@Anonymous wrote: No inquires on my account either.  One thing I did notice is that it takes awhile from when they take out money from my Wells Fargo account to post to my American Express account.  It is not a big thing for me but just FYI.   Yep, no hard inq for this.  Amex does a soft inq on EX when you open a savings acct with them.  I would suspect they might check Chex as well, but haven't confirmed it.   ... View more

  @llecs wrote: I have a Green charge and finding it increasing difficult to use it without having it manually processed. The magnetic strip on the back has become increasingly damaged. I have 15 other CCs and never had any issues with them. Now I use Amex for a vast majority of purchases, but has anyone else encountered issues with Amex and their magnetic strip? If I get the card replaced, will they issue a new one without changing the number? llecs, just give 'em a call and they'll be happy to send you a replacement, and no changes to your account will take place. They'll probably overnight it to you if you wish.  Amex is great about that.    ... View more

  @haulingthescoreup wrote: I called to try to find out my member number, and after some checking around, the CSR told me that they couldn't tell me over the phone, which is fine, and makes sense. Since I couldn't print out my app anyway, they're having to mail it to me, and the member number will be on that.   They'll need your member number and PIN for anything you do, so those with calmer heads might want to make a note of them when they apply.  :D   And I'm sorry, I meant to ask for the mailing address for your app, and I spaced.  :P  But their CSR's seemed very nice, and they were braced for the onslaught of noobs.   Anyway, a useful reminder that many credit unions are a bit more traditional in how they do things, including a reliance on snail mail and so forth. For instance, every one of my CCC's let me change my phone last name over the phone, except PenFed, which wanted a copy of the divorce decree specifiying the new name, my new driver's license, etc etc. Not the end of the world, although startling now that we've gotten so accustomed to doing things in the space of about 90 seconds.     edited to correct error resulting from caffeine insufficiency I think they're prepared by now.  We've been stampeding them from over at the "other" big board since we found an "artistic" way to legitimately qualify a few months ago.  But this is so much more straightforward from what I see.  I *should* be in with them this time.  It's been interesting to say the least.  And some of the new app CSRs are not overly friendly, so be prepared.  I am courteous regardless...I know their job must be tough, so I give 'em the benefit of the doubt.  :)   ... View more

  @Anonymous wrote: Update: I finally got an AMEX card recently and successfully called and had it backdated to the date of my AU card but not the primary card (2008 rather than 2005) which I think is fair. No proof of account existance was required and they did it the same day. Gotta love AMEX!   Congrats on the back dating to 2008.  They DO keep a record of AU relationships, so they had you in their system.  That's another reason why they always ask for a Social Security number for any AU when they're added.   Amex values its relationship with  the cardholder in this respect more than any other lender.  No one else offers the backdating perk as a standard practice.  Onward and upward!  :) ... View more

  @DaveinSC wrote: I received my new USA FCU Rewards Platinum Visa in the mail today, and I noticed some unwelcome, and previously undisclosed fees associated with their VISA products:   Inactivity Fee ($0 Balance, no activity for 6 months) - $10.00    $20.00/year to sock drawer this puppy! I see a pack of gum in my future.... Rewards Credit Card (like my card) Annual Fee effective 1/1/11 - $25.00.  Waived if you charge more than 5K in one year. Not a problem for some. Non-activation of card within 60 days if issuance - $10.00  BS fee, pure and simple. Replacement Card - $10.00  Bad on ya if you lose this thing. Additional card for another authorized user - $10.00    What, you DON'T want more business with another auth. user?   And many more fees in addition to that.  If this is how they treat their Platinum customers, no wonder they're getting taken over by NFCU for poor business practices!  I sure hope that NFCU does away with some of these bull**it fees!  All that, AND 9.9% APR??  NFCU has a job in front of them if they don't want me and potentially others cutting this sucker up in 11 months. I hope their replacement product treats customers better! Yeah, that's a bit much overall.  I think this was an attempt to generate additional income after the mortgage debacle left them on the brink of collapse.  I'd be contacting NFCU as soon as your membership access number arrives in the mail from them after the conversion, and convert this card to a Cash Rewards Visa or one of their other cards.  Navy doesn't roll like this with fees.  Good luck!   ... View more

Awesome addition and definitely about time.    It's just sad that, after reading this, I had to log in 2x and go to recent activity 2x to actually SEE the big thing in the upper left corner that says "View Pending Charges."  Oy!  ... View more

  @Anonymous wrote:   @Anonymous wrote:   @Anonymous wrote: I have it. No, it doesn't report the CL. I think no Visa Signature card does. I pay off almost the entire balance before the statement cuts and let it report less than $100 so it won't harm my score. A handful of Signature cards do. i.e Nordstrom Visa Signature   My Nordstrom Visa Sig does not report a CL.   +1.  No limit reported for my Nordies VS.   ... View more

Congrats, Concorduser!  Looks like you're gonna be fine with Amex.  If the suspension is not lifted by Monday, I would give the FR person a call and see if everything's good to go.     ... View more

  @joestay wrote: Okay, so my AMEX cutoff date is tomorrow 10/11/10.  I just charge an airfare today due to unforseen circumstance in another state.  It hasn't posted yet to my account and my cutoff date is tomorrow.  I don't have enough in bank account(the account I use to pay my credit card bill) to payoff the amount today or tomorrow.  I'll have to go to bank tomorrow and transfer money from my other bank to the bill paying bank account, which I can do after 4:00 pm pacific time.  Then the earliest I can pay if it post tomorrow is after 9:00 pm pacific time.  Now, my 6 month of AMEX is coming up in 2 weeks and I really want to push the luv button for a cli if it shows up.  I'm afraid that my 65+% utlization will prevent me from getting a cli.  Any ideas on what to do or sure I be okay to get my cli on my first 6 month aniversary with AMEX?   I wouldn't stress it because:   1.  You can pay it off and zero out the account BEFORE you ask for the CLI in two weeks.  Your internal history on the card is most important to Amex. 2.  If it's like mine and many other Amex cardholders, this stmt balance won't even report to the CRAs for 6 weeks due to their huge lag in reporting. 3.  Even if it DOES report, you can zero out the card balance, call Amex and have them update the CRAs with the zero balance..which they will do as a courtesy. 4.  Amex seems to report the balance to the CRAs that's present 3-4 days BEFORE the statement cuts on many accounts.  Sooo....you may ok anyway.    Don't sweat it. Clean up afterward.  :) ... View more

  @haulingthescoreup wrote:   @TangMeister wrote: @Anonymous wrote: Cap One is taking over the Kohl's card from Chase. DOH!  Exactly....I just realized this and came back to clarify.  Why I had Macy's on the brain is beyond me.  Sorry everyone, long week!    Ah, OK, got it. Things were starting to swirl around there a bit. :D   You're not old enough to share my senioritis, surely? ;) HTSU, I'm mid 40s, but it's probably not the age, it's the mileage on me triggering the senioritis.   That and an 80 hour work week.     ... View more

  @Anonymous wrote: Cap One is taking over the Kohl's card from Chase. DOH!  Exactly....I just realized this and came back to clarify.  Why I had Macy's on the brain is beyond me.  Sorry everyone, long week!    ... View more

Nope, but it was big news, complete with article link, on the "other" big credit board about 2 months ago.  Capital One IS taking over the Macy's Card from Citi. ... View more

I think this report is in error regarding the Macy's part.  Capital One is taking over the Macy's portfolio from Citi, and that should be in place around the first of the year. This was announced about two months ago.       Edit to add:  DOH!  Cap One bought Kohl's from Chase....that's who I was thinking about.  Sorry everyone.  ... View more

  @Anonymous wrote: I guess they just dont like me very much....................I opened the account on the basis to build a credit history with them as I want/NEED to trade in my current vehicle and would like to finance with them. I do not get depressed easily but I gotta tell ya, being declined by them was a real bummer. I was approved through USAA for a 4000 limit , highest limit, I just knew NFCU would be better to me. Auto financing is soooo much easier to get approved for than an unsecured credit line such as a cc or line of credit.  Don't give up hope on them so quickly.  They generally have pretty good rates on auto loans.  And if you can't get initial approval from them, there's always the opportunity to refi with them down the road.  Navy Federal is a great CU, and you're in.  Don't be discouraged by one set back.  Glass half full!  :)   ... View more

  @Midwestsho wrote: See ,this is what's odd to me. She just would not accept the financial statements.  She wanted the tax return.  I already faxed in the release.  I'm not bent out of shape.  They're essentially extending me thousands of dollars of credit at any given time with the expectation that I should be re-paying it within a 30 day period so I imagine they want to make sure that I have the means to do so.    I just hope it comes back without a limit.  I want the points!   Amex FRs require the release of 2 years of tax returns directly from the IRS virtually every time it happens.  Some, very, very rarely get away with bank statements and pay stubs, but that is not the norm.  Yours is the normal route.    If all matches up (or better) with what you've reported to them on your initial application or updated info, then you should be good to go.  It's a pain and intrusive, but part of doing business with them.  I'm sure you'll be fine! ... View more

  @homerunstacy wrote: Called in to talk to them to get more detail on the denial.  Told CSR my score was 710 today and she spoke with a loan officer.    Even though the automatic reasons somewhat made sense she said the main reason was that I have double of the amount of credit  to me available over the PenFed max  they set for me!!! The magic number she gave me is no more then 16k total of credit.  She stated I have over two times that amount. Something like 36k available to me.  I think that is overestimate of what I really have but it probably isn't that far off. She said even if I reapplied when my 5 - year- old -paid -$115-medical- collection fell off my report and I had low utilization they would still reject me until I close out some cards.   So basically in order for them to consider me for the 7k card I requested I would need to chop off 23k of credit limits.    She herself suggested I don't bother with getting a credit card from them and that it probably isn't worth it.   Thoughts? Have you heard of this happening before?  I have 15 cards. I'd probably have to close out 12 to get the 7k PenFed card.  Seems kinda crazy and wouldn't that kill my fico score? What about the age of my accounts?  Maybe if I kept my oldest card plus my Discover card it would be doable.  Also, on the plus side less cards is easier to manage.    If I closed all these cards out wouldn't that send up some red flags when I went for a car loan in a year or two?   I guess there is a such thing as having too much credit and too many cards after all.. at least according to the PenFed folks.    How did they come up with that 16k number too?  Is it based on income? Anyone know what that magic formula is?   Are they looking at some sort of debt to income scenario if I were to max out my cards?   Thanks           Those reasons are bogus.  You got a bad CSR, and a rude one at that, IMO.  I know of people on another board making $40k per year and have a PenFed CC with a $45k limit and well over $100k in overall credit limits.  There's something else about your credit profile they don't like/want/what not....or a combo of factors.  It'll be up to you to figure out if it's worth...well...figuring it out, taking corrective action, and trying again down the road. And definitely DO NOT close any credit lines to please anyone, as HTSU said.  They'd probably come up with another reason to deny you, since that's definitely NOT the real/only reason for this.   Sorry about the experience.  They're usually so not that way.  ... View more

  @silveroak wrote: Thanks TangMeister. I called back to check and they told me that you could have both the max personal line and the max credit card as long as score was high, DTI low and utilization low and that income level was where it needed to be. I decided to go ahead and get the 25k personal line. I clicked on it and It said approved for 25k.I just need to sign a form saying that I am taking the line and they send me checks. I guess that I 'll have it for emergencies. I can get the card limit raised in another 6 months when my card is a year old. Awesome!  Congrats silveroak!    ... View more

  @silveroak wrote: I logged in today and got pre-approvals for  50k car loan, 39k boat or motorcycle loan, 25k personal line of credit, 25k debt consolidation loan, 25k thrifty line of credit. I just became a member in April and at that time was approved and accepted a $16,500 cash back rewards ViSA.    I called today to ask if they could increase my credit card limit. The representative said that they only increase cards after one year, but "based on what he was seeing" that if I call back in April 2011, I should be approved for the maximum, amount of 50k. He tried to sell me on the personal line. I would rather have the credit card increase.    Does anyone know if I take the 25k personal line now, how it would impact the increase of the card later? I'm guessing that they want to keep the overall exposure at 50k for unsecured credit?    My scores last year in October were 639 EQ and 680 TU. due to some medical debt. I paid it and had it deleted.  As of 8/28/10, they are 800 EQ and 796 TU according to MY FICO. My income went from 85k annually to 105k annually since April of this year. However, Penfed did not know that when they pre-approved me.     @Anonymous really shouldn't make a difference, so long as they are ok with your DTI ratio, and income level in general, to support the full $75k in unsecured lines.  Your preapprovals will likely disappear for @ 6 months when/if you accept the LOC.  But you can definitely have both at their max limits with PenFed if your credit/income meets their min level.    ... View more

Concorduser, I am sorry to read what has happened with Amex.  I truly hope you now realize and understand why it happened, and what you need to change to not have it happen again with any of your credit relationships.   Just a heads up:  Do not be surprised if PenFed shuts you down for the massive app'ing and credit card spree recently taken.  They've done it to others in the recent past.  That's the one I see most at risk for you, aside from the Amex FR which was inevitable from my perspective.  I REALLY hope it doesn't happen to you.  They are an awesome CU, and the one I value above all the others for their great rewards and generous pre-approvals. Best wishes on your path forward. ... View more

We're probably still safe to not use it, but I prefer to err on the side of caution and show a little usage on my LOCs.  Besides, it took all of 45 seconds for me to do the $1 transfer on their site both ways.  So I'm not sweatin' doing that every 3 months or so to maintain some activity.  ... View more

It *has* been safe in the past to let the PenFed LOC go unused and it stayed open.  Whether that continues, is the question. Also, if someone needs the extra cushion for utilzation purposes, it would be prudent to have it show some kind of activity so it doesn't become a dormant account for FICO scoring purposes.  Soooo....   I picked up this trick from another board, and is what I'm doing from this point forward:  Every 3 months or so, transfer $1 from any LOC you have to your share/savings/checking at that same institution, and then pay/transfer it back the same day.  That way, it shows activity, but no interest is charged.  Definitely works for Alliant and PenFed.  :)     ... View more

  @fused wrote:   @Red1Blue wrote: Call me crazy. Dont follow my foot steps.   Here is my WFFNB approvals today   Trek $1500 Newport New $750 Abercombie & Fitch $500 Ann Taylor MC $1500 My World Master Card $3000   I wish I can keep going. My fingers are tired of apping. I agree! I have no idea why you keep on apping. Why not have a plan??     ConcordUser, I have to agree with them.  You're gonna make your creditors very, very nervous....especially someone like Amex.  Do you really want to get FR'd again and then end up closing all your Amex cards like last year?    I understand you enjoy app'ing, but you've now got A LOT MORE to lose, prime credit-wise.  Why risk it? ... View more

  @chasmith wrote: I have a Kohl's card and have used it regularly - perhaps to excess.  This card had a zero balamce and I didn't list it on my BK7 last year, the $2500 Credit limit has helped in my rebuilding.  I had accumulated a balance of a little over $2100 with plans to start whittling it down last month.   I notices a Chase/Kohl's hard nquiry on my USAA Credit Monitoring service July 31, after already scheduling a large payment that took the balance to about $1K in August, and then in checking the August statement (cut 8/21) noticed they cut my line from $2500 to $2200.  I've still not received any Adverse Action notice, and as of today I'm not seeing balance chasing - yet.  I'll be paying down some more to have the balance under $1K this month.   I've seen on these and other boards that Chase, and Kohl's are not BK friendly.  I also have a DSNB Macys card in the same situation as Kohls (carried through BK7 without a balance and didn't list it), I think Chase manages that as well.   I'm hoping to keep the Kohl's card without a further CL cut, and have dropped util by paying my NFCU secured card to under 50% this month, and adding a USAA secured and a BBRZ Mastercard.  My discharge anniversary comes up in November and I'm hoping to eke my way above 160 FICO and that NFCU will "graduate" me to unsecured then.   So I'm inclined to let this dog sleep until December then call in playing dumb about "I noticed my line was reduced".  What are other folks seeing with Kohls CLD, and does this seem the right approach?   If it were me, I would leave well enough alone and be glad the account wasn't cancelled due to the BK.  They MIGHT cancel it if you call in and draw attention to yourself, so why take the chance over a $300 CLD?  So not worth it.  And congrats on being able to keep those cards through your BK!  :)   Chase handles Kohl's for now, but Capital One is supposed to take it over very soon.  Citi handles Macy's via DSNB.  ... View more

Since @ Dec 2008, PenFed's policy has been no CLIs by request for the first 12 months the card is opened.  Preapproved CLIs may come sooner, though.  As always, best to call them and ask.  ... View more

  @PRILEY wrote: I hope they report soon. I can really use the trade line and age of account. I got approved for a 20k limit on a Blue and it is to be backdated to 1989. I just need a few more points to refinance. 1st statement closed on the 18th. Similar situation here back in Feb.  Took  7 weeks from approval to report.  Hang in there!  :)   ... View more

Yes, you can convert.  Hegemony on that other big board just converted his PenFed Promise to the PenFed Amex back in April right after approval...no issue at all. Give them a call.  ... View more

  @GST2008 wrote: Hello All,   After talking with my father, I found out that he had an AMEX account way way way back in the early 70s (before he married my mother and was blessed with me lol).  I know that AMEX backdates accounts, but would they back date that far (35 - 40 years)?   The second and more interesting question is, if he were to add me as an AU on that account, is it possible to have an account listed that is older than I am?  I can only imagine what that would do to my AoAA. 1.  Yes, if they still have him in their system, or he has his old account numbers/credit reports/receipts or something that shows he had an Amex back then, they will backdate.  They've gotten A LOT tougher on backdating the past 1+ years if you're not already backdated in their system, though, so be prepared for that and talk to a supervisor to get it done.     2.  Again, yes, if you're added as an AU on his backdated account, it will report on your credit with his opening date (1970's..), in spite of the trade line being older than you.  There will be a notation on Experian that mentions something to the effect that your credit history is older than your Soc Sec #.  That's about it.  GO FOR IT!!!     Your actual card's "member since" date will show 2010; not the 1970s date that shows on your credit report, because that's when you are establishing a relationship with Amex.  The two dates, in this case for an AU, are not connected, per se.    The above is based on 2010 experiences of at least 4 indivuals I'm aware of, so it should be the same for you.  :) ... View more

  @Anonymous wrote: in 1989, got a Green card. Year later, was stupid -card was closed but was paid off within 30 days of being late on payment.   re- opened Green Amex in May, this year.   Amex's own Credit Report company shows my old credit history with Amex (and as being paid in full reporting good). Two different phone calls cannot get the darn account back dated, or member since date changed.  Who am I not talking to? what am i not saying correctly? Or is this just a myfico board Myth   Please clarify a few things:   So, you're saying the new Green Amex is actually reporting on your credit reports now with a May 2010 opening date?    FYI:  I'm asking because it took about 7 weeks for mine to report after approval, and you were approved in May.  The "member since" date on the physical card does not matter per se, with regard to what's actually reporting to the CRAs as your opening date.  FlyerTalk has a great thread about this quirk.  AUs experience this quite a bit, but so can returning Amex customers. Card might say 2010 on it, but your actual credit report may state "19xx" opening date, per Amex's internal records on you.  If this were the case, you would call and ask Card Services to "adjust the member since date" on your physical card and send you a new one. Purely cosmetic...but still....   When you called, did you speak to someone in Card Services, and did you escalate to a Supervisor?     What reason did they state for not backdating your account to 1988, if this is indeed the case?     ... View more

  @Anonymous wrote: Addison Avenue is merging with First Tech CU for what is is worth.    Addison Avenue FCU does not list any membership elgibilty on their website.  Does anyone know who can join?   Financial Fitness Association was a cheap way in as of earlier this year. I assume it still is.  Their website is here:   FFA   It's like $5 or $10 to join.  :)  Addison pulls Experian and ChexSystems for membership usually. ... View more

  @REgnlor wrote: I hadn't heard that they were converting them all to signature cards, and I hope that they keep reporting our credit limit. I guess I'll be giving them a call! Yeah, the no limit reporting will be an issue for some who want/need it for overall utilization purposes.  They won't report the credit limit on a Visa Signature card.  If you need the limit reported, you can easily convert the Flagship Visa to a Go Rewards Visa or Mastercard (lower rewards/smaller annual fee), or convert  to an NRewards Visa (lower rewards/no annual fee).  They both will continue to report credit limits.    ... View more