How does anyone wait two years to app.

[Imperfectfuture]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Patience.

Or in my case... ignorance.   I had my one and only credit card for about seven years.  Wasn't checking my FICO;  just paid my bills diligently.  Started getting interested in picking up another CC - for emergencies;  what if my one credit card didn't work while I was at a restaurant and I didn't have enough cash on me?!  It's happened before.  

Then I found this website...  Found out what my FICO score is and now I monitor it once a month.  Also have four CCs now and looking for a fifth next year during summer haha.  Five is my max, though.  I only use one or two a month.  

Work and studies keep me busy enough.  If you try to keep track of your progress on a daily basis, you're going to have a bad time.  Equally exciting activities:  watching paint dry;  watching the tree in your backyard grow;  snail races (marathon edition).  

Set a goal, keep track of it occassionally to make sure you're heading in the right direction, and you'll be pleasantly surprised when you eventually reach it.  

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Sorta like watching your investments on daily basis?  Spiders build webs on your window? (Last one can be fun).

[Pway]

I have not apped for a new credit card in quite a while.  Although that approval screen does feel good when it pops up after those long 60 seconds, however, the urge to app for me has drastically declined over time.  I am always on the forums and apping does not appease me as much as it did in the beginning.  When I do feel that urge to app, I think about three things:

1. Scores

2. AAOA taking a hit

3. Inquiries (I have a lot of those in 2105 alone).

However, YMMV.

[lhcole77]

I app for what I want, when I want it. I have yet to be declined.

I don't have clean reports and scores just for show. I put them to good use.

What's the point of having great credit if you're not going to use it?

[kdm31091]

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@lhcole77 wrote:

I app for what I want, when I want it. I have yet to be declined.

I don't have clean reports and scores just for show. I put them to good use.

What's the point of having great credit if you're not going to use it?

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I get what you are saying but it's still not good to be addicted to applying for cards (not saying you are). Often, the benefits get diluted pretty quickly if you are spreading your spend across many cards.

[Anonymous]

There are rewards for not apping and watching your accounts mature. I love that! I plan for a year financially and am loving my new credit lines. In a year I will know more about combining accounts if needed and which card is more valuable. For now, I am enjoying the ride and talking to forum members in the threads. 

[takeshi74]

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@Anonymous wrote:

But then again I'm still building so maybe that's the difference.  

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It does make a difference.  I don't wait or garden but my profile is established and strong.  Inquiries are a relatively small factor and have much less impact once you're out of the building/rebuilding stage.

[Open123]

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@takeshi74 wrote:

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@Anonymous wrote:

But then again I'm still building so maybe that's the difference.  

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It does make a difference.  I don't wait or garden but my profile is established and strong.  Inquiries are a relatively small factor and have much less impact once you're out of the building/rebuilding stage.

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Right, in a main CC forum, there are times I sense that advice is given as if everyone is either building/rebuidling.  

[Anonymous]

For me I decided paying off my credit cards and then my installment loans so I could buy a home after that was more important.. Therefore I have stopped appingin order to focus on paying off debt. It will likely take me 2 years to pay every single thing off ( I have a student loan included here) so by the time Im done paying I should be ready for a home purchase. That will keep me on the straight and narrow so I dont lose that home. Simple really. 

6 cards is really enough. 

[lhcole77]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

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I get what you are saying but it's still not good to be addicted to applying for cards (not saying you are). Often, the benefits get diluted pretty quickly if you are spreading your spend across many cards.

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That's a given.

Let us not overlook the added value that comes with certain cards: priority boarding, free checked bags, statement credits, early check in, late check out, added warranty, chip&pin, no FTF, diversification of lenders and networks, 5 or 10% refund of cashed in rewards, peace of mind, generous limits, low APR, initial HUGE rewards bonus (that can easily net $1-$2K in redemption).

These are benefits that will never be diluted (save changes in T&C) no matter how or where I put my spend.

#priceless

[kdm31091]

I agree. Just saying is one is really truly unable to garden or struggling with it they need to take a break.