Credit Cards

[emptypockets]

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emptypockets wrote:

Update, BK fell off TU today, I am BK (and all clean) on all 3 reports. TU score went from 709 (3/2012) to 753! Not as nice a jump as EQ, but I will take it. I am still staying in the garden until at least July - maybe August. That will probably be as long as I can resist the urge to app for a Chase card. Can someone pass the anti-itch cream?

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Ok, so I strayed out of the garden for a few days (reasons are posted in other threads), so as not to disturb the people who are staying on the straight and narrow.

 I am still 'semi-gardening' if that is possible, LOL. I was thinking about what someone said about goals. My goals over are to build up my limits, and weed out the lower limit cards in my portfolio. Hopefully in doing this, eventually I will have very few caards left with AF's, and those that have fees will pay for themselves.

I am in the process now (well actualy probably tomorrow or Monday) of trying to combine limits on a couple of lower limit cards (Barclays US Air, and Barclays Rewards MC). I have found that being in the Midwest, I have never flown US Air since I had the card ( I live near a Delta hub). If I can combine the limit with the Rewards MC I will have a card showing a higher limit (7.2k)  but WITHOUT a new app. This will get rid of an AF as well.

I was able to (surprisingly) get Capital One to upgrade my old Visa Platinum to a Cash Rewards card (1% cash back on everything) with no AF (no CLI though).

I decided to wait to apply for a Chase card, until at least September, because they tend to pull EX, and I have 3 INQ's that should drop off EX in September. I do not need to app for anything major (car or house) anytime soon (not in the next 2 yrs), so any apps I have made will have time to age for the forseeable future.

[traveler2005]

Well i haven't app'd for 30 days now, funny thing today credit one offered a CLI of 100.00  LOL, only cost 19.95 LOL, no thanks, as soon as card paid off it goes by by. Hope the rest of you are doing great with your gardening, my real garden is doing great, tomatoes growing big.   My credit garden will get weeded next week. I will say goodby to First Premier, I can't wait.

[journey258]

9 days in the garden so far. My last apps were with USAA on the 31st. Just received my World Master Card and Platinum Card yesterday. My Freedom Card came earlier in the week. It feels good to rotate Orchard and Credit One to the back of my wallet. I've come such a long way in just a year. I'm hoping for some nice CL increases come the first of the year. 

[android01]

I upgraded my US Bank Flexperks Visa to the new Cash+ card.  Upgrading existing accounts with no applications or CR pulls is a good gardening activity.  

[tcbofade]

3.

Three whole days in the garden...

Don't laugh.

This could happen to you. 

[germaine47]

Guys i need help in not applying for anything for the next 6 months.  My credit have improved incredibly since I first started a year ago,  I am trying to garden until all my scores have reached the 700 fico mark and save 6 months for emergency funds.  I applied for GE Capital for furntiure and I assumed it would be considered as an installment account but it is reporting and an revolving account 2328/2500 0% financing.  With those numbers it is pretty much considered as being maxed out, well I had no choice but in calling CS to recon and limit was raised  to 4500 but I am still uneasy about the utlilization.  I will be bringing my Gardening Tools here every Saturday for just in case I want to plant application seeds any words of wisdom will be greatly appreciated.

[LS2982]

Hands are firmly planted in the soil....

I still get the AMEX twitches but I'm applying the cream daily!

[BrokaToe]

Ugg, I'm jonesing to give the Walmart Card an instore try.  Lady in CS and folks here suggest trying instore instead of online.  I'm praying I can keep myself from it.  After all it's not that great of a card to shoot for is it?  I'm hoping after a year of gardening my score and history will have gone up enough to go for something like a Chase or Citi, maybe even Amex.  Trials and Tribulations

[Duncanrr]

I'm all in. Got my first credit cards in 7 years last week (haven't received them yet). Ended up getting Cap1 and Wells Fargo secured cc. I will garden for 6 months and increase my CL to $2000 for each. I can't stomach more than 4k in security deposits. Duncan

[Revelate]

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Duncanrr wrote:
I'm all in. Got my first credit cards in 7 years last week (haven't received them yet). Ended up getting Cap1 and Wells Fargo secured cc. I will garden for 6 months and increase my CL to $2000 for each. I can't stomach more than 4k in security deposits. Duncan

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That's reasonable.  I've heard of people dumping 10K into it to try to get a 10K approval later, but to each their own.  I don't see it as a low-interest savings plan as others do, and likewise only have 4K tied up between my two secured cards.  FICO increasing just fine, 1K and possibly 5K appear to be the only real boundaries anecdotally, and there are enough lenders who will often annhilate those limits if absolutely needed for future CL increases.