Well, I finally pulled the trigger on my app-o-rama. I started at 10:42a.m. today (Tuesday March 27), and was playing around with apps throughout class, etc...
I didn't get sleep last night due to setting up for today's app-o-rama, so I am a little dilirious, but I wanted to go ahead and put up the nuts-and-bolts of the app-o-rama. I will make it more thorough soon (after my nap), so don't red it yet! Here is some more about me:
Age: 21 (senior undergrad student) Credit age: 4 years App-o-Rama goals: Get as much BT money Start my relationships with new banks (I realize I am young and at the beginning of the app-o-rama life, so this is key) Get signup bonuses Get it over with, so I can finally stop spending my nights lurking FW!!
Current Credit History: Card-----------------------------Age------- Limit--------- Balance------------ Citi Dividend---------------------- 09/2003----- $500---------- $122 Citi Dividend---------------------- 09/2003----- $14,100 ---------- 0 Citi Diamond Preferred------------ 03/2005----- $500 ----------- $102 *** Citi PremierPass Elite-------- 01/2005----- $2,000 --------- 0 AMX Blue-------------------- 09/2005----- $25,000 --------- $5 Chase Sony Card--------------- 09/2005----- $5,000 ---------- 0 MBNA Charles Schwab ------ 08/2005----- $10,000----------- 0 Discover Titanium ------------- 09/2005----- $1,300----------- 0 Delll Financial Services------- 04/2005----- $3,000----------- 0
Totals---------Average age: 26 months------ $61,400---------- $229 *** This card doesn't report to TU. To the other 2 it is reporting 14,100 because I reallocated the line after it had updated bureau, and before my Citi Dividend did (so both reported 14,100).
!!PLUS the AU Discover card listed below is also reporting on all 3 bureaus!!
MY FAKO;s from TC on 3/26 were: TU/EX/EQ 761/793/783
Stages I went through: •I cleaned up some mess on reports (credit limits not reporting, etc) •I raised Credit limits during the prior months (got 25k on AMX CLI on crack, Scwab up to 10k, etc) •I added myself as Authorized User on following 2 cards:
Discover Card-------- Age= 05/1989 -- CL= $3,300 HSBC BANK---------- Age= 12/1992 -- CL= $10,000 (THIS ONE NEVER SHOWED UP. over 3 months! I CALLED SO MANY TIMEs..)
Reported HHI: $160,000 -Some guidelines I tried to follow during app were to make sure I get at least 1 no annual-fee CC at each issuer, plus at least 1 0% (no fee if possible) BT offer, so that I can reallocate lines to that and do 1 BT. Below are the cards I applied for in the order applied (Some have times to the right, to give a clue as to my progress) All were deferred except for the 3 notated.
(I am starting to update the below list with links, promos, etc) The list is in the order I applied. To the right is the link (if it says LINK, it is a direct link to application. If it says COit is a link to Card offers page). Then I go on to list the BT promo, any other promo, my logic for applying, and maybe some general FW knowledge about the card. IF you have any particular requests for how I present the info let me know!) * Note: I changed AMEX--> AMX and Delta-->DLTA So that there won't be unnecesary blue links diverting your eyes from the prize
1) Citi Professional (10:42): CO. 0%/12mo/no fee. 15k TY points (close window for popup for 15k offer). $40 CardOffers. This card gives 3TY points for restaurants & other categories. Also doesn't count as part of 2 app max at citi. 2) Citi Business PremierPass: CO. 0%/12mo/no fee. 15K TY points (close the window and there should be a popup) 3) Citi Business Card w/ ThankYou: CO. 0%/12mo/no fee. 15k TY points (close window for popup). $10 CardOffers. 4) Discover Business (10:58) 5) Discover Miles 6) Chase United MP Personal:LINK 25k Bonus miles, (and possibly move line to another Chase card for BT) 7) Chase United MP Business Visa:LINK 25k Bonus miles (and possibly move line to another Chase card for BT) 8) WaMu (Targeted)0%/till Jan08/$75 max fee. 6,000 points. WaMu offers 1 free real FICO score monthly. 9) Juniper I Fly Free: .LINK. 0%/12mo/$50 max fee. $15 statement credit. 10) AMX Business Gold Dlta (11:30): CO. 15k Dlta miles. 9.99% BT (0%/6mo on purchases). $75 CardOffers. $75 annual fee (waived first year). 11) RBS Custom Cash (Targeted): Did a phone app. 7.9% fixed/no fee. 12) RBS Kroger 1-2-3:LINK. 0%/12mo/2% fee up to $60. 13) State Farm Good Neighbor Visa: LINK 0%/9mo/no fee (apply for BT within 30 days). I wanted to get a new issuer, as well as the BT promo. 2 FW'ers reported: 1 denied for too many inquiries (so maybe apply earlier on list). 1 Received 25k CL. 14) AMX Starwood Preferred Business: CO. 2.9%/6mo/no fee. 10k points. $75 CardOffers. $30 annual fee (waived 1st year). This is a good travel card (can convert 20k earned points into 25k points on most airlines). 15) Chase Sony Card: LINK. 0%/12mo/3% up to $75 (apparently you can retroactively request credit on BT fee.. All chase or just sony card?) $100 Statement credit. 16) BofA (FIA) TARGETED offer… (12:15) 17) BofA US AIRWAYS 18) Advanta Business Card (12:38): CO. 0%/15mo/$50max. $50 CardOffers. Has 5% rewards program for several categories (but tiered very high so not very useful). 19) Citi ATT Universal Rewards (1:13): CO. 0%/12mo/3% up to $75. 6,000 TY points. $30 CardOffers. I was actually interested in the cell phone insurance provided (but apparently it only covers up to $150 with a $50 deductable..) 20) Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards: CO. 0%/12mo/no fee. 6,000 TY points. $30 CardOffers. 5TY points for Everday purchases promo for 1st 12 months. 21) Chase Plat Visa Business (0%/12 months) (1:49) 22) AMX IN: NYC: CO. 0%/6mo/no fee. $40 CO. I needed an AMX with BT offer (not too many good one's out there). 23) PNC Business 24) PNC Personal 25) First National Bank of Omaha Platinum Edition Visa Card: LINK 0%/15mo/3% BT fee ($75 max). New Issuer. 26) WorldPerks USBANK Visa Business 27) AMX Blue Cash (4:17): CO 0%/6mo for purchases. $40 cardoffers. I wanted this card since I still don't have a 5% EDP/1.5% all else card, and this is at least a backup for that (only kicks in after like $6,500 spending). 28) Pulaski Bank (requested income verification….) 29) Chase Freedom Card 30) HSBC GM FLEX CARD - HSBC tends to give out crappy CL's (usually $600). Applied for CardOffers $. 31) Juniper Midwest Airlines (10:00p.m) 32) BofA (FIA) Merrill Lynch: CO. 1.9%/12mo/3% up to $75. 33) PenFed 5%/1.25% card (1:40am) 34) Citi MTVu Student card (applied 3/28 @ 11:15): CO. 0%/6mo/no fee. $33 CardOffers. Applied because 5% rewards for restaurants/bookstores/entertainment & I was told that it doesn't count towards Citi's limit of 2 personal 35) Citi HHonors Visa Signature (applied 3/28 @ 11:20): CO. 2.9%/6mo/no fee. 15k HHonors points. $10 CardOffers. Applied because also told that it doesn't count towards citi's limit of 2 & they are generous with 36) Captal One Platinum MC (Targeted): 7.99% fixed BT rate for life/no fee. Applied b/c it was in my mail today (seemed like I was destined to)- Wanted to start my banking relationship with CapOne (maybe better BT offers, etc) 37) GE Money Platinum MC: LINK. 0%/12mo/3% up to $75. Just another bank. Fatwalleter's have reported that they give small CL if one has a lot of credit.... We shall see
STILL WORKING ON UPDATING THE ABOVE... any formatting preference or additional information requests?
Anyways, I wanted to post this NOW in case anyone has some immediate in-process advice? Are there any issuers I might be able to hit up more? (or that I missed) I have read so much that I often forget what I even know... Thus I forget which issuers don't count co-branded as part of max, etc...
I believe my breakdown as of now is: ( I will also include what I Know to be the supposed max # of cards to apply for these issuers-- this is a general rule of thumb. I know there are exceptions) Advanta Business: 1 (max 1) AMX: 2 AMX Business: 2 BofA: 2 (or 3? My Merrill Lynch card is an FIA, not sure if it counts as cunts as a CORE BofA card) Capital One: 1 Chase: 3 (possible max of 1? Not sure, I got a strange email) Chase Business: 2 Citi: 2 (2 citi personal cards within 60 day period) Citi Co-branded: 2 (MTVu & HHonors) Citi Professional: 1 (considered own category) Citi Business: 2 (Unsure?) Discover: 1 (max 1 in 30 days) Discover Business: 1 (unsure) FNBO: 1 HSBC: 1 Juniper: 2 (2 has been reported approved. Unsure of more?) PNC Business: 1 PNC: 1 Pulaski: 1 PenFed: 1 RBS: 2 (2 has been reported approved. Unsure of more?) State Farm: 1 US Bank Visa: 1
Couple Questions to finish out the night •Are there any cards that you can quickly reccomend I apply for? Or are there any issuers I can hit up more-- I can't remember all of the limits? (e.g. can I still get a Bank of America Business for example (business different than personal?).
•Is there ANYTHING I should proactively do to ensure my apps go through (Call certain issuers?)
•Also I was going to apply for some checking accounts and CLI on current cards, but I am thinking I should wait? I would hate for a CLI request to interfere with a new card possibility. they don't really care too much about my credit status, right?) Is that a silly concern? (Have all of the above cards probably already pulled my report?) And applying for checking accounts probably doesn't matter right away
•One more, personal question... Should I be at all concerned about the sharp pain in my right shoulder and back (due to horrible positioning and stress from app-o-rama all day). Further my complete lack of feeding myself (until just recently) and also not sleeping to do credit card applications..... Am I taking this a lil too seriouslys ! Any of yall like this?
Alright, well I will transform this post into a useful resource shortly! Thanks for all of your help!
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Just pulled my Credit Report and here are the pulls thus far:
BANK OF AMERICA 03/27/2007 Experian DISCOVER FINANCIAL SER 03/27/2007 Experian AMX 03/27/2007 Experian WASH MUTUAL/PROVIDIAN 03/27/2007 Experian FIA CSNA 03/27/2007 Experian COMMERCE BANK NA 03/27/2007 Experian ADVANTA FINANCIAL CORP 03/27/2007 Experian FIRST USA,NA 03/27/2007 Experian ST FARM BANK 03/27/2007 TransUnion BRCLYSBANKDE 03/27/2007 TransUnion BRCLYSBANKDE 03/27/2007 TransUnion FIRST USA,NA 03/28/2007 Experian CAPITAL ONE BANK 03/28/2007 Experian (appears my theory of CapOne pulling Equifax was wrong for me ) ELAN FINANCIAL SERVICE 03/28/2007 Experian CAP ONE BANK 03/28/2007 TransUnion (and again... yuck) RBS NB CC 03/28/2007 TransUnion FIRST USA NA 03/28/2007 TransUnion BK OF AMER 03/28/2007 TransUnion US BANK CONSOLIDATED 03/29/2007 Experian FIRST USA,NA 04/02/2007 Experian ELAN FINANCI 04/04/2007 TransUnion CITI USA 04/04/2007 Equifax (Citi pulled late because of freeze on Equifax) CITI 04/04/2007 Equifax CITI 04/05/2007 Equifax CITI 04/05/2007 Equifax CITI 04/06/2007 Equifax BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE 04/07/2007 Experian
Credit Score History: (borrowed format from Rasher) TU = TransUnion EX = Experian EQ = Equifax First number is credit score Credit report is through True Credit, using the $11.21/mo through WalMrt link HERE 03/26/07 -- TU: 761 -- EX: 793 -- EQ: 783 03/27/07 -- TU: 754 -- EX: 783 -- EQ: 783 03/28/07 -- TU: 748 -- EX: 778 -- EQ: 785 03/29/07 -- TU: 745 -- EX: 777 -- EQ: 785 03/30/07 -- TU: 748 -- EX: 777 -- EQ: 794 (3 of the accounts reported to Equifax today-- only 1 to Experian and zero on TU) 04/02/07 -- TU: 748 -- EX: 762 -- EQ: 794 04/03/07 -- TU: 748 -- EX: 762 -- EQ: 794 04/04/07 -- TU: 745 -- EX: 761 -- EQ: 792 04/06/07 -- TU: 745 -- EX: 761 -- EQ: 789 04/07/07 -- TU: 745 -- EX: 759 -- EQ: 778 04/08/07 -- TU: 745 -- EX: 759 -- EQ: 777 04/09/07 -- TU: 745 -- EX: 759 -- EQ: 777
My PrivacyGuard 3 credit report/score I pulled was: 04/06/07 -- TU: 741 -- EX: 676 -- EQ: 727 (considerably lower than TrueCredit for the same data/day)
ALSO, I ordered the free myFICO score (there are posts in FW for it, search for Fico). It is based on TransUnion and is a real Fico from what I can tell. The score for 3/30/07 was: 789
Card Application Status Approved: 24 --- Total NEW CL: $229,400 (WooHoo! I met my goal of total CL over 200,000. Still 15 apps to go) Pending: 6 Requested Docs (I may not bother to send): 3 Denied: 4
I am going to copy the list of cards from above to here and list application status as they come in: 1) Citi Professional-------------------------------Approved---------------------------------15,000 2) Citi Business PremierPass----------------------Pending-----------------------------Had to resubmit because of freeze 3) Citi Business Card w/ ThankYou------------------Pending-----------------------------Had to resubmit because of freeze 4) Discover Business -------------------------Approved(after resubmitting all info/diff business name)-----1,500 5) Discover Miles-----------------------------Approved (after addy verification)----------6,000 6) Chase United MP Personal--------------------?????????------------------------------ 7) Chase United MP Business--------------------Approved------------------------------20,000 8) WaMu (Targeted)---------------------------Instant Approval---------------------30,000 (some say it may be reduced?) 9) Juniper I Fly Free:--------------------- Instant Approval--------------------10,000 10) AMX Business Gold Dlta-------------------- Approved (after addy verification)-------------- 15,000 11) RBS Custom Cash--------------------------- Approved --------------------------------------1,000 12) RBS Krogers----------------------------------Approved-------------------------------15,000 13) State Farm Good Neighbor Visa--------------------Approved---------------------------5,000 14) AMX Starwood Preferred Business------------------Approved---------------------------10,000 (They called to offer me increase to 35,000.. I took it) 15) Chase Sony Card---------------------------------Approved-----------------------------5,500 16) BofA (FIA) TARGETED offer-----------------------Approved----------------------------500 17) BofA US AIRWAYS---------------------------------Approved-------------------------15,000 18) Advanta Business Card-----------------------Instant Approval (via email)-------2,500 (I called, submitted more info and requested 20,000 line... Update: No increase given ) 19) Citi ATT Universal------------------------------------Approved--------------------------4,200 20) Citi Diamond Preferred Rewards---------------------------Approved------------------------4,200 21) Chase Plat Visa Business-------------------------------Approved-------------------------8,000 22) AMX IN: NYC-----------------------------------Approved (instant after Addy Verification)---------------- 10,000 23) PNC Business----------------------------------Approved (after had them pull diff. Buruea)--------------- 10,000 24) PNC Personal----------------------------------Approved -------------------------------------------------- 8,000 25) First National Bank of Omaha Platinum Edition Visa Card------?????------------- 26) WorldPerks USBANK Visa Business--------------------------Pending------------------------They want docs. Probably won't send 27) AMX Blue Cash------------------------------------Approved----------------------------------10,000 28) Pulaski Bank---------------------------------------Pending----------------------------They still want my docs, probably won't send. 29) Chase Freedom Card----------------------------------Approved---------------------------------5,500 30) HSBC GM FLEX CARD------------------------------------Denied--------------reason: INSUFFICIENT CREDIT REFERENCES (can't say I'm too upset... $600 CL loss...) 31) Juniper Midwest Airlines-----------------------------Denied------------------Unsure why 32) FIA (BofA) Merrill Lynch------------------------------Approved---------------------7,500 33) PenFed 5%/1.25% card---------------------------------Wants income docs---------I think just for me since I had so much trouble w/ Equifax report 34) Citi MTVu (3/28 @ 11:15)------------------------------Denied-----------------------Duplicate app (I thought this one didn't count towards the 2 max? My whole Citi app process was messed up though) 35) Citi HHonors Visa Signature---------------------------Wants Docs-----------------------Wants Faxed verification (trouble with address/phone #--- likely just a ME problem) 36) Captal One Platinum MC---------------------------Instant Approval----------------- $20,000 (CL factored in the amount of BT requested which was 20k (also the max possible) 37) GE Money Platinum MC----------------------------Denied-------------------Actually I wasn't really denied, but they couldn't access my report because of the freeze, and I haven't called them to tell them too since I don't think they will approve now that I have so many accounts showing up.
Balance Transfer Process
Moved all of my Chase credit lines to the chase business card giving it 42,000. I then BT'd (check came with card) $37,000. I requested a $27,000 BT check from WaMu. Moved all my BofA and MBNA lines into one card which now has 31,500. I then requested BT check for $28,000
Late tonight (3/27- the app-o-rama day) I applied for 3 more cards: 31) Juniper Midwest Airlines (10:00pm) 32) FIA Merrill Lynch 33) PenFed 5%/1.25% card (1:40am) My logic.... I wanted to hit Juniper for another card (and I have seen large lines come from Midwest Air card--- also 30,000 miles, but $69 annual fee ). The Merrill Lynch I applied for hoping it might not count as CORE BofA... I found some feedback on it, but not enough to be sure. The PenFed pulls Equifax so since I haven't had any Equifax pulls yet, I figured why not.
-- 3/28/07 update-- I was called from Discover Business, since they were unable to verify my telephone number (I had given cell). I updated with home/business number. I hope that is not a problem for other cards (I used my cell for all of them).
Also all 4 of my AMX applications are apparently in need of further verification (not sure why? maybe phone issue?) I have to call tomorrow to verify address. I am a little unsure of how to best do this without an agent seeing I applied for 4 cards.
When I checked my mail today I had a pre-approved offer from Capital One (first one I've ever gotten). I was considering applying for CapOne just to have an account with them (also 0% international fees I think). I also saw that they usually pull Equifax, which is good for me. It seemed like I was destined to apply for it so I did along with 2 more citi's:
I applied for 3 more cards: 34) Citi MTVu (3/28 @ 11:15)-- Doesn't count towards citi 2 limit and 5% for entertainment/books/restaurants 35) Citi HHonors Visa Signature-- Doesn't count towards citi 2 limit and gives high lines supposedly 36) Captal One Platinum MC (phone application)-- approved for 20k (based on BT request)
I am trying to find any other cards that will only pull Equifax, but that data is hard to verify Might try for another US Bank. Anyone know about USAA? (independent of the rest?)
3/29/07... And the drama continues... With phone numbers. Apparently my old AmX card had a diff address (my school) and the new one has my home addy. Same thing with phone number. So all my apps went pending. I called for the IN card, verified and was apprvd for 10k. But my fears of the phone issue seem to maybe be real (she said cell's they sometimes have trouble tracking addy's for... and my addy for my cell is school anyways) ughhhh
3/31/07 A couple more cards I found out were approved (Discover Miles, BofA, State Farm) Still no pulls from Citi which I am a little worried about since I have 7 apps with them......
4/3/07 It seems my concerns about Citi were well-founded (no inquiries anywhere). I finally called, and when she checked on some of my apps they all were on hold because they couldn't access my credit report (from Equifax). I still have no inquiries on Equifax (which makes sense now). Same problem with PenFed (but they didn't realize that was the problem). So I had to send in my documents requesting lift of security freeze... Unfortunately now new accounts are already showing on Equifax so all those citi apps (plus others I may not know want Equifax) will be less than optimal if/when I can get them to process In other news, I was able to resubmit business information (had to provide the business name attached to the phone #) to Discover Business, and was approved (measly $1,500)
4/4/07 Approved for PNC (8,000). Also found out that PNC business tried to pull Equifax. The woman said she could try another bureua and before I could say anything, she had, and approved the business for 10k. No reallocation possible and they look at maximum exposure on both cards which is too bad (since nice BT cards). Still hoping Citi will pull through soon.
4/9/07 Well things are still going well. I have been approved for some more cards which I have updated in the list above. A couple lessons learned:; Both my Amx and Citi accounts had different addresses (school addresses) on existing accounts, but I applied for the cards at my home address (about to graduate). This caused a lot of hassle, and I had to call multiple times to get the applications re-processed (as they were put on hold). Anyways, it worked. I was approved for all Amx cards. Also I called Citi today, and turns out I was approved for Professional (15k) and then Diamond Preferred (4.2k)-- but interestingly, the woman asked if I was a professional, and I said yes and she asked if I would be interested in the professional card--- I said yes ... I think she approved me for ANOTHER professional card at 12k, but I am not holding on to that hope. A couple more places (PenFed, Citi Hilton) asked for fax verification so I will probably pass on them. Also got some chase cards today (moved all of my credit line to business!! I don't know if this is normally possible, but that gives me up to 42,000 on a business card with 0%.
4/11/07 Hehe, I was just on the phone with RBS--- apparently I was misinformed about being approved for the 3% CashBack card (because of my annoying Equifax freeze) So I just got that straightened out-- The women then transfered me to an underwriter, and she just straight up asked why I am looking for another RBS card.... I told her I wanted the CashBack feature. She then proceeded to look over my Equifax, and was like: Well I see you have a lot of new exposure here---- let me add it up.... I was like, oh crap here it comes. But all she saw was about $60,000 in new credit (less than 1/3 of the amount)-- She still let me have the card but with the smallest line (1,000). Ah well
4/13/07 AMEX Business called me up today... I was worried they were FR'ing me, but it turns out he was trying to offer me more credit line. I actually acted like I didn't need it but he was really pushing it on me. He said between my 2 business cards they could give me 50,000 without needing docs. So I took an increase on my Starwood to 35,000 (from 10,000) and left the other at 15,000. Anyone have an opinion of whether I can safely tap that line without hitting a FR?
Message edited by: babaamit on 2007-04-14 21:45:41 CDT
Wow you have a pretty decent credit history/lines already for an undergrad.
Looks like you hit your limit with the Citi personal apps (2 = AT&T + Diamond Pref Rewards). The Professional card is in its own "personal/business" category so doesn't count toward the limit. CitiBusiness I have no experience with. Expect about a week for a reply if it was deferred (or check your credit reports daily and look for new accounts).
Also US Bank and PNC cards are managed by Elan Financial Services. So if you applied for both in one day, chances are the credit pulls will either merge or they will only pull your report once. That was the case with me. Btw, US Bank is its own bank and not a part of Chase.
If you got the docs to support your income, no worries. If not, I'd go easy on any planned A/E BTs, as you probably will spook them with all the new credit lines you'll probably get.
ive seen reports where people got instant approvals for 30k from wamu but it was just a typo/glitch. the targetted offer says up to 30k and thats what shows when approved but not what they actually got.
i would wait on the bank applications as to not add any more inqs until all ccc have pulled. some banks dont pull right away but some pull instantly. you will need to check your reports to see.
att did count as my citi total but professional didnt.
Thanks for the replies. Pooey about the WaMu if that is true-- I was really excited!.. Do you know if I can try for more US bank then if they are independent of Chase?
EEEeks... I just saw this email that I got early this morning: (FROM CHASE) Amit Dorf,
Thank you for submitting an application.
We will notify you of your approval status in 30 days by U.S. Mail. In the meantime, please refrain from submitting any additional applications. We will only be able to consider your first application.
Has anyone else ever gotten that! Does that mean they really will only look at the first app I sent... Do you think they differentiate personal/business/cobrand.
Anyways, I also got an email saying I got the Advanta card.... Which I am glad about because I thought I might not since it was my #18 (due to forgetting about it)
This one will be fun to watch to see what you end up getting.
Man, I just applied for 15 cards (9 for me, 6 for wife) this morning and what comes in the mail this afternoon ? A pre-approved AMEX BLUE with 12 months 0% purchases and BT's with NO FEE on BT's.....oh man, I already applied for a couple AMEX today, guess I better quickly add one more to the list....this is better than the other 2 !!!
I better do some reading up on AMEX BT's....hope they don't mind sending a big chunk to a CITI card that only has a small balance on it.
Well you had some high scores from Truecredt going into this one. I have mcuh more established credit with high lines and long histry but even after cleaning up old 0% VTs etc I havent matched those scores yet myself. 30 apps is aggressive and it will be interesting to see what is approved and for how much.
Two notes and a question for you from my recent AOR: 1. I was approved online for the WAMU for $30,000 and the card did indeed come with a $30,000 credit limit. I did the $100 BT to get 0% purchases until 9/1/2008.
2. I did two Chase applications in the same day: one personal and one business. Like you, I received the email to refrain from further applications. I was approved for both cards. The credit pulls for these two cards came from "Bank One" and "First USA". I am not sure which was is which. One of these two pulls did not occur until Tuesday even when all other pulls were done on Monday, which was the day of my AOR.
Edit: Does anyone know if FNBO sends out balance transfer checks? I called customer service and she actually said, "I do not know if you will be getting checks and I am not able to send checks out myself."
jimbocobb said:I better do some reading up on AMEX BT's....hope they don't mind sending a big chunk to a CITI card that only has a small balance on it.
If you send a big BT to a Citi card, make sure the Citi has a large CL that exceeds the BT size. i.e. if you are BT'ing 30K from AMEX, make sure your Citi card has at least a 30K limit).
Citi co-branded cards that DON'T count towards the personal limit (that I know of) are the Shell MC, HiltonHonors and MTVu (which btw you really should apply for since you are eligible). Citi AA DOES count toward the (2 personal apps in 60 days) limit, so you will get denied if you apply now. Check this for more details.
US Bank and PNC Bank are separate entities, so they each have their own separate card app limits. Its just that their credit cards are serviced by the same company, Elan. Each bank has their own policies. Such as with PNC, you can call them immediately after receiving the card and request a CLI. This worked for me with their personal card (4 months ago). With US Bank, you have to wait 6 months before you can request a CLI.
First USA and Bank One is a part of Chase now, but US Bank is NOT. Someone must have gotten mixed up about that.
Regarding the timing of requesting CLIs on your existing cards.. I think you should do it AFTER you see the spread of AOR inquiries on your 3 credit reports, but BEFORE new credit lines show up. This will give you an idea of which issuer hits which CRA for you (remember this differs regionally and per individual, but with your existing cards I'm guessing lots Experian and some TU). If its a soft pull (like Citi sometimes) it won't matter. If it requires a hard pull, seeing the AOR inquiry spread beforehand will let you be more strategic in your CLI requests, so as to minimize too many inquiries on one particular credit report. For instance, say an obscene majority of inquiries hit Experian.. than you probably wouldn't want to request CLIs from issuers that require hard pulls on Experian. Of course, just how many inquiries is "too many" is up to your own comfort level and discretion. Although with the number of apps you did, it will be a lot regardless. This is just my take on it, so someone more experienced/knowledgeable might want to chime in here on this..
Snyder81 said:jimbocobb said:I better do some reading up on AMEX BT's....hope they don't mind sending a big chunk to a CITI card that only has a small balance on it.
If you send a big BT to a Citi card, make sure the Citi has a large CL that exceeds the BT size. i.e. if you are BT'ing 30K from AMEX, make sure your Citi card has at least a 30K limit).
This isn't always the case.
I just did an AOR last month and shuttled $21,000 from a new HSBC card to a Citi card that I had reduced to a $500 credit limit. Citi took 2 weeks, but the refund check for the full $21,000 came yesterday.
Thanks for the response Charliek! Very useful. I am thinking to apply for the MTVu and the HHilton. I was just thinking I might try to call citi first to see what the status of my prior apps are... However, I couldn't figure out how I would do that! If I just give them my social to check on an app won't they see 5 pending apps (which would be awkward/possiblly raise a flag?)... I'm only wondering because Citi hasn't hit my reports yet.
babaamit said:Thanks for the response Charliek! Very useful. I am thinking to apply for the MTVu and the HHilton. I was just thinking I might try to call citi first to see what the status of my prior apps are... However, I couldn't figure out how I would do that! If I just give them my social to check on an app won't they see 5 pending apps (which would be awkward/possiblly raise a flag?)... I'm only wondering because Citi hasn't hit my reports yet.
The HiltonHonors card has been reported to be quite generous with initial CLs as compared to Citi's other personal cards. So this would be good to apply for, just for the sake of getting more CL to transfer to a Citi 0% BT promo. The MTVu is one of the last 5% cards left, so its a must-have for you.
They do seem to lag a bit compared to other issuers. Unless you REALLY need to know and can explain why you applied for so many cards at once, I would hold off on calling Citi about the apps. (There used to be a thread with phone numbers to check application status with card issuers, but I can't seem to find it now.) Just need to be patient, and pull your credit reports daily to see what pops up (inquiries & accounts). When I applied for 5 Citi cards, they all pulled on the same day, but the new accounts did not all show up on my credit reports the same day. They began to show up one by one over a span of 1.5 wks I think.
Btw if you want to check to see what issuers pull Equifax in your region, use this Credit Pull Database to get a better idea. Take a look at it and you can see the trends based on your region, but note that it can differ per individual.
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