Questions about Comenity

[Anonymous]

Good morning, y'all. Hope you've all had a good weekend so far.

I finally got a foot in the door with Comenity. Tried the SCT for a few stores I shop at regularly, but got nothing. A few days later I got a letter in the mail from Simply Be telling me I was pre-approved. Yay!

They started me with $200, which is just fine. It's a start, and that's what I needed. However, I can't seem to get any offers/popups for the cards I really want, which are VS and either Overstock or Wayfair (love them both!)

Is this common for Comenity? Are some of their card requirements less stringent than others? I figured if I'm pre-approved for one, a second should be no big deal, but it just ain't happening. I've also heard VS is the easiest of them all, but it's not happening for me.

(I'm aware that Comenity can backfire. I only want the 3 I will actually use. )

[CountryLivin]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Good morning, y'all. Hope you've all had a good weekend so far.

I finally got a foot in the door with Comenity. Tried the SCT for a few stores I shop at regularly, but got nothing. A few days later I got a letter in the mail from Simply Be telling me I was pre-approved. Yay!

They started me with $200, which is just fine. It's a start, and that's what I needed. However, I can't seem to get any offers/popups for the cards I really want, which are VS and either Overstock or Wayfair (love them both!)

Is this common for Comenity? Are some of their card requirements less stringent than others? I figured if I'm pre-approved for one, a second should be no big deal, but it just ain't happening. I've also heard VS is the easiest of them all, but it's not happening for me.

(I'm aware that Comenity can backfire. I only want the 3 I will actually use. )

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Yes, they have different requirements for different cards. I would just wait and let this card age a little bit maybe 3-6 months. If you use it and pay on time, your score will increase and you will qualify for other cards. If you get too many too quick from Comenity, they could close them all on you. Not saying they will, as I have 14 Comenity cards, and I use them all...not just purchases to keep them open, but I am still scared to ask for credit increases or do anything that will cause them to look into my account for fear of them all getting closed.

[AverageJoesCredit]

As with any Bank having one credit card doesnt mean you'll automatically qualify for another. SCT from Comenity is often too much of a risk or trap. Tread carefully

[Anonymous]

Yeah so I hear.

My Simply Be wasn't SCT - I got a pre-approval in the mail. I do actually shop there, which is nice. Are these letters somehow better/safer?

This is my "foot in the door" with them. As I said, I only want 3 tops (unless they have an awesome gas rewards card) - this one, the VS, and preferably Overstock.

Credit isn't good enough for unsecured that are worth a crap just yet. In time, though. Patience, young padiwan.

[AverageJoesCredit]

You are going in right direction. As your score rises pick cards that fit your needs and spend. Try to get closer to 600 before going for more Comenity store cards to better your chances. Good luck

[kiea]

When you checkout try to 'checkout as a guest'. That always works for me.

[Anonymous]

As far as Comenity's SCT cards go, my personal advice is to proceed very cautiously and only get ones that you actually expect to use. I only have one Comenity card, Overstock, which I got on a pre-approved offer rather than strictly a SCT offer, and recently got a pre-approved offer via postal mail for their Williams-Sonoma cobranded Visa because I'd been shopping there not long ago. I don't think I'll accept that offer, though (not least because I got a much better Visa from Navy Fed right around that same time); if there's any one other Comenity card that I have a real interest in, it's the BJ's Perks MasterCard but I'm probably going to wait to see if a preapproved offer pops up either via mail or at the BJ's member services counter (I've heard one can sometimes get preapproved offers there if one inquires, or is offered that while doing other business there).

Comenity, as others have pointed out, is infamous for taking AA against customers, often (though not always) because said customers have first gotten a large number of cards via the SCT, which doesn't require a hard pull, and then obtained one of their co-branded majors, which does require a HP - which then causes the bank to do a more detailed review of the customer's profile and then get scared. So don't go overboard!

[Anonymous]

Yeah, Joe, I've read some of the horror stories. That's why I really only want the 3. I shop at Simply Be, VS, Overstock, and Wayfair, but I feel like I'd be pushing it even with just the 4. I'd rather have Overstock than Wayfair, I think. 

Either way, it's not absolutely necessary. I was just curious about whether approval for one would increase my approval odds for others. I've tried the SCT (just on VS, Overstock, and Wayfair) every way I know how - as a guest, signed in, etc. - and it doesn't work. 

The Simply Be preapproval also came by mail, so maybe I'll just wait it out and see what happens for now.  

Thanks so much for all the advice. 

[Anonymous]

Comenity is now doing HPs on SCT approvals. But for someone just trying to get a few starter cards, it might be worth it.

You'll probably need a score of 650 or so to get an Overstock card. I think I couldn't trigger the SCT there until I was nearly at 700, and I had 3 Comenity cards already. I believe they are more stringent since their CLs are typically higher.

Ironically, I achieved CLs above $12k at both Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn in less than a year, and my scores were around 600 when I first acquired them.

[JR_TX]

I got the Sportsmansguide Visa (Comenity) a few years ago via the SCT. Then I think after a few weeks I cold app’d for their Orbits Visa Siggy (less than 5 yrs post DC) and was declined. A few days later that’s when they shut down and closed my SGV card for no reason! No other interaction with any Comenity cards but those two. Learned my lesson with them that’s why I’m staying as far away from them as possible! Thank God Synch bought out my Paypal (BML) credit as I was about to close it.