You're not going to get any pre-quals because you're under 21. CARD Act prevents it so, don't bother with them. Choose a secured option and after about 6 months, you should be good to go with an unsecured. My first card was an Amex Gold and the only thing on my file was a 9 month auto loan.
X2 ^^^
@Remedios wrote:At the risk of sounding like broken and scratched record, those are not your scores and history is not yours.
Discover used to jump on customers with no history. That has changed somewhat. While they do prefer customers with less credit, they are also less willing to be "practice" card.
That's the job for secured card, and that you can probably get.
Platinum from CapOne, if you were to get an approval, it will be for $300. Might grow to $500.00
Then screetching halt and CLI agony until you close it.
I'm really unsure why you're fighting the idea of good secured card to start your credit. You can either do it right, or you can start off wrong, then spend a lot of time trying to get it right.
While there are many ways we can manipulate our credit and scores, time is one thing we cannot. You're learning that now.
Just a word of advice - don’t do what I did for my wife - and go for a subprime predatory card. She had zero credit, and I got her to apply for the Credit One card. If I had it to do over, we would have started with secured card ( or a good store card for that matter) before going with Credit One. Even now with over a year of great payment history she is still stuck with toy credit limits, and I feel that the Credit One card is the reason for that. We recently got her a Quicksilver and AMEX card, so the CO card is going to be on the chopping block in a hurry.
Also you mentioned you didn’t want another Discover card because you have one (as an AU), but in the eyes of other creditors, you don’t have one. The first year rewards structure on the Discover cards are hard to beat.
@Anonymous wrote:Also, update...
TransUnion: 802
FICO: 787
I don't know how they've gone up even though I just did two hard pulls in the last few weeks.
Where are you getting your scores? TransUnion is one of the Credit Reporting Agencies, along with Equifax and Experian. FICO is one type of credit score that all three offer. Vantage is the other. Credit Karma offers Vantage scores, but most lenders use FICO. So, when you say your TransUnion is 802, is it FICO or Vantage? When you say your FICO is 787, is it EX, EQ, or TU? This is important for you to learn and distinguish.
Second, it's important for you to know that these scores are based off of your AU accounts. They are not scores you have earned, so it's important for you to know that they don't mean much when it comes to getting your own cards and scores (as you're starting to learn for yourself). It's also important to know that when you're 18 and starting out, your options are limited and you can't be picky. You have to accept what's available to you and prove yourself. But within a year or two of responsible credit use, your options will open up. Discover is a GREAT card to start with that offers rewards (whether it's secured or not). Otherwise, you'll probably have to settle for a no frills starter card, like the C1 Platinum.
