After the pandemic, my financial situation was just absolutely wrecked. I had defaulted on multiple credit cards (Amex, Capital one, Comentiy, Synchrony, etc) and my automobile loan with GM financial. I had also personally guaranteed loans for my business that I was just not able to pay back.
a couple of years ago I started getting credit cards again and would ultimately end up not paying those either. These defaults were with sub prime credit cards companies like REVVI, Premier Bank, Total, etc.
back in June 2025, I came across a TikTok advertisement from capital one. I'm not sure exactly what ultimately provoked me to actually go and apply. I remember thinking to myself as I was completing the application, this is a waste of my time. I'll be denied! I hit the submit button and after what seemed to be an eternity later, Capital one came back and said "APPROVED". I was shocked! 🤣 I literally over the next couple of days kept checking my email and the capital one app, for a communication saying they had make a mistake! Such a correspondence never came and 2 weeks later I would receive my new SAVOR ONE card with a $300 starting limit.
I ran everything I could through that card and paid it off every two weeks. Maxing it out and then paying back down. I did that for 3 months. At this point the itch to start getting credit started. I was at KOHLS in September and the lady at the register asked me if I wanted to save 30% and apply for the KOHLs credit card. I said yes and capital one again APPROVED ME with a starring limit of $600. I was so confused. 😅 happy, but confused.
Now the urge to apply for credit is really starting to set in. It's like Pokémon and I just had to catch all of them! Exactly 19 days later, I'm buying something on Bass Pro's site and they show me an ad for the Bass pro conservation card. "Prequalify with no impact" it said. What did I do? 🤣 I applied. APPROVED! Someone pinch me at this point. I can't believe it. Another card! $600 starting limit.
it's October now and I'm planning ahead for Thanksgiving. I'm on William Sonoma's web site checking out and I'm offered another credit card. 🤣 I fill out the pre qualification form and I'm approved for the Williams Sonoma Visa. $750
November rolls around and I'm paying my T-mobile phone bill and it's telling me about the new credit card. If I use the card for auto pay, I can get $5 a month off my phone bill. So I applied and was approved for the T-mobile Visa card $750. I log in to add the new card to my profile and see Capital one is inviting me to get pre approved for a auto loan. I have no vehicle so of course I fill it out and it comes back i'm pre approved! "Take this reference number along with your ID and pay stubs to your local dealer and drive off with a new car" it said. I'm in disbelief. They have an app called Auto Navigator where I can look at cars, see my interest rate and monthly payments. I spent the next 29 days scouring the Auto Navigaor app, looking at cars. The pre approval expired in 30 days. I was very skeptical. I literally didn't believe it. I set in that pre approval for 29 days because I was convinced if I actually went to buy a car, they would end up declining me. On my lunch break, 1 day before my pre approval had expired, I popped into a local dealership. Just browsing and looking. I end up seeing this beautiful, brand new car. I open my phone and look for it in the Auto navigator app. I find it. The app says I'm pre approved for the 2026 brand new vehicle. The salesperson is being pushy. Asking me to pull the trigger. I haven't even test drove the car yet. I didn't even bother because again, I'm in disbelief I can actually drive away in this car! For whatever reason, I give into the salesperson and complete an application there at the dealership. I head out and back to work I go. About an hour later, the salesperson calls me. Tells me I've been approved for the vehicle. I figured he was going to tell me I need a massive down payment, but no! I can put whatever I want down on the vehicle he says. 😮 I'm so confused! Someone pinch me. So after work, I take my down payment (I didn't want a high monthly car payment so I put $3k down) and went and naught me a new vehicle! The only caveat is the interest rate of 12.8%. That's super steep!!! I just pray I'm able to refinance down the road, when my profile/ scores are better.
In December the SAVOR one card that started it all, got an auto CLI tp $1300. I had hit the CLI request button back in September and received a $100 bump. The increase I received in December was automatic in the amount of $900. a couple of months ago PC'd the card to a Quicksilver (using a link I found on the MYFICO forum). Capital one even refunded me a large portion of the $39 annual fee I was charge for the SAVOR ONE
I've tried to be as detailed as I can for the data points. I know I shouldn't have gotten 6 card from the same bank, in such a short period of time. Honestly, based on what I have read here on these forums, it shouldn't even be possible! It happened tho! 🤣😆
I'm not sure if it's relevant or not, but I've been banking with Discover for about 4 years. I have both a checking and savings account with them. In June 2025, my FICO 8 credit score for TU was 437 😅 and as of today, my scores across TU/EQ/EX range from 610 -634. I have multiple medical collections and even credit card account charge offs still showing in my reports. My income is $100k a year.
At the end of the day, I know these limits are very small. I wish I would have just stopped at the 2nd card offer. It's going to affect my future starting limits with new cards. 😭 I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. In the meantime, I'm going to baby these tiny cards and head my tail to the garden and watch my credit scores keep going up! I'm running my spend through these cards and paying them in full each month. it's my hopes that with doing this, I can get these limits raised up slowly.
