should I apply?

[Anonymous]

yesterday marked the 6th month mark of me having credit history and i'm itching to apply for a new card, but i'm not sure if i should wait?

[B335is]

Ultimately it's your choice to apply for something but if you can share some information about your credit reports, we may be able to give better advice. Any negatives? How much utilization? What kind of card do you want?

[Anonymous]

sorry about that. 

Credit Karma has me at 665 for TransUnion and Equifax. I have about 15% utilization over 2 cards (Secured Discover IT, Kohls Charge Card. No missed payments.

I want to go for the Chase Freedom, and Sallie Mae MC Ideally. The reason i'm asking is because i just payed the 1$ trial at experian and they can't find a FICO score for my profile, but i don't know if they just don't update everyday or every week? I'm itching for a new card Since my Discover Limit is so low.

[Anonymous]

I would say atleast wait until a year mark. Chase Freedom one of the best cash back cards available most sites will say its for good-excellent credit. 

I got my first CC Cap1 Visa Platinum a week after I turned 18. It was $300 limit non secured. A year and a half later I jumped into my AMEX BCE and started growing from there. YMMV

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I want to go for the Chase Freedom, and Sallie Mae MC Ideally. The reason i'm asking is because i just payed the 1$ trial at experian and they can't find a FICO score for my profile

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Go to Chase Pre-Approvals, if you get a pre-qual, just do it:

https://creditcards.chase.com/prequalified-offers

I am assuming no BK showing of course.

If you can get the Freedom, go for the Sallie Mae although that may be beyond reach.  If chicken, aim for the Barclay Rewards, it will make getting the SM easier later.

Apply for the Cap One Venture, AMEX BCE/BCP or even Discover Miles to wrap up your mini-spree.

Of course you'll have to wait another 6 months before apping after this spree so choose wisely.

[Callandra]

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@Anonymous wrote:

sorry about that. 

Credit Karma has me at 665 for TransUnion and Equifax. I have about 15% utilization over 2 cards (Secured Discover IT, Kohls Charge Card. No missed payments.

I want to go for the Chase Freedom, and Sallie Mae MC Ideally. The reason i'm asking is because i just payed the 1$ trial at experian and they can't find a FICO score for my profile, but i don't know if they just don't update everyday or every week? I'm itching for a new card Since my Discover Limit is so low.

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Honestly, I suggest waiting a year for both cards. Both banks prefer a year of payment history and you might be able to recon your way but if you get stuck with a $500 Freedom, you will be stuck with it long after your profile supports better terms and limits. Chase is REALLY stingy on auto-CLI and if you ask for one, it'll be an HP and most people have little success (you might get upped $500 more if anything - most recommend applying for another Chase card and moving limits around). Barclays is much better with auto-CLI (put a lot of spend through it) but customer-initiated is HP as well. If you want either, go for Sallie Mae but it might be a tough one to crack as the U/W is a bit stricter and most of us wind up getting it after having 6-12 months of another Barclays card (myself included, I had Rewards for a year). 

Keep in mind, you get a score when 6 months of reporting happens; depending on when your cards started reporting, you might have to wait another month or two for a score. 

[Anonymous]

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Callandra wrote:

Honestly, I suggest waiting a year for both cards. Both banks prefer a year of payment history and you might be able to recon your way but if you get stuck with a $500 Freedom, you will be stuck with it long after your profile supports better terms and limits. Chase is REALLY stingy on auto-CLI and if you ask for one, it'll be an HP and most people have little success (you might get upped $500 more if anything - most recommend applying for another Chase card and moving limits around). Barclays is much better with auto-CLI (put a lot of spend through it) but customer-initiated is HP as well. If you want either, go for Sallie Mae but it might be a tough one to crack as the U/W is a bit stricter and most of us wind up getting it after having 6-12 months of another Barclays card (myself included, I had Rewards for a year). 

Keep in mind, you get a score when 6 months of reporting happens; depending on when your cards started reporting, you might have to wait another month or two for a score. 

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Chase CLI isn't always a HP. I just recently asked for CLI online and got bumped up from 4K to 8.5K.

EDIT: I lied. Chase automatically increased mine and then I went and did my other cards. Sorry for the mix up =)

[Anonymous]

If you want a chase freedom and have enough cash (~10K or more, 20K preferably), go ahead and find a decent banker, open a checking account and let him/her do the application for you. Make sure the banker knows something about Special Consideration. I got mine in that way w/ 20k deposit in savings account and got approved for Freedom w/ 1000 CL. Before that I only have a discover it w/ 500 limit for less than 2 months. 

Typically, bankers in any Chase branches near a college w/ lots of international students will be able to do that for you. 

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@Anonymous wrote:

yesterday marked the 6th month mark of me having credit history and i'm itching to apply for a new card, but i'm not sure if i should wait?

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[8in2years]

Yes, wait at least a year before applying. 

[Anonymous]

have you thought about getting your card converted to a non secured card and then asking about a limit increase? if nothing else, you get your money back