So, as I was rushing out the door to go hang out w/ one of my girlfriends, the phone rings. Nothing came up on the caller ID but 'Unavailable' and I wasn't going to answer but decided to. It was some lady from MBNA bank called to tell me that I was pre-approved for their Visa card. The theme of the card was USVBA (United States Volleyball Association). I figured that they must of got my name off of a mailing list. I coach volleyball for a USVBA team. I told her that my credit wasn't in good shape and that I would get denied but she was persistant and gave me some dog and pony show about how ALL their applications are approved by HUMAN CREDIT ANALYST (yeah, right!). She then went on to claim that how some bad marks on my report wouldn't necessarily rule me out for a card (Please!). I basically told her thanks but no thanks seeing that I cannot afford an inquiry right now (seeing that I'm on the wagon). Also, I was going through the mail and saw a pre-approval offer for a visa card. I opened up the envelope and as soon as I saw First Premier, I went directly to the paper shreader and that was that! This is the second offer that I've gotten from them in 4 months.
I salute you! You're a stronger person than I am. The temptation of another prime card would have been too great and I would have tested the waters. If I can just get another prime card to go with CitiBank, I'll be happy and I'll stop looking. Until then, though......? Right now, I'm still waiting to hear from Chase. But, from what folks here have said, their response time is long. To me, the fact that I haven't been rejected yet is a positive sign. Even though I'm prepared for disappointment, I'm hoping for the best. When February rolls around, I'll be getting rid of that awful 1st Premier card and I'd like to have something to replace it. The deal I made with myself, though, is that I won't replace 1st Premier with another sub prime card. It's either prime or nothing. Donna
Did you apply for a regular Chase card? If so and you get denied, go for the secured card. I would rather have a secured card from Chase than a regualar card from First Premier!
Advice well taken, MP, and I agree. A secured card from Chase would be better than *anything* 1st Premier has to offer. Do you know if Chase reports the card as secured to the three bureaus? Thanks. Donna
I was told that they do report it as secured. But I was also told that a card reporting as secured doesn't affect your FICO score. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong....I'm just stating information that I got from this board. I personally don't care how the card reports, as long as after 18 months it turns unsecured!
Thanks, MP. If I can get a Chase card that's unsecured after 18 months, my time and money would be well invested. I'll keep that option open. With luck, I'll get approved for an unsecured Mastercard. I'll post when the response comes in. However, if that doesn't happen, I can always go the secured route. Credit repair definitely takes a while. I've been plugging away for about a year now.
That's cool. I would call now and request a secured application just so you have it handy. The mail time for them to send out the application is lengthy! We're talking almost 2 weeks! That way if you are denied, you can fill out the application, stuff some money in it, and send it off....therefore cutting 2 weeks off of your time. On the application it states that it takes 30 days to process, etc. I didn't even bother mailing them a money order (that usually speeds things up) because I didn't think that it mattered. 30 days is 30 days to them regardless of personal check or money order (that's the impression that I got anyway).
Thanks for the suggestion. Chase sure is slow. I'll call so the secured ap can be put in the mail. Either way, it's a win situation. If I do get approved for the unsecured card, then there's nothing lost. But, if I don't, I'll have the secured ap handy and can send it in.
