Hello, fellow credit card appers!
I've been rebuilding my credit since a Bk7 discharge in October of 2018. I'm thrilled to share that my rebuild has been going well, and my FICOs are in the high 660s to high 680s. I've been apping over the past month in order to replace some rebuilders with better cards and recently came away with the following. (Income $84k; Util 3%)---
- PenFed Pathfinder ($5,000) -- Approved today!
- Citi's Best Buy Visa ($2,000) -- Approved on 2/23
- PayPal Cashback Mastercard ($300) Approved on 2/22
- Discover It CLI (from $2,300 to $2,800) (Increased in late Feb.)
- This brings my aggregate available credit to $29,350. See my siggy for my existing card line-up.
The following requests were declined:
- NFCU CLOC (too many inquiries, BK7 still reporting)
- NFCU CLIs (declined for both cards. I've hit their internal limit.)
- Citi Secured Card
- Cap1 Venture One (Note: they actually approved me for this card with a $300 SL, no SUB, maximum APR. Yes, you read that right-- three HUNDRED dollars and no SUB. I found this disheartening and closed the card before it arrived in the mail.)
Since starting my rebuild, I've closed the following cards. (Note, I'm aware of the common wisdom regarding AAoA... I'm in my 40s, have student loans that have been reporting for many years, and am not really worried about the impact to my credit score where AAoA is concerned):
- First Savings, Opened 03/2019, Closed 02/2021 (Annual fee. Not worth renewing.)
- CapOne Platinum, Opened 5/2019, Closed 2/2021 (No perks. Bucketed card.)
- Ikea, 02/2019 to 02/2021 (closed because I don't want to have retail cards anymore)
- First Premier, Opened 12/2018, Closed 12/2020 (Annual AND monthly fee. Couldn't wait to get rid of it.)
- Fortiva, 04/2019 to 09/2020 (Annual and monthly fees galore.)
- Wayfair, 01/2019 to 10/2020 (Closed by lender.)
- Credit One Bank, 01/2020 to 09/2020 (I closed the account because they don't offer autopay, which -- for me -- was just a disaster waiting to happen.)
- Overstock, 06/2019 to 08/2020 (I closed the acct because they reduced my CL from $250 to $150)
- Indigo, Opened and closed in 01/2019 before activating the card. (A $99 AF on a $300 CL seemed like a really bad idea, even as a rebuilder with a newly discharged Ch7.)
Next on the Chopping Block:
- Capital One QS1 ($1,500) - I'm planning to close this later in the year before the AF is billed in December. The credit line on this card hasn't budged in two years. No upgrades or PCs are ever available for me. This lender can kiss my grits.
What's Next? To be honest, I have everything I need when it comes to credit. I have a good daily card (NFCU Amex), a good travel card (PenFed Pathfinder) and a few cards from prime lenders that will grow with me over time. The only other thing I could possibly want (purely for vanity reasons) would be an AmEx Gold Card-- which I'm not eligible for until after October 2023. So, I'll be doing some long-term gardening to help shore up my credit profile. I'd love to buy a condo in another couple of years, so I'll be focusing on building the kind of profile that will make that dream happen.
AND -- Although I'm constantly lurking these boards, I rarely post here and am not sure when I'll write another update. So please-- let me say THANK YOU so much for showing me how to rebuild my financial reputation and my relationship with money. I can't express how grateful I am, and how much I owe to all of you. 
Congrats on your success and approvals!
Congratulations on your CLI and approvals!
Grats to all your success 
🙋♂️ Congratulations on some nice Majors and they can certainly grow with you! Way to go 🎊 🎉
P.s. 👏 Congrats on the Discover CLI !
Congrats on all the approvals!!! Continued success on rebuild!!
Congrats on the approvals. Was there any reason the Cap One Venture One $300 limit was terrible so you cancelled it but you were cool with $300 from PayPal?
AU
