Hi, First off. Thanks to everyone that came before me and contributed to this website! I've read a bunch so far waiting for my account to be activated on here... (thanks Jason B !!!) Now I'm torn between figuring out what is even the right first steps! **** I've read on here in a few places it's best to apply for a secured card earlier on in the credit repair process so inquiries don't ding you later on and that new history will weigh in more and help nudge my scores up sooner. So great, except i pulled my free annual credit reports already and see all the neg stuff i need to get to work on........ But then I also read this damn "offer" that my old pals at Capital One sent me before i had pulled my reports (we haven't spoken to each other in well over 6 years, their letter sparked me to look at credit repair and finding creditnet) and its stating "unsecured", and that i'm already "eligible" and they seem to know i would need this since it's a card for "people looking to improve their credit" etc... So me not wanting to fork over $$$ for a secured card and save that money to offer a PFD or negotiate something my mind started wondering................ So here comes the questions: 1) Do i pay myfico.com to find out what my Scores are FIRST and if they are a certain score go ahead and apply to the researched "best card for that range"? A) I've been looking at the "Credit Pulls Database" (I'm too new to post a link here, search the forums) referred to in a few posts...but scoring requirements are all over the place......SO What is a good number to aim for to possibly getting unsecured these days (some previous post i read were old)?? b) Is it just a Good Idea to first pull myfico.com scores to get a starting number regardless (it doesn't hurt my score right?) or Do i Apply through Cap One and if denied go ahead and request what score they got? (read somewhere on here they had to tell you if they deny you, which company they used and score they got) This way i get to know my score/s for free if denied or get approved for the card and worry about scores later.... 1) a) If being denied for that unsecured card, would they right away be able to offer me the secured of course without having to pull another inquiry if denied? b) Would/could they decline for both unsecured and secured because of past history with them (cap one) regardless of scores and regardless of what marketing "offer" they send? 2) Should i clean up things like old address and personal info first (heard that can boost fico just a little) before applying for ANYTHING? 3) I know i read that the USAA website lets you do unlimited pulls for reports, anyone know of unlimited FICO score pulls (not FAKO , thanks to creditnet for teaching me the difference.) That way i can know how i'm moving up and when would be appropriate to apply for a better card? Or Does everyone on do it once a quater/month/year? As you can tell i'm suffering from analysis paralysis so any advice other than "hey your post should be shorter than this" would be great! Again sorry for all the questions at once, you don't have to answer all just whatever advice you can give on these or in relation to it. Thanks, Le Kameleon
Re: Starting Repair, Fico Scores, 1st Cards & First 3 Steps... OK more like five...W Hi Kameleon, 1.) You'll likely have to re-apply for the unsecured credit card, but it sounds like you have a decent shot to be approved for an unsecured card so I would recommend that first. a.) If your score is somewhere in the 580-600 range you could be approved for the Cap One Classic Platinum Card (a limited to fair credit card) ... is that the card they "offered" you? (FYI people are denied applications to offers they get in the mail often, so don't count on that one too much.) b.) odds are you won't see anything too different on your myfico report from your free credit report but it won't hurt your score. (By the way, did you notice any errors or omissions on your credit report? You should dispute these immediately.) 2.) It's probably a good idea to update your personal info but really the only way it will boost your score is if you've stayed at the same address for an extended period. Hope some of this helps, anyways!
Re: Starting Repair, Fico Scores, 1st Cards & First 3 Steps... OK more like five...W I'm waiting on Experian to match things up . Had to mail in a request since none of my verification answers online would not allow for me to match things up. Lots of collection accounts but it seems to be from the cards i had given up on but i guess they were from collection agencies that passed the debt around. So i'm looking to figure out how to get those removed. I really don't see how it's fair to have 4-6 different companies reporting on the same debt. I'm sure each time a new CA gets it this brings my score down right??? As for the Card offer it just said "Capital One Platinum Mastercard" so i was confused weather it was Secured or not. So i re-read the offer and it said "unsecured"? Also i JUST got another reminder of this offer today. this one just said Cap One platinum mastercard. with no reference to secured or not at all same reference and offer confirmation #'s. This is making me worried that this is just a plot to have my credit pulled and will just get me a secured card offer. I'm not itching to GET a card but i rather take a hit now before working on credit... Which is why i though it would be wise to pay for myfico.com scores to see if i have a good enough score to have other options than JUST this ONE Cap One Offer Hope i'm making sense. Also i had checked out Credit karma last year for "fun". I had a 510 scored back in May of 2011. As i was typing i remembered that i'm about to update the score (which from searching around this won't be a hard inquiry).....Okay Done and it's just at 567 on Credit Karma as of today.... On another note CK is saying i had a hard inquiry from a collections agency.. is that possible??? Should i no even worry about this yet?
Re: Starting Repair, Fico Scores, 1st Cards & First 3 Steps... OK more like five...W Okay so i couldn't sleep and i'm hating the not knowing... So i Did three things today (which was my mini-goal for working on repairing my credit, to not be over whelmed) 1) Credit Karma Score was 567 (a score based on TU and FREE) 2) Did myfico.com Scorewatch score of 589 (an Equifax score and FREE, since i'll cancel the subscription to scorewatch) 3) I went ahead and applied for the damn Cap one offer i got. Did it online and it said i'll be notified within 7-10 days... =( Looking at those Scores didn't give me much hope for anything better so i doubt i'll get it. I kinda feel much better knowing than it feels being in the dark... was it the right move, i don't know. But it's better than doing nothing, i think...
Re: Starting Repair, Fico Scores, 1st Cards & First 3 Steps... OK more like five...W Hi Kameleon, Check out the DIY Credit Repair page on Creditnet - you'll find it in the Learning Center ... Hopefully those tips can help you get organized and set you up w/ an easy personal checklist.
Re: Starting Repair, Fico Scores, 1st Cards & First 3 Steps... OK more like five...W read through threads, and the FAQ, how could i miss that section , it's all i've been asking for/about. Thanks a million! Can i delete this thread somehow .. lol
