With Amex changing up their my credit guide from (TU?) VS3.0 to the EX8 score they already provided elsewhere, I looked at the updated one for the first time today. Previously I never looked at the score goals, but decided to put a goal in for the next 12 months only to find out that I can't. The lowest increase you can put in is 10 pts which for me would take my EX8 to 697, but it won't let me because it says it's not possible in 12 months. I'm wondering if I should take it with a grain of salt the way I do with score simulators, or is it really impossibleto raise my EX8 by 10pts in a year given where my profile is at?
@JoeRockhead wrote:I find it hard to believe that you couldn't attain a 10+ point gain in a year's time.
Aside from being something interesting to play around with, and perhaps educational (to give an idea of what ifs), I'd give little merit to what any commercially available simulator spits out.
Exactly what I wanted to hear! I know it can be done on FICO 9, since I've aleady had all 3 above 700 earlier this year, but nothing has touched 700 on FICO 8 yet (10T is the only other one to touch 700+ and that only seems feasible if I micro manage balances in a way I no longer want to or should have to).
That tool does the same thing to me - cannot increase EX8 from 735 to 745 in 12 months. I just ignore it...I'm focused on profile-strengthening rather than gaining FICO points. My derog profile tells two stories - one of severe financial distress (8x120 late) and one of prime transactor behavior (PIF no matter what the balances are). I want issuers to go with story number two, that this is who I am now, that they can trust me. 10 FICO points isn't what will do that. Some point-optimizing techniques, like AZEO, may even impede this goal. Letting high util post and then PIFing it all proves you actually need a CLI, so I let it all show. The big points will come on their own, once the lates drop, that'll just magically fix the juicy, main pool of lost points. The small fruit isn't worth the squeeze.
EX VS3: 746, EQ VS3: 757, TU VS3: 755, VS4: 705
@DXnessI've been rebuilding as well, but from a CH7. I was an AZEO adherent for a period of time, but now like to let 2 of 5 cards report mostly natural balances. 3 of my 5 cards get consistent solid usage each month and the other 2 get limited usage and while I'm no longer going to do AZEO unless I have plans to apply for new credit I don't want to let 5 of 5 report either (on a dirty profile that could possibly trigger AA).