Thanks, I probably will just wait it out, at least for around a year. I don't think I'd get great cards sooner than a year anyway. But, I don't know if I'll wait the full 18 months, because I think I probably could get a Paypal MC or Citi DC by this time next year.
I appreciate Citi for having a secured card at all, and in my particular case, I appreciate that they were the first card I got approved for this time around. And, at least they do graduate at some point, unlike some secured cards. On the other hand, 18 months is longer than any other secured card that graduates that I can think of, let alone the 30 months that some people are reporting, and I think they need to allow you to add to your deposit, particularly if you're going to have to wait 18 months or even longer.
That said, this thread is intended to collect datapoints for the community's overall info, not just mine. (Usually when I create a thread here, I have in mind somebody finding it in months or years down the road because they have the same question.) Delaying the already-lengthy 18-month graduation to 30 months seems to me like something that would only make sense if the person had several lates or declared bankruptcy in the meantime or otherwise had some serious risk issues, and, none of the anecdotes I've seen have indicated anything like that. Again, PNW said that his/her scores had improved and he/she had multiple unsecured cards, so the only "negative" data I'm aware of in that particular example is limited use of the Citi card. It would be good if the community knew (for example) that rarely using the card will delay graduation, but as of now, I don't think we can make any statements at all with confidence regarding what leads to an 11-month graduation vs a 30-month graduation. Hence this thread 
Not sure if this should be a new thread or not, but, once the Citi secured card graduates into a Citi Diamond Preferred, what can you PC it to? For example, could you easily PC it to a Prestige, or would that require a separate approval process?
@Bojack wrote:
FYI I received my graduation letter today, exactly 9 months from when I opened the card. I put 5.00 on the card every month and only reported a balance once.
I gave up on the card due to the uncertainty, but I still find it academically interesting. Nine months is the earliest graduation I've heard so far for this card. Would you mind saying what your profile is like - scores, AoOA, AAoA, AoYA, inquiries, other cards/CLs, anything else that might be of interest? Congrats on the graduation! Makes me wish I'd kept the card. I'd be at nine months now.
