Your top 5 Hardest Cards for Approval

[Anonymous]

In your opinion, what are the hardest 5 cards to get, and what would you say are their credit range requirements (assuming average income / other stats)

Excluding invite-only cards like the Centurion card. 

Thanks!

PS I'm gardening and just looking to hear some thoughts for discussion from the more experienced than me (probs everyone here)

[wasCB14]

Simmons and Iberia are supposed to have pretty strict underwriting. I don't know much about Iberia's products, but Simmons cards have fairly low APRs.

Just because a card is hard to get doesn't mean it's necessarily worthwhile.

[MakingProgress]

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@Anonymous wrote:

In your opinion, what are the hardest 5 cards to get, and what would you say are their credit range requirements (assuming average income / other stats)

Excluding invite-only cards like the Centurion card. 

Thanks!

PS I'm gardening and just looking to hear some thoughts for discussion from the more experienced than me (probs everyone here)

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It will vary by profile what is hardest to get.  

A year ago conventional wisdom said I would not get a Citi DC as I had 2 120 lates on my CR.   I was approved and I got a Decent SL of $7,900.

This year I wanted a US Bank Cash+.  My 120 day lates are gone, but I still have some 30 days.  I knew my profile was not perfect for US 

Bank and I was expecting a low SL if I was approved at all.   I was approved with a monster $20K limit.

My point is that YMMV is not the exception but the rule.  You just can't predict what will be the hardest cards to get.   What's hard for me can be easy for you and whats easy for me can be impossible for you. 

[Anonymous]

I’d say something like the JP Morgan Reserve or whatever it’s called (used to be the Palladium) would be pretty tough for most of us since it requires at least $10 million in deposits with that bank...

[iced]

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@Anonymous wrote:

In your opinion, what are the hardest 5 cards to get, and what would you say are their credit range requirements (assuming average income / other stats)

Excluding invite-only cards like the Centurion card. 

Thanks!

PS I'm gardening and just looking to hear some thoughts for discussion from the more experienced than me (probs everyone here)

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Excluding invite-only/non-credit restriction cards (I would also lump in things like the JPMC and various CU cards that are only open to people in specific areas), there's pretty much nothing out that's even mildly difficult to get IMO.

If you have a pulse, stable income and residence, have used credit more than a year or two, and haven't done anything stupid or irresponsible with that credit in the last 7 years, they're all on the table. Any perception of difficulty or exclusiveness beyond that is deceptive marketing hype or urban legend.

[FinStar]

OP, this topic comes up quite often. See previous threads which provide some context on experiences:

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Your-Easiest-and-Hardest-Cards/m-p/5478706

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Hardest-credit-cards-to-acquire/m-p/4059224

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Hardest-card-to-get-approved-for/m-p/3722413

[simplynoir]

It was bound to come up like the other obligatory posts such as "if you could only have [insert number] cards in your wallet?" and the like.

[UpperNwGuy]

Ha!  I’ve only applied for 6 cards in the last 6 years.  The easiest approval was the CSR, so I guess all the others constitute my top 5 hardest cards for approval.

[Anonymous]

Hardest for me are any Chase cards since they are all 5/24 now. I don't think there are any other cards that are hard to get.  

[Anonymous]

AMEX. OF ANY SIZE, COLOR, SHAPE, FLAVOR.

My scores range from 675-700. I’ve had zero difficulty establishing USBANK Cash + 6k; USBANK 365 Cash Amex 5k, USAA Cash Rewards 5k (all 3 same day,) Discover It - as well as Nordstrom Visa and a sizable Neiman Marcus charge.

I own a business with favorable credit (it’s 12 years old.) Amex not only offers me no pre-quals but flat refuses my cold apps.