Hello Everyone,
Add me to the long line of Navy Fed success stories!
Initially I was going to apply for just 1 nRewards card and request a
4k limit. I changed my mind and decided to apply for the nRewards
Visa and Mastercard and request 2k each. Both cards were approved
with no problem.
I wanted to get a couple of cards to use as debit cards and PIF the
balance monthly. I'll be rotating the cards to keep them active.
APR on both cards is 13.9%. My Equifax score at approval was 654.
Approval time for both cards was about 4 days.
Before applying for both cards I used the FICO simulator that's included
in Equifax ScoreWatch. Just the appearance of new revolving accounts
on my reports will raise my scores 40-70 points, so we're talking 694 to
724 as possible new scores. I know it's just a simulation, so we'll see
what happens.
When I spoke with NFCU Credit Card Services this morning, I had a chance
to ask them some questions that others might find useful:
-- Are credit limit increases considered a hard or soft inquiry?
Answer: they are considered soft inquiries.
-- How often can NFCU members request a credit limit increase?
Answer: Every 6 months.
-- Is it possible to get a credit limit increase when the card is activated?
Answer: NFCU does not normally grant CLI's upon activation.
However, customers can request them if they so choose.
-- What percentage of a credit cardholder's limit can be used before
NFCU starts seeing "red flags" in a person's monthly usage?
Answer: No set percentage. As long as a cardholder doesn't exceed the
credit limit and the card is paid on time, NFCU has no problem.
However, if you habitually max out your card on a monthly basis and
then request a CLI at 6 months, this pattern of behavior may effect the
amount of the increase. In other words, you might still get a CLI...just not
as much if the cardholder was using a lower percentage of the credit limit.
-- Under what circumstances would NFCU lower a person's credit limit?
Answer: There are only two (2) reasons that a credit limit would be reduced.
1) At the cardholder's request, or 2) if there is a severe drop in the cardholder's
Equifax FICO score. The example I was given: if your EQ is currently 675 and it
drops to 484, NFCU will lower your credit limit and/or raise your APR to match your
lower FICO score. So as long as you keep your EQ score at the same level or
higher than when the card was approved, there will be no problem.
I hope the answers to these questions will help current and prospective NFCU members
make better decisions as they consider applying for credit with Navy Federal.
You guys have a great day!
CanDo
"The right attitude is everything"