@redeyes
Must have been aging inqs. My util has never been above 3% with recently added CCs it will hover around 1%.
I've had it drop 30 points in a month. Only to bounce back within 2 months. I should be in or knocking on the 800 club by this time next year.
@DeeBee78 wrote:I decided to add everything up and see how bad my inquiries really look, as I sit here in the garden of solitude.
Two attempts to refi a car loan, a new car loan, Capital One triple pulls, and 12 new accounts have left me with this mess:
Equifax: 20 inquiries.
Transunion: 17 inquiries
Experian: 34 inquiries.
Why does everyone have to pull Experian.
Yep, it happens when your rebuilding. I'm in your boat with you. I have opened about 15 new accounts in the last year. Not quite as many inquiries as you but still bad enough. Equifax seems to like to be viewed by all my creditors, theyre at 19. Heck Navy has put 5 on their just themselves.
@Open123 wrote:Not sure why it isn't mentioned more on here, but when building/rebuilding, it's best to add TLs in a short span with HPs from each CRA. For instance, app for a TL with Amex, Barclays, and Discover. In my area, this spreads 3 HPs (EX, EQ, and TU), and offers payment and issuer diversification.
So, in 12 months, they *all* no longer adversely affect scoring; and, 24 months, just disappear like magic. 3 quality TLs will all age together, increase in limits and payment history, and provide the necessary ballast in future years to absorb whatever one wishes to accomplish with a high score thick file--be it low rate loans, rebates on spend, or bonus chasing.
In my view, many never understood why I felt Amex's "backdating" was one of the best features any CC offered. With a long history of, say 20+ years, with 2 new Amex apps per year in Jan, one's score may even increase, and not decrease. A person's CR profile may actually improved by app'ing for Amex cards for the sign-up bonus. What could be better than being paid to improve one's CRs in the long run? Now, with all those Amex backdated TLs that will linger for a decade, who cares about AAOA?
Now, backdating is gone, just like that, in an instant. Planning too far in the future in an arena as fluid and dynamic as credit isn't the most prudent course, in my view.
Mostly because until call it 3 years ago sprees were completely anathema here, and I don't think ANYONE disagreed with you regarding backdating (once they knew what it was) that it was simply godlike from a credit maintenance perspective if you have a busy report in terms of new tradelines. Like you I had future backdating in my plans (go go Zync 2012 Member date! In 2032...) in the long term but losing it isn't going to break me.
I don't have my old posts offhand but sprees make sense mathematically with how the algorithm is setup, and when you're just building a credit file arguably the worst mistake you can make is opening too few accounts... though I still never agree with picking up store cards that are going to be rendered useless in a year by higher tier general rewards cards.
Most people get to rewards complete and slow down, some exceptions that Open mentioned but certainly in my case from a rewards perspective I'm simply done less than 4 years in, albeit in arguably one of the best times for credit card approvals ever in the past 3ish years, but getting to rewards complete isn't a long walk for most folks. After that other than a house, or a car, or a newly released absurdly good credit card, there just isn't a lot of new tradelines needed.
@Open123 wrote:
@Revelate wrote:Mostly because until call it 3 years ago sprees were completely anathema here, and I don't think ANYONE disagreed with you regarding backdating (once they knew what it was) that it was simply godlike from a credit maintenance perspective if you have a busy report in terms of new tradelines. Like you I had future backdating in my plans (go go Zync 2012 Member date! In 2032...) in the long term but losing it isn't going to break me.
LOL...Ah, I would beg to differ. Remember the overwhelming majority of people PC'ing from the Green, to the PRG, and the Plat, not only missing out on any potential bonus for the rest of their lives, but paying for the fees along the way? All to avoid the HP and new TL.
Not all of the advice that's been pontificated here over the years has been in my estimation smart heh. To your point, that's why I had the pink-hightlighted caveat in my message 
.
Most people didn't really understand it in my opinion, and even here actual knowledge on the algorithm was in a pretty select few member's heads back then. Fortunately think we've done a pretty decent job of disseminating more information... I know I haven't been watching much in the past year, but I rarely see anyone suggest one new account every 6 months anymore, and that was the 99% or higher opinion when I first started. When I first posted application spree napkin math, there was just a wee bit of skepticism to say the least, but it was hard to argue against clustering applications when looked at closely.
When we both joined we (America) had just come off a truly scary time in the economy and things were only just starting to relax... the forum here tends to lag the market by years though I think that's shortened up and thereby gotten better within the last few years. Back then though, inquiries, new tradelines, reporting balances, etc ad naseum, all to be truly feared which I never understood after I tried to figure out even the basics of the model. To your point, most of the advice pointed towards inaction... which has it's place, but much like applications which should really be planned out, your periods of dead time should be planned out as well in my opinion anyway.
I don't remember when backdating really became a sought after thing here, I think it was sometime in 2012 or even 2013? Yeah that was a little late in the grand scheme of things 
. I know at one point and I think it was 2012 when people were asking what should I apply for, I almost invariably suggested "get an Amex" for backdating purposes... not sure if that was before or during the "get an Amex" craze.