I guess this could be called unplanned gardening

[Anonymous]

Hello. New member and I'll have questions for myself soon (maybe too many) but this is for my husband. Only inquiry in past five years was for mortgage refi last summer. 

He currently has:

Chase Freedom 3500 (11K CL opened 2014)

Discover IT zero balance (5K CL opened 2014)

Our joint CC accounts (do they even do that anymore? lol):

BoA 9800 balance (28K CL since 2002) (More than 5K of balance is recent BT offers)
Home Depot 1500 balance (21K CL since 1999) (easy to pay off, just mentioning for DP)
Chase Slate zero balance (1K CL since 1999)

His current scores Ex 790 Eq 760 TU 807. All joint auto loans/leases long paid and closed. (I have one by myself right now.) He has no other loans but mortgage. Never a single late or bad mark in 30+ years of credit.

He wants new card for BT but wants to make best use of new inquiries. Mostly because we might do equity loan later this year. Also important to note his income is 35K from pension. He could add my 60K from self-employment for household total. But he wants to avoid hassles, POI, etc., if possible. Nothing to hide, it's just his personality and stress avoidance. Thoughts where to apply for quick and easy approval odds? Thanks.

[simplynoir]

How much of a SL approval is your DH looking for with this BT card? It would look better with apps if he allowed himself to add your income for a total household income to report on applications. It's perfectly okay to do that.

As for card options he sort of has all the big ones I can think of with the exception of the AMEX Everyday which offers the rare zeros: no fees, 0% APR for 15 months I think, and has no AF to speak of. Limit wise if you two need a bigger one to work with I would strongly consider reporting total household income AMEX most of the time does not require income verification except in times of account reviews which are also rare. Depending on which BofA and Disco cards he has he might have additonal options.

[tbque]

When you use total household income do they run the credit of the spouse not apply for credit? Or do they just use their income?

[FinStar]

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@tbque wrote:
When you use total household income do they run the credit of the spouse not apply for credit? Or do they just use their income?

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It would depend on the type of product and the application.  If it's a joint application, CRs will be accessed for each applicant. 

[tbque]

So if I’m applying for a credit card for myself say from NFCU can I use my wife’s income as total household income but not pull her CR since it’s not a joint application?

[FinStar]

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@tbque wrote:
So if I’m applying for a credit card for myself say from NFCU can I use my wife’s income as total household income but not pull her CR since it’s not a joint application?

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Every lender will have specific requirements to what are acceptable sources of income, so as a best practice, always be sure to check that field or section or contact the lender for additional guidance. 

Specific to NFCU, below is an excerpt from their CC application:

Also, let's make sure that we don't derail or hijack the OP's thread 

[Anonymous]

Thanks so much! I'd give kudos but it won't let me? Anyway, I was thinking Amex because I just got my first card with them in January. Instant approval and very generous SL. Concern is I just hit that heavy a few days ago to cover unexpected taxes. So I'm already sweating that. Worry I've made them nervous. I had no intention to use it for such big expense ever, never mind just shy of 90 days. He's not added as AU to that card but I'm sure they know our relationship (some joint accounts/AU) and obviously same address. Am I paranoid or good idea to wait until I pay down/cool off with my card before he applies himself? Thanks again.

[tbque]

Thanks, I didn’t mean to hijack the thread.

[Anonymous]

No worries from my end. Nice to see so many people being helpful and polite. Seriously. Thanks to all.

[Anonymous]

Forgive me for not seeing how to edit my post. Just wanted to add that DH prequalifies for several at Amex. I'm just afraid of the effect it might have on my own new-ish card if he does. If that's a silly concern, I'll tell him to go for it. If legit concern, I'll tell him to wait until I pay mine down and/or let it age a bit. That new purchase I made (tax payment) puts me at 50 percent usage. Thanks again.