WF Autograph w/ BK Ch7

[StephenH]

I found a two promo emails in my inbox with invite codes for Bilt Rewards and Autograph from a couple of months ago. So maybe I at least meet general criteria aside from the BK? (Not putting any stock in this regardless). However, the autograph email did say it's a 20k SUB. 

I honestly don't think I will go for the Reflect. If all else fails, I think I will change direction and go with Penfed PCR. 

[StephenH]

Update: I got a mailer yesterday for the autograph! BUT not a pre-qualification or pre-approval. The APR wasn't solid either; in any case, I will consider this good news and continue to wait.

[IrritatedAvians]

Wanted to share my DP's of applying for a WF Autograph with a BK7 on my reports since I didn't see many people chime in. Quick rundown of my rebuild up to applying for the Autogtaph below. Also threw in the PenFed PCR info since looks like you are eyeing that also.

BK7 Filed October 2019.

BK7 DC'd February 2020.

Mission Lane - November 2020 - $750 SL

Cap One Plat - May 2021 - $1,000 SL (PC to QS December 2021)

NFCU cashRewards - June 2021 - $5,000 SL

NFCU Flagship - December 2021 - $12,500 SL

Apple Card - December 2021 - $5,000 SL

WF Autograph - July 2022 - $11,000 SL

PenFed PCR - July 2022 - $6,000 SL

For the Autograph, they pulled EX9 at 677. Instant approval. Prior relationship with WF with a checking account. Income reported on app was $133K. WF not IIB.

For the PenFed PCR, they pulled EQ. Not sure which model. Instant approval. Cold apped for the PCR same day as opening checking/savings with PenFed. This was three days after the Autograph approval. Only put $50 in checking to initially fund the account when I applied.

[StephenH]

Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate it. I got a little impatient after seeing @LADave's approval and decided to run the penfed prequal lol. I was pre approved for $6500, but figured I should wait a bit longer, specially after reading recent forum posts about penfed.

I am pre approved for all three of their cards at 29.99%, can you share what your apr is? I think I will apply in August once my last two inquiries age out.

[IrritatedAvians]

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@StephenH wrote:

Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate it. I got a little impatient after seeing @LADave's approval and decided to run the penfed prequal lol. I was pre approved for $6500, but figured I should wait a bit longer, specially after reading recent forum posts about penfed.

I am pre approved for all three of their cards at 29.99%, can you share what your apr is? I think I will apply in August once my last two inquiries age out.

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You're welcome! The WF approval came as a bit of a surprise when I applied since like many others I'd always considered WF to be a conservative lender. 

My APR for the WF Autograph at approval was 26.49% after an introductory 0% APR for 12 months. There have been a few fed rate hikes since so I think it is higher now but strangely my statements don't show the regular purchase APR while I'm still in the intro 0% APR period. Statement says cash advance APR is 29.99% but that is usually a bit higher than regular purchase APR.

My APR at approval for the PenFed PCR was 17.99% and is still there. Also went on an app spree March 2023 and was approved for a PenFed Pathfinder with a $10,000 SL and also got a CLI for an additional $4,000 on my PCR all with the same HP. Prior to the CLI on the PCR I'd run a couple hundred of spend through the card per month since opening and have parked $500 in PenFed's free checking account to maintain Honors Advantage status with them.

[LADave]

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@StephenH wrote:

Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate it. I got a little impatient after seeing @LADave's approval and decided to run the penfed prequal lol. I was pre approved for $6500, but figured I should wait a bit longer, specially after reading recent forum posts about penfed.

I am pre approved for all three of their cards at 29.99%, can you share what your apr is? I think I will apply in August once my last two inquiries age out.

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Hi @StephenH, did you mean Wells Fargo or PenFed? I believe the current ceiling on PenFed cards is 17.99% and that's the APR on my PenFed Gold and Pathfinder cards. The APR on my Wells Fargo Autograph and Active Cash is 29.99%.

I would only pay credit card interest in a worst-case scenario, so I wouldn't necessarily wait if the only reason for that is to get a lower APR.

[StephenH]

Thank you! Did you go through WF pre approval/mailer or cold app?

That's awesome with Penfed! I happy to see the growth in CLs. I checked Apple just earlier after seeing it on your list and  the preapproval came in at $4500. I've also been getting US Bank mailers. So maybe I can go on a mini spree in a month or two.

[StephenH]

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@LADave wrote:

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@StephenH wrote:

Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate it. I got a little impatient after seeing @LADave's approval and decided to run the penfed prequal lol. I was pre approved for $6500, but figured I should wait a bit longer, specially after reading recent forum posts about penfed.

I am pre approved for all three of their cards at 29.99%, can you share what your apr is? I think I will apply in August once my last two inquiries age out.

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Hi @StephenH, did you mean Wells Fargo or PenFed? I believe the current ceiling on PenFed cards is 17.99% and that's the APR on my PenFed Gold and Pathfinder cards. The APR on my Wells Fargo Autograph and Active Cash is 29.99%.

I would only pay credit card interest in a worst-case scenario, so I wouldn't necessarily wait if the only reason for that is to get a lower APR.

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Hi @LADave, it was for WF. I figured if I see a mid tier APR as opposed to 29.99%, I would have better odds of being approved. I saw a recent forum post that said someone was denied after applying through preapproval; they were able to recon and get approved, but I don't think there were any derogs on their profile.

I'm waiting for my inquiries to age out which will be next month, so I'm prepping for a mini app spree lol

[IrritatedAvians]

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@StephenH wrote:

Thank you! Did you go through WF pre approval/mailer or cold app?

That's awesome with Penfed! I happy to see the growth in CLs. I checked Apple just earlier after seeing it on your list and  the preapproval came in at $4500. I've also been getting US Bank mailers. So maybe I can go on a mini spree in a month or two.

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Actually, I stand corrected. Was looking back at old information and my Apple Card started at $4,500. Forgot I was approved for a $500 CLI in July 2022. $5,000 is the current limit on the Apple Card.

The WF Autograph was just done as a cold app on their website. This was within a month of when the Autograph first came out so not sure if that had any influence on the approval or not. Basically Googled WF Autograph and ended up at their page promoting the new card and that it came with a 30,000 bonus points SUB on $1,500 spend in the first 3 months plus 0% APR for 12 months and just clicked apply. No preapproval codes or mailers or anything.

You can surprisingly get a lot of love from PenFed with a single HP. I've been pretty happy with them. US Bank is on my radar for April/May of 2025 once all my inquiries have dropped off since I read they are inquiry sensitive. I've also read that you can't get approved for unsecured lines of credit with US Bank until 5+ years after BK unless there are recent DP's to the contrary I've missed.

[LADave]

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@StephenH wrote:

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@LADave wrote:

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@StephenH wrote:

Thank you for sharing! I really appreciate it. I got a little impatient after seeing @LADave's approval and decided to run the penfed prequal lol. I was pre approved for $6500, but figured I should wait a bit longer, specially after reading recent forum posts about penfed.

I am pre approved for all three of their cards at 29.99%, can you share what your apr is? I think I will apply in August once my last two inquiries age out.

---

Hi @StephenH, did you mean Wells Fargo or PenFed? I believe the current ceiling on PenFed cards is 17.99% and that's the APR on my PenFed Gold and Pathfinder cards. The APR on my Wells Fargo Autograph and Active Cash is 29.99%.

I would only pay credit card interest in a worst-case scenario, so I wouldn't necessarily wait if the only reason for that is to get a lower APR.

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Hi @LADave, it was for WF. I figured if I see a mid tier APR as opposed to 29.99%, I would have better odds of being approved. I saw a recent forum post that said someone was denied after applying through preapproval; they were able to recon and get approved, but I don't think there were any derogs on their profile.

I'm waiting for my inquiries to age out which will be next month, so I'm prepping for a mini app spree lol

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In my experience Wells Fargo isn't that inquiry-sensitive. However - I was approved for the Autograph on the day it launched in July 2022 but with only a $1000 SL. I moved $700 in credit from my Active Cash card to make it $1700.

I was 4/12 on new cards and - perhaps more crucially - carrying a balance on my Active Cash, since it was still in the 0% interest period. Wells Fargo later bumped my Autograph limit to $5100 shortly after I paid off the Autograph. (I had requested it go to $5100 shortly before then, but was denied for that increase at the time I made it.)

Wells Fargo will sometimes give low account balances as a reason for denying CLIs, but in my experience they will often overlook that if you're good about using and paying off their cards.

US Bank and Citi seem way more inquiry-sensitive. At some point I want to apply for a couple of US Bank cards, but I've been having way too much fun racking up inquiries. 😇