Inquiries 12 months old

[CardsLifeLine]

I agree with you .. So planning for a game plan and restrict myself with new TL till next year .. In your terms into gardening now. ...

[09Lexie]

At least a year

[RyVision]

OP,

With the cards you have now, you have no reason to really desire anything from Citi for about 2 years (if ever).  

A lot of what you already have makes them (Citi) look like a joke. 

You have some fantastic lines to grow over time, why add a thistle bush like Citi to a Rose garden.

[CardsLifeLine]

Thanks RyVision .. Really feeling happy and motivated

[yudeology101]

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@RyVision wrote:

OP,

With the cards you have now, you have no reason to really desire anything from Citi for about 2 years (if ever).  

A lot of what you already have makes them (Citi) look like a joke. 

You have some fantastic lines to grow over time, why add a thistle bush like Citi to a Rose garden.

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+1.  You really have great cards, a great profile!  Let them age.  

[ezdoesit]

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@yudeology101 wrote:

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@RyVision wrote:

OP,

With the cards you have now, you have no reason to really desire anything from Citi for about 2 years (if ever).  

A lot of what you already have makes them (Citi) look like a joke. 

You have some fantastic lines to grow over time, why add a thistle bush like Citi to a Rose garden.

---

+1.  You really have great cards, a great profile!  Let them age.  

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While I do agree you have some great cards.  If the OP wants Citi CC there is nothing wrong with that because while Citi might not be great in some peoples opinion but others might feel differently.

Example I have the Citi Dividend WE for this quarter you get 5% on Best Buy, Toy stores and Department Stores purchases while other 5% cards lets you get 5% on $1500 per quarter like Freedom or Discover Citi lets you get 5% back of up to $6000 per year so on quarters were the categories are not good for me this quarter it is and I will use close to the whole $6000 at Best Buy.  For me and I am sure for others with the dividend card this cards works great.

Also with so many new TLs 12 months might not even be good enough for some CCC.  It might be good for Fico scoring but a lot of CCC have their own internal scoring and with manual review might make it even harder.  Plus with all your new TLs you have a lot of new credit so while your util may be low your available credit might be to high in comparision to your income. 

I would not apply for anything new for a while, not that I would think there is reason to.  When most people will tell you when to stop applying is when you start getting declined and when you CL start to get low those are the red flags.

[unusuallyconfused]

I think of all the people who have replied here, you and I are very similar in many ways. Refer to my siggy.

I too opened many (actually ALL) of my current credit accounts in the last 8-9 months. All new accounts. 

It's been hard staying "in the garden". Just last week I slipped up and got yet another tradeline AND added a new auto loan, too.

Like you, one of my credit reports has 15 hard inquires (the other two credit reports are 11 and 5 respectively...).

BUT...even after this short time I have seen the value of something:

Credit Limit Increases and responsible useage. 

Being in the same situation as you (with similar credit file and similar income, etc) my 2 cents of advice is this:

1. As bad as you want new lines of credit (whether that's because it's a high to get approved, whether it's because you think you need more credit, etc). STOP. Chase Slate and all the rest will be here next year, or two years from now. Stop apping and let time work its magic on your tradelines and credit files.

2. Concentrate on credit limit increases. Each tradeline you have has a "secret" or method to which most people have found increases are triggered. 

3. Let your average age of accounts build up month after month.

4. Not just 12 months regarding your hard inquiries, see if you can make it to 24 months from your last hard inquiry - and those inquiries completely come off.

5. Focus on payment history - use and pay your cards. Some places I have found LOVE it when you carry a balance for a couple months and make them some money; then they reward you for it with more credit; some places want you to pay off monthly and not balance carry - do that and they will reward you, too. Learn your tradelines inside and out.

When that magic time comes - determine your credit needs: meaning, which cards do you want now? And why do you want them?

And remember this: even if you work out everything perfectly, some places will still deny you for having TOO MUCH OPEN TRADELINES. That's at the back of my mind right now regarding myself (which is why I shall close 2-3 accounts come next year and probably replace those 2 or 3 closed accounts with ONE "quality" tradeline - like closing First Premier and Applied Bank and Credit One and replacing that with say, Chase Slate!).