Well, I started posting and reading in this forum back in 2013, after doing a Google search on how to handle defaulted student loans. Fast forward FIVE years and I successfully rehabbed my Sallie Mae/Navient loans, successfully disputed all three bureaus to have the negavtive marks removed, got a car loan without a cosigner, and have four CCs. My question to this wonderful forum is: where do I go from here?
Some details:
Current cards:
Captial One Quicksilver - $3,000 limit, $0 balance (I do use this once a month and pay it off after reporting)
Best Buy Mastercard - $3,000 limit, $0 balance
Visa CU Card - $1,500 limit, $0 balance
LOFT card - $2,000 limit, $0 balance
Current loans:
Auto loan for ~$12,000, never late, refinanced just this month from a 5.5% to a 3.2% 
Auto loan (cosigner for my fiance) for ~$10,000, never late
~$30,000 in student loans, owned by Navient, in deferral, but I do pay monthly on them anyway
After FINALLY getting the last of the late remarks off of my TU from my student loan rehab, my score jumped from a 654 to a 738. Two. Points. Away from 740. Two measly points. So, how do I keep going? Is it now just a matter of letting things mature, and keep trying to find that sweet spot of utilization?
Oh credit gurus, please help me!
in the garden until 2019!
@martinsoka17wrote:Well, I started posting and reading in this forum back in 2013, after doing a Google search on how to handle defaulted student loans. Fast forward FIVE years and I successfully rehabbed my Sallie Mae/Navient loans, successfully disputed all three bureaus to have the negavtive marks removed, got a car loan without a cosigner, and have four CCs. My question to this wonderful forum is: where do I go from here?
Some details:
Current cards:
Captial One Quicksilver - $3,000 limit, $0 balance (I do use this once a month and pay it off after reporting)
Best Buy Mastercard - $3,000 limit, $0 balance
Visa CU Card - $1,500 limit, $0 balance
LOFT card - $2,000 limit, $0 balance
Current loans:
Auto loan for ~$12,000, never late, refinanced just this month from a 5.5% to a 3.2%
Auto loan (cosigner for my fiance) for ~$10,000, never late
~$30,000 in student loans, owned by Navient, in deferral, but I do pay monthly on them anyway
After FINALLY getting the last of the late remarks off of my TU from my student loan rehab, my score jumped from a 654 to a 738. Two. Points. Away from 740. Two measly points. So, how do I keep going? Is it now just a matter of letting things mature, and keep trying to find that sweet spot of utilization?
Oh credit gurus, please help me!
Looks like you have a clean CR now, grats. Keep using and paying on time keeping util low if you are going for Fico points. Its now time to consider good cards that you can use to earn you some real cash back or travel points, you can go for ones that fit your spending patterns. You can try to find a sweet spot but the 738 is pretty good you just need time now.
@gdale6wrote:
@martinsoka17wrote:Well, I started posting and reading in this forum back in 2013, after doing a Google search on how to handle defaulted student loans. Fast forward FIVE years and I successfully rehabbed my Sallie Mae/Navient loans, successfully disputed all three bureaus to have the negavtive marks removed, got a car loan without a cosigner, and have four CCs. My question to this wonderful forum is: where do I go from here?
Some details:
Current cards:
Captial One Quicksilver - $3,000 limit, $0 balance (I do use this once a month and pay it off after reporting)
Best Buy Mastercard - $3,000 limit, $0 balance
Visa CU Card - $1,500 limit, $0 balance
LOFT card - $2,000 limit, $0 balance
Current loans:
Auto loan for ~$12,000, never late, refinanced just this month from a 5.5% to a 3.2%
Auto loan (cosigner for my fiance) for ~$10,000, never late
~$30,000 in student loans, owned by Navient, in deferral, but I do pay monthly on them anyway
After FINALLY getting the last of the late remarks off of my TU from my student loan rehab, my score jumped from a 654 to a 738. Two. Points. Away from 740. Two measly points. So, how do I keep going? Is it now just a matter of letting things mature, and keep trying to find that sweet spot of utilization?
Oh credit gurus, please help me!
Looks like you have a clean CR now, grats. Keep using and paying on time keeping util low if you are going for Fico points. Its now time to consider good cards that you can use to earn you some real cash back or travel points, you can go for ones that fit your spending patterns. You can try to find a sweet spot but the 738 is pretty good you just need time now.
Thank you so much! I'm pretty proud and so grateful for the advice I've gotten on these forums. I've started browsing around here for cards. If you have suggestions, that would be fantastic. I don't do a ton of air travel, so I don't know if a card that accumulates miles would be worth it. I'm also wondering if I should ask for a CLI on my CapOne QS as well before I head to the garden for real.
@Anonymouswrote:Cap1 does soft pulls for CLI, so absolutely ask for one. It will not hurt your gardening at all.
You have enough cards for maximum FICO scoring. You are at a point where apping is a catch 22. The new accounts will cause a temporary drop in your scores due to the decrease in AAoA, but you need new accounts to grow in the long run. If you have a need for a particular card, go ahead and app. But if you are just looking for a score bump, waiting for your current accounts to age even more is the way to go.
Excellent. I'll noodle and do a little more research on cards. Maybe I'll app maybe I won't. But I'll definitely ask for a CLI on that CapOne card.
@vanskillswrote:Got a better score than I do, Id say your in great shape
I honestly don't know how because it has been a bumpy bumpy ride to get here. Looking back at my original post, starting rehab on $20,000 worth of student loans and getting a tiny $500 secured credit card all seems like so long ago. I was floored to see my score get into the 700's when I paid all my cards down. I didn't think I would ever get out of the 600's.