EDIT: I decided to put this at the top in case you dont wish to read all of this, but I dont think Ive seen a CLI attempt mentioned in the thread for Capital One? I'll edit to say that would be my FIRST(immediate) move, even before the "sit" with the ex, and hopefull close that I encourage later. Like with that, this only helps once it hits the reports, so best to try ASAP if you haven't. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Credit Pulls Database(tm), but it might help you decide on whether you pull the trigger on the Freedom. If you do a decent amount of Amazon shopping, the Chase Amazon Visa is another card that may have approval success in the same range as the Freedom. Also, the Chase Amazon Visa does not fall under the 5/24 rule, so you could save that as a backup plan, if you really want in with chase. If you get your Freedom(tm), you may also consider the Amazon store card if you do enough shopping. It can give pretty decent limits. Before I combined my 2 Cap1 cards, it had a higher limit than any of my non-store cards. Just something to consider for help in available credit/utilization....and if you shop on Amazon, the 5% back is a nice bonus.
Ok, here was my original post....for some reason I felt inspired to dish out some ideas for you to consider, as well as to encourage you to "close" :
First off, welcome to tbe board!!!! I love your name, awesome musicians! Saw Roger very recently, amazing!
You seem to be on the right track, so I want to offer congratulations. Others have said a lot, and I'd rather not repeat too much. The Chase Freedom might be a good goal. As someone mentioned, you may want to look at your 3 bureas and consider which would look the most or least appealing. The credit pulls database seems to show them pulling from all 3 bureaus. If you arent automatically accepted, read up on recons. Chase seems quite susceptible to recons in the right circumstances, including bankruptcy.
As was already noted, you have some time, but you want to make sure you do it before the Amexes report.
That reminds me...if you have any influence over the ex and can get any amount of that Discover AU paid down, it has the potential of greatly helping your score. With it's age and credit limit, I think getting rid of it would be more harmful than helpful, especially if you can get the ex to pay however much of it off. Of course even if that happens, it will take time to report, so you may wish to make your efforts at persuasion ASAP...as in very close to now. Waiting for that will probably answer your question about whether you should wait for the CLOC to report.
Of course, hopefully those things can/will get done before the AMEXes report, which has to remain the main focus. Even if you decide to garden like some folks like to(I'm a proud member of Wild Growth(tm) after Fertilization(tm), and have never gardened), it would seem getting that AU paid down ASAP would be the most beneficial thing you could do for your score...ASAP!!!(yes, I am trying to motivate you...I have no idea what kind of terms you are on with your ex, but apparently not enough spite to kick you off of it, unless she just forgot about it).
The movie Glengarry Glen Ross has the "ABC: Always Be Closing" scene. This is what you want to motivate yourrself. I do NOT mean closing the card, I mean closing your ex!!(on paying the Discover down, especially since you daid money is not a concern!! Let her know it will help HER score a great deal as well, which can get her CLIs, lower interest rates, etc, even if she isnt currently fiending over her credit score like so many of us FICO junkies on here do. Again, I want to encourage you to CLOSE her ASAP!!!(if possible). Hopefully the card reports soon, and you can expose your scores to Chase! Here is the epic Glengarry Glen Ross scene that I use to help motivate people to close! (if you are sensitive to cussing, I would skip it...otherwise it is a mix of laugh out loud humor, and despair, the life of a salesman. Of course we are ALL in SALES, and your biggest prize would be closing one ASAP! Please let us know how your sit goes, and if you were able to close! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elrnAl6ygeM Shine on!!!
EDIT 2: The post above me talks about your spend and meeting requirements for bonuses. I'm not sure if youve heard of "Plastiq", that lets you pay rent/mortgage and other bills by credit card? I think I remember reading a mod saying we cant post links like that, but you can find it in a search engine. That, or radpad, etc are good ways to help meet spending requirements quickly, especially if you have multiple bonuses to make. Anyhow, I know this post was long, I only expect you(the OP) to read all of it, but that's fine by me. I'm hoping there will be something useful in here to help expedite your journey to the promised land, even if there are many words to sift through.
