This is my first post, but I’ve been reading intently for a few months.
I’ve ignored my credit for years - no car loan or mortgage since 2007, no credit cards or personal loans since before 2007 as I ruined the ones I had. Lots of collections etc over the years but somehow things have worked out. My scores were in the 650’s across the board when I first setup MyFICO in Mar 2018.
I opened a Discover Secured card with $800 in Mar 2018. In May, I applied for Kohl’s at the checkout expecting not to be approved but wanting the discount for applying anyways (and, at the time, I did not know the impact of doing that on my scores!!). I was immediately approved for $300.
In June I app’d For CO Quicksilver One and was immediately approved - $300.
Since Mar I was using Discover monthly to run it up then pay off before the statement cut. I did the same for CO but occasionally let a balance hang over. I paid off Kohl’s and just ignored it.
In September my scores 663 EP 664 TU and 656 EX. I have 2 open collections on all three but 2 more on EP. I decided to apply for Amex Delta Gold bc CK said I had good approval. To my sheer surprise, I was immediately approved for $1,000. I didn’t think much more about it and was shopping on Amazon that same night, went to checkout and the Amazon Prime Visa was lurking so I figured - what the hell. I applied and was approved for $4,000! So Amex and Chase on the same night - with scores mid 600’s. There was some magic happening.
Since then, Sept 17 and Oct 20, I asked CO for a CLI and received a measly $100. I got an email from PayPal about applying for their MasterCard so I did, immediately approved $700. I also applied for Overstock card to get the 0% purchase over 6 months. Immediately approved for $1,000.
Oct 20 was 2 days after my 8th Discover statement. I woke up and logged in (like I do everyday) and there it was — $2,000 SL!!! My $800 secured account had graduated. Around 9pm last night I received the email from Discover telling me the good news and my security deposit would be refunded in 5-7 days.
I’ve been approved for a car loan through DCU @ 4% but I haven’t moved forward yet.
Other than that, I plan to garden for the next 6 months and request CLI with Amex accordingly and CO too. My scores have dropped, understandably so, and are now 657 634 619. I pay all cards before the statement cuts so the only balance I carry is on Overstock.
