Good first card for average credit?

[Anonymous]

Looking for advice on a good first unsecured card. 

Credit profile: My current fico scores are: EQ 610, EX 657, TU 666

About 8 unpaid items in collection, all 3-5 years old. 1 current car payment, 1 current secured American Express credit card for $500, 0-2% usage, last late paymet on anything was 24 months ago.  $85k annual income.  

I would like to try for an unsecured card now. I don't care about the APR because I plan to pay in full each month. OK with a reasonable annual fee. I would like a cash back or reward option since I can put large purchases on it every month (car payment, tuition, etc) and then pay in full each month which should help add up reward points quickly. A higher starting limit or easy/quick CLI would be nice if possible to help with overall utilization of credit.  

We just closed on our mortgage last week. Now that we have a car and a house I am not too concerned about hard pulls or inquiries lowering my credit a few points, as I don't need to apply for any financing/loans for the forseeable future, however I don't want to overdo it and lower my credit too much.   

Any recommendations for a good credit card in my credit range? Most credit card recommendations I see are for people with scores over 700 and I'm not there yet. Should I try for ones I'm not likely to be approved for like an American Express card just to see what happens? I've been in good standing my entire time with my secured card with them so I'm not sure if that helps or not.  Or should I stick with something safe like Capital One Quicksilver which seems to have lower credit requirements?  I have lurked here a bit but I'm not super knowledgable about credit cards yet and it's a bit overwhelming to think of getting rejected a few times and still taking a credit hit just to see what I can get.  

My main reason for the card would be to gather rewards points/cashback and gain extra "available credit" with low utilization to continue to help my credit scores long term.  

Thanks!!

[Anonymous]

Hi there! I would start off with apping for something like Discover It Chrome, Capital One Quicksilver One, maybe even a platinum? I would stay away from Amex at the moment, at least until the late payments/ collections fall off of your report. No need to rack up inquiries for nothing!

[Anonymous]

Id say 1st start at YOUR bank and see if they have any cards that fit your needs. Reason being is its easier for them to start you out higher since they know how much you have coming in and going out almost every month.

[Anonymous]

Agree, but the unsecured Discover might be a little out of range. I'm thinking most likely the secured version.

You could also try Capital ones card finder, you might get a pre-approval. GL

[Blackbeauty212]

Cap One Plat is probably going to be the best in your situation. If they can't qualify you for an Unsecured then you'll pretty much need to look at Secured cards.. 

At that point I would stick to Reputable banks ... Cap One, Citi, Discover, BofA all 4 have fair Secure Cards. I know Cap One will give CLI after 6 months. 

Stay Aways from Con Jobs Cards, First Premier, Credit One, any Random named banks/Cards. They have high BS fees, CLs dont grow, Outragous APRs, and Hideous outsourced CS. 

[Callandra]

If you have inquiries to burn, you could try applying for cards to see what happens. But with all those unpaid collections, I'd recommend Capital One QS One or another secured card. You're borderline (score wise) for Barclays Rewards but they tend to prefer paid collections. I'd personally focus on getting those collections removed or at least paid as that looks better on manual review. 

[Gmood1]

I'd say become a member of Navy Federal and app through them. Reason being they are extremely lenient and forgiving of baddies. With your TU score and income, I wager you'll get a $15k to $20k starting limit.

[darwin_wins]

Does this even work ( of course not every time). I am with Citi and I don't think they pre-qualify me for anything

[Anonymous]

I agree worth the OP.... start off with Capital One and see if you pre-qualify for any of their cards.  The QS would be a great card for you to start with. Beware of BoA... their pre-qualifications don't mean much.  Not saying you shouldn't apply.... just don't be disappointed if they show you pre-qualify and then your app is denied. 

Capital One pre-qualifications are pretty solid.  

[BirchBarlow]

With your profile I don't think you'd qualify for any worthwhile reward cards.  I would probably app for a basic no-frills card with one of the majors (Cap1, Citi, BoA) as neither Amex nor Discover are universally accepted.  Even if you only qualify for a secure card, I would still pick one of the major lenders because it's good to build a relationship with them, and if you pay in full religiously, a secured card may one day be upgraded to a reward card.