@AverageJoesCredit wrote:
Insane! You have Navy Fed and are asking about other lenders, for shame! Apply for the Plat, you might just get a big sl that might solved your issue.
I'm not guaranteed a big SCL there, either. I've read pages and pages from people with good profiles/scores who get small limits for their first cards and though Navy apparently builds up quickly, and often makes it rain with the second card, I don't have time for that with a BT and I don't want two new accounts. Yes, the Platinum has a no-fee BT offer but that's only for 12 months. Lastly, I do still need a card with a 0% purchase period as well -- the longer the better.
But I hear you. And for sure Navy is on my short list. I just need to investigate all my options in order to make the smartest choice. Financing a new hip hasn't been cheap. 
Remedios,
I don't know about perfect, I am carrying 18 grand in credit card debt.
As far as the 50/50 odds with Navy, that's the part that scares me. If I app and I get something too small for a transfer, even if I close it, I'm still stuck with the hits to my credit: new account, HP, lowering of my AAoA. And then, when I go after someone else, all that could hurt me with them. I feel like I have to be very careful with the first app because I may not get a second chance when it comes to the biggest SCL I can land.
So you think I should try US Bank first... then what? Navy or Citi second? By the time I get to my third choice I'm going to look like I'm desperately seeking credit. Too bad all cards don't do what Apple is doing. Takes all the stress out of app'ing.
Thanks again for your help.
ETA: One last thing, even though my Americard begins accruing interest in November, I'm going to wait until the end of the month to app because the 30-day late that's holding down my EQ and EX scores will fall off on the 1st and the 25th respectively. That should bump all 3 scores to close to 800 and give me a totally clean file. I figure a month of interest won't kill me.
@Remedios wrote:You dont have what to them is Credit Pox, new accounts. I'd start there because of the length of BT period.
SL is a whole lot easier to recon with them than denial for new accounts.
As far as Navy vs. Citi, I dont know much about Navy, and Citi is not famous for great SLs, though again, any app is basically buying a cat in the bag. The YMMV cliche totally applicable.
With needing to transfer $18k, the possibility of having it be spread over two or more cards is real, so I'd be prepared for that. You'll take some hits there, but by the time debt is paid off and you have need for additional credit, you'll recover nicely.
If it requires multiple cards, keep Amex ED in mind. While you can only BT $5k, it would come without a HP, and it would take some pressure from SL on the other card(s). You could move some of the limit from BC and "cover" utilization on that amount, leading to less scoring hit there.
This is why you build credit, to be able to leverage it at some point.
So you're aware that recon with US Bank is something they do? Because so many lenders don't seem to allow it.
It's been the plan all along to transfer a portion of Americard's balance across 3 of my current cards (Chase, Disco, Cap One) with the goal of keeping each under 30% utilization. That would leave me ~6,000 left to transfer to a new card with hopefully room left over for new purchases at 0%. But for the new card to also stay under 30% I'd need an opening line of 20K +. Or, I need to go with 2 cards. Or, I need to go over the 30% on one or more cards. Since I don't need my credit for anything other than this BT/surgery financing situation, I'm not worried about any scoring hits, only avoiding potential AA. And boy are you right -- this is the moment I've been building towards. Why I've driven up my credit limits as best I could over the last couple of years.
You know, I'd never thought about an Amex Everyday. I've always found it a shame that the larger limit on my BC doesn't do anything for me -- and this would make it do something for me. You think it's possible to get an opening line of 10-15K from them? Are you aware of any limits on transferring credit line across their cards??
YES, Maharshi! You are the poster I've been waiting for my entire life. 😘
Of the DT's you outlined we are twinsies: Our TU8's are only 3 points apart, we both only have 1 Inq in the last 24 months and only 1 new account in the same time frame. BUT... if I may, what's your overall utilization like, what's your total cc debt, and what's your DTI? As you may or may not have noticed above I'm carrying 18K on my cards which is where I fear I'll find either rejection or a sad opening limit.
So you weren't approved immediately? What message were you given? Some kind of 7-10 day?
I'll be here... waiting with bated breath.