How to get foot in the door with Discover & Amex?

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Go for the AMEX Everyday Card like I did. It is one of the easist to get from them. My scores were about where your's are. 

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The AMEX ED card is the one I have my eye on honestly (at first...)  But thus far, I've been trying to keep HP's at 2x per year, so I've only been applying for things that I *believe* I'll get approved for.  I don't want to make it look like I'm applying for new lines of credit because I NEED it (which I don't).

[Anonymous]

Just posting wo reading entire thread.

Discover: when my paid collection was gone. Only baddie was an aging late payment on an auto loan. Almost 2 yrs ago. Instant approval. Denials when it was there. EQ in the 660's.

AmEx:  when my EX went over 670.  I did a double hit, PRG, instant approval, SPG through friend referral, and had some phone calls.  I was moving at the time, so call it a "quasi" recon?  I agree with the opinions made that the Charge Cards are easier to get.  Look for the biggest sign on bonus you can get - Preferred Rewards Gold or Platinum. 

Edit:  my utilization is NEVER over 3% total, 20% on one card.

[wai0405]

try to get amex charge card first. they normally wouldnt be so strict about approving charge cards

[takeshi74]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I've been working on rebuilding my credit for some time now, and I noticed that I only seem to recieve pre-approvals from Cap1, and various companies that I have no intent on sign up for (credit1, etc)

Ideally, I'd like to get my foot in the door with Discover and AMEX, and I was wondering:  If I get added as an AU to accounts through those lenders, would it be beneficial in relation to increasing odds of recieving pre-screened offers?

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Never rely on prequals.

Feet and doors are irrelevant.  Either you qualify at time of consideration or you do not.  Don't rely on the relationship meme.  If there are issues with your credit profile then address them first and then apply.  You need to be able to evaluate your own reports in the long run.

[Anonymous]

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@takeshi74 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

I've been working on rebuilding my credit for some time now, and I noticed that I only seem to recieve pre-approvals from Cap1, and various companies that I have no intent on sign up for (credit1, etc)

Ideally, I'd like to get my foot in the door with Discover and AMEX, and I was wondering:  If I get added as an AU to accounts through those lenders, would it be beneficial in relation to increasing odds of recieving pre-screened offers?

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Never rely on prequals.

Feet and doors are irrelevant.  Either you qualify at time of consideration or you do not.  Don't rely on the relationship meme.  If there are issues with your credit profile then address them first and then apply.  You need to be able to evaluate your own reports in the long run.

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I absolutely understand that.  And while I also understand that rebuilding my credit is a marathon, not a sprint, I'm kind of getting to the point where the only thing I can do is wait.  I've already rehabbed 3 student loans (all currently paid as agreed/in good standing) and all of my accounts since re-establishing credit lines (in mid-late 2013) have been as squeaky clean as they can be (no lates, no over the limits, etc, etc).  But presently, I'm in a scenario that Nelnet (after rehabbing my student loans) updated my reports to reflect 30 missed payments (3 seperate loans, 10 payments missed each from 2012) which never showed in the first place.  And while the information is correct, simply waiting for 4+ years for them to fall off seems lazy.  So I am constantly trying to figure out new ways to approach things to continue making progress (in spite of past mistakes). 

If you have any better suggestions, I'm certainly open to advice.

[Namaste7]

I agree with others that an AU may not help with receiving pre-qualifications. That does not mean that the AU cannot serve a purpose in a credit build or rebuild. Even if the AU was denied for an individual account, it would be prudent for the AU to recon and request the analyst to consider the AU's transaction history (only works if AU made charges and payments directly to the account). Certainly, there are no guarantees but the same can be said for secured credit cards (that do not auto-graduate). You are leveraging your own funds to build a relationship with a financial institution. In some instances, AU may provide a similar benefit. 

[Anonymous]

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@taxdoc wrote:

I agree with others that an AU may not help with receiving pre-qualifications. That does not mean that the AU cannot serve a purpose in a credit build or rebuild. Even if the AU was denied for an individual account, it would be prudent for the AU to recon and request the analyst to consider the AU's transaction history (only works if AU made charges and payments directly to the account). Certainly, there are no guarantees but the same can be said for secured credit cards (that do not auto-graduate). You are leveraging your own funds to build a relationship with a financial institution. In some instances, AU may provide a similar benefit. 

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Understanable.  Like I said, I'm just trying to create my own opportunities as much as I can.  If anyone has better ideas of how to go about continuing to make progress, I'm all ears.