topic Re: Best credit card overall? in Credit Cards

Best credit card overall?

Anonymous — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 16:39:05 GMT

I'm looking for the best all around credit card.

I do most of my spending at grocery stores, gas, streaming services.

I don't do much traveling but wouldn't be opposed to it. I have seen the AMEX blue cash preferred and blue cash everyday. Just can't really decide between the two. Also I was leaning towards the chase freedom. But I have read some horror stories on there reviews.

also my credit is right around 670

what would be the best chance of getting into a chase freedom.

any opinions would be greatly appreciated. TIA

Re: Best credit card overall?

SecretAzure — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 17:23:26 GMT

What is your average age of accounts? Your current Utilization?

Regarding BCP/BCE, there are calculators out there where you input your spend and it'll tell you how much CB you'd get with either card. I am still with BCE as my spend always flirts around the breakeven point so I figure it's safer to just stick with no AF during these volatile times. I've had the upgrade offer available for like 4 years.

Freedom is good but, as you pointed out, is a little harder to get. Your scores don't make it sound impossible though. Waiting for your scores to increase could increase your chances and your starting limit. For the most part, you get one auto-CLI with Chase per card after a few months so if you can make your profile look more attractive, you will be rewarded, in kind with a better CL.

Re: Best credit card overall?

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 00:20:55 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I'm looking for the best all around credit card.

I do most of my spending at grocery stores, gas, streaming services.

I don't do much traveling but wouldn't be opposed to it. I have seen the AMEX blue cash preferred and blue cash everyday. Just can't really decide between the two. Also I was leaning towards the chase freedom. But I have read some horror stories on there reviews.

also my credit is right around 670

what would be the best chance of getting into a chase freedom.

any opinions would be greatly appreciated. TIA

While the Freedom is a nice card, I think you would be better served by going with the BCE/BCP. You don't have to worry about the rotating categories that may or may not be in your spending categories at the time of purchase.

Re: Best credit card overall?

SouthJamaica — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:08:19 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I'm looking for the best all around credit card.

I do most of my spending at grocery stores, gas, streaming services.

I don't do much traveling but wouldn't be opposed to it. I have seen the AMEX blue cash preferred and blue cash everyday. Just can't really decide between the two. Also I was leaning towards the chase freedom. But I have read some horror stories on there reviews.

also my credit is right around 670

what would be the best chance of getting into a chase freedom.

any opinions would be greatly appreciated. TIA

I believe the BCE would be much easier to get than the Chase cards, so I would go that route.

Re: Best credit card overall?

KLEXH25 — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:15:32 GMT

The BCP card would be perfect for those three spend categories, if you have enough spend to offset the annual fee. BCE is a good alternative. A score of 670 is right on the cusp for AMEX, so there are many other factors to consider (such as utilization and derogatories). Is that a FICO score you're giving us? Where are you getting it from?

Re: Best credit card overall?

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:20:43 GMT

Yes that's my Fico score from myFICO. But I am reparing my credit. I did some dumb things 4 years ago.

had 3 500 dollar credit cards and maxed them out paid some of it off. Then maxed them again and lost my job and stopped paying. Went to collections and paid them off at the beginning of 2020 and got my first credit card in June.

it is the opensky secered card, got a preapproval for capital one platinum so I got that one for 300 and a credit one for 300.

I just upped my CL for my opensky to 2500 so I can put my normal household monthly bills on it and keep it under 25%

i.e: phone, internet, insurance, power

so any dumb moves on my part so far besides ruining my credit a few years back?

Re: Best credit card overall?

AllZero — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:24:03 GMT

Check the AmEx prequal site for any offers. At least it will allow you to gauge your creditworthiness.

Re: Best credit card overall?

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:36:54 GMT

I've already tried 1 time last month and 1 time this month after credit report came out and nothin yet.

Re: Best credit card overall?

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:37:50 GMT

Have you tried the Discover prequal?

Re: Best credit card overall?

KLEXH25 — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:41:17 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Yes that's my Fico score from myFICO. But I am reparing my credit. I did some dumb things 4 years ago.

had 3 500 dollar credit cards and maxed them out paid some of it off. Then maxed them again and lost my job and stopped paying. Went to collections and paid them off at the beginning of 2020 and got my first credit card in June.

it is the opensky secered card, got a preapproval for capital one platinum so I got that one for 300 and a credit one for 300.

I just upped my CL for my opensky to 2500 so I can put my normal household monthly bills on it and keep it under 25%
i.e: phone, internet, insurance, power

so any dumb moves on my part so far besides ruining my credit a few years back?

Ok, so you just got 3 new credit cards in the past 2-3 months? Looks like it's time to garden for a year.

Re: Best credit card overall?

Anonymous — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:43:02 GMT

I did try discover for the discover it secered and idk if I put to high of a limit or if I didn't qualify but I didn't try again. I just tried for 2500 so I could pay household bills since I would be spending that money anyways.

and what does gardening mean?

Re: Best credit card overall?

JNA1 — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:43:27 GMT

If you just got your first card since your rebuild in June, I’d wait a little longer before you get anything else. When you are ready to apply, if possible, get your total utilization to 4% or less when the statement cuts before you apply. That will give a you a FICO points boost that may help with a new account. AMEX is going to pull Experian, so that’s better that one looks, the better your chances will be.

Re: Best credit card overall?

AllZero — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:45:28 GMT

@UncleB wrote:

Welcome
Garden Club Members!

Welcome all new GCers, returning GCers
and old timers to our little island of
"No Credit Applications"!

What is gardening? Quite simply, it involves refraining from applying for new credit or seeking CLIs that require hard pulls. Soft pull CLIs, however, are not only acceptable, but are encouraged. The idea is to allow one's current trade lines to grow and mature, waiting for inquiries to age or fall off, and possibly waiting for "baddies" to be removed/age off. During this time, one tends to one's current accounts and watches their AAoA (average age of accounts) grow and the new credit ding fade. Here we socialize, commiserate and support each other while waiting for baddies to fall off, new accounts and/or inquiries to age or if we just want a place to hang out to get away from the hustle and bustle of credit card talk.

So, if you're at the stage of your credit journey where you're ready to enter the garden, please come and join us. You may pick up your complimentary watering can and garden gloves by the front door - you can even choose your favorite color! We're proud to offer a well-appointed clubhouse. There is a snack table set up. You'll always find camaraderie available here as you work towards your gardening goals.

Help yourself to our drinks and appetizers. Flat-breads, sliders, pizza, buffalo wings, grilled zucchini, kale salads, pecan and apple pie à la mode. There's also a nice selection of cold beers. Once again, please feel free to bring anything you'd like to add to the festivities. And, in the corner diagonally across from the front door, there is a fully stocked bar, along with a wide selection of soft drinks. If needed, there are some anti-itch medications stocked in our supply cabinet near the door - Lanacaine, Benadryl, etc. If you need to place your reports in the deep freeze, we also have a freezer, located next to the bar, so go ahead and throw your reports in!

So come on in and make yourself comfortable. Make a gardening plan and commit to sticking with it! Are you planning to wait six months before applying for additional credit? A year? Until the last of your baddies drop off? Whatever your goal, we're here to support you. If you feel the "app-itch" coming on, let us know and we'll try to help you through it.

Now, if you happen to leave the garden prematurely, that's your decision and we respect that. You are always welcome to come back, pick up your gardening tools and start over again. But please, celebrate any approvals and the discussion of which credit card to app for on another thread. While we are happy with members’ success stories, we really do want to keep this thread's focus and tone to be consistent with gardening efforts. You are certainly welcome to celebrate SP CLIs in this thread, as they do not involve inquiries or apps for new credit.

To maintain the 'spirit' of the Garden Club, any discussion regarding credit apps and/or approvals (including approval announcements) is subject to be removed from Garden Club posts by a moderator and/or your post may be moved to a new thread on the appropriate board. Thanks for understanding!

GARDEN CLUB CHALLENGE AND RECOGNITIONS:

Garden Club Challenge: Pick a firm date for staying in the garden and post it in your siggy!

Garden Club recognition levels: To qualify, your reports must contain:
No new tradelines of any type on one's accounts (this includes any backdated accounts, as they are STILL new "seedlings").
No HPs for anything that would allow for the possibility of a new tradeline being issued or increasing the CL of an existing tradeline.
*The Garden Club community recognizes that certain inquiries are necessary for factors beyond those listed above. Therefore, Hard Pulls/Inquiries for the following bona fide reasons are exempt but not limited to: Opening checking/savings accounts (so long as no line of credit is being opened in addition to these accounts), employment applications, apartment rentals, utilities and other such services. These are not considered to be applications for credit per se.

Also, for those who are seeking a new mortgage or refinancing an existing one, we understand that your lender will pull your credit reports multiple times before closing. For those GC'ers, the first HP will set your clock, not the subsequent pulls. However, if you are simply rate shopping, then the normal HP rules apply.

You will be able to add the following to your siggy if you have been abiding by the above for the following time periods...

Less than 1 month - seedling
1 month - bronze spade
3 months - silver spade
6 months - gold spade
9 months - palladium spade
12 months - platinum spade
15 months - ruby
18 months - emerald
21 months - sapphire
24 months or more - diamond

Please note: recognition levels reset once you add an account or incur a HP. We recognize that there may be very good reasons for "leaving the garden," and we respect whatever thoughtful decisions members make. As stated previously, members are always welcome to come back, grab their gloves and start gardening once more.

To add the code, click 'My Settings', then 'Personal Information', then paste the code into the 'Signature' box. When you're finished, be sure to click 'Save' at the bottom of the page!

*New forum members may be unable to add/edit HTML; see note below.

To ensure that your graphic comes out properly on your siggy, please be certain that it has been added as the very first line of code.

Seedling:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/62749iA47C118690AE79C4/" title="Seedling Garden Club Member" border="0" width="50" height="67" align="right">
Bronze:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/33673iA9327A27227FE439/" border="0" title="Bronze Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">
Silver:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/33675i85072060A7E9ED9F/" border="0" title="Silver Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">
Gold:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/33674i6D97EA62D60FAA1E/" border="0" title="Gold Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">
Palladium:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/62750i80525A8D0134733C/" title="Palladium Garden Club Member" border="0" width="40" height="40" align="right">
Platinum:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/33676i7D22867F5B8C8548/" border="0" title="Platinum Garden Club Member" width="120" height="80" align="right">
Ruby:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/62751i19C20BE73EF51FCD/" border="0" title="Ruby Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">
Emerald:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/62752i0CF46A0DE3001FC9/" border="0" width="40" title="Emerald Garden Club Member" height="40" align="right">
Sapphire:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/62753i2F12F03322059E19/" border="0" width="40" title="Sapphire Garden Club Member" height="40" align="right">
Diamond:
<img src="https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/33677iDA1FD49740EB050B/" border="0" title="Diamond Garden Club Member" width="40" height="40" align="right">
So, please feel free to come on in and share your gardening progress. If you're new or returning, what are your goals? If you've been here for a while, how are things going? Let's all mingle, and support each other in our respective gardening efforts!

*Just a reminder, if you are new to the forum you may not be able to add a seedling or spade to your profile yourself; a rank of "Member" is required to add HTML to your signature. In this case send any moderator a PM (or tag in a post) and we'll add it for you.

You can also use the "Report Inappropriate Content" option on any post to notify a moderator; be sure to indicate that you need _____ spade. (seedling, bronze, etc.)

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Personal-Finance/Garden-Club-August-2020/td-p/6097059

Re: Best credit card overall?

staticvoidmain — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:50:09 GMT

It really depends on where you shop and your shopping habits.

As much as I like Amex, I would not call it best all around. I've been to more than one grocery store that does not accept Amex. I never carry one by itself. I would look for a Visa or maybe MC.

Re: Best credit card overall?

KLEXH25 — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 01:54:38 GMT

Gardening means tending to your current accounts while not applying for new credit. Let your accounts age and show good payment history. Work on your collections and hopefully you'll see your scores start to increase. Lenders have tightened up. If they see newly opened accounts and derogatories on your credit report, it will likely result in a denial. Even preapprovals have turned into denials in recent months.