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No open revolving accounts, listed as AU on 8 with utilization 3%. Dinged on score for past delinquent payments and no revolving accounts.
Score EX 631; EQ 612; TU 626
What is the best Secured card to open?
If Navy is an option for you I recommend the nRewards card. I have heard that Discover's secured card is a good option and will graduate in a timely manner providing your scores warrant it.
You can try US Bank Secured Cards. They are easy to get approved and they launched 2 new secured cards that give very good rewards. I know they become unsecure after 12 months. ( They unsecured 2 of my cards. I know they can). You can try Sable Secured Card (unsecures in 4 months), TD Bank Cash Secured Card (unsecures in 6 months). I heard NFBO becomes unsecure in 7 months. If you are looking for rewards US Bank Secured Cards are the best.
discover card
Bank of America. I had a secured with $500 deposit, decided to put another $500 when the 4th statement cut (so hey you can add to it). I called to have it unsecured at 5 months and they returned my deposit plus gave me another $500 so now I'm up $1500. And 2 days ago after the 8th statement cut, I asked for $3000 and they gave it to me ( I'm mad, I should have asked for more). So had this card 8 months and took it from $500 to $3000. Can ask for a cli every 3 months.
Discover is making me call to add more deposit so that's not gonna happen. Earliest it can unsecure is 7 months and I hear they are stingy with CLIs so we will see after I get this unsecured hopefully soon.
Capital One: They have been a pain when it comes to CLIs. I regret them being my first secured card.
Personally, I'd recommend Discover's secured card. Not only can you change to the 5% rotating categories rewards program, but they unsecure as early as 7 months. There are also no fees and Cash Back Match can be quite valuable.
It depends on your credit profile. Here are some cards that you should check out:
State Department Federal Credit Union (SDFCU): They have a low APR, hardly any fees, graduates after a year. C/L up to $100k
US Bank: No annual fees, C/L up to $5K, Can be one of the two rewards cards, graduates after a year
Bank of America: No annual fees C/L up to $10K (after the initial deposit max of $4.9K), Can be the cash rewards card, graduates
Discover: No annual fees, C/L up to $2.5K, graduates
Citibank: No annual fees, graduates
TD Bank (regional): Cash back rewards, C/L up to $5.K, graduates
You *might* squeeze an unsecured Cap One Platinum card out of your existing profile. (How long ago was the deliquent payment(s)?) The Platinum can usually be PC'd after a few months into the no - AF Quicksilver, where you'll earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases.This will probably be a credit limit bucketed card, but it is one of the best unsecured builder card routes out there. Use it until your profile outgrows it, then you can either sock drawer it or close it. (Stay away from the Quicksilver One as you'll never shake the $39 annual fee. The route I explained with the platinum is to achieve the no annual fee Quicksilver.)
While Cap One does offer secured cards, they tend to end up bucketed into low credit lines, even after eventual graduation, where they'll languish until you choose to close them, even if your scores have grown into the 800's and you're carrying $30K+ CL's from Chase, Citi, USB and everyone else.
For secured, I'd definitely recommend using a credit union. Navy Federal is solid and well loved around here, but you need a military affiliation whether it be yourself, spouse, child, parent or grand parent.
Discover seems to be decent as well, but be aware that they seem to sporadically ask for 4506_T (tax info), even on secured cards!
US Bank (and it's Elan branch where subscribed financial institutions offer Elan backed card offerings), BoA and Citi offer secured cards which will graduate and can be PC'd into rewards products.
Best of luck and keep us posted!
The secured card is for a family member. I dragged the family to NFCU to open accounts.
I believe NFCU should be great, with no fees and apparently the CL can be the amount of the deposit, so we'll make a healthy deposit. It can't hurt that the branch manager is the next door neighbor, which we didn't know until we went to the branch. We haven't applied for the card yet. We're working to keep down the inquiries until we decide about a mortgage refi.
I agree about Cap 1. I have a couple of them from '95 with ridiculously low limits. I just keep them around now to pump up the AAoA for family members.