Lowest Score Acceptable to get Approved for Chase Freedom Unlimited?

[Anonymous]

BBS - I Completely disagree.

I travel maybe 3 roundtrip domestic flights a year which total about $1,500 annually for my fiancée and I.

But we find out spending probably $7,500 annually on dining.

Total would be $9,000 just for those 2 categories which CSR gives 3x points on.

That alone would match the Freedom's 5x UR on all 4 categories maxed out, not even counting the additional 1.6-2.2x value when transferring those UR plus the UR from gas, miscellaneous, department stores etc. So as someone who isn't a frequent traveler I find enormous value in those cards especially with the huge sign up bonuses...

Currently we have both the Freedom and Freedom Unlimited but strongly want CSR.

[Gregory1776]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Freedom is not easy, at least not in my experience.  I applied in April with 720 EX and decent income, I only had 1 CC reporting at the time, a 2.5 yr old Costco Amex/Citi but I do have a mortgage with 14 yrs of perfect payment record.  I had 1 open collection for $50 (copay) that I didn't even know existed until I signed up to CK to check my score for the first time ever in March, I immediately negotiated a payment for removal with the collection agency but it was still on my report at the time when I applied.  I was instantly approved with the same profile by BCE and QS for 10k each but Freedom only gave me 1k and a ridiculous APR, I was barely approved after security verification.  3 days after I applied, the collection came off my EX and it jumped to 825, I called recon and offered another inquiry for new terms but they wouldn't entertain, I ended up closing that account before activation and reapplied a month and a half later, and even with an 800+ score and a clean record though a little thin, they gave me 7k and a middling APR.  When I pulled the trigger a month later for both Amex Simply Cash and Ink Cash, Amex gave me a 20k instant approval and Chase made me jump through hours and hours of recon spread through 2 weeks before begrudgingly approving me for 5k even though my business record is beefier and cleaner than my personal.

Chase by far has been the most difficult to obtain in my short experience with credit,

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You make me want to stay away like their the plauge....😏😕

[Total80sKid]

@BrutalBodyShots

Agreed.

I'm 39 and have never flown. I just don't travel.

[shoegal]

I'm at 661 and I won't apply cause I don't think is an easy card to get. If I was your friend I would pay down that other card and wait for the score to jump a bit.

[Anonymous]

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@Gregory1776 wrote:

You make me want to stay away like their the plauge....😏😕

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Don't be, Chase is tough but has a lot to offer, just make sure your credit report is in proper order and has some meat on your revolver profile before you take them on, I simply disagree with the notion that either FU or Freedom are easy starter cards designed for beginers.

[Anonymous]

Shoegal- At 661 FICO if you have over 20k income that's a guaranteed Freedom or Freedom Unlimited approval...

[Anonymous]

Total80s - What about dining you don't eat out at all?

Just saying, there are much better cards than Freedom.

[Total80sKid]

@Matt4200

I don't eat out except fast food drive-thru.

I realize I'm in the minority and am just weird lol

First, I don't fly or eat out much because I have an anxiety disorder and my funds are too low to eat out most of the time.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

But we find out spending probably $7,500 annually on dining.

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You are the exception, not the rule.  I think you'd be hard pressed to find many non-travelers that spend $625/mo eating out like you do.  When you take travel out of the equation, even if you're spending $7,500 on dining, 1% of that is $75.  With the CSR you get 3% back I believe, which is 1% more than if you used a 2% general spend card.  That $75 wouldn't even cover the AF.  From what I understand, many of the perks that go along with the CSR are travel-related, like the $300 travel credit or whatever and other benefits like the airport VIP stuff.  Again, if you literally never travel, outside of the sign on bonus the CSP and CSR aren't very worthwhile.

The sign on bonuses are great, though.  As I stated on the previous page of this thread, I got the CSP just for the sign on bonus.  I have no intention at all of keeping it though, but would see some value with certain 5% rotating categories of the Freedom.

[shoegal]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Shoegal- At 661 FICO if you have over 20k income that's a guaranteed Freedom or Freedom Unlimited approval...

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Good to know! Thanks for the info.