I'd get another CC you may find useful from Chase. No you don't have to have the Freedom to PC to one. The AARP might still be giving $200 for spending $500. It's easy free money and a card you can piggyback extra CL on and no AF. I'd grab it and the CSP. Remember Chase has a bunch of other cards you may qualify for as well.
Before a house, probably not a good idea. Before an auto, Doesn't make a difference one way or the other.
Oh look what I found..the easiest $200 you'll ever make. lol
https://www.aarpcreditcard.com
Have fun and get what you want! Between CSP and AARP, that's over $800 free money between the two.
You have to asked yourself, what's the purpose of good credit, if you're afraid to use it?😉
One more thing, if double apping Chase. Always use a different browser for the 2nd app or clear your browser history. If not, you may receive an error and the 2nd app doesn't process at all. Give the system at least 5 mins between the apps. If the 2nd app errors out. Wait a few minutes and resubmit again.
Before a house, probably not a good idea. Before an auto, Doesn't make a difference one way or the other.
Oh look what I found..the easiest $200 you'll ever make. lol
https://www.aarpcreditcard.com
Have fun and get what you want! Between CSP and AARP, that's over $800 free money between the two.
You have to asked yourself, what's the purpose of good credit, if you're afraid to use it?😉
One more thing, if double apping Chase. Always use a different browser for the 2nd app or clear your browser history. If not, you may receive an error and the 2nd app doesn't process at all. Give the system at least 5 mins between the apps. If the 2nd app errors out. Wait a few minutes and resubmit again.
Lol.. there's no age limit on the AARP. You don't have to join AARP either. I'm in my 40s. Thanks, for quite a long time I wasn't able to get any cards. I figured once I got to that point where I could get what I wanted..why not? 😁
Auto loans are secured loans. They don't have much bearing on your unsecured credit.
I can name several CUs that will approve you for a credit card and a auto loan the same day. If it were a big deal. Why would they bother?😉
I had two new auto loans back in 2016 a month apart. At that time I also had almost $200,000 in new unsecured credit. Penfed didn't bat an eye. Navy Federal tried to get me to refinance with them around the same time. As well as USAA.
Auto loans are secured loans. They don't have much bearing on your unsecured credit.
I can name several CUs that will approve you for a credit card and a auto loan the same day. If it were a big deal. Why would they bother?😉
I had two new auto loans back in 2016 a month apart. At that time I also had almost $200,000 in new unsecured credit. Penfed didn't bat an eye. Navy Federal tried to get me to refinance with them around the same time. As well as USAA.
wrote:Yes, why not?!
I only ask about the auto loan because we're currently thinking of a new car and not sure which route to go: to finance, not finance, or lease.
That's good to know about the CUs. They seem to be more willing to extend.
There's no way into USAA or NFCU without a military connection, right? You can donate to get into Penfed and the others but not these two?
I'm also trying to decipher your signature. FICO 8 Scores EQ=754 TU=783 EX=771 (INQ) EQ=13 TU=12 EX=12 TCL=$500K+
1) INQ means a single inquiry on Experian in the last 12 months, right? Because they essentially no longer affect you after 12 months?
2) TCL is total credit limit. $500k is impressive.
3) How did you get the credit card pictures and get the CL is pop up when you hover the cursor over it?
4) How long has it taken you to amass all this credit? How many apps was a typical spree for you and how long was it spaced out? Every 6 months?
1) It is the number of inqs reporting presently on each CR. Some are a few months old and others going back just under 2 years. After 1 year they don't count against.
2) I'm still sitting at the little kids table compared to some members here. lol
4) Started in may of 2015 with two CC totalling $2600 combined. I've closed cards in that time frame as well.
I'd suggest Penfed for Auto. Grab a CC while you're there. All on the same pull. Without military affiliations the other two will be tough to join.
At the beginning, I did my apps closer together. Several in the same day.
Last year I did them one or two a month. Sometimes skipping by 60 or 90 days. If they were hidden and/or SP apps, I may do them right behind one another.
90 days apart worked pretty well. Take Chase for example. I apped for one Chase card before I realized I could double app them. 90 days later I got two more of their cards. Waited 90 days and hit them again for two more cards.
I did the same to Capitol One. Some of their rules have changed since then. I believe you can only get one Cap onn card every six months now.
All of those INQs from Chase and Capital One are gone now. I do have a fresh set for the Amazon card from last year.
This is a great thread to follow, thanks for starting it!
I started in the 600s. Anything above 740 is golden. There are people in the 800s that are turned down for cards I've had and closed. lol
The score is only one part of being approved.
I've purposely added secured loans, unsecured loans in order to thicken my file. I could have easily been in the 800s a year ago.
I picked the more diverse and thicker file route. I want creditors to look at my file and know without a doubt this guy pays his bills and can handle many different types of accounts.
Once I get home, I'll dig more into your questions.
The score is only one part of being approved.
I've purposely added secured loans, unsecured loans in order to thicken my file. I could have easily been in the 800s a year ago.
I picked the more diverse and thicker file route. I want creditors to look at my file and know without a doubt this guy pays his bills and can handle many different types of accounts.
Once I get home, I'll dig more into your questions.
wrote:1) I see. I imagine you'd be at well over 800 then, without INQs.
2) Half a mill seems a lot to me. At least, it has to be the grownups table, ha!
3) Thanks!
4) Half a mill in just over 2.5 years. That's impressive.
In hindsight, what order would you have done all this, i.e. which cards would you have gone after first? How would you have spaced it out? Did you start out above 800 and just decide you could live with high 700s as you accumulated credit?
Which cards do you use the most now?
Ok to answer your question about hindsight. If I'd known how tough some of the CUs are in comparison to the larger banks. I would have went after those first. Most of the larger institutions besides First National bank of Omaha and US bank are driven by computer approvals and denials. Those that let the computer do the work are the easiest to obtain IME. I probably wouldn't have ever bothered with Barclays either. lol
I did get the spend bonus before cutting them loose.
Now some of my cards weren't available when I first began this journey. One of my favorites is the USAA Limitless. Citi DC is another heavily used card. Blispay is a terrific card! Who gives you 2% cash back with 6 months no payments, no interest? They are the bomb! The only con is no CLIs given presently. What you see is what you get. Blispay's SLs are score driven by the DPs on this site. The higher the EX, the higher the limit.
Penfed's 5% cash back gas card is another favorite. I don't believe they offer it anymore.
We like the American Express cards such as the BCP and BBP. Those are the most used Amex cards.
Out of the Chase cards I've had. The IHG and Hyatt have given the best returns. Followed by the Freedom.
Bofa is another generous bank! You do have to take HPs for CLIs. They have always been worth it.
Navy Federal CCs are the king of 0% no transfer fee BT offers!
Having so many to choose from, it's tough to narrow down which ones I'd get first, if I had that choice. And know what I know now.
Lowes is another favorite and my one and only store card.
Spacing would have been the same. In the last six months I've had a bunch of inqs drop off.
What I've noticed in those six months. The accounts I've added recently don't have the impact that the same number of new accounts did a year ago. My scores actually moved up a little instead of down. I suppose having more than 20 accounts go pass the 24th month age did that. lol
The INQs impact isn't as great once you pass a certain number either.
I'm on the down turn now. I only have one card that I really want. That would be the Vantage West CB CC.
Because of all the new accounts added and knowing how CUs operate. I'm going to wait six months to a year before I app this one. After that I'm done besides SP CLIs on my cards like Citi and Discover. I'll do some PCing and consolidating limits as well.
Quite useful app strategy although I don't think I could be that aggressive. 
Hopefully I'll break through 700 on all three bureaus this month. I'm trying to garden until I reach the 740-760 range then I'll probably use some of your strategy.
wrote:
wrote:Yes, why not?!
I only ask about the auto loan because we're currently thinking of a new car and not sure which route to go: to finance, not finance, or lease.
That's good to know about the CUs. They seem to be more willing to extend.
There's no way into USAA or NFCU without a military connection, right? You can donate to get into Penfed and the others but not these two?
I'm also trying to decipher your signature. FICO 8 Scores EQ=754 TU=783 EX=771 (INQ) EQ=13 TU=12 EX=12 TCL=$500K+
1) INQ means a single inquiry on Experian in the last 12 months, right? Because they essentially no longer affect you after 12 months?
2) TCL is total credit limit. $500k is impressive.
3) How did you get the credit card pictures and get the CL is pop up when you hover the cursor over it?
4) How long has it taken you to amass all this credit? How many apps was a typical spree for you and how long was it spaced out? Every 6 months?
1) It is the number of inqs reporting presently on each CR. Some are a few months old and others going back just under 2 years. After 1 year they don't count against.
2) I'm still sitting at the little kids table compared to some members here. lol
4) Started in may of 2015 with two CC totalling $2600 combined. I've closed cards in that time frame as well.
I'd suggest Penfed for Auto. Grab a CC while you're there. All on the same pull. Without military affiliations the other two will be tough to join.
At the beginning, I did my apps closer together. Several in the same day.
Last year I did them one or two a month. Sometimes skipping by 60 or 90 days. If they were hidden and/or SP apps, I may do them right behind one another.
90 days apart worked pretty well. Take Chase for example. I apped for one Chase card before I realized I could double app them. 90 days later I got two more of their cards. Waited 90 days and hit them again for two more cards.
I did the same to Capitol One. Some of their rules have changed since then. I believe you can only get one Cap onn card every six months now.
All of those INQs from Chase and Capital One are gone now. I do have a fresh set for the Amazon card from last year.