What cards can I apply for?

[JK21]

My equxfax score is 669, what cards can I apply for? what companies only check equixfax? thanks

[haulingthescoreup]

More to the point, what do you want out of a credit card? --low APR, intro 0%, rewards, consumer protection, etc.

It's a good idea to switch your mindset away from "who will have me" to "who will I take." At that point, you can start matching up your (presumably) FICO Equifax score with various lenders.

Also, if I may ask, what's keeping your score down at the moment? Scores can be hurt by a variety of things, from high utilization (which is temporary, or can be) to bankruptcy, which will be sticking around for a good long while. Different lenders react differently to various negative factors.

[JK21]

I had past due account on there, I have 2 cards but i only have 100 balances on both cards, I am looking for a low APR, not really big on rewards

[haulingthescoreup]

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@JK21 wrote:

I had past due account on there, I have 2 cards but i only have 100 balances on both cards, I am looking for a low APR, not really big on rewards

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How long ago was the late, and how serious? (30 days, 60 days, etc.)

If you got your Equifax score here, what are the negative factors on screen two? --those are what are holding your score down. Again, it's not to be nosy; it's just that different lenders get picky about different things.

Depending on how high the CL's (credit limits) are on your two cards, you might want to let smaller balances report. You can still use the cards as much as you want, but pay them down or off several days before the next statement posts (not the due date, but when the statement shows up), so that lower figures report. Ideally, one card will report $0, and the other some negligible figure like $10. Then don't forget to pay off that $10, which is easy to forget, since you've already paid once. What all this fussing around does is lower your reported utilization of revolving credit ("util"), and it reduces the number of accounts with balances.

Depending on the recency (how long ago) and severity (how many days past due) of the late, this might well boost your score above 680, and you might be eligible for better cards.

[JK21]

THe late was from over 5 or 6 years ago, My limits aren't very high on both cards

[haulingthescoreup]

Then I'd say that the late is barely hurting you at all, which is wonderful.

Try controlling the reported balances as I described above, and waiting about a week after the second card's statement posts, so that both new balances have time to show up on your credit reports. Again, ideally, one card (doesn't matter which) will report $0 and the other will report $10 or so, which you will then pay off as soon as the statement posts. With only one negative, and from that long ago, you could well hit 700. (Unless the late was 90 days or worse, but even then, I would think that you'd hit 680.)

These score guesstimates are for FICO's. If the score that you posted was a FAKO (a non-FICO score), all bets are off, because they have different score ranges and differing ways of weighing score factors. It's not just comparing apples to oranges; it's more like comparing apples to radiators or something.

edit to add: unless your statements are due to update within the next week or so, you can figure that it will take about a month for your new balances to report to the credit bureaus and show up on your reports. Almost all cards update the night that your statements post. Experian will update your reports that night or the next day, but Equifax and TransUnion take anywhere from 3 days to a week to post the new balances.