Congrats on getting your financial life in order. Bet it feels good to be in a better place!
Obviously just sitting and letting what you have age is a start. AmEx is known for generous credit increases, so you can start to work that angle. Every 90 days. They also do soft pull seconds, so you could look at like a BCP or BCE card down the road. Both of those are great cards. They have no ding decline pre-approval which is nice. Savor is a great card for dining and groceries. Keep using it and seeing if it can grow. You could look for an all round 2% card. I'm going for Fidelity Visa here soon, but there are lots of other options.
@coldfusion wrote:Use the AMEX, pay the statement balance in full each month, and at least 91 days after the approval submit a CLI request looking to get $3K. A $1K approval is in effect a provisional approval meant to give you an opportunity to prove yourself, and the card will tend to grow slowly at first but as you establish a pattern of use and regular PIF AMEX will probably be more generous with growth and with the starting limit if you choose to apply for another of their cards.
For now, plan on a cadence of 1 new card every 6 months. Next step IMO should likely be a Visa/Mastercard 1.5% or 2% cashback card for non-category spend, assuming you have the Ally Platinum card.
Did you burn any of the larger credit unions?
All good advice.
Most of your cards seem to be really specific in their purposes, and mostly "Team Travel" A flat rate spend is a good idea, but also think about how you want to handle the "big 3", of grocery/gas/dining. Do you want to get 5%/x for each of them by aiming for different cards, or would you be happy with less cards that give you 3%/x grouped together?
Also, go get the PayPal debit. No pull, just need to tell your PayPal account to send it to you. 5% on a main category of your choice each month, capped at 1k spend.
Sock - 
Chopping Block - 
Debit Cards - 
You’ve come a long way since your BK discharge; getting approvals from CapOne, BofA, and even Amex after burning them is huge progress. Limits may look small right now, but that’s normal after a rebuild. With scores in the 680–702 range and utilization at 4%, you’re in a solid spot to just let things age.
Since you just got Amex, the best “next step” is honestly to pause applications for 6–12 months and let your accounts build history. That alone will lift your scores and improve your odds for higher limits and better cards down the road.
CapOne may be stingy on CLIs, but they gave you a second chance, so keeping the relationship alive is smart. BofA can grow nicely with time, and Amex often rewards patience with auto-CLIs once you show consistent usage.
If I were in your shoes; I’d focus on using RC and Amex as daily drivers; let everything age; and revisit new apps once you’re closer to your BK falling off in 2027. By then you’ll look much stronger on paper and will be positioned for prime limits.
@TheWilder1 Be aware that with Amex they might not approve CLIs for a while when you apply with a BK on file. I have a CH7 still reporting and while I was fortunate that Amex didn't give me the $1k limit, I was denied increases multiple times until I had 2yrs of history with them (always PIF). The last 2 requests have been approved though.
What to do? Well isn't that the question.
For you I would take stock of who is currently in my wallet to see who my current friends are. I would also bring out the list of issuers that got burned in the past and ask who wants some anti-burn ointment. As far as I can see your existing issuers are who you missed the first time or the ones that naturally suffer from amnesia(Capital One). Basically a hodgepodge of leftovers. Now would be a great time to figure out who will be friends from now on. Remember it is highly unlikely you burned everyone but we cannot guess without a list. There are national issuers, regional issuers, and even ultra local issuers and we have no idea who you hurt. Usually someone that did get hurt will also have direct competition that might take a chance. My guess is you hurt Chase and now BoA, their direct competitor, is helping you out. There are plenty of issuers out there that will take a chance sooner or later but you need to look at the whole field and now is the best time to do that. Post the list and we might offer ideas how to return or who might be a proper replacement.
