2.625% rewards on everything here I come! I have a long and winding history with BofA, but since around 2010 I've been on their BL. I recently changed jobs so had a 401k I could roll over into a Merrill Edge account and get the Platinum Honors level of their Preferred Rewards. I app'd for the US Bank Altitude card yesterday so I said, what the heck, let's make it a little spree.
Application was not instantly approved nor denied, but went under review. I decided to give a call this morning and an analyst said it had not yet been finalized but she would try to get it finalized right now (I think the fact that I had those Merrill Edge accounts was a factor). She put me on hold and didn't ask any additional questions, and came back a few minutes later with a $5k approval! Not the highest, but definitely fine for what I need it for. The huge rewards plus nice 20k point sign-on bonus will have this card at the top of my wallet. Maybe I'll try to see if they can use the same HP for a CLI on my BBR card.
So, you may be wondering why I think I'm on the BL if I have a BBR card. The reason is that my BBR started life as a secured card, that eventually graduated to a regular BankAmericard, that I talked them into converting into a BBR. Since I had my COs with BofA in 2010, they haven't actually approved me for anything that wasn't secured (and I actually was declined and had to recon to originally get the fully secured card to start with). So this Travel Rewards is my first non-secured approval since then.
Come to think of it, I've never actually had a card approved by BofA before. My CC history with them dates back to an MBNA card and a Fleet bank card I had long ago. BofA acquired both of those banks and those cards converted to standard BofA cards. In about 2010, they were both charged off (about $2.5k each if I recall), and in about 2013 I paid to settle both of them. Last month, those derogs finally fell off my reports so I was hopeful. I'm still on Amex & Chase BL so I gotta work on those, however Citi actually let me back in about 6 months ago before the derogs cleared and things have been going swimmingly with them.
One heck of a happy pill
. Nice job
. Nice job
@Anonymous wrote:Do you have a 6 figure salary? Do you still have all of those 30 cards in your signature? Just curious; I have often wondered at what point I personally would start getting delcined for new credit since I (thought) I already had so much. SSFCU in particular is very conservative yet you have two cards with them.
Congrats on the approval; I really like BofA and with your Preferred Rewads you will make out like a bandit!
Hi Co_Native, I do have a six figure salary (my company is HQ in CO actually, but I live in CA), and I actually haven't updated my signature in about 6 months so I have another half-dozen cards I need to add (Citi AA, PenFed Cash Rewards, US Bank Business Edge, BofA Travel Rewards, and I'm forgetting something).
Yes, SSFCU is pretty conservative, although I have a good relationship with them. They gave me the Power Travel Rewards (my absolute favorite, although the new BofA Travel Rewards will be in the running now) at $5k when I started my rebuild, and when they introduced the Cash Rewards card last year I applied and they gave me $10k, which for them is pretty high. I use the Power Travel Rewads card a lot.
I definitely have too many recent new accounts and inquiries (about 30 accounts in last 24 months and 18-20 inquiries per bureau). That's definitely too many for some lenders, but I'm at the point where I'm naturally about to slow down becuase I have most of what I want (need to get back in with Chase & Amex still). From my personal experience, accounts and inquiries within the past 6 months is the most significant factor (Barclay's, FNBO, USBank have all specifically called out this timeframe to me).
Actually, this BofA Travel Rewards card makes a bunch of other cards obsolete for me - anything with 1.5%, 2% or even 2.5% standard rewards so very excited to get it!
