I can't speak to thresholds on age of oldest account: that's likely a bucket thing (or was under FICO 04) and so it'd be awfully hard to know how things would react when you're moving between scorecards.
As for AAOA, I got 3 datapoints going back and forth across the 2 year AAOA mark, 4 points on FICO 8 for me on my dirty file, ~700 FICO 8 scores at the time. I wasn't able to really get FICO 04 datapoints at the time but I could try to go look as I kept all the DCU monthly reports and might be able to isolate from inquiries on EQ. Maybe.
I'm hoping to catch the 3 year breakpoint in twoish months going over it, and then applying for an account to get me under, and repeat the cycle again since I'm looking for 2-3 accounts total. Guess that means I should be applying sooner rather than later with a 1-2 statement lag heh, just need my Beacon 5.0 above 700 again. Need to do some silly math actually as it's hard to test given I have 23 tradelines on my reports between open and closed now so I lose less than a month. Bleh, maybe I need to go open 4 accounts after I transition across the 3 year mark and I have inquiries coming off after that. May be impossible to get more than one shot at a clean datapoint c'est la guerre.
@CreditMagic7 wrote:
@Revelate wrote:I can't speak to thresholds on age of oldest account: that's likely a bucket thing (or was under FICO 04) and so it'd be awfully hard to know how things would react when you're moving between scorecards.
As for AAOA, I got 3 datapoints going back and forth across the 2 year AAOA mark, 4 points on FICO 8 for me on my dirty file, ~700 FICO 8 scores at the time. I wasn't able to really get FICO 04 datapoints at the time but I could try to go look as I kept all the DCU monthly reports and might be able to isolate from inquiries on EQ. Maybe.
I'm hoping to catch the 3 year breakpoint in twoish months going over it, and then applying for an account to get me under, and repeat the cycle again since I'm looking for 2-3 accounts total. Guess that means I should be applying sooner rather than later with a 1-2 statement lag heh, just need my Beacon 5.0 above 700 again. Need to do some silly math actually as it's hard to test given I have 23 tradelines on my reports between open and closed now so I lose less than a month. Bleh, maybe I need to go open 4 accounts after I transition across the 3 year mark and I have inquiries coming off after that. May be impossible to get more than one shot at a clean datapoint c'est la guerre.
So in essence Revelate what you are saying is that you DID realize a 4 point FICO 8 swing?
Now how that difference factors in from as you call it, a "dirty file" is a little confusing but i assume it points to some single negative of a sort.
I dunno, maybe a Satisfied PR? which as you also make reference to categorizes the overall profile into a predetermined FICO analysis formula for that particular addition.
I can't anymore in good conscience or just good financial/credit practice lend myself to any new cards at all the way i see it from the information Equifax is just updated and shows for my current profile.
It does seem vitally important for me now to first, finally cross that (2) year point and then some which demands no new applications whatsoever the remainder of this year and i have no problem with that at this point.
Looking anxiously forward to late in summer to see exactly what my own point swing will be.
Yes, 1+change -> 2 = +4
2.1 -> 1+change = -4
1+change->2 = +4 again
Were my FICO 8 datapoints.
By dirty file I mean I'm in a negative bucket: every change is magnified in the positive buckets from what I've seen over many anecdotal reports here, so a clean file may get more than the 4 points (or lose more if going beneath it) was all I was trying to intimate.
@Anonymous wrote:Hi CM. My understanding is that age is indeed evaluated in terms of integer year values. So any age factor between 4.1 and 4.9 is treated the same, as is any age between 14.1 and 14.9 (etc.).
The lower an integer happens to be, the more likely it is that it could be some kind of break in a FICO algorithm. Thus, going from 1.9 to 2.1 is almost certainly an AAoA break, and the same for 2.9 to 3.1. But when you get much beyond 2, 3, 4, etc. you get these breaks more rarely.
As a practical question, it certainly seems like it makes a lot of sense to stop applying for cards for at least the next four months. You have a boatload already, right? And you seem to have a strong desire to see your score to go up. So wait until both ages are a month above an integer and see what happens.
PS. I am curious to hear what your experience is with the CSP. You mention that you were choosing long term keepers. Is the $95 annual fee really worth it? I am not saying it's not -- just curious to hear your thoughts. My only AF keeper card is my Amex BCP, and that's because I buy a lot of groceries and Amazon at 6%.
Greetings right back at cha' CreditGuyInDixie. 
You have been of enormous assistance (as others) so please keep up that useful and wonderful effort and know that it is very greatly appreciated even in absence of those who might not take time to say so.
I WAS at a point of going over some Chase options lately short of doing any apps with them before the 5/24 kicks in, and in light of the fact that i have a bit of a head start on clearing my board for any future new Chase app, i concluded theres plenty of time available for them when the time comes.
Shortly before the CSP AF posted at (1) year i did what i consider, gave myself a (No HP) Chase CLI on my CSP by closing the Freedom Card and moving that limit over. Now this was only one part of some long term planning because although i do not fly and you can't get me on a plane, i am keenly interested in the many Hotel cards Chase sponsors (Marriot, IHG, etc.) and can make good use of them in my work travels between expediting cross country freight LoL
The problem that i ran into early on was there were many other cards/lenders of interest that needed added to my profile while the getting was good so to speak so that after the Freedom/CSP combo i had to build history on those first while systematically and every so many months adding those other cards that i also consider keepers, (Bofa. Citi, BMO Diners, etc.)
So point being the CSP is a points mover but without a point maker compliment card to pair it with right now. I do however find it important to hold on to it until i eventually make it under the 5/24 of which i have something of a head start on right now.
@CreditMagic7 wrote:
@Revelate wrote:
@CreditMagic7 wrote:
@Revelate wrote:I can't speak to thresholds on age of oldest account: that's likely a bucket thing (or was under FICO 04) and so it'd be awfully hard to know how things would react when you're moving between scorecards.
As for AAOA, I got 3 datapoints going back and forth across the 2 year AAOA mark, 4 points on FICO 8 for me on my dirty file, ~700 FICO 8 scores at the time. I wasn't able to really get FICO 04 datapoints at the time but I could try to go look as I kept all the DCU monthly reports and might be able to isolate from inquiries on EQ. Maybe.
I'm hoping to catch the 3 year breakpoint in twoish months going over it, and then applying for an account to get me under, and repeat the cycle again since I'm looking for 2-3 accounts total. Guess that means I should be applying sooner rather than later with a 1-2 statement lag heh, just need my Beacon 5.0 above 700 again. Need to do some silly math actually as it's hard to test given I have 23 tradelines on my reports between open and closed now so I lose less than a month. Bleh, maybe I need to go open 4 accounts after I transition across the 3 year mark and I have inquiries coming off after that. May be impossible to get more than one shot at a clean datapoint c'est la guerre.
So in essence Revelate what you are saying is that you DID realize a 4 point FICO 8 swing?
Now how that difference factors in from as you call it, a "dirty file" is a little confusing but i assume it points to some single negative of a sort.
I dunno, maybe a Satisfied PR? which as you also make reference to categorizes the overall profile into a predetermined FICO analysis formula for that particular addition.
I can't anymore in good conscience or just good financial/credit practice lend myself to any new cards at all the way i see it from the information Equifax is just updated and shows for my current profile.
It does seem vitally important for me now to first, finally cross that (2) year point and then some which demands no new applications whatsoever the remainder of this year and i have no problem with that at this point.
Looking anxiously forward to late in summer to see exactly what my own point swing will be.
Yes, 1+change -> 2 = +4
2.1 -> 1+change = -4
1+change->2 = +4 again
Were my FICO 8 datapoints.
By dirty file I mean I'm in a negative bucket: every change is magnified in the positive buckets from what I've seen over many anecdotal reports here, so a clean file may get more than the 4 points (or lose more if going beneath it) was all I was trying to intimate.
But isn't it proven that even in this negative bucket spoken of, it also has it's break points of lesser influence as i understand it?
And likewise a huge thanks Revelate for sharing your own decent results in spite of the rough edge that a bucket can put in your way.
Heck, if just a +4 point net gain becomes realized once my own history crosses that next new line, it will become a super positive on this end because in reality i can still see that my own profile isn't nearly all that mature just yet.
You have been of enormous help sharing your wisdom in these and other credit matters and that type of discipline combined along with some choice others in here, has really turned my head to a completely new light that i can safely say i am honestly surprised with while experiencing some real improvements that otherwise still would not have been realized without your posts.
I'm fairly confident that the calculations inside each scorecard are the same, certainly they are on the utilization metrics I'd be suprised if they were not for AAOA; put more concretely: the breakpoints should be the same, but the absolute magnitude of the change for crossing a breakpoint may be (and likely absolutely is) different between individual scorecards.
I don't know how the edge of a bucket factors honestly, I've theorized I've been stuck at the edge of a bucket with the long periods (measured in a year or longer) that I've spent at a single score with my only variations being fluctuations in reported balances... but other sophisticated FICO analyzers have suggested that's a load of crap so
@Revelate wrote:I'm fairly confident that the calculations inside each scorecard are the same, certainly they are on the utilization metrics I'd be suprised if they were not for AAOA; put more concretely: the breakpoints should be the same, but the absolute magnitude of the change for crossing a breakpoint may be (and likely absolutely is) different between individual scorecards.
I don't know how the edge of a bucket factors honestly, I've theorized I've been stuck at the edge of a bucket with the long periods (measured in a year or longer) that I've spent at a single score with my only variations being fluctuations in reported balances... but other sophisticated FICO analyzers have suggested that's a load of crap so
Fico does explicitly state that:
1) Each score card has a defined range. So as long as you are assigned to a specific scorecard, your score would be bounded by it's upper & lower limits.
2) Factors are weighed differently depending on the scorecard assignment. The formulas may be the same but, the factor can be assigned zero weight.
3) Age of oldest account, age of youngest account and credit depth are scorecard assignment factors as is presence of/severity of derogs.
My interpretation of Fico articles/presentations is AAoA is a scoring factor not a scorecard assignment factor (Note: I initially thought AAoA was used for scorecards but, multiple Fico articles I have come across state age of oldest account is the criteria)
Side note: Poster data still indicates an AAoA of 8 years is the lower limit for max scoring of that factor (Inverse). Experian mentions 7 years 8 months.
