Welcome to the forums!
First let me say; you had me at your handle, as I am one of THE biggest fans of NFCU. Secondly, I too can relate wholeheartedly to the quandaries that figuring out credit "next steps" can
create, especially as it relates to age, for the more "seasoned" new borrower.
You have come to the right place, there is a plethora of information in the forums. More importantly, the MyFICO forum members offer sage advice and have proved to be a most supportive community of great "cyber credit sleuths", who will help you navigate the various FI and lending minefields,BEFORE you take the plunge and apply, whenever possible.
Personally, I love reading long posts, the more information you give the members the more advice they can offer.
You are on a great path it sounds like, now that you have NAVY in your arsenal and as many in the forum will attest, NFCU will be very good to you, just wait.
I just saw a post; an OP got a 15k SL on the second card after their secures card reaches 91/3, so your "grownup limit" card could come sooner than you think!
NAVY is a wonderful ecosystem once you are in it and you don't have to have an overly aggressive depository relationship with them, (unlike Bofa, according to some in the forums). I personally liken dealing with NAVY, to a warm hug from a favorite aunt, compared to the cold, impersonal treatment you get from some other banks. Besides the stratospheric starting limits often shared in the forums for members with more "modest" scores, NAVY has 24/7 customer service, friendly CSRs and a relatively easy to use phone app.
While it can be a challenge to sit and just wait for your credit to "grow", so to speak, it does work.
Finally, congratulations on your successes thus far and if you invest in the secured card with NFCU, and "pack your patience" for 6 mos or so, I think many would agree that the destination will be worth the journey!
What a great handle, @GoNavy! Welcome to the myFICO family and the journey...
Best wishes with the recon for BofA's secured card... the first cards seem the hardest... I just started myself, about 3 mo ago. Only have 2 cards, Cap One Platinum, which I couldn't believe they gave me. I tried the preapproval link (about fell out of my chair when they said yes). I also have a NFCU secured nRewards card, very, very pleased. I had considered a Disco card, but advised better to wait 4 months for my 2nd Navy card. Hopefully, my scores will strengthen a bit more by then as well. I also have a Self lender loan, $25/mo for 24 months, then I'll move over to NFCU's 60/mo SSL program.
Again, bon voyage!
OP: I am 49, and a year ago today, had a very similar credit situation to what you have today.
I don't think age matters for algorithm-based approvals or denials, which is what most CCs use. It may matter (pro or con) for human decisions.
From where you are right now: on April 8 of last year, I opened a secured card. Later in April, I opened another one. I also opened a Self Lender secured installment loan.
In May of last year, I opened a Discover secured card (the best nationally available secured card that does not require any specific membership or affiliation IMO), and was surprised to get an unsecured Amazon Store Card with a $1,500 CL.
In June of last year, I got a car loan and a $5,000 3-2-1 rewards Signature Visa from my credit union. I have been a member of that credit union for over 30 years, which I am sure was a factor.
In July of last year, to my surprise, I got an Amex Gold Card, after spamming them with applications that had all been denied. Then an application they had already denied was resurrected and approved for some reason.
In August of last year, I picked up two other Amex cards (Delta Gold and Hilton Aspire) based on SP applications. Minimal CLs, but felt like I had turned a corner.
Also in August, my brother added me as an authorized user to his Barclay card with $25,000 CL.
In, I think, September or maybe October, I got a PayPal MasterCard with a $3,000 credit limit, and also applied for and received an Amazon Store Card CLI to $3,500.
In December, I got CLIs on Amazon and PayPal to $5,000 each. Also in December, I noticed I had SP preapproval for an Apple Card with a $5,000 limit, so I got that ... kind of regret it, since I have no use for the card, but at the time, I was happy to get anything with a decent CL.
In January, I got an Amex Platinum Card.
In February, I did nothing (except get turned down for SP CLI applications with Sync and Discover).
In March, I got an Amex Delta Platinum with a $20,000 CL. And, looking at the calendar, I decided "I want to get any cards I might be interested in before April 8 so they are all within a year of each other's age." That may or may not be logical, but it's what I was thinking when I applied for and got an Amex Blue Cash Everyday with $10,000 CL, and then a bit later, a Citi AAdvantage Platinum with $11,000 CL.
This month, I was plotting and scheming when I might get approved for Ducks Unlimited when I read that they switched their reward structure to one I'm not interested in. So with them off the board, I decided to apply for my second-choice gas card before April 8, and, was approved for the Citi Costco Visa at $9,500.
I write all this out to create sort of a roadmap for what you MIGHT be able to do, although each situation is unique. I left out a few things that I later decided didn't matter or help much, but you can find them all in my signature.
For people in our age range, I think some stuff that can help a lot would be:
1 - Income, ability to run spend through cards, ability to pay annual fees, ability to never make a late payment and usually keep balances at or slightly above $0.
2 - Relationship with a bank or credit union (in my case, Coastal Federal - perhaps you're in NFCU?).
3 - Friends or relatives with flawless, high-CL cards they are willing to add you to as an AU.
And to that I add, I really pushed it. The traditional approach and one I heard here a thousand times, starting last May (!), is "slow down." There is a time for that, but I'm glad I didn't do it until now. My only concern for now is Amex or Citi reacting negatively to the new cards from the other one. If I get past that, the coast is clear. There is nothing else I even want to apply for until I apply for a mortgage at some point, or until I'm under 5/24 and want a Chase card. My next year will be about seeking CLIs and culling or downgrading cards I don't want anymore, so, I am not concerned about being denied for anything due to credit-seeking behavior. That has happened (I got a lot of denials last year), but, here I am with every card I want and a car loan. JMO YMMV.
Good luck!
