. Hopefully they do one inquiry. If they do two, the credit bureaus will often remove the 2nd as duplicate. With charge card and good history for 6 months, the credit card becomes more likely even if rejected on that first try. For you, that backdating is heaven as helps fill in hole when you messed up
You do not "need" to do a charge card and then a credit card. Do this only if you WANT to. The credit bureaus wil often NOT remove a 2nd inquiry as duplicate. Also, it's becoming more rare that former AUs get the backdating - I would not count on that either.
Discover tends to pull either TU or EQ so watch out for that collection if you apply before it's removed. Cap One does pull all 3 but are very forgiving with previous charge-offs. Chase is not as forgiving and even though it's not on your reports, it's still on theirs. There's no telling if you'd get approved but many, many people have sucess with recons - just be prepared to explain (did you pay them or was it unpaid?).
I'd go for the Bellco CLI last since you're already in with them. You seem more patient than I am as I would not be so forgiving, or wanting to use them, after the incredibly late refi payment.
I'm not experienced with rental car cards so someone else can chime in on that.
Amex pulls EX (and once in a blue moon, the others, but typically almost always EX...and Teletrack) and I don't think you have too many inquiries for them. I would go straight for the Costco (your own Costco is fine, no need to drive to others - despite rumors, they deny the geographical thing anyway, you're stuck with your home regardless zip . Applying at the store, with your membership number, seems to be the way to go.
Good luck and let us know what happens!
Starting Score: 648Clocktick,
That AMEX advice you gave is bad. Given the scores, he is unlikely to qualify for AMEX credit card. Failure on the credit card means he can not app for charge card for at least 60 days and takes an inquiry for it. The AMEX charge card is the safe way to go uness his FICO score goes up quite a bit.
As for the inquiries, I know for a fact that experian (and that is what matters since AMEX pulls it 90+%) will remove duplicate inquiry via a quick phone call. They did for me even though inquiry was on next day and my buddy only had one inquiry when he got 2 AMEXs on same day.
As for AMEX backdating policy, there is a lot of mix up about it. The original poster already confirmed with AMEX that they had his original member date so he will be backdated. The AU policy change you are referring to is that they no longer like to backdate an AU back to the original cardholder member date upon request. They are happy to backdate AU or original cardholder back to when they first got an AMEX, whether via AU or not. If they don't have info in their system, the burden of proof is on you (copy of old card/credit report/etc.)