mordaane,
There was a letter from Citi in my mailbox last weekend. It wasn't good. Declined (based on EQ pull) for too many inquiries and recent delinquency (30-day-late 19 months ago, which is probably too recent for Citi). Called the backdoor number, but I may have called the wrong one and she would not give me anything other than the standard lines and asked me to fax my recent EQ credit report for reconsideration. After reviewing it myself for the number of inquiries in the last 2 years, I talked myself out of pursuing the card any further. (Plus, I have some baddies from 2005 on Citi-related cards--though they are all paid, I may be on Citi's "blacklist" from what I have read on this board. The customer service agent wouldn't confirm this for me, though.)
Instead, I applied for the BarclayCard Visa via Apple's website (pulled TU), was approved online for $390 and raised to $1500 instantly via the backdoor (credit analyst) number. I didn't really expect any higher credit line from Citi Forward, so it all worked out ok.
Starting Score: 542 (in 2006)
Current Score: 661 (TU FICO), 677 (EQ FICO), 672 (EX FICO)
Goal Score: 750+
