Which cards would I qualify for?

[ChemE_Bear]

Thanks for clarifying re: Chase mid-cycle reporting.  There were pending charges but we were obviously not able to pay beyond what was currently charged.  Oh well, we will optimize the utilization in subsequent reporting.  Should I wait to check for prequalifying to when the utilization has dropped below the current 40%?  I assume that will have a decent impact on my score.

[K-in-Boston]

You're very welcome.  Since we're talking a matter of days/week at the most, yes I would wait until lower utilization is reporting.  Some lenders will completely discount authorized user cards on their internal scoring, but better to be safe in my opinion to get more favorable terms out of the gate.  While you're waiting start looking at cards that might make sense for you, so when you see the eventual prequalifications you know what you might want.  Cold apping can also make sense; feel free to inquire here.

[IncrsCreditScore]

After many, many years of having no credit cards, I found that my credit scores suffered from that lack.  The very first credit card I was approved for was an American Express Blue Cash Everday and, about a month later, a Discover IT.  I believe my scores were lower than yours at the time.  Personally, I would not start with a CapOne.  My 2 cents. 

[ChemE_Bear]

Discover IT comes up repeatedly as a recommendation on these forums and other financial forums - what exactly makes this card appealing for those with less than perfect credit?

[Remedios]

What makes them appealing is that in a lot of instances they are not averse to young, or less than perfect files.
A lot of DPs indicate they prefer those without a lot of credit (ensures their cards get used).
In general, Discover is decent lender and a good place to start building, or rebuilding.

[K-in-Boston]

+1000 to what Remedios said.  In addition to that, for the first year at least, the rewards are quite good.  The card earns 1% cash back on all purchases, but 5% in revolving categories on up to $1500 in spend each quarter.  The categories don't always work for everyone, but when they do they're great.  At the end of your first year, Discover will match all cash back earned for your first year, so really it's a 2% card for all purchases and 10% for the quarterly categories.

[ChemE_Bear]

Wow, those do sound like very good rewards! Thank you all for patiently answering all my questions, I really appreciate it.

[JNA1]

To add to what others are saying, Discover was my first rewards card, and I got it a little over a year ago. I cycled pretty much all of our spending (except mortgage, car payment, etc that don’t accept Credit cards) and we earned nearly $1400 in cash back for the first year. They offered me a $4 SL and I’ve gotten 1 CLI for $2500.

You can check and see if you qualify here:

https://www.discovercard.com/application/website/prequal?mpip=true&adobe_mc_sdid=SDID%3D237EFCEC824C...