topic Re: Need to advise my daughter in Credit Card Applications

Need to advise my daughter

rkshack — Sun, 03 May 2026 22:55:39 GMT

Looking for advice on next credit card application for my daughter.

She graduated from college about a year ago and started working in September. At the time we tried applying for the AAA Daily Advantage because her biggest spending categories are groceries and Walmart. She shops mostly at Publix, Aldi, and Walmart.

She was denied for the AAA card. I believe the denial mentioned something about LexisNexis being too young/thin or unable to verify enough information. Around the same time we also tried Wells Fargo Autograph and Capital One and she was denied for those as well.

At that point her profile was probably pretty thin:

recent graduate
short independent credit history
recent employment
not much installment history

Fast forward to now:

Experian score around 761
full time employment for about 8 months
recently closed on a house in March and is on both the title and mortgage
last inquiry was the mortgage in March
before that the last inquiries were the September card applications

Main goal is maximizing grocery rewards, especially Publix, Aldi, and possibly Walmart. Restaurants are not a huge category.

Would you:

Retry AAA Daily Advantage now
Try Wells Fargo Autograph instead
Go with something else entirely

Also curious whether people think the mortgage and a few more months of history materially improve approval odds after multiple denials last fall.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

Varsity_Lu — Sun, 03 May 2026 23:38:47 GMT

Well, I'd like to tell you to get an AmEx BCP, but they won't give her a card as her first card. I'd definitely use a pre approval before comitting to an app. Savor might be your best bet. Or Discover. They have been known to be first card friendly. She could go the secure card route if she had to just to get her foot in the door, but that would be the last option. Just stay away from Mission Lane, Credit One, etc.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

radiofrequencies — Sun, 03 May 2026 23:52:04 GMT

Does she have any revolving accounts or is the only account on her credit report the mortgage?

Re: Need to advise my daughter

rkshack — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:43 GMT

So she has been a long time authorized user on several of my accounts. Approximately 7. She has cash magnet and the bcp. She got the bcp last year when the she did not get the three cards from above. Plan on down grading or canceling bcp due to annual fee.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

Varsity_Lu — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:14:08 GMT

@rkshack wrote:
So she has been a long time authorized user on several of my accounts. Approximately 7. She has cash magnet and the bcp. She got the bcp last year when the she did not get the three cards from above. Plan on down grading or canceling bcp due to annual fee.

But they are your card, not hers, right? She is just the AU?

Re: Need to advise my daughter

radiofrequencies — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:18:58 GMT

@rkshack wrote:
So she has been a long time authorized user on several of my accounts. Approximately 7. She has cash magnet and the bcp. She got the bcp last year when the she did not get the three cards from above. Plan on down grading or canceling bcp due to annual fee.

If she's had the cash magnet and BCP in her name for at least a year, her approval chances for the AAA Daily Advantage will be better this time around. Same is true for cards from Wells Fargo as they like to see 12 months of history. Most issuers ignore authorized user accounts when evaluating credit applications because they don't represent credit history for the applicant since they weren't ever responsible for paying back the money borrowed. If she has less than a year of revolving account history where she is the primary account holder, a good option is the Savor card from Capital One that offers 3% cash back on groceries and they have a pre-appoval tool. Capital One is known to approve customers that have young credit profiles. At the same time, if you downgrade the BCP to a BCE, the BCE also offers 3% cash back on groceries.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

rkshack — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:33:56 GMT

She got the cash magnet 2024. Bcp September 2026.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

rkshack — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:35:26 GMT

@Varsity_Lu wrote:
@rkshack wrote:
So she has been a long time authorized user on several of my accounts. Approximately 7. She has cash magnet and the bcp. She got the bcp last year when the she did not get the three cards from above. Plan on down grading or canceling bcp due to annual fee.
But they are your card, not hers, right? She is just the AU?

The bcp and magnet are hers.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

Varsity_Lu — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:57:58 GMT

Wow! Were those her first cards? Never heard of anyone able to get an AmEx as a first card before. Honestly, I"m surprised she is having trouble getting a third card. She really just needs time to do its thing. I'd keep trying pre approvals and see what pops up. Worst case she waits a year and then adds a third card. That's not the end of the world.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

FicoMike0 — Mon, 04 May 2026 01:16:03 GMT

Welcome to the forum!

Like @Varsity_Lu , I'm a big fan of bcp. It's a simple calculation on the fee, is annual grocery spend more than $3167? If not, downgrade to bce. For me, a factor is that I spend a lot a meijers, which codes as grocery Meijers is a lot like a walmart, not just groceries.

If you fail the bcp test, then 5% for no fee with AAA is hard to beat.

I have no experience with comenity.

If lexis was an issue, you can request your report from them, see what it says.

The longer she goes without a hard pull or a new account, the better approval odds. I'd wait 6 months. Maybe others can comment on what comenity is sensitive to.

A score of 761 should be good.

Another amex feature with bcp or bce, is you can buy primary rental car insurance. Many cards offer coverage which is secondary to your regular car insurance, but mostly higher fee cards offer primary, with no claim on your own insurance. Amex charges $20 for up to 42 days rental. A good reason to keep the bce, in my opinion.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

Anonymous — Mon, 04 May 2026 12:37:25 GMT

We've helped a number of youth rip through the acquiring of credit cards, but the path we found to be the fastest, and so far most adventagous, was to start off with a card with an AF. The secondary card doesn't seem to matter so much. The third card tends to become a higher caliber than the prior two. These in combination, with some time, produce a serious increase in total credit line increases, and open opportunities towards new cards. Over time, you will go autopilot and new cards will open up to you. You might even reconsider whether you still need that first card with the AF. You won't, but I would encourage you to maybe consider keeping it, if the AF isn't that high. The issue you will have to decide on is, that the credit line increase will grow noticeably, and you will be weighted against keeping it, or closing it. Eventually in time, you may want to close it, but not while it's still highly benefiting the credit profile.

We never apply to in store consumer credit cards. Keep it in the bigger leagues.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

ElvisCaprice — Mon, 04 May 2026 08:06:18 GMT

@rkshack wrote:
Looking for advice on next credit card application for my daughter.
She graduated from college about a year ago and started working in September. At the time we tried applying for the AAA Daily Advantage because her biggest spending categories are groceries and Walmart. She shops mostly at Publix, Aldi, and Walmart.
She was denied for the AAA card. I believe the denial mentioned something about LexisNexis being too young/thin or unable to verify enough information. Around the same time we also tried Wells Fargo Autograph and Capital One and she was denied for those as well.
At that point her profile was probably pretty thin:
recent graduate
short independent credit history
recent employment
not much installment history
Fast forward to now:
Experian score around 761
full time employment for about 8 months
recently closed on a house in March and is on both the title and mortgage
last inquiry was the mortgage in March
before that the last inquiries were the September card applications
Main goal is maximizing grocery rewards, especially Publix, Aldi, and possibly Walmart. Restaurants are not a huge category.
Would you:
Retry AAA Daily Advantage now
Try Wells Fargo Autograph instead
Go with something else entirely
Also curious whether people think the mortgage and a few more months of history materially improve approval odds after multiple denials last fall.

Preapps are your friend. At no risk, no HP, they will tell you when or if she is ready to apply, with HP. As far as building credit, I can't give better advice than that of the departed Birdman. What should I do if I have no credit and I want to establish credit? : u/MFBirdman7

Note: The AAA Daily Advantage is getting nerfed May 15th and will no longer receive elevated rewards at Walmart. The Kroger Mastercard by US Bank is a good CC for carry on Google wallet or Apple Cash. Get 5% anywhere that accepts those mobile pay methods (not Walmart). Plus they have a very reliable Pre app, google it, for the page. See my sig for other CC choices. Maybe a good general spend card @3% would be good?

Re: Need to advise my daughter

Follower — Mon, 04 May 2026 16:48:24 GMT

I'd say try again for the AAADAV. It is sad that it will soon be joining the long list of other cards (including the Amex BCP) that don't code superstores as grocery stores, but it would be good for the other markets you mention.

(What card does give 5% at Walmart these days, other than their own?)

Re: Need to advise my daughter

Vinjints — Mon, 04 May 2026 17:10:46 GMT

@Follower wrote:
(What card does give 5% at Walmart these days, other than their own?)

Aven Grocery gives a full 6% at Supercenters and Neighborhoods.

Re: Need to advise my daughter

ElvisCaprice — Tue, 05 May 2026 07:10:50 GMT

@Vinjints wrote:
@Follower wrote:
(What card does give 5% at Walmart these days, other than their own?)
Aven Grocery gives a full 6% at Supercenters and Neighborhoods.

And it's a risk free soft pull unless approved. This is another good choice.