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Alimo's 1st AOR (2/26/08): UPDATE: ALL RESULTS IN. Score Dropped from 749 to 677 :-(

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rated:
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 7:17a
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***FOR APPROVALS/DENIALS, GO TO BOTTOM OF THIS POST OR REFER TO QUICK SUMMARY***


REFER TO QUICK SUMMARY FOR SCORE UPDATE AND INQUIRIES


GOAL:
- Get 8-10 total new cards
- Get good rewards cards
- Bonuses - Cash/Gift Cards ONLY (NO miles/hotels/car rentals/etc.)
- Develop good base for future AOR’s
- NO 0% BT offers (I will start doing BT's next AOR)
- NO miles/hotels

I will start in ~2 weeks, unless there's reason to do it at another time.

I. BACKGROUND
Age: 20
Length of Credit History: 2 years
HHI: $200k (living with family)
Credit Score: 749(TU)/749(EQ)/748(EX)


II. CURRENT CREDIT CARDS
Issuer & Card Name_______________Credit Limit______Balance______Utilization_________Age
BOA Professional Plus_____________$12,000_________$0-600________0-5%___________1 year
Wells Fargo Student Plat___________$1,100___________$0___________0%_____________2 years
Macy’s Card_____________________$1,500___________$0___________0%____________1.5 years
Total___________________________$14,600_________$0-600________0-4%___________1.5 years


III. AOR CARDS W/BONUSES
cards that will be used for REWARDS underlined

CS = carselection.com

** = may not apply for these cards

PERSONAL CARDS
Issuer & Card Name..................................................Bonus Amount....................Additional Comments
**1. AMEX Preferred Rewards Gold Card...............10k points + $30 CS...........cancel after 1st year ($125 annual fee)
2. AMEX The Nest or The Knot Credit Card...........$50 + $30 CS
3. BOA Rewards AMEX Card....................................$100......................................thanks markkundinger
4. Chase Freedom Card............................................$50 +$25 CS
5. Citi mtvU Plat. Select Visa Card........................$25 CS
6. Citi Platinum American Express Card.............15k TYP.................................cancel after 1 year ($99 annual fee)
7. Discover More Card...............................................$40 CS

BUSINESS CARDS
Issuer & Card Name....................................................Bonus Amount.............Additional Comments
8. AMEX SimplyCash Business Card.......................$60 CS
9.Chase Business Cash Rewards Card.................$35 CS
10.CitiProfessional w/ThankYou Network.............15k TYP
11.CitiBusiness w/ThankYou Network..................15k TYP


IV. AOR REWARDS CARDS

Issuer & Card Name......................................Rewards..............................................................................................................Additional Comments
4. Chase Freedom Card...............................3% in top 3 categories
5. Citi mtvU Plat. Select Visa Card............5% Restaurant/Fast food/bookstore/music+video stores/theatre
6. Citi Plat. AMEX Card.................................5 TYP grocery/gas/drug store, 3TYP everything else for 2yrs....................cancel after 1 year ($99 annual fee)
12.WAMU Platinum MC.................................Getting for free monthly credit report


I PLANNED ON APPLYING FOR THE CARDS IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER:

Results listed next Card name. It didn't exactly go in the order I planned. No one told me you can't apply for multiple cards from the same lender and push the submit button at the same time. NOOBS TO AOR'S: LEARN FROM ME! LOL

APPROVED/DENIED
Applied February 26,2008 @ ~10:30AM PST
6. Citi Plat. AMEX...........................................Deferred - Approved. $11k, 11.99%.
4. Chase Freedom.......................................Deferred - Approved. $4000, 17.24%
5. Citi mtvU.....................................................Deferred - Approved. $1200. 13.99%. Pretty disappointing.
7. Discover More...........................................Deferred - Denied. No Checking, No Savings, Excessive Inquiries in last 3 months.
12.WAMU Platinum......................................Instant (WOO HOO!!) $2500, 8.99% APR (0% for 6 months)
10.CitiProfessional w/TYP..........................Deferred - Approved. $12k, 11.99% APR.
2. AMEX The Nest.........................................Deferred - Approved 2/27/08. $1100, 14.49%. This card looks like crap, but whatever.
3. BOA Rewards AMEX................................Deferred - Approved $2000, 9.99% APR (after intro period)
11.CitiBusiness w/TYP................................Deferred
8. AMEX SimplyCash Business.................Deferred. They emailed and requested "Business Phone Number" and "Company Exists Verification." Whatever. I'm scared of the dreaded FR. Maybe next time.
9. Chase Business Cash Rewards..........Deferred - Denied. Too many requests for new credit, Total credit lines on open accounts too low, Delinquencies on other past or present credit obligations (EQ pull. Does anyone give free EQ reports? I shouldn't have any delinquencies)

CLI request from current Wells Fargo Student Platinum: Went from $1100->$1800

I was hoping for at least 1 more instant, but we can't always get everything. I hope I don't get too many denials.

I'll keep you guys updated. I think some younger people on the fence might benefit more from this AOR, given my thin credit file.

Message edited by: Alimo on 2008-04-03 20:18:40 CDT
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 7:17a

Here are the (current) results from my AOR

AOR ended on Tuesday (2/26/08) at ~10:45AM PST.

RESULTS
(Listed in the order I planned on applying. I thought you could fill in all the apps from the same lender and click SUBMIT at the same time...people new to AOR's, DON'T DO THIS! )

10.CitiProfessional w/TYP..........................Deferred - Approved. $12k, 11.99% APR, 0% BT for 12 months (if done w/in 12 months of opening)
6. Citi Plat. AMEX...........................................Deferred - Approved. $11k, 11.99%.
4. Chase Freedom.......................................Deferred - Approved. $4800, 17.24%.
12.WAMU Platinum......................................Instant (WOO HOO!!) $2500, 8.99% APR (0% for 6 months)
3. BOA Rewards AMEX................................Deferred - Approved $2000, 9.99% APR (after intro period), 0% Cash Advance + BT for 12 months.
5. Citi mtvU.....................................................Deferred - Approved. $1200, 13.99%. Pretty disappointing. 6 month 0% BT option (if done w/in 6 months).
2. AMEX The Nest.........................................Deferred - Approved. $1100, 14.49%. This card looks like crap, but whatever.

7. Discover More...........................................Deferred - Denied. Not enough history (they wanted 3 major CC's with 1+ yr history), Excessive Inquiries in last 3 months.
11.CitiBusiness w/TYP................................Deferred
8. AMEX SimplyCash Business.................Deferred. They emailed and requested "Business Phone Number" and "Company Exists Verification." Whatever. I'm scared of the dreaded FR. Maybe next time.
9. Chase Business Cash Rewards..........Deferred - Denied. Too many requests for new credit, Total credit lines on open accounts too low

CLI request from current Wells Fargo Student Platinum: Went from $1100->$1800

# of Lines Approved: 7 (no business cards approved)
Total CL of New Lines: $34.6k
New Cards Avg. CL: $4,943

Total CL (Old + New): $48.4k ($49.9k including Macy's card)
Average CL: $5,378 ($4,990 including Macy's card)


INQUIRIES (Experian...maybe Privacy Assist only gets the Experian inquiries?)
2/28/08
BOFA
DISCOVER
AMEX
WAMU

Equifax
First USA (anyone know who this is?)
CITI
CITI
CITI USA
Chase

SCORE UPDATE
I got pretty f'ed up the butt with EQ. I dropped from 749 to 677 (749 was given by BofA's Privacy Assist; 677 given by myFICO.com)
Reasons for Change in Score:
* Avg. account age dropped from 20 months to 10 months (only 4 out of 7 new accounts reported...I guess that means it could've dropped more??)
* Heavy use of available revolving credit...I only have 5% utilization. Whatever.
* 4 New Accounts
* 4 Inquiries (I have 5 on the report but I think 2 of the Citi ones got bunched into 1)

Damn. And I was just about to hit a few CLI buttons. I guess I'll check my scores again in 3 months when my inquiries are over 3 months old and avg. account age will be 12 months.

WORDS OF WISDOM
1. If you want to apply for multiple cards from the same lender (e.g. Citi mtvU and Citi Plat. AMEX), apply for them ONE AT A TIME. If you click "Submit" on both applications at the same time, only one of them will go through.
2. If you want a Discover card, Discover prefers you to have at least 3 cards with 1+ yrs. of history.
3. I would recommend chasing after bonuses more than anything if your have a small credit file like me (as markkundinger recommended).
4. Don't apply for Business cards if you only have 2 credit cards.
5. LISTEN TO (MOST OF ) THE PEOPLE POSTING HERE. THEY ACTUALLY KNOW SOMETHING!!
6. To be added (if anything comes to mind)

Message edited by: Alimo on 2008-04-03 20:13:10 CDT
rated:
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 9:57a
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I recommend linking to your current card applications so others may use them like I did here and here. Most of the AOR posts as of late have been lazy in this aspect.

rated:
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 3:53p
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I think it is great that you are only 20 and looking for good rewards cards here to build a base for a later AOR. I question whether you want to apply for so many cards from the same issuers. You might want to pick just one AMEX and one Citi card to shoot for at the start. Personally, I suspect your credit won't be good enough for the Citi Platinum AMEX, and I would suggest not even trying for it. If you are a student, I would apply for the Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa Card first. It has some decent 5% rewards.

I would add one Discover Card and maybe try a Juniper card (Nat'l Parks card has a free backpack).

Your HHI seems high for your age; some lenders might request verification of the income.

Message edited by: Thoreau on 2008-02-10 15:58:22 CST
rated:
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 6:16p
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UPDATE 1: Columns made straighter, Cards linked, 2 cards dropped, 1 card added, Questions added to Quick Summary

dmlavigne1: links added

Thoreau: Thanks for the reply. Would 2 personal and 1 business card from AMEX and Citi be too much? I think dropping the AMEX Starwood personal card would be the best card to drop from the list. Also, should I replace the Starwood Business card with an AMEX card w/out an annual fee?

Regarding the Citi Platinum AMEX card, I figure a score of 760+ would be better for this card, but since my last Credit Report, my oldest card has hit 2yrs, my youngest is over 1yr, and CL went from $6,100 -> $12,100, so I'm guessing I'm around 740 right now. I just thought it would be worth the risk of getting rejected . Am I wrong?

I also added a Discover More card. For Juniper, their Natl Parks card has a really nice BT offer, IMO (3%, max $50). If I get the card, will I be able to reapply for it next year?

My HHI is high because I live with my family. BOA's CLI app has a separate place for my income and HHI...do CC apps? If they do, I should be fine, right?

rated:
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 8:16p
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My gut reaction would be to chase after bonuses a bit harder. But, if you're looking for a fairly mello AOR, then:

I'm be tempted to drop of the AMX personal cards. Definitely knot/nest, and then probably the starwood. Stick with one personal and one business.

the mtvU card is great. I'd also apply for one citibusiness (15k TYP) and one citiprofessional (another 15k TYP)

With BofA, I'd be tempted to go for the card that gets you the $100 statement credit

rated:
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 9:58p
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markkundinger, I wouldn't mind going for a more intense AOR, I just really don't want to mess with the BT business 'til the next one. I suppose more cards would be fine, but if I should focus on getting a maximum of only 1 business and 1 personal card per issuer, how would I get more cards?

I have a CitiBusiness card on the list, however, for the Citi Professional card, I've only found a 10k TYP bonus, not 15k. Would I be able to reapply for this card next year when I do start looking for BT cards?

Also, if I were to drop the AMEX Next/Knot card, what should I get? I'd like to have a card that I won't cancel after the first year.

Thanks for the BOA link...I had the same card listed but the link only had a $50 statement listed.

rated:
   posted: Feb. 10, 2008 @ 11:40p
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For citiprofessional, do "the trick". turn off pop up blockers, start applying for the Citiprof TYP card, then back out of your web browser. You'll get a popup with 15k TYP.

In terms of "free" AMX cards, ideas would be the Hilton card (personal) or SimplyCash card (business).

rated:
   posted: Feb. 11, 2008 @ 12:29a
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Thanks for the "trick" tip. I updated the OP with it so others can go to it directly.

I added the SimplyCash Business card as one of the Business cards. For now, I'll leave all listed cards for a couple days so people can see where I'm coming from.

As for the Hilton card, I want cash/gift card bonuses only. I mean I'm only 20...I fly maybe once every 2 years

Message edited by: Alimo on 2008-02-11 00:55:53 CST
rated:
   posted: Feb. 11, 2008 @ 1:34a
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8 new cards with only 2 major CCS currently on the report may be pushing it, and making your profile look very risky, especially in the current environment. I'd apply for 4 cards - or have the "rolling" AOR, so that you apply for more cards if you get one or more denials on your first four apps.

rated:
   posted: Feb. 11, 2008 @ 1:49a
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Economist said:8 new cards with only 2 major CCS currently on the report may be pushing it, and making your profile look very risky, especially in the current environment. I'd apply for 4 cards - or have the "rolling" AOR, so that you apply for more cards if you get one or more denials on your first four apps.

Could you expand on the "rolling" AOR? If I apply for 4 cards, and 4 more 3-6 months from now, wouldn't I still look like a risk if I have 4 inquiries on my record?

Also, could banks do some adverse action if you don't apply for one of their cards? Like if I don't apply for a BOA card, they won't lower my CL or anything because of new lines from other lenders, right?

rated:
   posted: Feb. 11, 2008 @ 2:16a
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You don't have to wait months - simply do not apply on the same day. If you apply for instant-approval cards first, you'll see what you're getting for certain (some citibank cards are insta-provals, for example, see other AOR threads to see which ones are likely to be instant). With just 4 inquiries (spread across CRAs, hopefully), your profile will look almost as fine a few days later if you have to apply for (more) new accounts. As far as I remember, the quickest to report would be EXP, but you still would have at least a few days if not a couple of weeks before new accounts start reporting.

Yes, banks can and DO take adverse action based on what they see on the credit report. Several FWF posters reported massive adverse action by major issuers for high external balances. So your BofA line may well be reduced as they see other lines opened and inquiries pulling in. Those are the risks of an AOR that are becoming more likely by day.

Since you're just 20, I'd apply for cards anyways - it will help you down the road with having more "aged" lines.

Alimo said:Economist said:8 new cards with only 2 major CCS currently on the report may be pushing it, and making your profile look very risky, especially in the current environment. I'd apply for 4 cards - or have the "rolling" AOR, so that you apply for more cards if you get one or more denials on your first four apps.

Could you expand on the "rolling" AOR? If I apply for 4 cards, and 4 more 3-6 months from now, wouldn't I still look like a risk if I have 4 inquiries on my record?

Also, could banks do some adverse action if you don't apply for one of their cards? Like if I don't apply for a BOA card, they won't lower my CL or anything because of new lines from other lenders, right?

rated:
   posted: Feb. 11, 2008 @ 7:12p
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Hi. i would like to do a AOR and understand a litle but Im still confused. Where would be a good place to go to learn how to do correctly?? For example, I get %0 BT cards but when I call and ask them to make the check out to me, Ive only find one that does that. Where do you have the money sent?? They say I can only have it sent to other credit cards. I need some help.

rated:
   posted: Feb. 11, 2008 @ 7:39p
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rogbj said:Hi. i would like to do a AOR and understand a litle but Im still confused. Where would be a good place to go to learn how to do correctly?? For example, I get %0 BT cards but when I call and ask them to make the check out to me, Ive only find one that does that. Where do you have the money sent?? They say I can only have it sent to other credit cards. I need some help.
I did quite a bit of reading before I posted this thread. Thankfully, I came across SIS's AOR Thread towards the beginning of my research. It pretty much has every thread you need relating to this topic and others' AOR experiences.

BTW, next there's a "flame free" thread for questions next time you have a question and don't wanna make a thread

rated:
   posted: Feb. 11, 2008 @ 9:31p
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Im am still confused how you get the money if they will not make the check payable to you. All the ones I spoke to will only make the check out to another credit card company. Is this a new hurdle to the AOR or are there was around this??

rated:
   posted: Feb. 12, 2008 @ 1:08a
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I referred you to two links...this thread doesn't seem to have anything to do with BT's. The second link is the appropriate spot to post your question. The first link will get you, one way or another, to any answer you have related to AOR's. I know one thread somewhere on the forum that addresses this question specifically.

rated:
   posted: Feb. 17, 2008 @ 5:24a
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Ok, so I've cleaned the OP a little bit and have responded to the Quick Summary section (I didn't find out 'til today that someone's responded to it ).

I'm also closer to the final selection of cards. I would really appreciate it if people could give specific recommendations on what to add and if I should get rid of a card, why?

Thanks a lot FWF members

edit: I've also updated my Credit Scores (749/749/748)

Message edited by: Alimo on 2008-02-17 05:29:57 CST
rated:
   posted: Feb. 17, 2008 @ 8:56a
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I still think you are trying for too many AMEX cards. I would replace the AMEX personal cards you have listed with an AMEX Blue for students.

You also should think through the order you plan to submit applications. Apply for the card you want the most first.

Message edited by: Thoreau on 2008-02-17 08:58:38 CST
rated:
   posted: Feb. 17, 2008 @ 9:22a
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The citi professional reports to your personal credit report even though it says business. I agree with the previous posters that you are overloaded on AMEX. With your short credit history, I would try to avoid cards that you will cancel because of the fee. You want to build history and cancelling cards is not the way to do it.

You could get the ATT citi card which gives 6K typ after first use.