Yay 1st to read the whole thing!
Welcome to the forum first and foremost.
Most of the banks that you mentioned may need to see little bit more history before they approve you for decent card, otherwise you may get highest APR and bucketed SL that would not grow much in the future.
I would go with FNBO 2% card, it is their latest version and FNBO known for CLI and lowering standard APR in the future. They also have accurate prequel site and recently given decent SL.
Citi DC, maybe! If you get in, it'll probably be lower end of qualification.
AMEX is tricky, I have seen some people with very young credit profile that get in easily and some others not so much. But they generally like history.
BofA Customized Cash, is fine specially if you have account with them it should improve your chances
You can also try X1 Card. They are new but their more concern about your income. So they qualify you based on your bank account and if they do approve, you'll see SL with APR and once you except then it is HP. If you get them it'll be your highest SL. They also have good reward program.
Welcome to the forum. 
Amex seems to like and be open to thin profiles.
I would put them as first card to go for.
I would recommend about 6 months, and then maybe the FNBO or Citi DC.
My youngest got the Discover and a year later the Citi DC.
Welcome to the forums! Glad you decided to create an account and make the leap. Amex generally pulls Experian, so if your Experian FICO 8 is anywhere near the ballpark of your TransUnion FICO 8 (from your Discover account) your odds of approval for any of their cards should be very good whether you are prequalified or not. Anyone can actually get a free monthly Experian FICO 8 score from Discover at creditscorecard.com
You mentioned BCP possibly making sense in the future, but not now? If you have fairly typical grocery spending I would plug in the numbers for yourself on that vs Cash Magnet. With a waived annual fee the first year and a $300 Welcome Offer, it may make sense to give it a whirl for the elevated earnings.
Bank of America may not be a good option for you at this time, but it doesn't mean it would be a definite denial. Citi and Chase would probably be fine with tempered expectations on starting limits, with Citi perhaps a little more likely. Both of them can be sensitive to newer accounts, so if they are a shorter term goal perhaps consider them first.
@uncredited wrote:I'm hoping some of you armchair experts can help guide my direction. I've been reading many posts here without creating an account for quite a while, and many of you have already helped me early on through your discussions here, so thank you all for that!
But, before I take any next steps I wanted to ask a bit more directly before making any wrong steps what thoughts and recommendations you all might have, rather than going in blind. This is lengthy, so, kudos to anyone that makes it through!
I'm late in life to the credit game, grew up thinking credit=bad, and went out of my way to use cash and only cash, across the board. Then debit merely for online. Thinking "no credit=no debt=good for the future, the banking gods shall smile upon me as a hero!" It wasn't until a few years ago I started figuring out almost how it works. Kind of. I applied years back through my own bank of many years who was utterly useless in explaining anything, and it didn't raise any flags for them when I asked "I don't have bad credit, just no credit at all", and they were more than happy to plug away at an application (it was the branch manager, personally, though they had a new branch manager every few months...) which was of course denied (no harm, I literally had no file at the time and that was years ago.) Also got a "pre-screened" Amex mailer at the time and figured "well, maybe better luck since it's pre-screened!". Denied of course. And what I assume was a hard pull from Verizon, without having requested one, with a mailed letter telling me the familiar "no history."
Finally a year ago I decided after far too much research and reading posts here to jump in. Put $1600 on a Disco secured. They like me. Got my score in 6mo, and they gave me almost a 2x auto CLI even before graduating from 1600-3000. It graduated on the dot at their 8mo minimum graduation.
So now we're at 1 year in, some minor "gardening" as you guys like to call it. Now it's time, I assume, to start thinking next steps in building a useful history as efficiently as possible, while missing about 2 decades of history that most would have.
Current stats are TU (Disco) 759 (up 4 with the 1year), 1 revolver @3k (and that's it), AoOA/AAoA 1yr (according to TU - it's 1year - it's 1yr from account open, 11mo from first statement currently), 53k. No bad, 0 inq (probably the only person here with 0 inq, haha). All panels on the disco/TU page are green in good/very good except age which is naturally "poor". I haven't checked on EX/EQ yet, they could be higher, or lower, they should be ballpark in the same place with the only exception of when they take their reporting snapshots as it could vary. TU taking their snapshot is unpredictable, the current shows a util of 12% with a 364 balance, I pay through the month to keep util minimum, and I'm pretty sure that was a balance from when things were unposted and not even payable yet. Util is kind of a pain since you never know when they're going to submit it. TU always shows it was update on the 18th but the balance never matches the balance as it was on that date, so there's mystery there. I PIF/no balances. Only time I would consider balances is in future, with much higher CL, using Amex/Chase/Citi's payment installments features rather than a normal balance. But that's down the line a way.
So the next step should be to get additional accounts and hopefully lender diversity. My long term end-game for what I hope is a robust amount of credit would be 4 total cards. I would not rule out 5 (or more) out of hand, but 4 is my assumed goal. The main goal is to establish reasonably robust, diverse credit, and also to take advantage of rewards as best as possible. Not interested in travel rewards, so simple cash/bonus rewards. Subs aren't too important unles they combine with AFs as part of the cost-benefit.
The first question is if 1 year is the right time, or too soon, to try to get a second account going? Then the second is what recommendations people might have for doing so if it's time. Assuming this is the right time, my assumed plan is to apply (and hopefully get) one card at 6-mo intervals starting now through the next year, totalling the 4. If that's not a good plan (or is too conservative a plan), I'd definitely be happy to hear. My expectation here is to just front load the first 2-2.2 years with the 4 accounts where possible to maximize their age over time to get mature, stable credit history, and an aged 4-card anchor should help in the future if new lines are opened, rather than slow it down too much and have the age take a big hit each time.
I've done (excessive) research on possible cards. The disco I will probably convert from Chrome to Cash Back once I get a second card going and get the categories. I'm not interested in travel so I'm mostly fixed on cash rewards (or good points that convert to cash well.) The intent since I'm late-building the AAoA, is only lifelong keeper-cards (or cards that can PC and keep the account) to maintan permanent age. Trying to focus on prime lenders where I can, because I'd rather build strong history/relationships, that's the whole point of the exercise.
So I have a few possibilities (and am open to others):1: At the moment I'm leaning toward the next being Amex, simply because from what I've read here they seem to be more reliable than most for thinner files, their pre-qual on their website seems more highly believed than others (and I'd rather focus on reliable at this stage than ideal), but I'm not fixated on them, and their cards rewards aren't really ideal for me. CM Makes the most sense based on spend, but I'd expect to PC to BCP sometime in the future - it doesn't fit spend now but I think it will years down the line. However I'd take whichever they pre-qual for, assuming they do, to maximize odds and minimize risk. Probably wouldn't take a charge card though, that seems counter-productive to what I'm doing. None of the 3 are amazing rewards for my spend, and their grocery right now is too limited and doesn't include most of my grocery spend, so this is purely about the credit account/CL growth/relationship and not about the rewards so much for card number 2, though I'd obviously like to get the best I can for me.
Other options either this time, or for the 3rd and forth cards:2: BofA Customized Cash. The online category makes it mostly a 3% card for me, so it's a good fit, however with a famously non-existent pre-qual, spotty CLI, and seemingly unpredictable reports of approval, I'm not sure they're a wise fit. I don't have a deposit relationship with them and don't really intend to. I assume they're not good for thin/young files. (I see them as high risk)
3: Citi DC. It's ok, but they seem to no longer have a real prequal feature, they replaced it with "pre-selected". (I see them as moderate risk.)
4: Chase FF or FU (would/could combine with an FU/FF later on as a card no 5 if I went that route): My starting assumption here is that they're a no-go for thin/young files. They also no longer have a pre-qual of any kind (I see them as high risk)
5: A card I would love to have as it would personally be very high reward for me ($750+ /yr) is an FNBO cobrand card. Much as I'd love the rewards, that seems to me like a late-game card for several reasons. A-FNBO seems very finicky and outdated, and kind of hassle for me. B-I don't want my oldest cards to be a cobrand, that seems risky long-term for AAoA if either that store loses its appeal or the cobrand relationship ends. Seems like a good card number 4. Or even ignore it and make it a bonus number 5 in 1.5 years despite the rewards loss.
PPMC, being Syncb doesn't seem like the right route, WF AC has the problem of being WF and I don't know how they treat thin files (but I know how they treat long-customers which is maybe the worse risk. Not a current relationship for me). I wouldn't rule out Cap1 if they send a prequal again. I don't love them, don't hate them, they have some good features, I'd worry about CLIs with them.
So, how's the plan? Too ambitious? Not ambitious enough? Am I misinformed or making any bad assumptions above? Any thoughts on what steps, directions to take and when? I'd be grateful for the guidance.
Thanks all for helping, in advance, where resources for this kind of help apparently doesn't come from banks, the places that are actually supposed to be helping.
P.S. (If you've made it this far.) I have found it interesting the mailers I've started receiving the past few months. My own bank, Amex, and Citi keep sending mailers, all using my name as it appears on my debit. All bare the "opt-out" disclaimer seemingly indicating it's research based. The Amex ones just show APR ranges. They also used to send mailers when I had no score at all. Marketing spam, but it would appear are connected to info they got from my own bank that sends marketing spam of "selected to apply" as well. Citi's mailers all say "pre-selected to apply" meaning nothing, however all of them have solid APRs, not ranges which I can't tell if it means anything. Most of them are like 22.99. One of them is for CC at 15.99% (min on card is 13.99) which is great. I don't carry balance so it's meaningless, but it's either interesting, or sickening depending of if it's a real offer or marketing. CC is an ok card and I'd take it if it were slam dunk, but I don't think I'd get the most out of the categores and DC would work better from their offerings.
2 lenders sent mailers back in December (expired now), a "pre-APPROVED" from CREDIT-One (yeah, I know, no thanks), and a pre-QUAL (as opposed to pre-select) from Cap1 for QS. Both of those with more firm offers were sent using my name as it appears on the Dico implying a real sp research happened. The Citi is up in the air. Using the same bank/debit name format as Amex, but with a firm APR on "pre-selected".
None of that may mean much of anything but I figured someone might find it interesting.
1 year is not too soon, it's fine.
I agree with adding cash back cards since you don't want travel cards, and 4 or 5 as your ultimate goal, with intervals of at least 6 months in between, sounds like a plan.
I think you would qualify for one of the Chase Freedom cards, and if you would really like one, you should go for that first.
All the cards you mention seem fine. I don't think any of them would preclude you based on your thin file. So if I were you I would just pick the card that's most valuable for you.
You might also want to look at credit unions.
Hi @uncredited and welcome to the forums! I started pretty much the same way you did, and didn't have any credit to my name almost 4 years ago. I started with a $300 Capital One Platinum, and then a few months later I found these forums. I ended up getting my Discover next and then my DCU card. By the year mark, I went for PPMC and my Citi Costco card, and dropped the Capital One card since it was bucketed. The advice given to me was basically to apply for 1-2 cards at a time, and then garden. Since you only have one card, I would highly recommend applying for 2 cards now, and then garden for a year. Having 3 credit cards is sort of the sweet spot as far as scoring and expanding your credit file. I didn't go for an Amex card right away either because there really weren't many cards that caught my eye. I did go for the Gold because I liked the rewards for grocery and dining, but BCP would have made more sense (which I eventually did get). I also stayed away from Chase because I was too scared to go for them early on (even at the year mark), and then I eventually went over 5/24. But I have always wondered if they would have taken me in earlier if I went for it. You have to take what people say here with a grain of salt, and experiences really do vary from profile to profile. But I also understand the conservative approach as well, since that's exactly how I went about my applications. I tried to make sure to only apply for what I felt was a sure thing at the time.
I would say if you like cash rewards, a solid 2% card is a good one to have (or 3% if you can swing it). I know Synchrony gets a bad rap, but I got my PPMC card at the year mark and they started me at $8k! It has been extremely easy to grow, and I now have it at $20k so I wouldn't dismiss them so easily. I should add thought that my profile was a little thicker than yours when I applied and they were still basing their decisions on FICO scores at the time, so I don't know how different it would be for you. But as far as chances of getting approved and growth potential, it's a solid contender. I think Citi is also a good one to look at, but I understand it can be hard to go for without an actual prequal. As for Chase, I think they would be a good application for the 2 year mark, after you have some experience with 3 cards. Or you can get one now, and go for Chase in 6 months.
All in all, there really is no right or wrong. It just depends how averse you are to risk. Some people like to go hard and fast right away, and others like to take a more conservative approach. I would say I was somewhere in the middle. If you have any questions or want to bounce off ideas with me, let me know. I'm happy to help. I was in your same shoes not too long ago!
I forgot to mention, credit unions! I highly recommend you check some out, and if you don't bank with one yet, consider it. I used to bank with Wells Fargo, but after having a taste of the CU life, I dropped them immediately. Credit unions can be generous, and the low APR is great to have if you ever need it. DCU approved me for a $5k card just 5 months into my credit journey. I also really love my AFCU card, which is great for Amazon spend, and other rotating categories.
