@Twotimesacharm wrote:I plan on apping for second NFCU card in July, then requesting a CLI afterwards. I have three questions before I do though:
1. Do I need to wait for the decision on the 2nd app before I request the CLI, or is it done back-to-back at the same time, just with the new card being first?
2. Since I now understand that banks often decide new credit lines based on CLs with cards from other banks you have (often giving a higher CL to entice you to use their card instead), would it be best to do some soft pull CLI requests on my other two cards (current cards: Wells $0/4000, baby Amex $0/1000, NFCU $525/3000)? Or will that hurt my July app if I have higher limits (no balances though)?
3. With AZEO, when I app in July, would it be best to have a small balance on my Navy card or a different one? My thought was for them to see I use their card most (I do run A LOT throughout the month, but make multiple payments and will have it under 10% when I app).
Thank you in advance!
1. I would wait for the decision, @Twotimesacharm. This isn't like an app spree where you do multiple apps close together so that the other new accounts aren't reporting. Let them process the new card. Then, they may or may not approve the CLI but in opposite situation, new card may be denied.
2. Soft pull CLIs are always fine to pursue. If Navy likes you, it may not matter much if any. Just to clarify, most lenders don't try to beat your other cards but they do take your existing limits into consideration. Someone always has to be first issuing you a higher-limit card but they often don't want to be first!! 
Plus, there are so many other considerations about credit limits and this one is relatively minor. How you worked up to those higher limits is what matters more including FICO, income, debt-to-income, utilization, length of credit, depth of credit, recent credit-seeking behavior, and more. So you could have a $25K card but if those other factors have degraded since that approval or don't meet a lenders underwriting, you could get a much lower limit or a declined app.
3. It doesn't really matter. In your case, if NFCU card is your daily driver, sounds like it would be easier. Navy is one of those rare lenders that doesn't seem to heavily (if at all) weigh recent utilization of their cards to approve a CLI. I drove up my NFCU limits with very little spending. As for AZEO, I think it's over-rated and over-discussed on My FICO. There is a marginal bump from it but that only really matters if it will help you cross a lenders approval threshold. In other words, going from 675 to 680 or 725 to 733 may not lead to a more beneficial outcome. If the predetermined card approval cutoff was 695, you'd still be denied or approved respectively. And credit limits are based more from income, debt including other credit card utilization, existing limits, or other factors. It surprises some people but a very high FICO doesn't always lead to high credit limits or even new card approvals if other considerations are not in order. AZEO certainly doesn't matter day-to-day when you aren't applying for new credit.
Good luck and let us know how it turns out! 😄
@Twotimesacharm wrote:
@Aim_HighThank you so much for all the information! One quick follow up question:1. I would wait for the decision, @Twotimesacharm. This isn't like an app spree where you do multiple apps close together so that the other new accounts aren't reporting. - If I did a mini app spree (like 2 or 3 new cards) the same night, would that hurt me at all?
Applying for multiple cards simultaneously is a strategy some of our members have used. The benefit is each lender doesn't see the other new accounts reporting yet on your credit report. And if it's done with lenders who pull different credit bureaus, they also won't see the recent HP's from each other. This can be helpful with lenders who are sensitive to new accounts or inquiries in particular. It can increase the odds of an approval or better SL for each of the cards than if you spaced them out. Some of our members always do a couple of apps together and then go back into "the garden." The overall impact on FICO is the same whether you space the apps or not.
Just be aware that mini-sprees come with some risk. You new card approval may be further reviewed, sometimes manually by an underwriter. They may frown on the practice and we have had members report cards being closed shortly after approval. 
This is less likely as a credit profile and FICO strengthen, or if the app spree was just 2-3 cards instead of 5-10 cards, for example. So proceed with a degree of caution and try not to go crazy. Chase has been known to close cards on approvals trying to by-pass their 5/24 rule, for example. Even with my profile, I try not to go overboard but I sometimes combine apps or do them relatively close together, within a few weeks or so. Most recently, I did a USAA Eagle Navigator and Synchrony Lowe's cards on the same night.
Whether you do them in a spree or space them out, you will need to consider gardening afterward to let cards age and impact to profile heal. One problem with sprees is the more you spree, the longer you need to garden. 
This can put you on the sidelines when a new card or special SUB comes out that you want to pursue. As a rule of thumb, I usually recommend one new card every six months is a reasonable pace. Quicker than that, and you may exceed lenders' criteria (such as 5/24 or 2/12). A thick developed profile can push those limits easier and with less side effects than a young, thin profile.