I know this is an older thread of mine, but I have been seeing a lot of people being denied or were on the fence about applying. This is only from my experience but I will share.
Navy Federal uses their own scoring system and this doesnt really take into consideration traditional lending practices.
#1 Credit score isn’t really a factor, unless you have a high one then you will be approved.
#2 Time you’ve been a NFCU member with a steady direct deposit is what gets you approved for these high limit cards with bad scores.
#3 Consistency of direct deposit amount and where it comes from is very important. (Example: a steady DFAS or VA check will score much higher and improve approval odds drastically over that of say a non-military or government type of deposit. Amount only plays part in how much you’ll be approved for.
So if you join Navy Federal with bad credit get a secured card and carry it for 6 months paying it on time with your direct deposit that comes to your NFCU account, then after 6 months or a year pull the trigger on any card except the Flagship and I can almost guarantee you’ll be approved for a high limit card. If your score improves or your credit isn’t too bad by all means get the Flagship, but they tend to not approve it unless you have been at the bank for 1 year with a DFAS or VA direct deposit.
Hopefully, this helps people out with Navy Federal Cards. Lastly, this was written for people with bad credit in mind (4??-580). This is why some people are denied with better scores than others, it’s that constant direct deposit from DFAS or the VA that gets the approval!!
Update:
Pulled the trigger on CLI on day 91 and was instantly approved for $10,000 increase to $25,000 on my NFCU AMEX!! Whooohooooo!!
