Credit Cards

[Kenniebee]

Medical collections are keeping my scores low, but I have Multiple Sclerosis and am continually having medical procedures or surgeries. It is impossible to try to keep the payments to the hospitals current. Anyway I was advised to get a credit card and pay it in full every month in order to boost my credit score. Since I don't want multiple inquiries on my credit, can someone suggest a good card with the best features for someone with my FICO score? Thanks!

[cheddar]

---

Kenniebee wrote:
Medical collections are keeping my scores low, but I have Multiple Sclerosis and am continually having medical procedures or surgeries. It is impossible to try to keep the payments to the hospitals current. Anyway I was advised to get a credit card and pay it in full every month in order to boost my credit score. Since I don't want multiple inquiries on my credit, can someone suggest a good card with the best features for someone with my FICO score? Thanks!

---

With which CRA do you have this score?  Do you know your other two scores?

Also, how old is your most recent collection?

Message Edited by cheddar on 04-15-2008 08:13 PM

[unknown_entity]

Try Capital Ones' "credit that needs improvement" catagory.  If you don't have baddies with them they should take ya.  Credit One Bank, they have a $69 AF and a $69 one time fee.  Orchard Bank (eeww, IMO).  Target and Macys for store cards.  Go to whogavemecredit.com and look for approvals of those whose financial situation is comparable to yours.  You can search by score, bank and state.  It might not be 100% accurate but it will give you some idea of who got approved with what.  Hope this helps!!

[Kenniebee]

Experian has me at 563 and Equifax has me at 596. I think the last collection was posted about 5 months ago. I am a single mom with kids at home and I have MS (just finishing out a round of Solu-Medrol IV's) so although I get my regular bills and car payment (that I bought in November) paid ontime every month, I just can't get a handle on these thousands of dollars of medical bills. Jeez! I want to work on building my credit score and this site says I need to get a credit card and handle it with real care and it will boost my score. I just don't want a turn-down because that will hurt me, as will numerous inquiries. So I need to know THE BEST ONE to apply for since I will hopefully only be applying to one. : )

[unknown_entity]

I suggest that you go to www.whogavemecredit.com and enter those scores and see what lenders are approving.  With collections your options are unfortunately going to be limited.

[unknown_entity]

Looks like Capital One has a lot of approvals with your scores.

[cheddar]

Perhaps Capital One, but be aware that they will pull all three of your reports, meaning you'll have three inquiries, one on each CR, just from that one app.

Otherwise, with a five-month old CA and several other CAs, you may consider getting a secured card from Orchard Bank or a CU.

Message Edited by cheddar on 04-15-2008 09:28 PM