It's been a while since I've posted - I've been more diligent with my money and credit for the last bunch of months than I've ever been in my life. I've gotten my credit score across the three from a low 500 average to a 640-670 average. It's a great accomplishment for me. I'm also not carrying *any* balances on any of three cards I have. I have a car loan, never missed a payment on it since I've had it (circa April 2005), and I have a lot of student loan debt currently in Economic Hardship Deferrment - never defaulted, always followed the proper procedure, in good standing with Direct Loans. Hell, I haven't even had any inquiries on my account - besides the soft ones I've pulled via TrueCredit - in over a year. I have a few cards that charge either a monthly fee or an annual fee that they bill monthly. It's not a big deal really, except for the fact that I don't want to pay someone else for the credit. Today I applied for an Amex Blue, figuring that I might have a chance to get some new credit and continue the work I've been doing. I got denied. For some reason I thought I might not get denied, but I was denied anyway. It was kind of a hit to my pride a little, just since I've been working hard to fix all of the young 20's screwups, and even though my scores are in the "fair" range, I'm apparently still not worthy of their credit. The reasoning I got was as follows: Collection item in the last two years Account(s) 90+ days past due in the last two years Unsatisfied account 90+ days past due with a balance of $200+ greater than 1 year These items are on my report from two+ years ago, it's true. I only had a few of them. I've done everything that anyone has remotely suggested on this forum to make this go away. Is there something that I can do at this point to get some *more* progress done? I've been SQUEAKY clean on my credit for over a year now. One would assume that progress would not be sitting still like it is here. I'll take any suggestions, or I'll just shut the hell up. Thanks folks. Antelope
Nope, everything on my list has been paid off in the past. The one thing that is probably the biggest kick in the goons is that I had a collections case due to an error made by my graduate school (a big ten one). It went to the Ohio Attourney General, and I paid on it solid for two years. This last summer, I was able to get that school to get my account back, and I paid it off in full. Two of the three agencies are reporting that the debt is of the type "educational," and "current." TU is reporting that debt as a collection/chargeoff even though the school took back the account and made it current.
You're scores aren't high enough for "branded" American Express cards. Try the "co-branded" products such as Hilton, Starwoods, or Delta. Specifically, I bet you get the Delta Sky Points product if you apply. If you don't get it rest assured that you're not missing out. They are a strange outfit with there financial reviews. My money is with Citi. Applied Advantage and Premier Pass are within your range.
The co-branded cards usually have a fee, but you get a benefit. For example, I can run enough stuff through a Skymiles card in a year (maybe a little more, but less than two) to get a free ticket. So I look at the fee as what I'm paying for a ticket, and it's pretty cheap. To do this, charge things that you'd normally write a check for, such as your insurance. That way you get the points and an extra few weeks before you have to write the check. Make sure you keep the money there to write the check when the credit card is due.
