thanks to the info regarding which web site to use to get my credit info. i went with identityguard.com and got all 3 entire reports and all 3 scores. i called them with a few questions i had after reading my info and they were extremely helpful. well, here are my scores: Equifax: 619 (fair) Experian: 628 (fair) TransUnion: 643 (fair) i have 4 collections on my history. i started the process of disputing 2 of them (1 is open). the other two aren't going anywhere. the credit card i got in July 1999, which i settled in December of 2001, never went to collection. but the info regarding all the late payments and such is still on there. the only other accounts on there are 2 student loans and my car note. all show open, current, and paid on time. my credit inquiries are as follows: Equifax: 1 Experian: 1 TransUnion: 5 with that info, are there any credit cards that you guys recommend that i apply for (one that i have a very good chance of getting approved for). i also got my wife's info. she has no collections or deliquencies. her scores are 735, 729, and 730 (all rated excellent). i'm the bread winner (by far) but she has the better scores and report. i really look forward to any advice that you guys can provide. thanks in advance, dilla
I would apply for cards with her credit and put yourself on as authorized user. That way you can get positive tls and good credit cards and terms, which with your scores you couldn't do yet. Then as your credit improves you can get your own cards.
that's what was thinking of doing. however, i wasn't sure if just by putting myself on the card, it would positively affect my credit. we both applied for a cards recently (i applied for 1 myself and the other we applied for together) but got denied. i wanna make sure we have a pretty good chance of getting a certain card before we apply, adding more inquiries on our reports.
Reports and Scores received!! Don't apply as joint. Apply with only hers, and add yourself as authorized. With scores in the 700's unless she has extremely limited credit experience she should have no problem getting cards from all the prime players. You can do a search for i.e. chase approval on this board and find specific requirements. With a denial for her, fight and planetfeedback. I had to do that in Aug. with Amex Blue Cash and got it finally after reconsideration. Now I have a biz card from them with 21200 cl. There is a wealth of info here available through searches that will help you make the most of an inq. Good Luck.
Reports and Scores received!! thank you so much shawbee! i've been looking around for the best credit cards for us to apply for with her info. which companies/cards are the "prime players?" i've gathered that citibank and chase are, but are there anymore? thanks again! dilla
Reports and Scores received!! Amex and bank of america, also. My favorite would have to be Amex, chase ,citi, and bofa. Chase and bofa usually pull tu, and citi and amex personal cards pull experian in tx. ymmv
Reports and Scores received!! based on your experience, shawbee, do you believe that with the following info she will be eligible for a platinum with those companies? equifax: 735 (excellent) experian: 729 (good) transunion: 730 (excellent) no lates on history for anything no collection items ever 3 current revolving accounts: #1 Citibank (paying off old MBNA card after BT)..open since 10-99..no lates #2 Target Card...low limit, don't use #3 Clothing store card...no lates...$500 limit inquiries: Equifax: 1 (sprint cell in 10/03) Experian: 2 (clothing store in 05/03 and CC in 01/04) TU: 3 (MBNA in 11/03, local gas company 12/03, university she went to regarding loan in 09/02) i think that is good enough, based on what i've been picking up on the board, but i don't wanna aim to high and then tack a hard inquiry onto her history. sorry to flood the post with her numbers and info, but i'd rather it be on there instead of leaving it out if you think it would help with your advice. thanks again shawbee! you've been a great help!
Reports and Scores received!! What is the cl with the citi card and when was it last raised? Is there a possibility that you could get a cl increase? I would try also for a new card with citi since you already have a history with them. You will usually get limits based upon your current limits so that and limited credit experience will be problematic to begin with. If you could get a citi cli and a new citi card you could actually combine the cards for a higher limit. Based upon your age of ings, you really only have 1 on eq, 1 on ex, and 2 on tu, so that's good.
Reports and Scores received!! made a mistake on that last post. the credit card is actually a brand new one we just got to use to pay off her student loan. it is a providian platinum. she was pre-approved for $2500 and we put the remaining $1600 of her loan on the providian card. it's at 0% apr until this august. i wanna use the new card we're going to get to BT the loan again...hoping that we'll get a longer 0% apr or smaller apr after introductory period. that part of my previous post should read like this: 3 current revolving accounts: #1 Providian (paying off old MBNA card after BT)..open since 01/04..no lates #2 Target Card...low limit, don't use #3 Clothing store card...no lates...$500 limit
Reports and Scores received!! Are her scores before or after the Providian balance hit her report. You can expect a 20 pt drop just from having any one card over 50% of the the cl. Fico hates that. With one card really that can hurt you because overall utilization will also be high. Try to get that card under 50% as soon as possible. If the balance has not hit you report I would suggest you immediately apply for a new card. Try one of the beginner citi cards and then when you activate the card they will let you trade to another usually. Others here can tell you what is the easiest citi card to get. Good luck.
Reports and Scores received!! the providian card is NOT listed as one of her revolving accounts as of right now. thanks for replying so fast, shawbee! we're going to apply for it right now! i hope that we get approved before that pops up. dilla
Reports and Scores received!! Good luck. If for some reason you get denied you would probably have a good chance for reconsideration at planetfeedback.
Reports and Scores received!! ok shawbee, here's what we did. we applied for a BofA card and the Citi AA/Gold. i filled in all of her info, for the BofA app and it said to check back in 24 hours, so no instant approval there. then i realized that i put HER maiden name on the app instead of her mother's. PLEASE tell me this isn't going to effect the approval!!! after i did that i was searching the posts to find out what is the easiest citi card to get. i found a post about it and someone with a score in the mid 600s got instant online approval. he then called citi retention and got a better card with a lower rate and no annual fee (which is what i plan on doing). i made sure i put all the correct info on the citi app. we didn't get instant approval. they said they would mail us their response. do you think i could call on monday and see if it is approved or not? i've been beating myself up all day about putting the wrong maiden name on the first app! dilla
Re: Reports and Scores received!! Bofa rarely gives instant approval unless they sent you something that was preapproved. I think you stand a good chance. A better chance with planetfeedback available. I tried to get Citi in August and was denied. I wrote planetfeedback and Citi executive offices person called and got a 5000cl. 3 mos later they gave me an auto increase to 6300. If I hadn't been reading here, I would have never know about planetfeedback. Just keep posting and the members here will try to help you through the process.
Re: Reports and Scores received!! thanks guys... i hope that a phone call is all it will take to fix my carelessness. i'll check our BofA app online tomorrow and hopefully have some good news to report. dilla
Re: Reports and Scores received!! DENIED by BofA. they said they were gonna mail us a letter telling us why she was rejected. i called them today because i wanted to know and they just kept transferring me to different departments. this is not a good start! i plan on using planetfeedback, but i think i'm gonna have to look at that website a little more. i just checked it out once and it looked kind of overwhelming. well, let's hope Citi approves her for the AA/Gold. dilla
Re: Reports and Scores received!! Her history may not be long enough for BofA. Or not enough accounts. I have found them to be harder to get credit with, although once you have it they're pretty good. Make sure you put the HOUSEHOLD income on the application, not just hers. Also, don't put your name on the application. Wait until she gets the card and then she can call and put you on as an authorized user.
