topic Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial) in Credit Card Approvals

April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

omgitsMatt — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 08:18:58 GMT

(Edit: This probably should have went in "approvals", my bad.)

I've been working on paying down unsecured revolving debt. I was positioning myself to do a large spree to soak up the most ideal balance transfer promotions to help pay it down more efficiently, but that ended up not being necessary and counterproductive even.

I tweaked my original plan to churn some promotional cash back and rewards points instead when I was certain I wouldn't need my credit for promotional balance transfers.

My monthly expenses are locked in and I don't know how to manufacture spend (and I don't want to learn, looks like way to much work), so there were limitations to how much I could take advantage of if anyone is wondering why I didn't go for more cash back promotions than I did.

Once I knew what I needed to apply for to then fulfill all the required spending amounts without having to change my monthly spending, I added a few other misc. goals I wanted to test,

Specifically and in the order below, I prioritized these three things during my spree:

1.) I aimed for maximizing new account cashback/rewards promotions first; while still making sure those accounts can be used in the future too.
2.) Then I prioritized accounts I'm certain would help beyond promotional bonuses such as cashback for utilities, groceries, gas etc.
3.) Finally, I have been obsessed with two specific theories I wanted to test so I pursued those as well.

Could I close two of my three NFCU credit cards by having their credit limits reallocated to the remaining card. Then could I open a _new_ NFCU credit card and do _another_ credit limit reallocation in a short period of time to the new card? (This mattered when I needed to worry about balance transfer promotions, there’s better ways to build a credit profile, but my initial focus was to maximize a BT promotion with the highest credit limit available with the lowest BT fee. Since this was already set in progress and I couldn’t recover the two accounts I closed, I figured I’d finish this project for anyone else who is prioritizing finances over FICO like I was when this project started.)
Would Wells Fargo allow me to do a credit limit reallocation to a newly opened account when the donor account had activity on it less than a few months earlier? (This was pretty much answered via several data points, but I wanted to see for myself)

Here are some miscellaneous notes without nearly as much detail/context as I'll give when I talk about the spree itself. If anything had an influence in any specific application during the spree, I'll make sure to elaborate when it's relevant.

I closed 12 credit cards in the last five months. If I couldn't think of a reason where I would hypothetically use it or closing it was necessary to facilitate a part of the upcoming spree, it got closed.
I opened 10 checking and/or savings accounts with 10 different banks and credit unions in a short period of time early January for promotional bonuses and "relationship" building to help increase odds for approvals.
I netted $2,200, $1,800 of which is parked across several of them still, so I continue to meet minimum balance requirements to avoid monthly maint. fees. Until it's safe to close the accounts, to avoid claw backs, it's going to stay there for a while.
Once I meet the spending requirements on these new credit cards, I’ll net $1,400 in promotional rewards. That’s the best I could do while being sure I can meet the spending requirements without compromising my budgeting or carrying any balances.
I had 7 soft pull CLIs on what credit cards I kept over the last 5 months, I'll make sure to note when/who if it's relevant to a specific application below. Otherwise, all of that is traditional and well documented information already.
Then there were 4 product changes in the last few weeks to cards that were going to get closed if I couldn't make them more practical. Also, well documented stuff already.

I ended up applying for 11 new credit cards and 1 shared loan on 4/4/2025.

9 credit card approvals
1 credit card approval, pending income/identity verification still (good odds)
1 denial
1 shared loan w/ PenFed

(If/when there is any kind of AA, I’ll update this. Very possible, we'll see.)

My credit profile just before starting the spree:

Fico 8 Scores: (4/4/2025)

Equifax - 833
TransUnion - 843
Experian – 830

(Every other score is also over 800)

VantageScore 4.0: (4/4/2025)

Credit Mix:

14 open accounts
16 closed accounts
1 open loan
1 closed loan

TCL across all accounts:

$156,500

Average Age of Accounts:

4 yrs. and 6 mos

Age of Oldest Account (Individual):

6 yrs. and 1 mon

Age of Oldest Account (Authorized User):

11 yrs. and 11 mos

Age of Youngest Account:

1 yr

Utilization:

< 1%

Accounts with balances: 3

Auto Loan - $10/$18,047
AU Credit Card - $30/$9,500
Personal CC: $10/$9,000

Hard Pulls:

Equifax - 0/12 & 1/24
TransUnion - 0/12 & 2/24
Experian - 0/12 & 6/24

(The hard pulls increased by one each bureau when I finished each application of course, so bear that in mind as you skim down the sequential order of applications.)

Individual/Household income:

$92,000/$164,000

(Bank statements and paystubs indicate more, but not tax returns because the income increased significantly the last 9 months. The smaller credit unions I claimed individual income. Wells Fargo, BMO, Amex and Navy I claimed household income. I saw what seemed like a very apparent trend in starting limits depending on which I claimed.)

New Accounts:

0/12
5/24

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

omgitsMatt — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 06:21:42 GMT

(I separated everything by bureau first, then the order I applied in from first to last.)

TransUnion Applications:

Navy Federal – cashRewards Plus ($24,500)

Instant approval, no documents requested.
Lots of banking (my main bank) with them in the past (2019) and up to now.
2/3/2025 I closed two of my three cards with Navy Federal and had their limits reallocated to my only card left, giving me a $55,500 Flagship.
I applied for a new cashRewards Plus 4/4/2025, 60 days total after going from three accounts to one.
Requested a credit limit reallocation from the Flagship to the cashRewards via secure message on 4/8/2025, a pleasant "yes" response was received on 4/10/2025.
I'll end up with a $50,000 cashRewards and a $30,000 Flagship (that is getting product changed to something without an AF)

Alliant - Visa Signature ($15,000)

Approved message with starting limit and APR indicated while showing still being "processed" on their website.
They requested a driver’s license, social security card and utility bill.
I have been doing very little actual banking but am a member since 2019.
I requested a CLI via email by responding to the "Sr Associate Loan Consultant" who asked me to upload my driver's license, social security card and a utility bill.
Response, "The system approved it which means they couldn’t deny it or change the original approval. You can request for a credit limit increase in 6 months with a soft pull." Interesting way to word that.

Local CU - Visa ($20,000)

Went to manual review, which it always does with this CU. Misc. identity and income verification needed uploaded.
I have a joint card already for $15k and I just paid off a 6 year auto loan a few days earlier, so a fair amount of history with this lender.
I was called and asked on the phone why I applied to Navy and Alliant earlier that day and if I had opened any accounts with either, I answered that I was "rate shopping" and that I ended up not opening any accounts because I didn't like the terms, which is my reflex answer for those kinds of questions.
They also asked why I closed two Navy cards earlier in the year and then tried to open another the same day I applied for their Visa.
My answer was, "Both those cards weren't serving me a purpose anymore and were just misc. open lines of credit I wasn't using and didn't need, so I closed them. I applied again hoping to get something with better terms, but that didn't work out"
I was approved for the $20,000 I asked for.

BMO - Cash Back ($8,400)

With instant approval, nothing was asked of me.
I opened a checking/savings account back in January.
I had a preapproval a week after joining under “My Offers” for this card, but it had dropped off well before this application.
I'm not asking for a credit limit reconsideration on this account. I'm not interested in a manual review with this being the last hard pull out of four total from TransUnion in one day.

Experian Applications:

American Express - Blue Cash Preferred ($25,000)

Experian soft pulls (multiple in short time), I validated it with a traditional credit report request. (I have no idea where I got the idea that they SP TransUnion, but I was wrong.)
I had a Hilton Honors that was six years old, almost never use it.
Got a soft pull 3x CLI on the $6,000 Hilton Honors to $18,000, on 3/29/2025.
On 4/9/2025 (wasn't available until a few days after the card was opened) I was able to move everything but $1,100 from the HH to the $25,000 BCP, giving me a final credit limit of $41,900 on the BCP.
I closed the HH on 4/10/2025.

Wells Fargo - Reflect ($25,000)

Instant approval for $14,000, no documents requested.
Opened a checking/savings two months earlier and have a $16,400 Active Cash that is about 20 months old with WF, so some history but not a lot.
I _did_ carry a large balance on the Active Cash, which was paid down just before its promotional period ended last year. That will have an impact, I’m sure.
As soon as I had the card and it was activated, I called customer service and asked if it was possible to get a higher starting limit.
After being transferred to whomever was more appropriate, they asked me how much I was requesting ($25,000) and suggested I could transfer limits from my Active Cash because I hardly use it, not since last year they noted.
I said, "I was planning to close my Navy Flagship because it's a travel rewards card with an annual fee and I don't travel. I am planning on switching my spend to my Active Cash because it’s a flat 2% cash back card, so I'd like to keep it where it’s at if that is possible so I can start using it as soon as I close my Flagship in a few weeks."
That's the best reason I could come up with for why I wouldn't want to transfer limits while seeming genuine, making sense and not looking like I’m “credit seeking” for the sake of simply credit seeking. Which is exactly what I was doing ofc. Lol
I was put on hold for 15m while they reviewed my application, while being told if they "ok" it after the review, they'd escalate it to the "second tier" where final approval will dictate if I receive the $25,000, get a counter or just a flat denial with an explanation in the mail. I thought the "tier" talk was interesting, never heard that mentioned in older threads so I’ll note it here.
After that quick review, they approved escalating my request up and I was told to refresh my app in a few hours to see if the limit changed or not.
It did, about two hours later, to $25,000.
I haven't decided how I'm going to do it, but the customer service rep(loan officer?) validated I could move the AC's credit limit to the Reflect, even though there was activity back in January on the AC

OneAZ CU - Visa Signature (-)

Joined in January.
Instantly they followed up with a phone call, literally minutes (I was not prepared). I was quickly told I wasn't eligible to have even joined (lmao), they didn’t know why the system even allowed it and then swiftly got my checking/savings accounts closed while they'd mail me a check for the balance.
I always knew I wasn't eligible, but I wanted to test the process.
They cosed my accounts in less than an hour (lmao), but I still have an online account and member #(?)
In fact, I can still open new accounts as an "existing member".
I wonder if a family member would be eligible to join because I am a member still? That would be funny. I might test that next year.

KeyPoint CU - Platinum Rewards ($10,000)

(Still pending, looks promising though)

Joined through my wife, who is a member, in January.
Pre-qualified many times for $20,000, my final pre-qualification was for $25,000.
My initial "approval" email after the real application clearly stated I was approved for $25,000.
First real email from a real loan officer/rep indicated it was $10,000.
That is perfectly normal, lots of data indicate this is common for newer members who are from out of state.
Even though I already had a checking/savings account, I was asked for ID, social security card, a current paystub, rental agreement or utility bill, told to open a "Membership Savings", verify citizenship, and schedule a video call prior to opening the account and possibly "other conditions" while having to explain in detail my part time job, which I didn't even claim as income so why did it matter?
They wanted the works, this is the most extensive thing I've ever had to do when opening an account, but because I'm stubborn and I want to maximize this spree, I'm going to finish.
You used to be able to join KeyPoint and open a checking/savings account without also opening a "Membership Savings", which I didn't realize.
In February (a few weeks after I joined) they started making a "Membership Savings" account a requirement before any new accounts could be opened (I guess my earlier accounts were grandfathered in).
This resulted in another Chex pull, which was frustrating because they just did one 60 days earlier. Fortunately, I got through that, because when I did my Chex spree in January these guys were one of the very first ones I opened, so their new Chex pull would indicate how many accounts I opened since then… Big red flag for them.
I asked for a starting limit reconsideration via email while giving them everything they asked for, I asked for $20k. We’ll see how that works out, I don’t have high expectations on a starting limit reconsideration.
They don't schedule the video call until every other criteria is first met. I met everything late Thursday, I expect the video call Monday.
I'll update when its all finalized.

Equifax Applications:

Fairwinds CU ($10,000)

Joined in January.
I pre-qualified for $20,000 but there is no email or way to find the application, spending limit or APR right after applying online.
I did get an email from a loan officer saying they'd email in 24 hrs asking for more details.
Quickly approved once I uploaded income/identity verification, they wanted 30 days of paystubs and a driver's license. Very little hassle.
The real starting limit was $10,000.
Via email, once I received the card and saw the real spending limit, I responded to the "Digital Loan Officer" who requested the identity/income validation if I could have my spending limit increased. I explained my spending habits and volunteered the last three statements for my daily driver to help "make my case".
She tried, but the underwriters stayed firm, recon was denied.

Pentagon FCU - Power Cash Rewards Signature ($15,000)

I pre-qualified earlier for $20k a few weeks earlier, in fact that application was still "open" and was asking me to "resume", but when I went to "resume" that application, it wouldn't function properly so I had to start a new one.
I’ve done very little banking with them, but I do have a $5,000 Plat. Rewards for several years and have had been a member since 2019.
Maybe continue your application over the phone if you got a good spending limit on a pre-qual you did earlier and want to pursue that earlier pre-qual application?
Was finally approved for $15,000 on 4/10, then I called customer service to feel them out for a credit limit recon, gently but swiftly denied.

KeyBank - KeyBank Latitude Credit Card ($12,500)

Opened checking/savings in January.
Went to manual review, but they always do with KeyBank from what I've read.
The underwriter asked me, through the customer service rep, why I applied to PenFed and Fairwinds earlier that same day and if I opened any accounts with them. I answered that I was "rate shopping" and that I ended up not opening any accounts because I didn't like the terms, which is my go-to response when asked those kinds of questions.
After minimal back and forth and some identity/income verification, I was approved for $12,500.
I don't want to risk any further manual review, so I won't pursue a credit limit reconsideration.

Pentagon FCU - Share Loan ($3,300 for 132 months, or 11 years)

No hard pull.
When my spree was finalized, I opened a Share Loan with PenFed on 4/9/2025 that I immediately paid down to a $90 balance that very same day.

I paid down my only installment loan this month, so needed this to replace it since I won’t be getting any traditional installment loans anytime soon.

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

Varsity_Lu — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 11:13:13 GMT

tl;dr: 10 new cards and $3,600 in rewards! Yeah!

Sorry, just being silly. Congrats! You put some serious time and effort into this and I hope it pays off. And you explained your process well which provides a lot of great data. Thanks!

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

Creditwiser — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 14:00:26 GMT

Definitely a lot of work. Congrats on your success !

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

AndySoCal — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 15:02:44 GMT

Congrats on the approvals. Having a checking and or savings account at a bank or credit union does not increase your chances of approval. The checking account can hurt or help. Some banks not sure if credit unions do or do not look at the checking account to see how well a consumer manages their money. There is one case on the forum where the checking account hurt the posters ability to get a credit limit increase. Here is a link

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Card-Approvals/Shut-down-my-Wells-Fargo-checking-account-BAM-Automatic-CL/td-p/6637912

For me personally I will only have one checking account. I have two at the moment will I am migrating my checking account to a credit union. After the migration is complete the old checking account will be closed. An unused or rarely used checking account may not help but hurt your chances of approval . The underwriting of credit is based on traditional underwriting items like income, DTI, credit utilization etc. What accounts you have or not have has very little if anything with the approval process IMO. Of all the credit cards have or had only one did I have a checking account at the time I applied for the credit card.

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

Minimalist — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 17:43:26 GMT

Is this on top of this?

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Personal-Finance/How-would-you-pay-off-75-000-in-revolving-debt/td-p/6810839/page/5

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

omgitsMatt — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:31:26 GMT

@AndySoCal wrote:
Congrats on the approvals. Having a checking and or savings account at a bank or credit union does not increase your chances of approval. The checking account can hurt or help. Some banks not sure if credit unions do or do not look at the checking account to see how well a consumer manages their money. There is one case on the forum where the checking account hurt the posters ability to get a credit limit increase. Here is a link

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Card-Approvals/Shut-down-my-Wells-Fargo-checking-account-BAM-Automatic-CL/td-p/6637912

For me personally I will only have one checking account. I have two at the moment will I am migrating my checking account to a credit union. After the migration is complete the old checking account will be closed. An unused or rarely used checking account may not help but hurt your chances of approval . The underwriting of credit is based on traditional underwriting items like income, DTI, credit utilization etc. What accounts you have or not have has very little if anything with the approval process IMO. Of all the credit cards have or had only one did I have a checking account at the time I applied for the credit card.

Nice move by the OP!

I always wondered how I would handle Wells Fargo in the future, because my money doesn't accumulate (everything after bills goes towards debt) and even when it does grow later this year, I do most of my banking with Navy, Fidelity or Chase! I don't know how long I need to keep Wells Fargo checking/savings open to avoid AA or claw backs (at least a year peob), but it's nice to know I have a fix eventually 😂

I think it depends on the lender, but I believe it matters to some a lot what other accounts you have, doesn't matter to most at all and hurts some even on a few.

There's another one (BoA? USB?) that hurts to have low checking/savings usage too, but it's harder to be certain because the one I'm thinking of doesn't outright tell you like Wells Fargo.

Since I was doing a lot of smaller CUs where approval was predicated on membership and they were Chex sensitive, I figured I'd knock that out of the way _before_ I churned some bigger banks that also pull your Chex but aren't sensitive.

I think in _this_ spree, because there were so many manual reviews because they were small CUs, tight lenders or I was triggering manual reviews by asking for reconsiderations on starting limits, it definitely helped me in this spree and not indirectly

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

ocheosa — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 18:41:44 GMT

Congratulations !! Red Alert ! You Killed It !!

Cha-Ching!

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

AndySoCal — Sun, 13 Apr 2025 21:41:45 GMT

@omgitsMatt @Credit unions and banks are different. A credit union you have an account to become a member once you are a member you can apply for the credit card or loan. A bank conversely you can apply for a credit card or loan without having a banking relationship. Having an account that is not actively used does not help it may hinder. I am not saying it is wrong to have multiple checking accounts. I know of people have their personal checking, separate checking account for the management of expense and income related to a special needs child or checking account for the management of investment property(s).

US bank is a relationship bank the key is the use of the account is active deposits in and payments going out each month.

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

chamathkari — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 02:48:41 GMT

WOW Congrats.

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

omgitsMatt — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 14:28:25 GMT

@AndySoCal wrote:
@omgitsMatt @Credit unions and banks are different. A credit union you have an account to become a member once you are a member you can apply for the credit card or loan. A bank conversely you can apply for a credit card or loan without having a banking relationship. Having an account that is not actively used does not help it may hinder. I am not saying it is wrong to have multiple checking accounts. I know of people have their personal checking, separate checking account for the management of expense and income related to a special needs child or checking account for the management of investment property(s).

US bank is a relationship bank the key is the use of the account is active deposits in and payments going out each month.

You're right, I probably could have worded my notes better. The banks I did make accounts with I didn't even try to get credit from, except WF and KeyBank (who is also a relationship bank).

The WF accounts would have hurt if I had them open any longer with a low balance and all the KeyBank accounts did was save me the time of having to do identity/income verification. Nothing has been opened long enough to help/hurt

If I opened an account with a bank in this spree, it was to churn. It didn't help with approvals.

The CUs were important I believe, but like you said they're different

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

Rdbeetle — Mon, 14 Apr 2025 18:45:35 GMT

Congrats on your app spree success!

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

Gregory1776 — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 02:14:37 GMT

PenFed still has share loans? I have an 8K loan with them still, I dont think i can keep it going past december of next year, im hoping to pay it off as soon as i can replace it. 11 years is awesome. I hope I can open an account soon with my very small local credit union and get a looong term share loan to do exactly what youve done.

I really want to close my PenFed accounts... -_-

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

omgitsMatt — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 02:30:52 GMT

@Gregory1776 wrote:
PenFed still has share loans? I have an 8K loan with them still, I dont think i can keep it going past december of next year, im hoping to pay it off as soon as i can replace it. 11 years is awesome. I hope I can open an account soon with my very small local credit union and get a looong term share loan to do exactly what youve done.

I really want to close my PenFed accounts... -_-

Yes, they beat NFCU by 4 years in length and it's open to everyone, in case someone doesn't qualify for NFCU membership. Here's the the thread I learned about it in, very helpful read, they lay every step out for us!

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Personal-Finance/Successful-PenFed-SSL-Loan/td-p/6773999

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

CreditMagic7 — Tue, 15 Apr 2025 03:30:38 GMT

@omgitsMatt wrote:
(I separated everything by bureau first, then the order I applied in from first to last.)

TransUnion Applications:

Navy Federal – cashRewards Plus ($24,500)

Instant approval, no documents requested.
Lots of banking (my main bank) with them in the past (2019) and up to now.
2/3/2025 I closed two of my three cards with Navy Federal and had their limits reallocated to my only card left, giving me a $55,500 Flagship.
I applied for a new cashRewards Plus 4/4/2025, 60 days total after going from three accounts to one.
Requested a credit limit reallocation from the Flagship to the cashRewards via secure message on 4/8/2025, a pleasant "yes" response was received on 4/10/2025.
I'll end up with a $50,000 cashRewards and a $30,000 Flagship (that is getting product changed to something without an AF)

Alliant - Visa Signature ($15,000)

Approved message with starting limit and APR indicated while showing still being "processed" on their website.
They requested a driver’s license, social security card and utility bill.
I have been doing very little actual banking but am a member since 2019.
I requested a CLI via email by responding to the "Sr Associate Loan Consultant" who asked me to upload my driver's license, social security card and a utility bill.
Response, "The system approved it which means they couldn’t deny it or change the original approval. You can request for a credit limit increase in 6 months with a soft pull." Interesting way to word that.

Local CU - Visa ($20,000)

Went to manual review, which it always does with this CU. Misc. identity and income verification needed uploaded.
I have a joint card already for $15k and I just paid off a 6 year auto loan a few days earlier, so a fair amount of history with this lender.
I was called and asked on the phone why I applied to Navy and Alliant earlier that day and if I had opened any accounts with either, I answered that I was "rate shopping" and that I ended up not opening any accounts because I didn't like the terms, which is my reflex answer for those kinds of questions.
They also asked why I closed two Navy cards earlier in the year and then tried to open another the same day I applied for their Visa.
My answer was, "Both those cards weren't serving me a purpose anymore and were just misc. open lines of credit I wasn't using and didn't need, so I closed them. I applied again hoping to get something with better terms, but that didn't work out"
I was approved for the $20,000 I asked for.

BMO - Cash Back ($8,400)

With instant approval, nothing was asked of me.
I opened a checking/savings account back in January.
I had a preapproval a week after joining under “My Offers” for this card, but it had dropped off well before this application.
I'm not asking for a credit limit reconsideration on this account. I'm not interested in a manual review with this being the last hard pull out of four total from TransUnion in one day.

Experian Applications:

American Express - Blue Cash Preferred ($25,000)

Experian soft pulls (multiple in short time), I validated it with a traditional credit report request. (I have no idea where I got the idea that they SP TransUnion, but I was wrong.)
I had a Hilton Honors that was six years old, almost never use it.
Got a soft pull 3x CLI on the $6,000 Hilton Honors to $18,000, on 3/29/2025.
On 4/9/2025 (wasn't available until a few days after the card was opened) I was able to move everything but $1,100 from the HH to the $25,000 BCP, giving me a final credit limit of $41,900 on the BCP.
I closed the HH on 4/10/2025.

Wells Fargo - Reflect ($25,000)

Instant approval for $14,000, no documents requested.
Opened a checking/savings two months earlier and have a $16,400 Active Cash that is about 20 months old with WF, so some history but not a lot.
I _did_ carry a large balance on the Active Cash, which was paid down just before its promotional period ended last year. That will have an impact, I’m sure.
As soon as I had the card and it was activated, I called customer service and asked if it was possible to get a higher starting limit.
After being transferred to whomever was more appropriate, they asked me how much I was requesting ($25,000) and suggested I could transfer limits from my Active Cash because I hardly use it, not since last year they noted.
I said, "I was planning to close my Navy Flagship because it's a travel rewards card with an annual fee and I don't travel. I am planning on switching my spend to my Active Cash because it’s a flat 2% cash back card, so I'd like to keep it where it’s at if that is possible so I can start using it as soon as I close my Flagship in a few weeks."
That's the best reason I could come up with for why I wouldn't want to transfer limits while seeming genuine, making sense and not looking like I’m “credit seeking” for the sake of simply credit seeking. Which is exactly what I was doing ofc. Lol
I was put on hold for 15m while they reviewed my application, while being told if they "ok" it after the review, they'd escalate it to the "second tier" where final approval will dictate if I receive the $25,000, get a counter or just a flat denial with an explanation in the mail. I thought the "tier" talk was interesting, never heard that mentioned in older threads so I’ll note it here.
After that quick review, they approved escalating my request up and I was told to refresh my app in a few hours to see if the limit changed or not.
It did, about two hours later, to $25,000.
I haven't decided how I'm going to do it, but the customer service rep(loan officer?) validated I could move the AC's credit limit to the Reflect, even though there was activity back in January on the AC

OneAZ CU - Visa Signature (-)

Joined in January.
Instantly they followed up with a phone call, literally minutes (I was not prepared). I was quickly told I wasn't eligible to have even joined (lmao), they didn’t know why the system even allowed it and then swiftly got my checking/savings accounts closed while they'd mail me a check for the balance.
I always knew I wasn't eligible, but I wanted to test the process.
They cosed my accounts in less than an hour (lmao), but I still have an online account and member #(?)
In fact, I can still open new accounts as an "existing member".
I wonder if a family member would be eligible to join because I am a member still? That would be funny. I might test that next year.

KeyPoint CU - Platinum Rewards ($10,000)
(Still pending, looks promising though)

Joined through my wife, who is a member, in January.
Pre-qualified many times for $20,000, my final pre-qualification was for $25,000.
My initial "approval" email after the real application clearly stated I was approved for $25,000.
First real email from a real loan officer/rep indicated it was $10,000.
That is perfectly normal, lots of data indicate this is common for newer members who are from out of state.
Even though I already had a checking/savings account, I was asked for ID, social security card, a current paystub, rental agreement or utility bill, told to open a "Membership Savings", verify citizenship, and schedule a video call prior to opening the account and possibly "other conditions" while having to explain in detail my part time job, which I didn't even claim as income so why did it matter?
They wanted the works, this is the most extensive thing I've ever had to do when opening an account, but because I'm stubborn and I want to maximize this spree, I'm going to finish.
You used to be able to join KeyPoint and open a checking/savings account without also opening a "Membership Savings", which I didn't realize.
In February (a few weeks after I joined) they started making a "Membership Savings" account a requirement before any new accounts could be opened (I guess my earlier accounts were grandfathered in).
This resulted in another Chex pull, which was frustrating because they just did one 60 days earlier. Fortunately, I got through that, because when I did my Chex spree in January these guys were one of the very first ones I opened, so their new Chex pull would indicate how many accounts I opened since then… Big red flag for them.
I asked for a starting limit reconsideration via email while giving them everything they asked for, I asked for $20k. We’ll see how that works out, I don’t have high expectations on a starting limit reconsideration.
They don't schedule the video call until every other criteria is first met. I met everything late Thursday, I expect the video call Monday.
I'll update when its all finalized.

Equifax Applications:

Fairwinds CU ($10,000)

Joined in January.
I pre-qualified for $20,000 but there is no email or way to find the application, spending limit or APR right after applying online.
I did get an email from a loan officer saying they'd email in 24 hrs asking for more details.
Quickly approved once I uploaded income/identity verification, they wanted 30 days of paystubs and a driver's license. Very little hassle.
The real starting limit was $10,000.
Via email, once I received the card and saw the real spending limit, I responded to the "Digital Loan Officer" who requested the identity/income validation if I could have my spending limit increased. I explained my spending habits and volunteered the last three statements for my daily driver to help "make my case".
She tried, but the underwriters stayed firm, recon was denied.

Pentagon FCU - Power Cash Rewards Signature ($15,000)

I pre-qualified earlier for $20k a few weeks earlier, in fact that application was still "open" and was asking me to "resume", but when I went to "resume" that application, it wouldn't function properly so I had to start a new one.
I’ve done very little banking with them, but I do have a $5,000 Plat. Rewards for several years and have had been a member since 2019.
Maybe continue your application over the phone if you got a good spending limit on a pre-qual you did earlier and want to pursue that earlier pre-qual application?
Was finally approved for $15,000 on 4/10, then I called customer service to feel them out for a credit limit recon, gently but swiftly denied.

KeyBank - KeyBank Latitude Credit Card ($12,500)

Opened checking/savings in January.
Went to manual review, but they always do with KeyBank from what I've read.
The underwriter asked me, through the customer service rep, why I applied to PenFed and Fairwinds earlier that same day and if I opened any accounts with them. I answered that I was "rate shopping" and that I ended up not opening any accounts because I didn't like the terms, which is my go-to response when asked those kinds of questions.
After minimal back and forth and some identity/income verification, I was approved for $12,500.
I don't want to risk any further manual review, so I won't pursue a credit limit reconsideration.

Pentagon FCU - Share Loan ($3,300 for 132 months, or 11 years)

No hard pull.
When my spree was finalized, I opened a Share Loan with PenFed on 4/9/2025 that I immediately paid down to a $90 balance that very same day.
I paid down my only installment loan this month, so needed this to replace it since I won’t be getting any traditional installment loans anytime soon.

Congratulations !!

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

cashorcharge — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 21:53:14 GMT

Nicely done!! Congratulations on your Approvals!!👏🏼🍾🥂

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

Vinjints — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 18:32:44 GMT

If you PC from the NFCU Flagship, wouldn't you also lose the $30k additional CL? I thought you had to have/maintain the Flagship to exceed the 50k CL.

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

omgitsMatt — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 09:13:00 GMT

@Vinjints wrote:
If you PC from the NFCU Flagship, wouldn't you also lose the $30k additional CL? I thought you had to have/maintain the Flagship to exceed the 50k CL.

You're correct, so what I did before doing that was to request a credit limit reallocatoin from the Flagship to the cashRewards for "a balance transfer" (**cough cough**) They don't vet it afterwards in case anyone is wondering.

So I had a 50k cashRewards and a 30k Flagship, allowing me to PC without losing limits.

Sorry for the slow reply, work has been busy.

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

omgitsMatt — Sat, 26 Apr 2025 09:33:44 GMT

KeyPoint CU - Platinum Rewards ($10,000)
(Still pending, looks promising though)

Joined through my wife, who is a member, in January.
Pre-qualified many times for $20,000, my final pre-qualification was for $25,000.
My initial "approval" email after the real application clearly stated I was approved for $25,000.
First real email from a real loan officer/rep indicated it was $10,000.
That is perfectly normal, lots of data indicate this is common for newer members who are from out of state.
Even though I already had a checking/savings account, I was asked for ID, social security card, a current paystub, rental agreement or utility bill, told to open a "Membership Savings", verify citizenship, and schedule a video call prior to opening the account and possibly "other conditions" while having to explain in detail my part time job, which I didn't even claim as income so why did it matter?
They wanted the works, this is the most extensive thing I've ever had to do when opening an account, but because I'm stubborn and I want to maximize this spree, I'm going to finish.
You used to be able to join KeyPoint and open a checking/savings account without also opening a "Membership Savings", which I didn't realize.
In February (a few weeks after I joined) they started making a "Membership Savings" account a requirement before any new accounts could be opened (I guess my earlier accounts were grandfathered in).
This resulted in another Chex pull, which was frustrating because they just did one 60 days earlier. Fortunately, I got through that, because when I did my Chex spree in January these guys were one of the very first ones I opened, so their new Chex pull would indicate how many accounts I opened since then… Big red flag for them.
I asked for a starting limit reconsideration via email while giving them everything they asked for, I asked for $20k. We’ll see how that works out, I don’t have high expectations on a starting limit reconsideration.
They don't schedule the video call until every other criteria is first met. I met everything late Thursday, I expect the video call Monday.
I'll update when its all finalized.

Last data points for anyone who needs them in the future. This one officially went through a few days ago.

The rep asked me to upload paystubs two different times, then wanted me to call them to answer more questions (they weren't new questions either!) about both my employers, when I didn't even claim the part time one so IDK why they cared!

When they asked me to call via email for a 4th(!) discussion about my employment, I stopped replying to emails and sent them to voicemail for a week.

After a week of me ignoring all their emails, they requested to schedule a Teams call without making me do that 4th call to answer the same questions again, it wasn't happening. I then responded again. I cancelled the first Teams call a few hours until it was due (haha), then ghosted them again for several more days. Finally, we wrapped it up after that to complete the spree. I wasn't being petty though, I was genuinely exhausted talking to that rep. I was burnt out bad.

I didn't remind the rep that I asked for a credit limit reconsideration in case anyone was wondering, I didn't have it in me to keep testing lol

Conclusion: KeyPoint does not like when you have three hard pulls in one day, esp if they are the last pull! And you better have good documents if you're going to tack them onto the end of a spree like I did!

Re: April App Spree w/ DPs (10 approvals, 1 denial)

CreditAggie — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 00:32:19 GMT

Congratulations on your approvals!