topic Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards? in Credit Cards

What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

youdontkillmoney — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 17:23:34 GMT

In the hunt for NO ANNUAL FEE credit cards, which are notorious for being hardest to get approved for?

To be clear, I am looking for NO ANNUAL FEE cards only.

In my sig I already have Simmons and IberiaBank as no annual fee cards (the fee cards I have are AMEX plat and Citi Prestige so I am NOT looking for anymore annual fee cards)....any others?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts....

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

AverageJoesCredit — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 17:50:20 GMT

Wow, you truely are selective.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

AverageJoesCredit — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 17:52:59 GMT

Maybe something from City National Bank?

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 18:00:50 GMT

If you go for business cards, Chase INK cards tend to be selective.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

pinkandgrey — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:14:23 GMT

It really depends on the applicant. For me, getting a BofA Cash Rewards card is about as likely as flying to Neptune.

Chase is known for being tough, but there are plenty of approvals all the same.

Getting a WF or USB card without a preexisting relationship can be difficult, though not impossible.

Anything from FNBO lol as they are quite conservative.

One really can’t say that there’s any card out there that is universally hard to get. It depends on the person/credit profile.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

youdontkillmoney — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:24:55 GMT

Thanks for the suggestion. City National Bank was something I looked into back in 2014 (opted to apply for Simmons and IberiaBank instead since both Simmons and IberiaBank offered low APRs and more highly coveted). City National Bank is now owned by RBC whereas previously they touted themselves as catering to high net worth individuals. Not sure what their biz model is now after being bought out.

Not going to apply for City National Bank, doesn't interest me for the above reasons. Thanks for the suggestion.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

youdontkillmoney — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:26:46 GMT

Thanks for replying...forgot to say not interested in biz cards either...so Chase INK is out of the question.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:32:20 GMT

Each to their own etc, but why this goal? Cards like Simmons and Iberia don't have significant value (at one stage the APR was very good, but now lots of places offer a lower one). And very regional CUs are much harder to get that either of those, simply because of geographical requirements.

So is it just satisfaction of getting something that a relatively few people would recognize as hard!

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

youdontkillmoney — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:33:31 GMT

FNBO peaked my interest, thanks for suggesting. I went to their website and it asks for my zip code, punched it in being from Los Angeles, CA and a msg popped up stating they don't do biz in Calif so I was not able to go any further.

Some brief history here, I had over 12+ CCs in the past but whittled it down to 4 listed in my sig to be more selective. So the ones you mentioned BOA, WF and US Bank I've had in the past but cancelled since I only wanted a very "select" group of CC's. Here's my cancelled cards from maybe 5+ years ago:

-Barclays Black Card

-Capital One

-Capital One quicksilver

-Citi simplicity

-Diners Club Carte Blanche

-Discover

-JCB

-Juniper (biz card)

-Merrill +

-US Bank

-WF

-LA Financial Credit Union

-PenFed

-Chase Freedom

-Citi diamond

-Barclays Arrival

-HSBC

-BOA

-AMEX Biz Plat

So I am not interested in getting any of the above cards again

Any other hard to get obscure cards like Simmons or Iberia I should look into (that allos apps from Calif residents)?

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

youdontkillmoney — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:37:00 GMT

Originally I got the Simmons and IberiaBank because of their very competitive interest rates but I suppose the value prop has decreased if other places also offer compettive rates as Simmons/IberiaBank too.

I guess I was just asking to see if I am unaware or missing out on obscure CCs out there I have not heard of and should look into.

Perhaps not then based on what you're telling me.

I do ok with these 4 right now, satisfies my purchasing needs.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 19:49:32 GMT

I’m assuming that your APR is lower than the advertised 10.5% and 14.24% on the Simmons and Iberiabank sites? Because my NFCU Platinum is 8.24% and most credit unions can beat 10.5%

Honestly if you’re happy with what you have and you were unhappy with all of those other cards, I don’t see the point in going for another card. Most cards have the same features and benefits recycled over and over between banks. It’s very rare to find something interesting that doesn’t have a fee and APR is of no consequence if you don’t carry a balance anyway.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

Kforce — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 20:13:20 GMT

Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

Remedios — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 20:44:12 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Each to their own etc, but why this goal? Cards like Simmons and Iberia don't have significant value (at one stage the APR was very good, but now lots of places offer a lower one). And very regional CUs are much harder to get that either of those, simply because of geographical requirements.

So is it just satisfaction of getting something that a relatively few people would recognize as hard!

I am bumping this question, because without the answer, I can't take this seriously at all.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:22:45 GMT

I'm curious as well why hard to get is a desirable quality.

Alternatively you could ruin your credit...then they will all be hard to get.😉

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

digitek — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:51:29 GMT

State Department Federal Credit Union - Premium Cash Back+

No AF, 2% cash back, no FTF, Chip + PIN priority, Visa network.

As typical for a credit union, very conservative. They particularly do not like large total credit lines that don't match income or really thick files, and do not like recent inquiries or accounts. The CU can be a little slow to respond to things, website and mobile app aren't that great but they do work, you can't setup AutoPay for the card from an external account. They have very low rates on their other products.

I got it because I think it's the best 2% card out there for me, it just happens to also be offered by a pretty conservative CU that is not region locked, I got in with a free membership to Consumer Council.

$200 sign up bonus isn't bad. Join the CU as a member first and get accepted completely, then apply for the card. They hard pull Experian for everything.

I got approved for $5k after a lengthy application process (why I recommend joining the CU first then apply for card, both at the same time just made it confusing for them). 3 months later I applied for CLI and they denied me (first time ever), so I apped Altitude Reserve and got $17.5k and Uber for $9k. They cited too many recent inquiries on Experian. I had 6 total in 24 months, 4 were from September of 2017 over 15 months from my CLI request, one was for an auto loan September 2018, one was for joining SDFCU and getting the card initially December 2018.

I like the card and will keep it long term. Approval needs a relatively quiet file (which people around here generally don't have =D), good score, and a little patience. Expect a low limit.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

sarge12 — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 21:50:25 GMT

OP, The problem is the really hard to get cards all have AF, and usually a hefty one, and are often invitation only. That Black Amex Centurian card is an example. To the best of my knowledge there are no really hard to obtain cards without annual fees. If the card is that exclusive, it will have a fee. Not having any annual fee is done to attract the masses. There are many cards geared toward those with excellent credit without an annual fee, but they are still not hard to get if your score is high enough. With just average credit scores, they might be impossible. Even the Chase Sapphire reserve has an AF, and it is not a hard card to get. It seems you are seeking a card that is both exclusive and has no annual fee, and as far as I know there are none.

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

AverageJoesCredit — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 22:24:08 GMT

@Kforce wrote:
Northrop Grumman Federal Credit Union

Oh man i want one of these! Look awesome. Oh well, just like my Nasa dream ill have to settle for a pic instead

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

pinkandgrey — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 22:30:57 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I'm curious as well why hard to get is a desirable quality.

Alternatively you could ruin your credit...then they will all be hard to get.😉

I’m going to be laughing about this for awhile now lolol

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

MyDataMyChoice — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 22:39:29 GMT

Try the UNFCU Visa
https://www.unfcu.org/compare-credit-cards/

Re: What are the notoriously hardest to get approved for No Annual Fee credit cards?

sarge12 — Fri, 19 Apr 2019 22:41:12 GMT

@pinkandgrey wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
I'm curious as well why hard to get is a desirable quality.

Alternatively you could ruin your credit...then they will all be hard to get.😉
I’m going to be laughing about this for awhile now lolol

I recall a time in my life when requesting a secured credit card would have had them examining my money under a microscope. I think they even had on their welcome sign...Welcome...except my name.