Any Advice is appreciated

[dbatl14]

I am in the process of rebuilding my credit which is going well so far. I had a bad period around 2008 where things fell apart a  few items went into collections but since I have done a pretty decent job cleaning up my mess.

I am trying to increase my credit lines and basically graduate to a decent credit card but I am contemplating which route to go, I have been reading Credit Karma, My Fico forums abou different people experiences but don't feel confident in making a valid decision due to my circumstances as people say Discover is good to get or Chase Slate, etc. So this is my dilemma and situation.

I initially had an Orchard Bank unsecured with a $300 CL until Cap One bough them out. I was afraid that something would happen because I had 2 cc that went bad with Cap One during my bad spell. However, once converted to Cap One they increased my CL to $500 and I recently got increased to $750. In addition in March I was approved for a $30,000 auto loan which I bought a car for my son at about $15K.

I also was approved for a $35,000 car loan for myself with GM Financial in May.

I also have 2 secured cc's Wells Fargo $300 and First National Bank - $800.

I had a BofA secured cc $500 that just graduated to an unsecured after about 18 month and I asked for a $1500 CLI but got approved for $1000.

Now the thing is that all of these cards are I guess starter cards with high annual fees and APR's. BofA $39/yr, Cap One $59/yr, 1st National $25/yr, Well Fargo, $25 with APR's ranging from 17.99 - 20.24.

My TU Fico is now 636 (expect it to go in a few days), EQ 641, don't know my EX.

So with all of this I would like to apply for a good cc that I have a chance of getting approved for but really don't know which way to go. I read that Discover has approved quite few people with scores less then mine. I also read the Chase Slate, Freedom are a possibility.

If any has an insight which is more likely to get or not or how to get more credit to my utilization is lower. Also one thing is that I hardly carry balances on any of my cards and PIF pretty much all of the time. I actually make multiple payments throughout the month so my limit doesn't go to high.

[Anonymous]

First thing I would suggest if you have not already done so... is go get your free credit reports from all bureau's https://www.annualcreditreport.com and see what your credit looks like accross the board. Make a determination of how many inquiries you already have. Do not base your decision on a credit card until you know where you stand credit wise. No sense wasting hard pulls (HP) on something you get denied for, when you did not even know there was a problem in the first place.

Base your credit card needs on what you need it to do the most. Do you want rewards, low fees, or benefits. Each card has a purpose, and you need to know what your purpose is with the card you are trying to get. Do not worry about the ones you think you can get now, work more towards the one that best suits your lifestyle. Research through these forums and see what it has taken others to get there, then evaluate your own situation and determine what it would take to put you there.

The biggest thing to worry about is what you want out of the whole situation, and if you do get the credit you want, will you be able to be responsible for it when you get it. Nobody knows your true situation better than you.

Camel

[Anonymous]

Take a look at your credit report and see how many inquries you have or any collections. I would recommend a Barclay Rewards card if your at that rating myself but, I would say your best bet is to do the pre-qualification and see if you get approved for it.