UPDATING CREDIT CARD PROFILE, Help!

[Gmv]

My wife is seeking to upgrade her credit card profile and I am coming to you all on suggestions for what she should apply for next? Credit profiles reads as follows: 

middle score  - 750 

payment history - no missed payments 

AAOA- 7 years ( police union credit card -1000 limit) 
Inquiries- 0 

Credit Utilization- under 10% 

1 installment loan paid off 2 years ago. 

any suggestions will be greatly appreciated 

[credit_is_crack]

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@Gmv wrote:

My wife is seeking to upgrade her credit card profile and I am coming to you all on suggestions for what she should apply for next? Credit profiles reads as follows: 

middle score  - 750 

payment history - no missed payments 

AAOA- 7 years ( police union credit card -1000 limit) 
Inquiries- 0 

Credit Utilization- under 10% 

1 installment loan paid off 2 years ago. 

any suggestions will be greatly appreciated 

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Hi @Gmv - I suspect you're going to get the following questions/responses

• Are you wanting to just add cards to her profile, or are you actively wanting to get cash back or points?
• You should look at cards that earn rewards in the categories you already spend money on like groceries, or gas, or utilities or dining (understanding where your money is going now will help members point you in the right direction)
• Do you have any non-negotiables (don't want cards with annual fees, or dont like a specific bank)
• Do you travel (domestic, international), stay at any particular hotel chains?

If you can share some of the info above then you might get some firmer direction on where to look

[Gmv]

Yes thank you. 
1. I'd say cash - back and points would both be on her list being fairly new in the credit building for her. 
2. I'd say traveling , utilities / shopping at certain stores are at the top of her list. 

[RealEstateGuy89]

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@Gmv wrote:

Yes thank you. 
1. I'd say cash - back and points would both be on her list being fairly new in the credit building for her. 
2. I'd say traveling , utilities / shopping at certain stores are at the top of her list. 

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I would check the prequalification tool at FNBO bank. The Evergreen is a nice 2% cash back on everything card. It looks like she needs to get a good card or two to help build up her profile and FNBO could be a good card to do it with.

They are known to give decent credit line increases every 4 months too so it would be a way for her to build up her profile. . 

[Bk2006]

With a thin file but high scores, Capital One might be a decent option. The Venture & Venture One cards earn points that can be redeemed either for cash or travel (including transfers to some airline frequent flyer programs). Question is, how big a limit would they approve with only 1 $1000 card on her report. 

I prefer Chase products to Capital One, but I don't know what kind of approvals Chase gives with thin files. Lots of airline/travel options and they've always given me the highest CLs of any bank (but a couple of my credit union cards are higher).

[uncredited]

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@RealEstateGuy89 wrote:

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@Gmv wrote:

Yes thank you. 
1. I'd say cash - back and points would both be on her list being fairly new in the credit building for her. 
2. I'd say traveling , utilities / shopping at certain stores are at the top of her list. 

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I would check the prequalification tool at FNBO bank. The Evergreen is a nice 2% cash back on everything card. It looks like she needs to get a good card or two to help build up her profile and FNBO could be a good card to do it with.

They are known to give decent credit line increases every 4 months too so it would be a way for her to build up her profile. . 

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Everyone will have different experiences, however I would definitely not recommend FNBO if OP's DW's profile really consists of 2 accounts, one paid off/closed, as my recent app experience with them resulted in denial due to not enough accounts with 2 open accounts. 

The YMMV part is, a few months ago people seemed to be getting in with them with thin files, their stance seems a little erratic currently, and OP's DW's profile has much more age than mine and that may offset the thickness criteria.  If there's a prequal (I did not have one) that may change things, however while many consider their prequal to be solid there's enough DPs here showing it's not always so, and coming off my recent not-enough-accounts denial, I would definitely steer away from them with that profile if not interested in wasting an HP. Their mood this month seems they don't want to take the risk of thin files.  It may change next month. With only one open account reporting, they'd probably be the last lender I'd recommend at this moment in time.

[Gmv]

Also prefer chase cards over cap one. I persoanlly have the freedom unlimited , venture , among others. My profile is relatively strong and its like pulling teeth to get a credit limit increase with cap one as opposed to getting limit increases with chase relatively easy. I'm just worried her Profile may be to thin when applying for chase. 

would it benefit her to make her a AU on my venture card. It has a AAOA of 15 years. 

[Bk2006]

I don't know if Capital One reports AUs but most issuers do these days.

Another possibility would be Discover - they're also known to approve cards for thin files, and frequent CLIs (at least in the past)

[FinStar]

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@Bk2006 wrote:

I don't know if Capital One reports AUs but most issuers do these days.

Another possibility would be Discover - they're also known to approve cards for thin files, and frequent CLIs (at least in the past)

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Capital One reports AUs. However, if applying for any Chase CCs, UW algorithms tend to strip away or exclude a decent portion of the AU data as she's not the primary user of such tradeline(s).

Discover is definitely a good option and she can try the pre-qualification tool to determine where she stands.

[unsungivy]

I vote to get in with Amex. They can't be beat for customer service, and when you are juggling cards, it really makes a difference you can see. Once you have your first Amex card, any additional cards you may apply for with them in future years will only be a soft pull (unless they change their policy). My amex was my second CC ever, and is now my oldest, so I am not too concerned about her thin profile.

Amex BCE still has their RESY offer available, which would give you 10% back on restaurants for the first 6 months (up to $150). It's groceries, gas, and online retail at 3% in addition, which covers a lot of bases (if you count the 6 months restaurants, that's the big 3 right there).

Discover is also excellent for a thin profile, and have good customer service, I just don't see them as vital long-term.