Hi all!! Relatively new to the forums, but I am encouraged so far so just wanted to post my garden!
Cap1- $500, oldest card opened right after I graduated high school in 2004, they never have given me a CLI but I come to expect little from them at this point. I have a balance of about $200-300 right now due to some traveling recently and BT, but it will be PIF by the end of the month.
Orchard Plat Mastercard- $300, opened in 2006, they never increase my credit line, this is currently at a zero bal and I save for emergencies because the interest is ridiculous! There is no fee so I think I will just keep it open for now.
Discover More- $500, opened in 2007 as a student card, recently changed from the Motiva to the More, I actually don't use this card much but allow my mom to use it for her business charges and then pay it back, the balance is reporting at around $300 just because she pays when she gets paid, not according to the closing date. The cash back is great and I used it for about a year for everything including my rent but then got tired of such a small reward at 1% and having to pay it 15 times a month since they wouldn't increase my line.
Care Credit/GEMB- $500, opened in 2007, bal at $50, use it for my cat's vet bills since it's 0% for a year on purchases, never had a CLI, don't expect one anytime soon.
Credit One- $700, opened in 2008 I think, it sat at $500 for the longest and when I started paying it down, they randomly increased it to $650. I had a purchase I was trying to make for books for school and my payment hadn't cleared so I called to ask if they would allow me to go over my CL by I think like $5, they said no, but could raise my CL if I paid a fee, I talked them into waiving the fee and now sit at $700. The monthly fee sucks but I plan to close it by the end of the year, just feel comforted knowing I have $700 available in case I need it. (I help my parents out sometimes so I like having a back up)
Orchard Cash Back Mastercard- $300, opened August 2010, just paid this totally off, cash back at 2% was great but the small credit line and the holds they place on my large payments made it such a chore to use that I got tired of it. i dont know how many times i called and cussed them out because they put 10 day holds on my payments because it was a new account. but i learned it if I just escalated it to a manager (who was NOT offshore) they would release it after they called my bank to verify the funds. The AF is $69 i think so may close it before the next one is scheduled to bill just because it has served it's purpose.
Capital One No hassle Rewards Mastercard- $750, opened September 2010, use this card for gas and groceries since I get 2% back on it, I was using it for my everyday expenses +bills + some large purchases i wanted to make on the 0%, so it has a bal of about $600, but plan to pay it off by the end of the month since the 0% offer end is July I think. I am hopeful after reading other peoples posts that when I hit a year they will increase it even more. I started at $500, then had credit steps to $750. AF is $39 so its not too bad, I have redeemed that back plus some in the cash back rewards.
JCPenney/GEMB- $600, opened in March 2011 has bal of $178, just transferred to my cap1 since the rate is lower on it (not by much) but hoping this will grow into a decent line, and I love the coupons and rewards I get for it! I got a pre approval from them months back and blew it off, but when i read up on them on the forums I figured it would be a good card to have since they seem generous with CLI's.
Amex Zync- This is my pride and joy!!! I had a Amex green back in undergrad in 2008 and failed to PIF for a few statements and they closed it. I spent the last year cleaning up my credit and my goal was to have Amex back in my wallet by the end of the year. thanks to these forums, I went ahead and pulled the trigger in March and was approved! I put EVERYTHING on this card now and if they don't take Amex I use my cap1 rewards card. i was approved with no hard limit and my first charge was $2520 for my grad school tuition that i paid off the next week. So far they have been great and it was already showing on my credit report after the first statement closed. They even backdated it to 2008 which really helped my AAoA. $25 AF is manageable and I will recoup that with my points I am sure.
Outside of that I have 14 inquiries on Equifax, unfortunately some wasted ones from AT&T, Direct TV, and DISH because I moved alot over the past few years and they always would mess something up resulting in a double pull. But a few will be falling off by the end of the year and I plan to hold off on new apps for at least a year. I also got one from CU that I was applying at but because i am in check systems (paid but still there) they won't approve me 
I stupidly closed my previous CU savings account before I knew I would have a problem opening a new account somewhere else. So now I have checking with BoA (where I also work) and a back up account with Chase and an account in my name, but that my mother uses with Wells Fargo (who I hate btw, I miss Wachovia).
I have a car loan that is at about $7k which I plan to PIF before I graduate from grad school next year (Dec). If my math is correct I can do it by Sepetember, which is a whole year earlier than my loan term. My payment is $343.12 but I have been sending in $500 for past few months and plan to continue doing so. I have 2 30 day marks from them in 2009 when I lost one of my part time jobs but otherwise perfect payment history.
At the same time I lost my job, I had just signed a lease to an overpriced apartment and ended up having to break the lease less than 3 months in so that is on my credit. The judgement isn't showing on some CBRs, but the collection company that handled it is still there. I paid it and am trying to get it deleted off somehow now just because that is really the biggest bad mark on my file.
Finally, there is my student loan debt. Sallie Mae has me for about $22k and then federal loans for about $45K and expect it to be around $55-60 by the time I am done with my program. I just decided to pay Sallie Mae $1 per day each month (not much but it feels good! gotta start somewhere!) to try and bring down the balance some. Once I pay off the car though I can direct the money from that to Sallie Mae for a few months but then all my loans will start requiring payments, but the focus will be on Sallie Mae since the interest is highest on those and I have heard horror stories about them not working with you so I just want to get rid of them ASAP.
So for now I plan to sit back and wait, hopefully get a few CLI's with my current cards and pay off my installment loans! Thanks to these forums I am confident I can do it!
Gardening until at least this fall when I apply for a small auto loan. My garden now has:
1. Capital one platinum ($750 CL) - Oldest account, although I never use it because Capital One refused to raise my limit.
2. USAA MC ($7,000 CL) - Opened 11/2010, By far my favorite card. Good rewards, excellent service, and a great APR
3. BoA Amex ($5,000 CL) - Opened 4/11, Just got this card. It looks nice, and I'll enjoy the 0% intro APR
4. Delta Amex Gold ($7,000 CL) - Opened 5/11, Card should be here soon. I feel like the rewards and companion flight are easily going to make up for the $95 AF, plus 20,000 bonus miles.
Overall I feel like I have a pretty decent garden to tend to. Especially since I'm only 22. I do feel a little nervous apping for 3 cards in 6 months though
Starting Score: 703
@chan85 wrote:Hi all!! Relatively new to the forums, but I am encouraged so far so just wanted to post my garden!
Cap1- $500, oldest card opened right after I graduated high school in 2004, they never have given me a CLI but I come to expect little from them at this point. I have a balance of about $200-300 right now due to some traveling recently and BT, but it will be PIF by the end of the month.
Orchard Plat Mastercard- $300, opened in 2006, they never increase my credit line, this is currently at a zero bal and I save for emergencies because the interest is ridiculous! There is no fee so I think I will just keep it open for now.
Discover More- $500, opened in 2007 as a student card, recently changed from the Motiva to the More, I actually don't use this card much but allow my mom to use it for her business charges and then pay it back, the balance is reporting at around $300 just because she pays when she gets paid, not according to the closing date. The cash back is great and I used it for about a year for everything including my rent but then got tired of such a small reward at 1% and having to pay it 15 times a month since they wouldn't increase my line.
Care Credit/GEMB- $500, opened in 2007, bal at $50, use it for my cat's vet bills since it's 0% for a year on purchases, never had a CLI, don't expect one anytime soon.
Credit One- $700, opened in 2008 I think, it sat at $500 for the longest and when I started paying it down, they randomly increased it to $650. I had a purchase I was trying to make for books for school and my payment hadn't cleared so I called to ask if they would allow me to go over my CL by I think like $5, they said no, but could raise my CL if I paid a fee, I talked them into waiving the fee and now sit at $700. The monthly fee sucks but I plan to close it by the end of the year, just feel comforted knowing I have $700 available in case I need it. (I help my parents out sometimes so I like having a back up)
Orchard Cash Back Mastercard- $300, opened August 2010, just paid this totally off, cash back at 2% was great but the small credit line and the holds they place on my large payments made it such a chore to use that I got tired of it. i dont know how many times i called and cussed them out because they put 10 day holds on my payments because it was a new account. but i learned it if I just escalated it to a manager (who was NOT offshore) they would release it after they called my bank to verify the funds. The AF is $69 i think so may close it before the next one is scheduled to bill just because it has served it's purpose.
Capital One No hassle Rewards Mastercard- $750, opened September 2010, use this card for gas and groceries since I get 2% back on it, I was using it for my everyday expenses +bills + some large purchases i wanted to make on the 0%, so it has a bal of about $600, but plan to pay it off by the end of the month since the 0% offer end is July I think. I am hopeful after reading other peoples posts that when I hit a year they will increase it even more. I started at $500, then had credit steps to $750. AF is $39 so its not too bad, I have redeemed that back plus some in the cash back rewards.
JCPenney/GEMB- $600, opened in March 2011 has bal of $178, just transferred to my cap1 since the rate is lower on it (not by much) but hoping this will grow into a decent line, and I love the coupons and rewards I get for it! I got a pre approval from them months back and blew it off, but when i read up on them on the forums I figured it would be a good card to have since they seem generous with CLI's.
Amex Zync- This is my pride and joy!!! I had a Amex green back in undergrad in 2008 and failed to PIF for a few statements and they closed it. I spent the last year cleaning up my credit and my goal was to have Amex back in my wallet by the end of the year. thanks to these forums, I went ahead and pulled the trigger in March and was approved! I put EVERYTHING on this card now and if they don't take Amex I use my cap1 rewards card. i was approved with no hard limit and my first charge was $2520 for my grad school tuition that i paid off the next week. So far they have been great and it was already showing on my credit report after the first statement closed. They even backdated it to 2008 which really helped my AAoA. $25 AF is manageable and I will recoup that with my points I am sure.
Outside of that I have 14 inquiries on Equifax, unfortunately some wasted ones from AT&T, Direct TV, and DISH because I moved alot over the past few years and they always would mess something up resulting in a double pull. But a few will be falling off by the end of the year and I plan to hold off on new apps for at least a year. I also got one from CU that I was applying at but because i am in check systems (paid but still there) they won't approve me
I have a car loan that is at about $7k which I plan to PIF before I graduate from grad school next year (Dec). If my math is correct I can do it by Sepetember, which is a whole year earlier than my loan term. My payment is $343.12 but I have been sending in $500 for past few months and plan to continue doing so. I have 2 30 day marks from them in 2009 when I lost one of my part time jobs but otherwise perfect payment history.
At the same time I lost my job, I had just signed a lease to an overpriced apartment and ended up having to break the lease less than 3 months in so that is on my credit. The judgement isn't showing on some CBRs, but the collection company that handled it is still there. I paid it and am trying to get it deleted off somehow now just because that is really the biggest bad mark on my file.
Finally, there is my student loan debt. Sallie Mae has me for about $22k and then federal loans for about $45K and expect it to be around $55-60 by the time I am done with my program. I just decided to pay Sallie Mae $1 per day each month (not much but it feels good! gotta start somewhere!) to try and bring down the balance some. Once I pay off the car though I can direct the money from that to Sallie Mae for a few months but then all my loans will start requiring payments, but the focus will be on Sallie Mae since the interest is highest on those and I have heard horror stories about them not working with you so I just want to get rid of them ASAP.
So for now I plan to sit back and wait, hopefully get a few CLI's with my current cards and pay off my installment loans! Thanks to these forums I am confident I can do it!
Congrats on the recent Zync approval -- nice going! And congrats also on the JCP card. I just got one quite recently and have really been enjoying it. Now you're in good shape to sit back and let everything grow.
BTW, would you mind expanding upon your comments regarding Wells Fargo vs. Wachovia? I'm with Wachovia and my local branches will be converted to WF by July. Admittedly, I'm a little anxious over this. What sort of things should I watch out for? Thanks in advance for anything that you care to share.
@Anonymous wrote:
@chan85 wrote:Hi all!! Relatively new to the forums, but I am encouraged so far so just wanted to post my garden!
Cap1- $500, oldest card opened right after I graduated high school in 2004, they never have given me a CLI but I come to expect little from them at this point. I have a balance of about $200-300 right now due to some traveling recently and BT, but it will be PIF by the end of the month.
Orchard Plat Mastercard- $300, opened in 2006, they never increase my credit line, this is currently at a zero bal and I save for emergencies because the interest is ridiculous! There is no fee so I think I will just keep it open for now.
Discover More- $500, opened in 2007 as a student card, recently changed from the Motiva to the More, I actually don't use this card much but allow my mom to use it for her business charges and then pay it back, the balance is reporting at around $300 just because she pays when she gets paid, not according to the closing date. The cash back is great and I used it for about a year for everything including my rent but then got tired of such a small reward at 1% and having to pay it 15 times a month since they wouldn't increase my line.
Care Credit/GEMB- $500, opened in 2007, bal at $50, use it for my cat's vet bills since it's 0% for a year on purchases, never had a CLI, don't expect one anytime soon.
Credit One- $700, opened in 2008 I think, it sat at $500 for the longest and when I started paying it down, they randomly increased it to $650. I had a purchase I was trying to make for books for school and my payment hadn't cleared so I called to ask if they would allow me to go over my CL by I think like $5, they said no, but could raise my CL if I paid a fee, I talked them into waiving the fee and now sit at $700. The monthly fee sucks but I plan to close it by the end of the year, just feel comforted knowing I have $700 available in case I need it. (I help my parents out sometimes so I like having a back up)
Orchard Cash Back Mastercard- $300, opened August 2010, just paid this totally off, cash back at 2% was great but the small credit line and the holds they place on my large payments made it such a chore to use that I got tired of it. i dont know how many times i called and cussed them out because they put 10 day holds on my payments because it was a new account. but i learned it if I just escalated it to a manager (who was NOT offshore) they would release it after they called my bank to verify the funds. The AF is $69 i think so may close it before the next one is scheduled to bill just because it has served it's purpose.
Capital One No hassle Rewards Mastercard- $750, opened September 2010, use this card for gas and groceries since I get 2% back on it, I was using it for my everyday expenses +bills + some large purchases i wanted to make on the 0%, so it has a bal of about $600, but plan to pay it off by the end of the month since the 0% offer end is July I think. I am hopeful after reading other peoples posts that when I hit a year they will increase it even more. I started at $500, then had credit steps to $750. AF is $39 so its not too bad, I have redeemed that back plus some in the cash back rewards.
JCPenney/GEMB- $600, opened in March 2011 has bal of $178, just transferred to my cap1 since the rate is lower on it (not by much) but hoping this will grow into a decent line, and I love the coupons and rewards I get for it! I got a pre approval from them months back and blew it off, but when i read up on them on the forums I figured it would be a good card to have since they seem generous with CLI's.
Amex Zync- This is my pride and joy!!! I had a Amex green back in undergrad in 2008 and failed to PIF for a few statements and they closed it. I spent the last year cleaning up my credit and my goal was to have Amex back in my wallet by the end of the year. thanks to these forums, I went ahead and pulled the trigger in March and was approved! I put EVERYTHING on this card now and if they don't take Amex I use my cap1 rewards card. i was approved with no hard limit and my first charge was $2520 for my grad school tuition that i paid off the next week. So far they have been great and it was already showing on my credit report after the first statement closed. They even backdated it to 2008 which really helped my AAoA. $25 AF is manageable and I will recoup that with my points I am sure.
Outside of that I have 14 inquiries on Equifax, unfortunately some wasted ones from AT&T, Direct TV, and DISH because I moved alot over the past few years and they always would mess something up resulting in a double pull. But a few will be falling off by the end of the year and I plan to hold off on new apps for at least a year. I also got one from CU that I was applying at but because i am in check systems (paid but still there) they won't approve me
I have a car loan that is at about $7k which I plan to PIF before I graduate from grad school next year (Dec). If my math is correct I can do it by Sepetember, which is a whole year earlier than my loan term. My payment is $343.12 but I have been sending in $500 for past few months and plan to continue doing so. I have 2 30 day marks from them in 2009 when I lost one of my part time jobs but otherwise perfect payment history.
At the same time I lost my job, I had just signed a lease to an overpriced apartment and ended up having to break the lease less than 3 months in so that is on my credit. The judgement isn't showing on some CBRs, but the collection company that handled it is still there. I paid it and am trying to get it deleted off somehow now just because that is really the biggest bad mark on my file.
Finally, there is my student loan debt. Sallie Mae has me for about $22k and then federal loans for about $45K and expect it to be around $55-60 by the time I am done with my program. I just decided to pay Sallie Mae $1 per day each month (not much but it feels good! gotta start somewhere!) to try and bring down the balance some. Once I pay off the car though I can direct the money from that to Sallie Mae for a few months but then all my loans will start requiring payments, but the focus will be on Sallie Mae since the interest is highest on those and I have heard horror stories about them not working with you so I just want to get rid of them ASAP.
So for now I plan to sit back and wait, hopefully get a few CLI's with my current cards and pay off my installment loans! Thanks to these forums I am confident I can do it!
Congrats on the recent Zync approval -- nice going! And congrats also on the JCP card. I just got one quite recently and have really been enjoying it. Now you're in good shape to sit back and let everything grow.
BTW, would you mind expanding upon your comments regarding Wells Fargo vs. Wachovia? I'm with Wachovia and my local branches will be converted to WF by July. Admittedly, I'm a little anxious over this. What sort of things should I watch out for? Thanks in advance for anything that you care to share.
Thanks!! I love my JCP card! Now I just have to make sure I dont blow my savings on clothes! :0)
My main problem with them was their online bill pay. Wachovia would deduct funds when payment was received by the biller so if you got paid on Friday you could schedule the payment to be at the biller on that day and have no prob, no overdrafts, etc. Wells F***up (as I affectionately call them 
) would only send payments if funds were available because they IMMEDIATELY deduct them from your account and then I guess send the check via carrier pigeon or perhaps with that damned horse and wagon they are so proud of because the bills take about a week to show paid. For example, I had to wait until I got paid on a Friday to schedule the payment to go out for my car, the funds were gone from my account that day, then the next week it was like Thursday before my biller got the money which was after my acutal due date so that was extra interest accruing. I don't like that. Wachovia downgraded when they merged with them. So I had about 4 accounts with them and ended up moving all my money out of them except for the one my mom uses. I lasted one week with the merger and I was done. But I know alot of people who LOVE them, but I have heard about many people who were literally in the bank CRYING after the merger here in GA because of the problems with the online bill pay. There are apparently a lot of fees that people weren't aware of. And somewhere in the fine print if you go to a zero bal for 30 days they close the account and you have to reapply for a new account if you want to reopen it meaning any of the stuff i had been grandfathered in on with my old account was out the window and i was subject to their rules. I didnt close the accounts with them that I had just because I like to have back up accounts, but they purged them for me. I had opened and closed my Wachovia account probably twice over the last several years due to it going to a zero bal, no problem, reopened over phone, had same account number and everything. They just made everything too difficult. I need easy banking lol and the fact that I work for BOA and get everything i could ever want from them for free, i said **bleep** it and moved to them.
But maybe you will LOVE WF! lol
I'm jealous of all your old accounts
my AAoA is probably under 1 year at this point
@Drsmith - But you have some hefty credit lines so it totally balances out!! 
Yeah
$19,750 availabe seems to be pretty decent
I just hope I didn't destroy my score with my mini app spree. 2 inqs within a week of eachother, 3 in the past 6 months 
