ScrawneyWallet said:koRebate said:SUCKISSTAPLES said:Naturally, had to dustoff the SIS screename for this one. Do you imply other name being used?

Multiple Personality Disorder? Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Yeah, SIS is nice, helpful, supportive, with a healthy dose of skepticism.

DYS makes Simon Cowell look like Santa Claus.

Great Job SIS, LMK if you ever want to put together a book deal

I've read most of AOR threads and somewhere someone advised that AOR should be preferably be done by Phone?
Can someone confirm which method to use - online or phone or doesnt matter?

In your opinion, how much time should one leave between paying off all AOR BT deals and applying for a mortgage or HELOC?

I find that most of the best offers are online, and maybe only 2-3 are by phone. Banging them out as quickly as possible is also my goal. Online also lets you print out the promo terms for future reference in case the creditor doesnt honor the particular promo (AMEX and Bank of America in particular seem to sometimes get the promos wrong), and if you dont have the printed offer with phone #, having an online printout is better than just using a phone # you picked up from the internet .

revheck said:In your opinion, how much time should one leave between paying off all AOR BT deals and applying for a mortgage or HELOC?

Depends on your credit profile. I have been able to get home loans without problem even while having several cards maxed out at 0%. In part thats because I have so many other unused cards, my overall utilization is barely affected. Even if you dont have that cushion, it doesnt need to be too long at all...just enough time for the bureaus to update that all the cards are paidoff, which is typically 30-60 days after they are paidoff.

Your credit score recovers as soon as the balances stop reporting, its not like it needs "extra time" to heal. Of course, there are ways to even "game" this and get it acocmplished quicker (i.e. pay the balances before statement closing date should speed it up by about 30 days)

SUCKISSTAPLES said: the effect of inquiries diminishes greatly after just 6 months...and there are ways of removing the inquiries via bumpage and disputes if you REALLY want them off).


Excuse my ignorance: what is bumpage?

SUCKISSTAPLES said:Pulling your own credit report multiple times, so that the soft inquiries "bump" the hard inquiries off the credit report.

Can you explain how/why this works?

Soft inquiries dont affect your credit , only the hard inquiries.

The bureaus only hold a certain amount of data, so some people "bump off" the hard inquiries by pulling their own credit multiple times.

Bumpage is a separate issue from App-O-Rama. I dont want this thread to go off on tangents (there are numerous credit issues that could be discussed) . If you want more details on bumpage, it should be discussed in another thread (there are actually hundreds of threads on bumpage at places like creditboards.com) . Also Search google and this forum

I have only 2 CCs. Both with 10K limit. Oldest has 6yrs history and 1.5 yrs on the other. Y'day, my TU was 802. Should someone like me go on a micro spree(5 approved) or 10-15 approved. My average age will take a big hit with the possibility of increasing my overall CL. How will it affect my scores after I pay off my balances?

Been lurking for about 2 months, glad to see this AOR FAQ! It's answering quite a few questions.

I'm curious - what to do with the actual cards? Since I don't plan to use them for spending / BT stuff, should I even activate them? The thinking being that it's an extra guarantee the line can't be used. Are there negative consequences to leaving them unactivated?

mcw0933 said:Been lurking for about 2 months, glad to see this AOR FAQ! It's answering quite a few questions.

I'm curious - what to do with the actual cards? Since I don't plan to use them for spending / BT stuff, should I even activate them? The thinking being that it's an extra guarantee the line can't be used. Are there negative consequences to leaving them unactivated?

Yes, after a few months you won't be able to activate them. You'll have to apply again.