I didn't really have any particular goals set for 2023. I ended up adding one card, an Amazon Prime Visa, after discovering via a cold app toward the end of 2022 that I was no longer Chase blacklisted. I also closed out one card; a Target Store card that refused to grow beyond the $300 SL.
I'm trying to plan ahead a bit more for 2024. I'm currently 2/24 with those two aforementioned Chase cards (the Prime Visa and an FF) being my only new accounts.
I expect to travel more in 2024 and beyond, so although I've focused entirely on cash back for simplicity up to this point, I am starting to look at travel cards. Citi, like Chase, had (has?) me blacklisted due to mistakes I made a little over a decade ago though I haven't actually tried to get back in with a Citi cold-app yet and the AAdvantage card looks less appealing than the competition to me anyways, even if I do kind of like American. That said, I am currently debating between an Amex Delta Gold card or a Chase United Explorer card for airlines, while leaning toward the Delta but more on that in a moment. For hotels, I am debating between the WF Choice Privileges Select and an Amex Hilton Honors Surpass, while leaning toward the WF solely because Choice hotels are often cheaper than their Hilton brand competitors and are fine with me.
Back to that Delta card. I think the United Explorer looks slightly more interesting as a card, but I prefer to fly with Delta. The spend requirement for the United card is also 3x higher using dummy bookings (Delta is $300 after first purchase+30k points after $1k, while United is $300 after first purchase+25k after $3k). Though the real thing here is that I am also considering a Sapphire Preferred to pair with my FF and I don't want to poke Chase *too* much.
If I were to apply for all 3 cards which I am considering (airline+hotel+CSP) then that would bring me up to 5/24 until Sept 2024.
With the new annual fees and associated benefits coming from these travel cards, I will be downgrading my Amex BCP back to the BCE that its life started as before I took an upgrade offer. I honestly don't use the CB benefits of it enough to justify its annual fee, but have kept it as a BCP up to this point for the purchase protection, extended warranty, etc. I will also likely be transferring some of the CL from my newer C1 Quicksilver to my older C1 Quicksilver and then closing the newer of the two now that Capital One has re-enabled that capability to some extent. Lastly, I may still close my Synchrony Amazon Prime card now that I have the Chase; I haven't closed it yet but I'm just not using it and see no real reason to leave it sit idle or try to maintain activity on it.
Any thoughts? Points are an entirely different thing to wrap my brain around than the cash back, on which I've focused up to this point. This plan will be kicking into motion sometime around the second half of December into the first half of January so that I can start booking some of that planned travel.
@Aim_High wrote:
As we approach the new year, and with the goal of making credit changes a premeditated and mindful decision, what are the planned changes for your card lineup in 2024?
Mine is pretty simple. The last of the baddies will be gone in Jan 2024... I want to pay off/close all of my starter cards and end up with just a few in my wallet... (NFCU, AmEx, Verizon Visa, Apple plus my Best Buy/Amazon cards)
The goal is to be in single digit utilization when it's all said and done.
I'm starting a new corporate level job in 2 weeks with "The Big A" at a 51% hourly rate increase as well as bonuses and other perks to help make my goal a reality.
My strategy is to get utilization down below 9% (should have that done by January).
Transfer all my spend to a single card and try for decent-size CLI in 6 months.
SP CLI on all cards at regular intervals.
Apply for AMEX (still deciding on which card) in September when I'll be 61 months post-discharge.
Garden.
If I can get in with AMEX then I'm set for the next few years.
Thanks for doing this thread again @Aim_High!
I will continue to garden throughout 2024, only apping for SP CLI. my last INQ will fall off next December. All three CRAs will have 0 INQs.
I plan to keep things super simple in 2024.
- Barclays Arrival (newly PC from Diamond Resorts) will continue to be on autopay for my monthly Peacock subscription, otherwise SD.
- AmEx ED is on the chopping block. It's only used for our monthly gym memberships. Not a fan of MRs, so not of any real use to me.
- CapOne Venture One SD. Those Arnold Palmers once every six months taste good at $1.05.
- CSP for some travel.
- SWPC for my SW flights. Have Companion Pass through end of 2024.
- Business SW card for my business flights.
- AmEx BBC for the majority of my daily business expenses.
- Chase Business Ink for minor business expenses.
- Daily driver cards will continue to be Evergreen, HH Surpass and CFU.
Might app for BCP for DW and become AU on it. Not sure yet. It's not a super priority, so I might just keep it as a goal card for another year.
Starting Score: 469Current Score: 819
Goal Score: 850
Highest Scores: EQ 850 EX 849 TU 850
Take the myFICO Fitness Challenge
1) I'll be continuing to garden until the end of February, when the last of my new accounts and inquiries pass the 12 month mark, and my FICO 8 scores all pop up over 800 for the first time in my life.
2) After my scores jump up over 800, I'll apply for a NASA card, not because the card is very useful, but because NASA! Need to get it out of the way before the TCL on all my other cards gets too high and spooks them.
The same day I'll apply for the Max Cash Preferred card through the credit union I have my HELOC and most of my checking with.
3) In December, when I'm back down to below 5/24 from my 2022 madness, I'll apply for a Chase Amazon Prime card.
4) Unless they hit me with a nice auto CLI, look at closing my Truist Enjoy Cash and Future cards. I never use them, there is nothing "cool" about having a Truist card, they both only have 5k limits, and a CLI request is a hard pull.
@crednub wrote:
I expect to travel more in 2024 and beyond, so although I've focused entirely on cash back for simplicity up to this point, I am starting to look at travel cards. Citi, like Chase, had (has?) me blacklisted due to mistakes I made a little over a decade ago though I haven't actually tried to get back in with a Citi cold-app yet and the AAdvantage card looks less appealing than the competition to me anyways, even if I do kind of like American. That said, I am currently debating between an Amex Delta Gold card or a Chase United Explorer card for airlines, while leaning toward the Delta but more on that in a moment. For hotels, I am debating between the WF Choice Privileges Select and an Amex Hilton Honors Surpass, while leaning toward the WF solely because Choice hotels are often cheaper than their Hilton brand competitors and are fine with me.
Well, that didn't work out as I had hoped.
I booked my first flight for 2024 and for reasons that I can't begin to fathom, I'm back in Amex popup jail. I've been in and out of it when checking prequels over the years, but I've only actually opened one Amex, in 2019. I got the SUB on it and then another SUB on the same card when I upgraded from BCE to BCP in 2021.
I'm still going to go ahead and downgrade it once my AF hits next month.
However, this also rules out the Hilton card. So now I'm leaning towards Choice Privileges soon'ish (it wouldn't help with my first trip in February anyways but would with my second trip in March) and CSP later in the year. I probably won't bother with an airline card for now. I'm wary of poking Chase so much and the CSP is more appealing.
I'll check back on the Delta Gold card each time I try to book a flight, but for the February trip I guess I'm flying Southwest.