Your Easiest and Hardest Cards

[pinkandgrey]

Just wondering what card you have that you consider very difficult to get approved for. Conversely, which ones are easy approvals? 

None of my cards is particularly difficult to get, but in my personal experience, the USB Cash + was an uphill battle LOL. Disco basically threw itself at me very early on in my credit journey, so that was an easy one. 

[Anonymous]

SSFCU Power Cash Back was the only difficult one for me. I applied, it went to review, they called me and wanted proof of address which took me a lot of arguing with them to get them to take my Colorado drivers license with the new address on the back since I was not willing to renew the drivers license (I’m actually not able to get to the DMV to do so and in Colorado you can only renew online twice which I’ve already done) and they wouldn’t accept the Comcast bill. She finally noticed that my address on the application matches my credit report and took it. Then I got off the phone and a few hours later they asked me for POI so I sent them three months of bank statements. Another hour or so and I finally got approved. 

All of that to barely get approved - $5K at 18% (their highest APR so I essentially have a fixed APR). 

The rest of my apps were all easy and I have only experienced four denials since my BK in 2012. Chase Amazon back in 2015 or so, Sony card by Capital One in 2017 (I already had the PlayStation card though, if I would have gone Sony first I would have gotten it), PenFed for 2 new accounts in September, and Amex denied me in December for my FICO which was higher than my March approval so I’m obviously blacklisted with them internally for awhile. 

Disco, BBVA, Amazon Store Card, and PayPal were instant approvals with no further information requested, NFCU accounts all went to review but none of them had to be reconned, Cap instant approved me for my platinum as a $500 credit steps card back in 2014 as my first post-BK card. 

[wasCB14]

Excluding cards that require an invitation or some asset-based banking relationship, hard-to-get cards seem to fall into two buckets:

1. A minimum CL (several/most/all Visa Infinite cards require $10k...I have CSR)

2. Very strict credit standards (none of these have really interested me)

And to address your question in its most literal sense, some cards also have employment or geographic restrictions.

[simplynoir]

---

@wasCB14 wrote:

Excluding cards that require an invitation or some asset-based banking relationship, hard-to-get cards seem to fall into two buckets:

1. A minimum CL (several/most/all Visa Infinite cards require $10k...I have CSR)

2. Very strict credit standards (none of these have really interested me)

And to address your question in its most literal sense, some cards also have employment or geographic restrictions.

---

+1

Only notable card I want to mention is the BofA Premium Rewards card. I was a Preferred Honors holder and still had to wait awhile for this one. Honestly thought this one would be a rejection.

[Andypanda]

All my cards we easy. Disco gad to do a verification, but no problems. Biggest issue I have now is trying to get beyond tge $300 scl from target.

[AverageJoesCredit]

Hardest:

Discover- 5 tries 6hps
Anything Penfed😠
Amex, overall, 10 year blacklist🤔
Synchrony Car Care ( Pep Boys) had to write recon letter to get, cli is very difficult to get without hp and even with very stubborn☹

Easiest:

Rest were more or less standard approvals, no prequals ever though my DC was an invitation to Apply.

[Pikaboo-icu]

Oh my gosh! Inspirus CU!!!  

I wrote a novella about it on the board.. It's over on the personal finances board now and also a thread in approvals..

The process was INSANE but in the end 'twas 100% worth it.

It's geographically restricted and hoop after hoop but I ended up with saving & checking (8% int up to $500 on both) and a $20,000. SL  2% CB Visa without a HP!!

Each product was only a SP.

So, I highly recommend them but warn it will be an extensive process. 

Easiest was PenFed Power Cash Rewards.. They just said: Here take this offer and I said: OK! 

My second NFCU card was pretty simple too- App, Instant approval: $25,000. SL  Yay! 

[DU556]

Never paid attention to "visa infinite ". Not even sure what that is.

[bizarrocreditworld]

Hardest: Probably the Ebates Signature Visa since I got it on my third attempt.

Easiest: The one I just got today , Bethpage FCU Low Rate Mastercard. They offered it over the phone, no new app, no new credit pull, $30,000 SL. The full story is in the Approvals section. 

[Zolomon]

---

@pinkandgrey wrote:

Just wondering what card you have that you consider very difficult to get approved for. Conversely, which ones are easy approvals? 

---

The Amex PRG was shockingly easy with an instant approval. I had a score of 680 - 700 at the time (Jan 2018). Had several 90 day lates from 2011 as well. Edit: I just found my very first post, and it was about my PRG approval.

The next week I applied for the CSP and they gave me a 30 day notice. I did not sleep well that night. They surprised me with a call the following day to verify my identity for approval. It was my first 5k starting limit / Visa Signature card.