CSP, Freedom, Amex ED
CSP is mainly for the huge bonus, but also the most useful of the three since it has no foreign transaction fees. The freedom I want just because it goes with the CSP and I may be able to make some online US purchases with it.
The Amex I want just to get an amex, but also for occasional grocery shopping on a military base (even though this is not my usual stop for groceries). I may upgrade it to EDP when I move back to the USA in late 2015.
I also have a new car that I ordered and is due to be delivered at the end of this month, at which time the finance for which I was approved will start.
This makes for 4 new accounts, which I have calculated is the maximum amount of new accounts I can currently sustain without dropping my AAoA on any of my credit reports.
I am currently adjusting my utilization so that it will be optimal for apps by the end of the month.
I should also note that I am still a rebuilder and one of the few negative items on my EX and EQ report is a paid Chase charge-off. This was an account that went delinquent in 2008 and I was put on a payment plan and it was then charged off in 2009. It has been paid in full. I have called Chase about this a few years ago to ask if I was blacklisted or anything and they said that I was definately not, especially since I have paid any balance owed. I also don't think its a huge issue, since I receive multiple pre-qual offers in my mailbox every week for both Freedom and Slate. I will be surprised if I don't get approved for any of the 3 cards I plan to apply for. But if anyone has been denied credit in a similar situation, please let me know.
What is the best order to do this? Chase might double-pull for both apps, which could result in 4 total inquiries. Is this going to freak out Amex? I am hoping not. And I don't need any other credit for awhile. My apartment is great, I have a new car coming, and there aren't really any other good credit cards (except possibly Sallie Mae, but my AAoA will drop if I do that too... plus I like the idea of collecting MR points on the ED for my groceries). So this will put me back in the garden (remember when I used to flash those spades around? 
)
I kind of know what I am doing already, but if anyone has additional advice that could benefit me, I would appreciate it.
EX:694 TU:744 EQ:777
Thanks myjourney! Chase might pull from 2 CRAs for each app too. I was thinking csp, freedom, amex, but I like your reasoning and will do it your way. Plus Amex doesn't recon, but Chase does.
What do you think about the Citi TY Premier? I can't imagine keeping such a high annual-fee card without point-transfers forever, but it does have a 50k bonus after 1 year.
Do all at the same time. Like within 5 seconds of each other. The Chase pulls should consolidate into 1 per bureau. Your FICO is a little iffy for the CSP, IMO.
Goodluck! 
@sexy_kitten7 wrote:Do all at the same time. Like within 5 seconds of each other. The Chase pulls should consolidate into 1 per bureau. Your FICO is a little iffy for the CSP, IMO.
Goodluck!
I have to disagree with this in terms of the FICO score due to some approval profiles I have seen, including my mother. Yay mom! 
He paid off a previous Chase CO and has healthy amount of accounts in good standing, which I think would negate any sort of problem with his FICO (which I think is fine; I've seen people get approved with lower scores. They certainly don't mean everything). If it is not an instant approval, I think you'd be golden on recon. I also like MJ's advice in terms of which to apply for in what order. I think the logic is pretty sound.
Good luck Dave and congrats on the new car!
@sexy_kitten7 wrote:Do all at the same time. Like within 5 seconds of each other. The Chase pulls should consolidate into 1 per bureau. Your FICO is a little iffy for the CSP, IMO.
Goodluck!
Yes, this is correct. If you do CSP and Freedom at the same time, you will only take one HP on EX and TU. Then, If you go to AMEX you will take one on EX. If you do it this way, you will only take 2 HP's on EX and 1 on TU. IF you do the CSP and Freedom weeks or months apart, then AMEX, your HP's will look like this:
EX HP's: 3
TU HP's: 2
5 total HP's vs 3 total HP's
@sexy_kitten7 wrote:Do all at the same time. Like within 5 seconds of each other. The Chase pulls should consolidate into 1 per bureau. Your FICO is a little iffy for the CSP, IMO.
Goodluck!
I don't think so. According to various web-based approval databases, my FICO is just fine... and I haven't even finished optimizing util yet. The 5 second advice is interesting though... I need to do it this fast for EX and TU to combine the inqs? Or maybe Chase limits the pulls within a few seconds? Does it hurt to do amex in-between if they are all within a few minutes?
@DaveSignal wrote:
@sexy_kitten7 wrote:Do all at the same time. Like within 5 seconds of each other. The Chase pulls should consolidate into 1 per bureau. Your FICO is a little iffy for the CSP, IMO.
Goodluck!
I don't think so. According to various web-based approval databases, my FICO is just fine... and I haven't even finished optimizing util yet. The 5 second advice is interesting though... I need to do it this fast for EX and TU to combine the inqs? Or maybe Chase limits the pulls within a few seconds? Does it hurt to do amex in-between if they are all within a few minutes?
Fill out the Chase and AMEX apps in separate browser windows. Pre-fill out the apps, then submit almost simultaneously. Then, immediately app the Freedom after the Chase decision.
@Hcontreras wrote:
@DaveSignal wrote:
@sexy_kitten7 wrote:Do all at the same time. Like within 5 seconds of each other. The Chase pulls should consolidate into 1 per bureau. Your FICO is a little iffy for the CSP, IMO.
Goodluck!
I don't think so. According to various web-based approval databases, my FICO is just fine... and I haven't even finished optimizing util yet. The 5 second advice is interesting though... I need to do it this fast for EX and TU to combine the inqs? Or maybe Chase limits the pulls within a few seconds? Does it hurt to do amex in-between if they are all within a few minutes?
Fill out the Chase and AMEX apps in separate browser windows. Pre-fill out the apps, then submit almost simultaneously. Then, immediately app the Freedom after the Chase decision.
Or maybe even do that with all three (in separate browser windows), then submit all at the same time.