Buffy2k8

Bump Thank you namvet, teresa82, and Occam. If I can greatly increases my chances of being approved for both, I guess I could wait until mid or late 2013. It would be nice though to get cash back for textbooks, tuition, and gas. I'm not interested in any other future credit cards besides these two and Chase Freedom, so I'd rather not add any other cards. Anyone else have any advice?

Hello. I am very interested in applying for a Pen Fed Platinum Cash Rewards CC and an American Express Blue Cash card in the near future. I was hoping to apply in early to mid January after my oldest open account hit 2 years of being open (opened Dec 30, 2010) and my newest credit card hit 9 months of age. The only issue is if I want to remain at my current waitressing position or move on to a better position as work has become very stressful and not as profitable as of late. I am a full time student if that makes a difference for applying for these cards. Here are my stats: 25 years old Full time student and more than part time waitress Income 24 k EQ 743 (provided by SECU in March 2012) Accounts: JCP card Opened Dec 30, 2010 $0 Balance $1800 Limit SECU Visa (a MD credit union) Opened Mar 2012 $39 Balance $3000 Limit Will pay before balance is due Closed SECU Visa Opened Mar 2012 Closed May 2012 due to stolen credit card info SECU secured Visa Opened May 2010 Closed Mar 2012 due to being accepted for a non secured CC I have always paid on time, have never been late, and have no baddies. I do not have any loans or other major bills besides tuition, books, car insurance, a cell phone, and money towards rent (living with family for the time being). I have been receiving offers for Discover More, American Express Gold, and Bank of America Cash Rewards consistently for over 1 year. My questions for you knowledgable folks: 1. Would Pen Fed and/or Amex place more of an emphasis on a long job history? (and thus I should stick it out until January) Or on age of accounts? (Allowing me to find another job and my accounts to age). 2. Would either credit union take into account my history from my closed credit cards (it would add to my account age)? Or would it be looked down upon if I had a possible hard inquiry due to my credit card being stolen and another card opened? (I will try to apply for my report before I app for CCs). 3. How much of a chance do you think I have for being accepted for one or both if I apply next month and/or in January? 4. Is there anything else I should do to increase my chances of being accepted? I was planning on applying for Pen Fed first as they usually pull Equifax in MD followed by American Express (pull Experian). Thanks in advance!

Thanks! Anyone else? Bumpp

I recently joined a local credit union and received an email offering a credit builder loan. It interests me as I don't have an installment history listed on my CR and will be shopping for a car loan within the next year or 2 without a co-signer. In general, I'd like to increase my credit score so that I can be approved for the best rates and unsecured ccs. I searched credit builder loans on the forum, but the information is limited or mostly outdated. Please help me by answering: 1. Would there be a big difference in score if I sign up for a 6 month vs 12 month loan? 2. Is it worth the decrease in AAOA? Is it worth it in general? The credit builder loan at Comstar Federal Credit Union: * No credit check required * $2,500 max for up to 18 mo * Proceeds are held in a share savings acct * Just 4.0% APR * Funds are released once loan is paid in full My background: * 24 yr old just starting out, no baddies, only 2 trade lines * secured cc with other local credit union 1 yr 3 mo age * JCP cc 8 mo age * less than 5% util My secured cc expires next spring (can't be upgraded to an unsecured), upon which I'd like to apply for an unsecured cc. Will applying for this loan hurt my chances at acceptance next spring? I don't know my FICOs, but I have been receiving offers for the Amex Gold charge card, Chase Slate, and Capitol One Mastercard since Feb. Thanks in advance!

I recently hit the JCP love button at 5 months with some utilization showing and a small increase in income (few k). With a limited but clean credit history (1 other cc), my limit increased from $800 to $1800.

Quick question- I was looking at applying for membership, and if asked, would not be able to supply a utility bill listing my address. I am renting a room, and only receive 1 statement listing my new address (from another credit union). Everything else is mailed online. Anyone else in a similar predicament? I don't want to arouse suspicion by asking a PSECU customer service rep before applying. (Also, I'm applying from a bordering state and thru the Parks and Rec group.) Thanks~

Thanks everyone. I guess I'll try calling and asking. I just thought we can't take everything the CSR says as truth (or is that just with hard vs soft inquiries?)In the meantime, I'll just be checking my reports daily to see what happens.

Update- So I went to the AmEx website to see if I was eligible or prequalified for other offers. Imagine my surprise when it didn't list a Gold Card among the offers. Only a Green charge card & Zync appeared on the list. How could that be? I definitely received a mailed offer for a Gold Card. (Still debating if I want to apply for anything at this time though.)

I'm still learning and have a few questions. I did search for previous answers, but couldn't find any. My cc statement's cycle seems to end on the 17th-19th of every month. I had a $10 or so charge and around the 20th charged $150. My cc statement I received stated I only owed for the $10 charge. I decided to pay the full amount up to that point ($160), and it cleared my bank. Yet when I check my fako credit report online (yes, it is a fako but I don't want to pay monthly for a real report at this time), my utilization is based only on that $10 charge. So my questions are: 1. If I want my utilization to be reported as under 10%, do I need to pay before the statement cuts? Or just before it reports? Once again, I've only been accessing my fako credit report (courtesy of credit karma) so I don't know if the actual credit report would reveal a different credit utilization. 2. If I can pay before it cuts and/or reports to the credit agencies, would the credit card issuer still take note of the utilization? (ex: 30% util for the month but paid down to 5% before the balance reports) Thanks in advance

Thanks but I doubt my application would be approved and don't want to waste a hard inq. If anything, I'm going to let my 2 cards age a bit and then try for an unsecured non-store cc (Maybe an Amex if I'm feeling lucky... and confident lol). Question- At a later date, could I receive a prescreened offer for a different AmEx card- charge and/or standard cc? (As in a card less prestigious than gold)?

I have been receiving prescreened offers (from Cap One) ever since I first began building my credit this past April. I am 23 and only have 2 lines of credit- a $600 secured cc from a local CU and a $800 JCP store card. My fakos have been in the 670+ range for the past 3 months. So you can imagine my surprise when today I discovered an Am Ex mailing for its Gold Card. There is a special spend $500 within the first 3 months & receive 50,000 bonus points offer. Oh and the annual fee is being waved for the 1st year. How did I end up receiving this? I am not an AU on any AmEx cards, let alone an AU on anyone's cc. I probably would receive a financial review and lose the card if my application was even accepted. I was looking at, down the line, applying for a non-charge AmEx. I guess I'm just confused. AmEx? Me?

I'm temporarily waitressing at a chain restaurant, and half of my customers pay with a debit card. And they think that writing "See ID" on the back will prevent fraud. It's shocking to think what would happen if they encountered a less than honest waiter.

Hi all. So I've been reading this sub forum and checked out the stickies, including the 1st time buyer download. While with my anticipated new job and at the time of application I'd be * making over 2k/month * have 2 lines of credit reporting for at least 6 months * no negatives, and the like, I would not be in that job for at least 12 months prior to applying. Would that be an automatic denial for a car loan from a local cc? I'm planning on putting down 6k on a 12k used car. Sorry, I know I posted recently concerning preparing myself for applying, but I am just nervous about being able to secure a car loan without a cosigner. Thanks in advance.

I knew it was too good to last I just hope that PSECU hasn't tightened their lending come this summer. BTW, since when is mailing your social security card along with your driver's license something that they can require for membership? It just sounds iffy, especially picturing it falling into the wrong hands. Is there not a branch where we can apply or is it an online and telephone only accessible CU?