Building my credit

[judokaal]

Hello, I've been lurking on this forum for a while soaking in the info- thanks to the many knowledgable folks here!
My situation:
A year ago (Aug '18) my credit score was 580 
- HP for a Paypal line of credit ($250) 
- 2 HP from apartment hunting (my building got sold, and had to move within a month)
At this point I had some expenses that were coming up for the move, and I decided to try applying for a card- after not having had one for at least 15 years, and I got a QS1 - with a $300 CL. Needed at the time, and I have been PIF every month since.

Now my credit score is 720 TU / 723 EX
So I decided to try applying for a second card- one without an annual fee- Chase freedom unlimited 
I got a $3900 CL there. My plans are to just use it to pay my phone bill and internet for a few months to secure the sign up bonus.

My score hasn't dropped yet as a result of the new card and what will be the subsequent hit to AAoA and AoYA- I have a little time until that card reports.

My question is: would it be most beneficial to wait and see what the full impact of this card is on my score or should I apply for another card  while my score is still higher to have a stronger base of older accounts going forward ?

Thanks!

[DIYcredit]

If you open another cc it will lower your AAOA even more plus another hard inquiry.You should use the capital one and chase cc's to build a solid pattern of monthly on time payments.You should'nt apply for any more cc's any time soon.Having a cc with no apr is great to have.When I was rebuilding, I used what cc's I had to build a long history of on time payment to graduate up to better cc's with no annual fee and great rewards.It's seems your doing fine. I hope this helps.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t go for another card right after being approved for a Chase card, they don’t like credit seeking behavior and have been known to flat out close accounts for doing it. Give it at least 3 months before you put another app in, 6 months if you really want to be on the safe side. 

Rebuilding takes time. Congratulations on the approval!

[SouthJamaica]

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@judokaal wrote:

Hello, I've been lurking on this forum for a while soaking in the info- thanks to the many knowledgable folks here!
My situation:
A year ago (Aug '18) my credit score was 580 
- HP for a Paypal line of credit ($250) 
- 2 HP from apartment hunting (my building got sold, and had to move within a month)
At this point I had some expenses that were coming up for the move, and I decided to try applying for a card- after not having had one for at least 15 years, and I got a QS1 - with a $300 CL. Needed at the time, and I have been PIF every month since.

Now my credit score is 720 TU / 723 EX
So I decided to try applying for a second card- one without an annual fee- Chase freedom unlimited 
I got a $3900 CL there. My plans are to just use it to pay my phone bill and internet for a few months to secure the sign up bonus.

My score hasn't dropped yet as a result of the new card and what will be the subsequent hit to AAoA and AoYA- I have a little time until that card reports.

My question is: would it be most beneficial to wait and see what the full impact of this card is on my score or should I apply for another card  while my score is still higher to have a stronger base of older accounts going forward ?

Thanks!

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I agree with @Anonymous and @DIYcredit that you should wait. Together they have provided the reasons why.

[Girlzilla88]

I also agree you should wait I raised mine to 755 did 2 CC (unsecured) and switched my other secured to unsecured when I refinanced my car (that last two was considered 1 hit) so I had 3 hits from all together and my score dropped 100 points from it....mostly from changing the AAoA so if you can spread them out definitely do my strategy was more so to have a history since I only had the secured at the time so when my car is paid off everything will be over 3 years AAoA so it kind of had a point but it just sucks rebuilding in the meantime LOL    Good luck

[jamie123]

Okay, I'm clearly on the other side of the fence as the other posters but it depends...

How long into the future can you foresee you really needing more and important credit? Like for a car or mortgage?

If it is longer than one year, you should app for 2 more cards right now. Sure you will take a score hit, but it will recover and probably be much higher a year from now. It is the price we have to pay to build a thick file. You will eventually have to take a hit at some point so why not now?

I would recommend applying for a Discover IT and then an AMEX BCE right now. Both companies like people with thin files but highish scores.

Really...At this point you have very little to lose except a bit of pride and everything to gain if you are approved for both CCs.

At worst case you get turned down now and can reapply in six months like the other posters recommend but if you get approved you are 6 months ahead of the game. Time is one part of the equation that keeps moving on. Get what you need as soon as you can IMHO.

Good luck!!

Let us know what you decide and how it turns out.

[judokaal]

Tuning back in after a hiatus-

So I did decide to wait a bit, and I just applied for the CSP online, and got an instant approval for $5300- I sought out that card specifically for some upcoming travel this year ( wedding in india, more than average domestic trips coming up over the next few months ). I think I am good for the time being, and will just let the garden grow- my oldest card will be turning 1 in 2 months. Many thanks for the help of folks on this forum. After avoiding credit most of my adult life, this forum has really helped me get things going- from 0 to $9700 of credit in less than a year. Looking forward to keep building!

[SouthJamaica]

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@judokaal wrote:

Hello, I've been lurking on this forum for a while soaking in the info- thanks to the many knowledgable folks here!
My situation:
A year ago (Aug '18) my credit score was 580 
- HP for a Paypal line of credit ($250) 
- 2 HP from apartment hunting (my building got sold, and had to move within a month)
At this point I had some expenses that were coming up for the move, and I decided to try applying for a card- after not having had one for at least 15 years, and I got a QS1 - with a $300 CL. Needed at the time, and I have been PIF every month since.

Now my credit score is 720 TU / 723 EX
So I decided to try applying for a second card- one without an annual fee- Chase freedom unlimited 
I got a $3900 CL there. My plans are to just use it to pay my phone bill and internet for a few months to secure the sign up bonus.

My score hasn't dropped yet as a result of the new card and what will be the subsequent hit to AAoA and AoYA- I have a little time until that card reports.

My question is: would it be most beneficial to wait and see what the full impact of this card is on my score or should I apply for another card  while my score is still higher to have a stronger base of older accounts going forward ?

Thanks!

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No, you should stop applying for cards now.

[judokaal]

Using this time to plot next moves, I am thinking for over the next year:
1. Chase Ink Cash  - 50K bonus points and useful multiplier categories, moreso than the Chase Freedom from what I have looked at over the last few years (no car, no big box store account, live alone so grocery bills are fairly low). I work as a freelancer and I also book talent occasionally, so I think I won't have a problem being seen as a business. Would stay as a keeper card. 
2. Barclays AAdvantage Aviator Red - Living in an AA hub city, 50K miles + $99 companion pass for that first year's AF makes sense to me. Then downgrade to no-fee Aviator. This would put me at 4/24.
3. At some point soonish I want to do something about be QS1 - the card turns 1 (my oldest), and the AF hits in August. It seems that PC to a no annual fee card is unlikely from what I have read on here. It is only adding $500 to my overall credit limit, which doesn't seem worth another $39 when I have the CFU and CSP giving me a combined limit of $9200.

Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

1. if you have a use for it and can get approved go for it.  It won't report on your personal reports like some other lenders do w/ Biz accounts.

2. Barclay can be your best friend or your worst enemy depending on what you do surrounding an app with them.  If your TU is decent then it's likely an approval but, you're a bit on the "thin" side.

3.  I despise C1 with how they run things over there.  Since it's likely your oldest or close to it... try the PC option before kicking them to the curb.  Culling them from the herd though wouldn't be a bad idea and if you like them in any remote sense of the word try again for a higher end card when you're 750+ and see what you're able to snag with a CL/Bonus at that point.

Another tidbit of info / advice.... diversify things a bit by looking into other banks besides Chase... you don't want to end up having them close everything down and be left with $0 CL because all of your eggs are in their basket.  Amex, Disco, BOA, Citi, etc.  

IF Barclay's doesn't give in w/ AA then try the Uber Visa just to get in the door.  I don't know how the AA UW Requirements are but, they do have some hidden UW where people get tripped up on certain cards for being over a certain number of cards or even INQ to be denied.