what would serve me the best at the moment

[cck5]

i got my first cap 1 journey card in june applied 500 dollar limit

got my amex green late august npsl

i applied late august for bce and freedom and was denied for both.

i have made payments on time for both the amex and cap one every time since ive gotten them and ran about 1000 bucks through them both since ive had them.

am i better off not applying for anything till about january. or try and grab a diff card for now, and wait for chase and bce again around january.

was eyeing the discover it, 

[TheConductor]

First up, what are your scores?  And did you recon either of those denials in August?  

[cck5]

my credit karma shows a 702 and a 695.

i tired to recon chase twice bce i didnt cause heard amex would just laugh. in the chase letter it says thin file

amex said too many recent inq's and i was a new customer

ive also had a student loans since 2007. although credit karma says my longest account is only 4 years.

im a student if that makes any difference also.

[myjourney]

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@cck5 wrote:

my credit karma shows a 702 and a 695.

i tired to recon chase twice bce i didnt cause heard amex would just laugh. in the chase letter it says thin file

amex said too many recent inq's and i was a new customer

ive also had a student loans since 2007. although credit karma says my longest account is only 4 years.

im a student if that makes any difference also.

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Without know all your CR profile can't say for sure but I will say wait until next year for backdating purposes with any Amex apps

[TheConductor]

OK, good info (even if CreditKarma's scores are pretty worthless).

The best thing for a thin file like yours is time.  I would definitely lay back at least until your inquiries from August have their 6-month anniversary in February.

Hopefully you will see a nice score boost around then as your accounts and inquiries are both aging.  It can certainly do some good to wait even longer, but that's the minimum I'd wait.

Once you're ready for a next round of apps, I'd focus first on the student-oriented cards.  DIscover It for Students and Citi Forward for Students are popular options.

And around the 1-year anniversary of your Amex Green I'd go for BCE again. Your app in August was likely just premature...as long as you continue using the Green and paying it consistently I like your chances of getting the BCE after you've shown them a good year of history.

Good luck!!

[cck5]

ill have graduated school in december. so wouldnt be able to go for the IT student at that point.

hence why i asked if i should try now if it was a benenfical card to have on my file.

definately wont try for bce and freedom till at least next august though garden mode for those.

so is it better to try for the IT student before i graduate or just, not try at all and let my current accounts age.

[Exonumist]

I wouldn't worry about the Discover card before December, but being a student is the only way to get the 5% on restaurants and entertainment from Citi. If that matters enough to you then you might be able to pull off an app in November/December. YMMV

Edit:

Also since you do have an AMEX keep in mind that it would be a soft pull to app for BCE. You could try in January to maximize backdating and if you get declined it's just a SP as long as your signed in.

[jamie123]

In my opinion you should get a Walmart card now. The Walmart card is managed by GE and they give good CLIs, usually after every 4 statements. You will also get a free monthly TU FICO score after you sign up for electronic billing.

There are really three things you need to be concerned with right now.

1.Credit isn't all about scores, history plays an important part as you have found out the hard way. The big banks will stay away from you until you have about 1 year of credit history managing multiple cards.

2.You need to start building reportable credit limits. Cap1 is very stingy with CLIs. It might take you years to get that CL raised to $1500 if it ever happens. The AMEX doesn't report a CL so lenders assume it is $0. When you are approved for a bank credit card they will try to match the highest of your existing credit lines if they can. That's why it is important to get a card that will give fast and generous CLIs like the Walmart card.

3.After these three cards, you should apply for 2 CCs from prime banks each year until you have 6 to 8 cards. This will build a wide and deep base for your credit future.

Use all your cards lightly and pay them in full each month and you will be golden a year from now.

[Crashem]

Great advice. I would reiterate getting citi forward before graduating. Card has unique rewards and can only be gotten while student. Amex try in jan as well. love the Walmart suggestion.