My Credit Journey and Tips. (Not Done Yet)

[jpparker07]

I will start this by saying very emphatically: YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY

Anyway, this is how I went from having two one-year-old Capital One starter cards to a newly activated AMEX BCE. It all started back in August when I app'd for the AMEX Zync and got approved. I had applied for two months prior. I used that card religiously and paid in full and carried very little balances on the Capital One cards. In November I app'd for the AMEX Green simply to broaden my relationship with AMEX. I wanted a BCE and I read on these wonderful forums that your relationship is the most important part.

Then at the end of November I app'd for the Discover More (soon to become the It) and I was declined. By this point of I was religiously paying off my collections and constantly pulling my report. I still had one unpaid medical collection. I recon'd thanks to the number on the forums and here are my recon tips:

1) Have the report in front of you. The analyst does, so you need to be able to explain every discrepancy

2) Be honest. I had applied for multiple cards recently and the woman asked about the inquiries. I said "To be quite honest, I had cards in the past and harmed the relationship with those banks and I am now building my credit up and I want banks to understand they can now trust me"

3) Be stern, but not mean. Don't break under the pressure of the questions. I believe they are gauging how much you care about your own financials so if you give up easily it makes it easier and more justifiable for them to say no.

I was approved for the More after 1 recon! Then I applied for the Chase Freedom and was declined. I find out my statuses the same day if I get the further review message. I used those same previous tips and recon'd and was approved for the Chase Freedom. Truthfully I should have waited for the More to post to my CR, but I was too eager. I was happy to get the card.

Now finally this BCE. I believe the magic relationship length with AMEX falls between 6-12 months. If your credit score isn't great (mine linger around 670-690) then establish a history with AMEX through a charge card and swipe the baby and pay in full for at least 6 months. I applied every month from December on because it is soft pulls (if you already have an AMEX) and I was approved after I had the Zync for 6 months. I don't believe that AMEX cares if you apply a lot. I truly don't. Just know that reconning with AMEX is almost impossible. I haven't read many success stories and I tried twice and was not successful. So, I just applied until I got through and now I have a beautiful BCE.

I know this is lengthy, but I wanted to post in case it could be of help to people who find themselves in similar situations. If you have any questions feel free. I'm headed on a 16 hour flight soooo I'll need something to do!

[ccole93]

Was the recon with Discover difficult? I have Discover More and applied for Discover It (idk why... lol) and they denied me, probably from too many credit inquiries. I'm thinking of calling them and asking if they can help me out. They just agreed to increase my current credit limit by $500. I've had the card for... oh, two years? No black marks, use it pretty frequently, don't miss payments... I'm strongly considering attempting a recon.

[jpparker07]

Hmmm, I think they may have declined the It because you recently asked for increase. I did not find my recon to be difficult at all. I just answered the questions she asked and that was that. I would say this though. If you don't get approved upon recon, I highly recommend PCing to the It. The rewards are better and the only downside I saw was less card designs.

[ccole93]

Ooo, I think I'm gonna try. I actually applied for IT before the credit line increase. I haven't even gotten the rejection letter yet but I'm impatient. Congrats on your success, though! Chase has fantastic customer service, except when they denied me a CLI. They were still polite though and it's nice talking to people who aren't speaking broken English like the reps at Crap One.

[jpparker07]

Yes definitely try! I'm wondering if maybe they based the cl they gave you on your previous cl's. They did make it your highest cl out of all your cards.

[ccole93]

I think so. I requested $1000 specifically because I didn't want to be too greedy. The man I talked to was extremely friendly and helpful. I've noticed the women are a lot less inclined to assist me. They try to get me off the phone pretty quickly and won't listen when I try to explain my inquiries. At this point, I'll usually hang up instantly if I hear a woman on the other line.

[09Lexie]

Thank you for sharing your tips and congrats on your BCE

[rob81]

hi thank you for posting this. it is exactly what I was searching for. I want an amex blue everyday. I have had the prem. rewards gold charge card since 03-12

my credit scores are almost exact to yours. I have a cap 1 rewards card cl$500 , balance $130, discover cl$1700 balance$650, never missed a payment and use the amex charge card every month and always pay off. I am just nervous to apply. maybe my utilization should be lower? idk

[djc1puno]

Keep one card w balance between 1-8 percent and the rest zero...seems to be the optimum number when apping for new cards

[sghosh5]

My credit scores are stuck at mid 600s for 2 months now. I soo want a DISCOVER IT & BCE on my own. Right now i am an authorized user on them but dont beleive that will count anything except increasing credit scores. My credit report has a charge off with CHASE which is due to fall of around 03/2014 & two Asset Acceptance collections of CIT cards which are due to fall off 09/2014, 10/2014. 

My question is if get to 680 - 690 score by next year May/June (when most of my inqs hit 1 year mark) can I apply for AMEX charge cards? Which AMEX charge card is easiest to get?