Which is more likely to approve me with short history?

[Anonymous]

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@isoldmyatlas wrote:

Are your secured cards only 6 months old?

Thanks, and yes, I will be keeping everyone updated as each "milestone" hits

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We got the Capital One in September, the USAA Amex in October and, the US Bank Visa in November, all respectively in 2011.  Also, as Revelate wisely pointed out, our "current" credit history is short BUT, our credit reports still list that one OLD account from Discover that greatly helps with our AAofA.  When debit cards first came out, we thought they were the coolest thing and quit using credit cards -- little did we know what would happen!  Fast forward to 2011 and, we found out we had NO FICO SCORE whatsoever.  Not cool.  We are thankful that everything has worked out okay.  NOW, when all these new accounts hit, and lower our AAofA, but then, the backdating from Amex comes along --- I am wondering WHERE our FICOs will wind up when the dust settles --  

[Anonymous]

@ isoldmyatlas

i had NO credit history of any kind at all.

applied (february the 17th, 2012) for the newcomers card (unsecured, capital one card) that comes with no anual fee and gives you back 1% on every single transaction, and was approved for a limit of $500.

in response to another post of yours, i jumped from $500 to $750 on 22nd of august.

my due date is on the 18th of the month. my billing cycle ends on the 21st of the month; 22nd of the month is the first day of the next billing cycle.

so it was aproximately exactly 6 months (february 17th -march 17th counting as a month, and so on) from the date of applying for the card when the credit steps kicked in.

on the 7th of september was approved for the first national bank of omaha american express card (2% back on gas and grocery purchases and 1% everything else), (limit of $2,000 sweet!).

awaiting still the card if you can believe it! i was just on the phone with a representative, and they say you need to wait at least a month until they can reissue the card! 

on the 9th of september, applied for the discover more card, approved with a $1,500 limit. 

i received the discover more card within a week, and also a letter from discover showing my first fico score (discovered used transunion, i live in wyoming) of 740! 

it was a bit of a surprise, since i also checked my score on experian.com (which is not a fico, but a score that experian.com calls it "experian plus score") on august 23rd (so before applying for the 2 cards, and right after i got my increase from capital one) and it was 717.

when i applied for the newcomers card (feb. 17, 2012) i had 5 credit card inquiries (all from 2011)

when i applied for the fnbo amex card (sept. 7, 2012) i had 8 credit card inquiries (3 from 2012)

when i applied for the discover more card (sept. 9, 2012) i had 9 credit card inquiries (4 from 2012).

am sure if it wasn't for so many inquiries, i had a better score, but months ago i knew very little about credit cards, and applied for what i shouldn't have had.

so yes, i assume your score will be at least as high as mine, and yes - discover will approve you!

go for it!

p.s.: i went ahead and built my own card on the discover website, and decided to go for the $200 cashback bonus when you spend $1,500 in the first 3 months, as the APR means nothing to me since i always pay in full.

[isoldmyatlas]

Great info, thanks septembrie!

At my 7mo of history point I'll definitely app for the Amex Green (now that Zync is in the Amex graveyard!) as well as the Discover More (or the IT card, since it seems to have the same criteria).  Seems like they are good options for those of us with very limited history!

[Anonymous]

isoldmyatlas

Established Member

Posts: 46

Registered: 04-28-2012

For those of you with Cap1 credit steps...

Options

09-25-2012 09:45 AM

My 5th statement with my Cap1 Newcomers Card just cut yesterday, and I paid the balance today.  I'm part of the credit step program that increases my available CL from $500 to $750 after the 5th statement cuts.  The original letter I received said my CL should reflect the bump "by your 7th statement."

For those of you in the credit step program with them, did it really take a full 2 months for your available CL to reflect on your account?  Seems like a long time for something that should be easy to change in the system! 

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shakalaka

Member

Posts: 22

Registered: 09-10-2012

Re: For those of you with Cap1 credit steps...

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09-25-2012 09:56 AM

I received the same letter when I opened the card. My limit went up with my 6th statement and was available immediately

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here's my letter:

Dear ....,
Welcome to Capital One!®Your Welcome Kit informed you of your initial credit limit, but as a Capital One Preferred
cardholder, you have been pre-qualified for a $750 credit line with Capital One Credit StepsSM. This is an automatic
service for new customers and an easy way to achieve more buying power. Simply follow these two steps:
1. Use your card at least once.
2. Make your first 5 monthly payments on time.
That's it. Just complete these two steps and you could automatically get access to your pre-qualified credit line of $750 by
your 7th statement. That's how easy it is to get the extra power you need to fill up your gas tank, buy groceries, dine out...
or just treat yourself!
Credit Steps is another No Hassle way to take control of your financial future. If you have any questions about your
account, please call Customer Service anytime at 1-800-955-7070 or visit us online at www.capitalone.com.

@shakalaka, 

my credit steps kicked in exactly 2 days after my 6th statement cut.

i could almost bet that isoldmyatlas should see his increase around 25th-28th of november.

cheers.

[#5]

My 5th statement with my Cap1 Newcomers Card just cut yesterday, and I paid the balance today.  I'm part of the credit step program that increases my available CL from $500 to $750 after the 5th statement cuts.  The original letter I received said my CL should reflect the bump "by your 7th statement."

For those of you in the credit step program with them, did it really take a full 2 months for your available CL to reflect on your account?  Seems like a long time for something that should be easy to change in the system! 

[#6]

I received the same letter when I opened the card. My limit went up with my 6th statement and was available immediately

[shakalaka]

I applied for the ZYNC 10 days ago, even before my 6th statement did cut for my first CC (CapOne Newcomers). They pulled all three cr, but I was approved with NPSL. And if I hit the luv button (spending ability) on the amex site, it gives my a real good amount ... YMMV, but yes there is hope for us with short history. And I thought, what the heck, if I am denied, I have one more HP (on each cr), that will not hurt me that much.

But on the other side, I made sure I had only 5% UTIL reporting and I also have a decent income. This may have helped me with their internal score. But again you never know. And with the ZYNC gone, we do not know, what will happen.

[espnjunkie]

I had the same situation as you previously. At 6 months I was approved for Amex green. If you have solid scores and income go for Green and skip Zync and you have a solid shot. Discover, Citi and Chase will want to see at least a full year of credit history before approving you, so I wouldn't burn the inquiry. Be mindful of that and don't apply for too much too soon.