topic Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting? in Credit Cards

Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 02:41:49 GMT

I got an invite to apply for a wachovia Visa rewards card, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger. TU is clean @ 757, newest account is a Chase Freedom from 1/2009. Before that I went on a spree in 8/2008.

I got the 10 day message,

Think I will get the card?

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 04:27:29 GMT

I would think so with those scores. Wachovia always pulls TU in VA so you should be good. I am not sure if they do instant approvals. You can always can all inquire.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 04:33:16 GMT

Wachovia, to the best of my knowledge, does not do instant approval. I didn't hear from them for at least 4-5 days, and I was approved. FYI, their initial CL tends to be lower. but gave excellent CLI at 6 months.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

techman2008 — Sun, 17 May 2009 05:20:41 GMT

I don't see why not with your score. It's addicting isn't it? I remember applying for an boa amex reward card in oct/2008 and didn't get any instant approval and had to wait for two weeks before they sent me the card with a limit of 7500.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 05:39:50 GMT

Looks good. I don't see anything wrong with the application.

If you think you overdo it, there are always other outlets for dusting off your existing cards:

1. With Discover, just order one of their other card designs.

2. With many other banks, you can customize your cards, perhaps with a pic of your pet spider?

3. You can also buy card covers, like this one

Have fun!

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

llecs — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:08:12 GMT

I appd for and received a Wachovia last fall. I never called and thought I was denied, but nearly 3 weeks later, I received a card in the mail for $2500 CL with TU at 670 or so.

Message Edited by llecs on 05-17-2009 09:08 AM

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 13:51:06 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
@I got an invite to apply for a wachovia Visa rewards card, so I went ahead and pulled the trigger. TU is clean @ 757, newest account is a Chase Freedom from 1/2009. Before that I went on a spree in 8/2008.

I got the 10 day message,
Think I will get the card?

App'ing can be very addicting, so to speak. It is very similar to gambling, if you think about it. You "play your hand" (your CR/FICO) against your opponent (various CCC's) and when you "win" you see a dollar value winnings (your initial CL).

Ebay is a similar phenomena. It has been shown that many people actually pay a higher cost for many items on Ebay than if they had shopped around online or locally. However, Ebay provides a "gambling" like "bid process" in which you get "Congratulations! You have WON!"

There is a psychology to this that definitely makes this somewhat "addicting" as you said. The key, moderation in all things, just like drinking, gambling or other addicting activities.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

techman2008 — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:38:32 GMT

txjohn,

Many times where I overpaid for an item on ebay lol. I bought a lot o stupid things too cause I couldn't stop in trying to always to win. Though I compare first before I go crazy. They do the max bid, though you're right in that you don't want to lose. Of course sometime the one who's putting the item on bid might be using their friend to raise to get you to over bid.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 15:11:06 GMT

@techman2008 wrote:
txjohn,

Many times where I overpaid for an item on ebay lol. I bought a lot o stupid things too cause I couldn't stop in trying to always to win. Though I compare first before I go crazy. They do the max bid, though you're right in that you don't want to lose. Of course sometime the one who's putting the item on bid might be using their friend to raise to get you to over bid.

Yep, I know the feeling. That's why I only use auction snipe for anything on ebay. I put my bid into the snipe service that is the maximum value I'm willing to pay, then I walk away and don't look at it again. If I win, great, I got a good deal. If I don't win, great, I didn't overpay

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Sun, 17 May 2009 16:24:37 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Yep, I know the feeling. That's why I only use auction snipe for anything on ebay. I put my bid into the snipe service that is the maximum value I'm willing to pay, then I walk away and don't look at it again. If I win, great, I got a good deal. If I don't win, great, I didn't overpay

I have never got anything I wanted on ebay for a fair price without sniping. That's one thing I learned: If I place a bid, no matter how small, it will make the item interesting. Then someone else will come and outbid me. If I wait to the last moment, chances are that I will be the only bidder.

This brings us back to this board . As soon as someone here applies for a certain credit card and gets it, 50 others will follow, because that one success of someone else makes the card interesting to others. That's why we see so many spontaneous card applications for the same card in succession. It also explains the "flavor of the month" mechanism .

I try to deal with this by making a list of the cards I still want. There are two "for sure" and one "maybe" on that list. I promised myself to stick to this for the moment. I admit that my new Alliant card was not on that list, but at least I had a half way reasonable explanation here, because I wanted to have their savings account, and I took the carrot when it dangled in front of my nose.

But I try to keep this a one time occasion. As much as my experience with many ebay "wins" where I later have no idea why I actually bought those, I don't want to end up with many cards I have no real use for. And that's a goal I want to stick to!

Message Edited by Ulan on 05-17-2009 09:24 AM

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

MsKiwi — Mon, 18 May 2009 05:56:23 GMT

@techman2008 wrote:
txjohn,

Many times where I overpaid for an item on ebay lol. I bought a lot o stupid things too cause I couldn't stop in trying to always to win. Though I compare first before I go crazy. They do the max bid, though you're right in that you don't want to lose. Of course sometime the one who's putting the item on bid might be using their friend to raise to get you to over bid.

Sniping is your friend.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:58:29 GMT

What's so addicting about the possibility of aquiring more credit cards? I'm looking to get rid of mine and you folks are collecting them like rookie baseball cards.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:19:46 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
What's so addicting about the possibility of aquiring more credit cards? I'm looking to get rid of mine and you folks are collecting them like rookie baseball cards.

Isn't the "get rid of" a part of "upgrading" meaning you had certain cards, then got better cards, then would like to get rid of the older or less desirable?

That is part of the proposed addiction. Not just in getting cards, but over time getting better cards, which often means pruning the less desirable.

In the beginning many people are "excited" to get their first Orchard or First Premiere. Then a year or two later they are getting better cards and the love is gone from the relationship of Orchard, etc. Eventually there does come a time when you look back, are happy with your portfolio in general, but would like to prune a few of the less useful or desirable. But wasn't that a direct result of the "getting the good 'uns?"

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

haulingthescoreup — Mon, 18 May 2009 19:59:43 GMT

In addition to a gambling mentality that I think some of our kinda-out-of-control app'ers display, I also think that there's a separate hunter mentality. Learning about your prey, choosing the right weapons, stalking them, picking the right moment, and blam! --or zing, I suppose, for the bowhunters among us. Skillful hunters don't waste their shots, and they hit their targets with a minimum amount of ammo.

So instead of carrying home a deer strapped to the roof, another card gets wedged into the wallet.

I'm of this second group. When I was upgrading my credit profile, I did a lot of research and a lot of waiting, and I got what I wanted. (I also succumbed to buck fever with another card which I have since dumped. )

I enjoyed the hunt, and I enjoyed my "kill", so to speak, especially as I didn't have to sit in a tree, drag heavy corpses back to the truck, or gut anything.

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Mon, 18 May 2009 21:58:31 GMT

Great analagy Hauling! Now I can't wait for deer season and it isn't even summer yet

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

Anonymous — Tue, 19 May 2009 01:06:33 GMT

They pulled effin equifax, 744, I have a repo and they shot me down. I am taking it personal, and moving my checking to a different bank. Screw em..

Re: Gahhhh! Why is apping so addicting?

score_building — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:12:27 GMT

if you don't want a report pulled without prior knowledge consider freezing. with scores that high your repo must be pretty old, and hopefully gone soon.

i wouldn't be psyched about a banking relationship after the denial either. Alliant is my current CU pick for banking and USAA my favorite bank so far. gl finding a good one to match your requirements.

Message Edited by score_building on 05-19-2009 04:12 AM