You should be eligble for an Amex now with your profile and income. Just know the Plat isnt that hard to get , same underwriting as other charge cards just a higher AF.If you are set on living the Chase life just remember 5/24. A small secure loan will definetly help your credit mix if you have no other loans. Best of luck
Keeping in mind what AverageJoesCredit stated... the Chase 5/24 rule. If your ultimate goal is to be in a good relationship with Chase and pick up more cards from them, you definitely don't want to be filling up too fast on other cards or you'll be SOL/24 for a while.
Also, if the true goal is to purchase a home in 2-3 years, just keep that in the back of your mind as applying for 7+ cards in a small time frame could be looked at poorly by mortgage firms. I suppose however if the home is 2 years off, there is room to let that smooth out. Either way, it's great to see someone in college planning this roadmap out so well, kudos to you OP.
-Victory Loves Preparation
Thanks guys, lots of good stuff for me here!
Getting a small personal loan
* Given your timeframe this would be a great idea. Research something called the Share Secured Loan Technique. It will add one more account and boost your FICO 8 scores in preparation for any CC applications you need to make. The best fits for the full SSL Technqiue are Navy Fed (SSL) and Alliant (unsecured loan) currently. Do not do this without commiting to the full technique.
* Having an open loan on which you have an established record of payments may very well help when the mortgage underwriter looks at your reports.
Today I app'd to Navy Federal and got in (!!!) without a HP. Both my grandfathers were US military, and the CSR didn't ask for much. I only opened a savings account though. While I'm waiting for my grandfathers' papers (DD214?) to come from the gov't, I'm doing my due diligence on this Share Secured Loan Technique. If all goes well I should be ready to start in about a month.
With that in mind, should I apply for another card before taking the AAoA hit, or should I go ahead and start? If I do get a card and burn a 5/24 slot, I'd like it to be useful. My budget tells me the Amazon Prime Signature, Amex PRG (but its got that fee 
), or Wells Fargo Propel cards would make the most since for me. I guess I'm off to research qualifications for the Amazon or WF card. That and NFCU cards now that thats an option.
Are Amex charge cards bad for thin files because they don't report utilization? I'm also kind of worried about having to cancel my second oldest card if the fee doesn't make sense later.
As far as reducing my parents utilization, we're working on it. If they can get the payment date moved, it should come down.
My comments in blue below.
@Anonymous wrote:Today I app'd to Navy Federal and got in (!!!) without a HP. Both my grandfathers were US military, and the CSR didn't ask for much. I only opened a savings account though. While I'm waiting for my grandfathers' papers (DD214?) to come from the gov't, I'm doing my due diligence on this Share Secured Loan Technique. If all goes well I should be ready to start in about a month.
Wonderful. Navy Fed is a well tested option for the SSL Technique. Do not not discuss your SSLT plans with Navy customer service reps, however.
With that in mind, should I apply for another card before taking the AAoA hit, or should I go ahead and start? If I do get a card and burn a 5/24 slot, I'd like it to be useful. My budget tells me the Amazon Prime Signature, Amex PRG (but its got that fee
Others can give you their thoughts about which specific cards might be a good fit for you. My only advice is to get a major credit card (not a store card) and to avoid all cards with annual fees (that includes but is not limited to charge cards). Cards with AFs have no scoring advantage and typically end up costing you more than well-chosen non-AF options. They can be fun toys for people who are CEOs and are flying constantly for their business -- then certain AF cards make sense. But if you become a CEO you can always add that card then -- i.e. AFTER you own the house.
Are Amex charge cards bad for thin files because they don't report utilization? I'm also kind of worried about having to cancel my second oldest card if the fee doesn't make sense later.
That's a smart concern. I think you should avoid all cards with AFs until after you own your house (or perhaps ever).
As far as reducing my parents utilization, we're working on it. If they can get the payment date moved, it should come down.
OP, you're in a similar boat that I was in, including the "moronic" Chase app, except that I started with secured Disco instead. The Disco should grow very well, so that's an excellent first card I'd recommend to anybody.
Since you have a relationship with BofA (Even if only as an AU, but especially if you also have checking, etc.), I would pick up their cash rewards or travel rewards (or premium rewards if you know 100% you'll make up the AF). They've been good to me, my CL has grown nicely.
I applied again at Chase with less than a year of history and was approved, albeit for a toy limit. Not recommended.
I've had my eyes on the CSR too, but unless you're traveling a great deal, it's just not worth it. Uber is arguably just as good if not better, no-AF no-FTF, though I'm not sure how Barclays sees an AU; I had three cards and a little over a year of history and needed to recon them.
Best of luck!