While I agree that the "app spree" is a thing of the past, I'm glad that I got a majority of my cards within an 18 month period. It *did* dip my scores down to the 660's for about a year, but now they're mostly aging at the same pace and in the long run, it'll make my AAoA more solid. I'm currently sitting in the 740's all around.
Trust me though... I was walking on egg shells after getting CFU and CSP within 4 months of each other. I let my AAoA hit 3 years and then I apped for Clearpoints and Savor. While I love SUB's, these cards will serve a long term purpose for me and help me maximize rewards on spend that I make anyways. There's a handful of cards on my wishlist still, but I'm going to wait at least another 18 months before I think of apping for anything. (I may just wait until I hit that magic 5 year mark. I've got plenty of open lines for what I need, so there's really no excuse to rush into anything.)
This being said, I've never been late and usually pay within a week of statement closing. I've never made a payment under $1K unless the balance was less than that. (I'm a firm believer that anything near "minimum payment" sets off an internal flag with lenders.) If I carry a balance, it's usually for maybe a month or two unless I'm strategically playing for a CLI. Chase, Amex and BoA have seen many payments in the $5K-7K range, and BoA once got a $26K payment when I was reimbursed for $22K in testing equiptment I needed for a job. (I get reimbursed for A LOT of work expenses, so my lenders see lots of spend, and generally very large payments coming through to them, and always from the same credit union checking account.) I'm fairly certain this has helped me build a layer of trust with these banks... But I in no way take that for granted.
AA is real, and I credit the wisdom and counsel of the financially savvy group here at My Fico for helping me steer clear of behavior that would put me on that road. Props to the OP for sharing his story, and I hope you do join us in the garden to help your profile age and make your existing lenders feel a bit less skittish. Time is the one variable that will make a profile grow stronger no matter who you are. 
@Anonymous wrote:
Sorry, for your troubles friend. I’ve opened several, 10 in a calendar year to be exact. Not smart, or recommend. I’ve never had any issues with any of them. I do bank with BofA, and have investments with Merrill.
Yikes! I'm in the same boat as you... I'm pretty sure I opened 10+ accounts since September 2018. Actually, it was 11 accounts (Oops! Make that 12; I forgot about my car loan). What the heck was I thinking?? The approval high is a real thing and I'm glad I've moved past it... hopefully lol. No, I think I'm done. I've seen my scores go up because of my accounts being older than 3 months and that's shown me that letting them age is the best thing to do. I would LOVE to PC my Wells Fargo Platinum to a CashWise, but Wells Fargo would create a whole new account and that would defeat the purpose of what I'm trying to do here.
Long story short, I would also NOT recommend opening so many accounts in such a short period. There's really no need for it.
