No credit card required
Browse credit cards from a variety of issuers to see if there's a better card for you.
@NICKI183 wrote:Well, 2012 was a truly challenging year. I originally joined this site, as stated in previous post, in 2008 attempting to correct credit issues. I hit the credit app bug quick and eventually found myself in the same predicament years later. Last year, I had an epiphany to truly "get it together". I have reviewed various post that state that you can do this on your own; however, I found great difficulty in doing so. Therefore, in the last quarter of 2012 I acquired a credit repair service to assist. Since that time they have been able to remove (7) Equifax, (0) Experian, and (11) Transition. I decided that I need to also do my part and assist, so I logged back onto the myFICO to also aide in my credit advocacy. It is important that if I work in tangent with the credit repair company I will begin to see swifter results.
In also reviewing my credit I have to now settle the debts for the "charge-offs". I know that my days of burying are over and I have to face the music. My UTI is extremely high (almost 85%) and I must tackle that immediately. I first would like to obtain a secured USAA Amex for $1k. Once I get this card I will only use that and put away the (4) cards I still have as active.
I started this race four years ago and did not finish; however, I am going to finish this time. Once I get the USAA card I am staying in the garden until December 2013. I will see where I am and if I succeeded in decreasing my UTI to 0% and removing most of the baddies I will apply for 1 card as my Christmas present.
I am so ready to be able to answer my phone on a regular basis.
(UPDATE)I have re-evaluated my post from 1/2/12 and made the decision to stay in the garden. I have a lot of work ahead of my and I believe that the money I would put for a secured USAA card would assist my charge-off/collections if I paid them off or settle. I think the excitement of seeing all these success stories has me at sorts. I know that this task is not easy and I must decrease my UTI and also reduce the baddies in order prime creditors to take me seriously.I know that by September 2013 there will be a change for me to apply for a REAL credit card and see seedlings sprout. Until then I will continue to read on!!
imo, good decision to stay in the garden (re your UPDATE)
@jsucool76 wrote:
@McArthur wrote:Hi folks!
I'd love to start gardening, but can you lock me in? I tend to escape. Maybe we need inpatient lock-down for cardaholics.
@McArthur wrote:Hi folks!
I'd love to start gardening, but can you lock me in? I tend to escape. Maybe we need inpatient lock-down for cardaholics.
My first gardening session lasted all of 4 days I think. It is really hard to do.
I hear you!
I need a minimum of 6 months in the garden, but 2 years would be ideal. By then I would be set for the last ten cards in my list and then retire. Retire? Ha! By that time I would have expanded my list to twenty.
I will try to last a week. Or maybe a month until I go on leave.
By the way, does adding an AU tradeline take you out of the garden? Please say no!!!!!!!!!!!
Happy dancing in my corner of the garden with NFCU hearing my plea for the 0%BT! So far, I've transferred 2 balances, but will tweak it more over the next few months to maximize my usage/rewards. My score is slowly climbing as the smaller cards I had balances on have been paid off, so it will be interesting to see what happens when the BTs hit. I'm also anxious for my mortgage to start reporting to see if that gives me a boost.
Still looking to refi my car soon, but wanting to see if I can get back to 700-land first. I'd also like to see about a CLI on Lowe's (3rd statement will cut this month) as I need fencing materials and would like the 5% discount, then BT to NFCU.
Back to the Garden for me.
I had been in the garden since applying for the Chase Freedom and Amex Hilton in October. I had soft pull CLI's on Amex and Discover.
Today I apped for the Chase Ink Plus (the lower minimum spending for the Ultimate Rewards amount was too tempting. I figured I could put my final payment of my expected taxes on the card to help meet the minimum spending since I have the money in the bank anyway, might as well earn points for it). I am an independent contractor and would have liked to put legitimate business expenses on the card, but they said my trade lines are too new and to give it some time for stability (I have been at this job for almost a year).
My goal is now to be in the garden for three months. I would like to apply to some offers, but they might not be around by then ( United Explorer 50k points and US Airways 40k Chairman Preferred link). I have some aspirational travel I would like to do, but nothing immediate.
I would also like to join NFCU and it is tempting since I just took the hard pull for the business card, but am not sure I would be approved since I am self employed and do not have pay stubs/ do not have a tax return for the current year. Before this I had worked at and office job and then was on unemployment.
I just had a small victory, yesterday an invitation to apply for the green AMEX card! I will continue to stay in the garden at least for 6 months and reduce my UTIL to 10%.
*sigh* I had no business applying for it, but I had an invite for the Citi AA Gold/Visa Sig card sitting on my bedside table and I used it. Not sure why I thought I'd get approved on a student's income...oh well. Resetting my time in the garden and starting again.
Still haven't heard from Capital One about my Cash Rewards app yet. I'm just hoping I get the greenlight since it's better than my Journey card when it comes to rewards.
1 out of 3 ain't bad, right?
Im In! time to let my current cards age off and these inquiries fall off count me in Till 01/03/2014
@McArthur wrote:
@jsucool76 wrote:
@McArthur wrote:Hi folks!
I'd love to start gardening, but can you lock me in? I tend to escape. Maybe we need inpatient lock-down for cardaholics.
@McArthur wrote:Hi folks!
I'd love to start gardening, but can you lock me in? I tend to escape. Maybe we need inpatient lock-down for cardaholics.
My first gardening session lasted all of 4 days I think. It is really hard to do.
I hear you!
I need a minimum of 6 months in the garden, but 2 years would be ideal. By then I would be set for the last ten cards in my list and then retire. Retire? Ha! By that time I would have expanded my list to twenty.
I will try to last a week. Or maybe a month until I go on leave.
By the way, does adding an AU tradeline take you out of the garden? Please say no!!!!!!!!!!!
The way the recognition level rules stand currently, yes it would, as it's a new tradeline that appears on your reports.
Admittedly, I feel ambivalent about this. An old, established AU account might actually help to further gardening goals, as the account is seasoned and could serve to boost AAoA -- and it doesn't require adding an inq to the reports. OTOH, if the AU account is recent, then it might bring down one's AAoA; case in point would be if I were to add myself as an AU on my DH's Lowe's account, which has been opened less than 3 years, while my AAoA is between 7-8 years.
I'm open to thoughts on this. If GC members have opinions pro or con on allowing AU accounts to be exempt from factoring into recognition levels, please feel free to share.
@alessandrom wrote:Im In! time to let my current cards age off and these inquiries fall off count me in Till 01/03/2014
I saw your other post about entering the garden. I just wanted to take a moment to welcome you both to the forums and the club!