topic Re: How often to check prequal sites? in Credit Card Applications

How often to check prequal sites?

tcbofade — Sat, 14 May 2016 14:33:29 GMT

I'll assume that monthly is often enough...

I know that Chase, Citi, and Cap One have pretty solid pre qual offers...when they show up.

How often do you check? How often do they update their info? Does anyone know if they do a soft pull everytime you fill out a prequal request?

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 May 2016 14:53:24 GMT

@tcbofade wrote:
I'll assume that monthly is often enough...

I know that Chase, Citi, and Cap One have pretty solid pre qual offers...when they show up.

How often do you check? How often do they update their info? Does anyone know if they do a soft pull everytime you fill out a prequal request?

I used to check daily until i signed up to receive daily credit report monitoring. Now I can see if and when I am SP'd. 100% of all my preapprovals have came after I seen a SP from a creditor. Comenity SP's the hell out of me even though I have 2 of there cards that I will never use (rewards are better on Bank Cards).

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 May 2016 14:55:22 GMT

Since it's only a sp, I guess you can check as often as you like. I've checked as often as two or so days apart when I was expecting an update on a credit report, and a possible preapproval thereafter.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

tussking — Sat, 14 May 2016 15:00:09 GMT

What daily credit reporting do you use that alerts you to SP's ? I use CCT and have no clue where to see SP's

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

kdm31091 — Sat, 14 May 2016 15:36:16 GMT

I think generally, monthly is enough. They certainly do not update daily, and you don't want to obsess. I'd say a once a month check of the "real" prequalifiers is good enough.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 May 2016 15:46:40 GMT

Last year, I'd check when I saw three threads at the same time in approvals section. Beh.

If you're not signed up to see SP's monthly is more than enough.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Meanmchine — Sat, 14 May 2016 16:09:21 GMT

I was talking to an Amex CSR. I was inquiring about how the pre-qualify Amex site appears to block results if you have a Fraud Alert on your CRs. The conversation began to get technical and she had to put me on hold to get answers ( i cant remember who she exactly said she spoke with ) Without going into the details of the conversation, i was "warned" that there were "negative consequences" for having too many attempts at checking their prequal site. I tried to nail her down on exactly what those consequencesn were but she wouldnt elaboraate. Maybe Amex keeps records as to your visits to their prequal site. I dont know. My suggestion would be to moderate your prequal checking, at least with Amex

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 May 2016 21:19:31 GMT

@Meanmchine wrote:
Without going into the details of the conversation, i was "warned" that there were "negative consequences" for having too many attempts at checking their prequal site.

Sounds silly, as what they are saying is, "If you use this site that we have placed on the public internet, and invited said public to use, some undisclosed number of times which in our opinion is too many we're going to put you in deep doggy doo." Worst they can do is deny your app, in which case there are plenty more CCC's that would be willing to take your money.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 May 2016 23:15:48 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@tcbofade wrote:
I'll assume that monthly is often enough...

I know that Chase, Citi, and Cap One have pretty solid pre qual offers...when they show up.

How often do you check? How often do they update their info? Does anyone know if they do a soft pull everytime you fill out a prequal request?
I used to check daily until i signed up to receive daily credit report monitoring. Now I can see if and when I am SP'd. 100% of all my preapprovals have came after I seen a SP from a creditor. Comenity SP's the hell out of me even though I have 2 of there cards that I will never use (rewards are better on Bank Cards).

I'd like to know this also. Only one I can see is equifax but I still have to log in daily to look through them.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 May 2016 23:52:19 GMT

About once a week. Interesting note: I had pre approvals for five cards on Citi's site. A week after I got the DC, it was back to "we can't find anything."

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sat, 14 May 2016 23:55:05 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@tcbofade wrote:
I'll assume that monthly is often enough...

I know that Chase, Citi, and Cap One have pretty solid pre qual offers...when they show up.

How often do you check? How often do they update their info? Does anyone know if they do a soft pull everytime you fill out a prequal request?
I used to check daily until i signed up to receive daily credit report monitoring. Now I can see if and when I am SP'd. 100% of all my preapprovals have came after I seen a SP from a creditor. Comenity SP's the hell out of me even though I have 2 of there cards that I will never use (rewards are better on Bank Cards).

What monitoring service are you using that provides soft pulls?

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Bone35 — Sun, 15 May 2016 00:09:56 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@tcbofade wrote:
I'll assume that monthly is often enough...

I know that Chase, Citi, and Cap One have pretty solid pre qual offers...when they show up.

How often do you check? How often do they update their info? Does anyone know if they do a soft pull everytime you fill out a prequal request?
I used to check daily until i signed up to receive daily credit report monitoring. Now I can see if and when I am SP'd. 100% of all my preapprovals have came after I seen a SP from a creditor. Comenity SP's the hell out of me even though I have 2 of there cards that I will never use (rewards are better on Bank Cards).
What monitoring service are you using that provides soft pulls?

YES...Please do tell

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sun, 15 May 2016 00:50:24 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
About once a week. Interesting note: I had pre approvals for five cards on Citi's site. A week after I got the DC, it was back to "we can't find anything."

Interesting, since the chase prequalification site includes "or you have recently responded to another offer" in the text when no card offers are found. Not unlikely that a lot of other lenders do the same.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Bone35 — Sun, 15 May 2016 01:26:28 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
About once a week. Interesting note: I had pre approvals for five cards on Citi's site. A week after I got the DC, it was back to "we can't find anything."
Interesting, since the chase prequalification site includes "or you have recently responded to another offer" in the text when no card offers are found. Not unlikely that a lot of other lenders do the same.

I think CAPTOOL was implying that they update more frequently than some might think, therefor checking more than once a month might not be too much..

By sharing that experience, it helps answer OP's original question.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

tcbofade — Sun, 15 May 2016 03:03:45 GMT

Thanks all. We're hoping to refinance in 2017, so I'm not going to be looking much longer.

Methinks that I will check the pre qual sites 01 June, and maybe again somewhere near the end of June. We shall see.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

UncleB — Sun, 15 May 2016 04:55:18 GMT

As a data point, my last baddie dropped off on May 1 (May 4 for TU) and I've checked several times with Capital One, since I'm expecting an offer with a better APR than what they have been offering... so far it's the same offer, though.

I'll also add that for the first time (ever) I received a pre-qual throuh the mail from Citi for Simplicity and the DC (both with a set APR, albeit a high one). I think these prequal offers were generated before the baddie dropped (and my score increased) but oddly when I check Citi's online site it tells me there's no pre-qual at all. I might cold-app in a few days or so to see what happens.

I can also add that my pre-qual offer with Wells Fargo is the same as it's always been (high APR) so either my profile still isn't to their liking, or they haven't updated my SP since last month.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sun, 15 May 2016 05:56:36 GMT

@Bone35 wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
About once a week. Interesting note: I had pre approvals for five cards on Citi's site. A week after I got the DC, it was back to "we can't find anything."
Interesting, since the chase prequalification site includes "or you have recently responded to another offer" in the text when no card offers are found. Not unlikely that a lot of other lenders do the same.
I think CAPTOOL was implying that they update more frequently than some might think, therefor checking more than once a month might not be too much..

By sharing that experience, it helps answer OP's original question.

Not necessarily an update, but perhaps a data point added to whatever database they are looking at when they generate responses to the prequalifer site. Ap;ogies, I should have been clearer with my implications.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Nova5041 — Sun, 15 May 2016 06:49:26 GMT

Once a month for me, don't know why I check that often either. It seems to only change every few months. Lol But it does help with the app cravings! 😊

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

Anonymous — Sun, 15 May 2016 16:02:49 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
@tcbofade wrote:
I'll assume that monthly is often enough...

I know that Chase, Citi, and Cap One have pretty solid pre qual offers...when they show up.

How often do you check? How often do they update their info? Does anyone know if they do a soft pull everytime you fill out a prequal request?
I used to check daily until i signed up to receive daily credit report monitoring. Now I can see if and when I am SP'd. 100% of all my preapprovals have came after I seen a SP from a creditor. Comenity SP's the hell out of me even though I have 2 of there cards that I will never use (rewards are better on Bank Cards).
What monitoring service are you using that provides soft pulls?

I pay for EX, EQ & TU independent of myfico. TU kinds sucks due to not offering a FICO score. Those Vantage scores are demoralizing.

Re: How often to check prequal sites?

RonM21 — Mon, 16 May 2016 20:33:25 GMT

I'm with the general thought that a month may be enough. Seems like they don't update more often than a month, in my experience.