I'm going to write this thread for 2 main purposes. First, to attempt to make an example that Birdman and Cassie envision for how we want spree posts to be written with links to individual approval threads. Second, to detail how, after just 4 months into a fairly extensive rebuild, I was able to apply and be approved for 4 quality credit cards and an auto loan in the span of about 2 months. If you're interested in Part I of this saga, my rebuild process that allowed me to successfully execute this spree, you can check it out here . Although my rebuild was not quite complete, I was nearing the end of my deployment, I had amassed a vast amount of knowledge about FICO metrics, largely thanks to Birdman and his Primer , and I realized that, even though my main goal after my rebuild was to be able to be approved for an auto loan at less than predatory terms, my current credit file of 1 revolving bankcard, 3 store cards, and an almost paid off installment loan was less than ideal for growing my credit file after resolving my baddies. My FICOs stood at EX FICO 8: 701; TU FICO 8: 674; EQ FICO 8: 660, and I decided it was time to take my new 'pretty decent' scores out for a spin. I decided to do some research on what cards were going to fit my spending profile best (everyone should do this when deciding on cards to apply for). My favorite card before my financial collapse was my Chase Freedom Flex. I loved the 5% rotating categories, which often seemed to include categories I have high spend on. Alas, after doing some research, I realized it was highly unlikely that Chase would even look twice at me just yet after having just paid a CO with them a few months earlier. Researching the Credit Cards sub on Reddit, my sights started to set in on the Discover it. With its 5% rotating categories, 1% uncategorized, and 1st year cash back match basically making it 10% / 2% the first year, I was pretty much sold. The fact that every single recent approval thread on Reddit and MF indicated they would pull EX (my best report at the time) sold me even further. It should also be noted that, at this time, I was planning on applying for my auto loan through NFCU (who pulls TU), so I wasn't worried about a hard inquiry on EX affecting my auto loan chances too much. We'll touch more on this later. So, in August I went to Discover's website to fill out the pre-approval tool just to see if I'd get offered anything other than the secured Discover card (LOL), and I received a pre-approval offer for an unsecured Discover it or chrome with a fixed APR...the signal we know means that I was very likely to be approved. I pulled the trigger, and the end result was an approval with a $7K SL! My highest CL at this time was $2250, so I was shocked and elated to say the least, It was at this point that I realized that my rebuild was going to really pay off, and that I could be approved for 'big boy' cards even with my negative past credit history still relatively fresh on my reports. After telling Birdman about my Discover approval, he gave me major congratulations on my rebuild and approval, and I could sense his satisfaction in the role he had played in helping me through my rebuild, and his genuine happiness for me with the results. Little did I know, this was just the beginning. Lol. As some time went by, I kept getting pre-approval offers through the Experian app for the elusive, invite-only Ollo Optimum 2.5% CB card (TBOM). Now, I also had a CO with TBOM from a Helzberg Diamonds store card that they had sold to a CA, and it scared me that, even though I kept receiving pre-approvals, TBOM would see my recent CO with them when I actually applied, deny my application, and it would be a waste of a HP on EX. I knew I needed to get at least 1 more bankcard to get me up to 6 revolvers to go along with my upcoming auto loan, and with a Discover it and Cap One Savor One in my wallet already, a 2% (or better) uncategorized card seemed to be the way to go. I talked to Birdman about the Ollo card, and he said, while he couldn't be sure, DPs seemed to suggest a pre-approval from Ollo through Experian's app was a solid offer of credit. I decided to wait until September as not to look too desperate since I had just applied for my Discover in Aug. Lo and behold, as September rolled in, the pre-approval offers from Ollo just disappeared from the Experian app for me. I would check it 4-5 times a day, and it just never reappeared. I know now that my file had actually improved 'too much' for their target consumer, and that I probably would have been given a measly $1K to $2K limit with them at best. Blessing in disguise, bc I would've instantly hit 'apply' had it ever shown up again. So, the HP on my EX file resulted in absolutely 0 score loss, and my new Discover reported very quickly to my reports which, in addition to my installment loan dropping below 9% utilization, actually INCREASED my scores slightly due to there being no new revolver penalty (gotta love dirty scorecards sometimes, LOL), and my scores now stood at EX FICO 8: 704; TU FICO 8: 678; EQ FICO 8: 669. As it seemed I had missed my window on Ollo (thank God), I began research on another 2% uncategorized CB (or better) card I might qualify for. The Citi Double Cash seemed the obvious choice, but Citi seems to favor pulling TU or EQ, and I wasn't sure I'd qualify just yet. I also really didn't want to put a HP on my TU prior to applying for my auto loan. I stumbled across a thread on the Credit Cards sub on Reddit discussing this very topic, and a few comments into the thread, none other than my sensei Birdman had mentioned some card I had never heard of called the FNBO Evergreen Visa. I did a little research, and, much to my delight, discovered it was indeed a flat 2% CB card, and that they would almost certainly pull EX (still my best report at that time). I went to their website, and filled out their pre-approval tool, and received a pre-approval offer not only with a fixed APR, but also a SL of $8800. I was more than a little taken aback, as this would be my highest SL ever, and it just seemed too good to be true. I went to the MF forums to read threads on how reliable FNBOs pre-approval tool was, and got very mixed results. My faith was declining at this point. Yet again, it was time to DM Birdman . I told him I had seen his comment about this card, about my pre-approval offer, and all about my hesitation to apply. He told me about what a great card it was, the CLI potential, and how he really liked FNBO as a bank. Sensing I didn't need to be sold on the card, but needed a little nudge to actually apply, he asked me to confirm, "You have a pre-approval offer with a fixed APR and SL for that card?" When I responded that I did, he simply stated, "You better hit that 'apply' button!" LOL. It was the nudge I needed, and after agonizing a few more minutes, I did indeed hit apply. I received an instant approval for the exact $8800 SL and APR from the pre-approval offer, and our simultaneous happy dance began! LOL. Just 4 months removed from low 600s FICOs, I had been approved for 2 very solid rewards cards with over $15K in SLs! Oh, and the HP on EX cost me exactly 1...one damn point, leaving my EX FICO 8 at 703 after approval. Birdman 's response? "Is that the best 1 point you ever lost or what?" Haha! Now, with less than a month to go before I got home, my focus was squarely on my auto loan. I felt like I had enough revolving tradelines to go along with my new auto loan to effectively garden for at least a year. I started discussing my plan to apply for my auto loan through NFCU with Birdman . He said he thought I would indeed be approved for an auto loan through NFCU with my TU score at 678, but told me he was concerned that the APR might be on the higher side due to my TU FICOs and still unresolved baddies reporting to TU. I remember saying, "Man, if only there was some lender I could be sure would pull EX only." His response was pretty epic..."Brother, why didn't you just ask?" LOL. He told me to go check out a CU from New Jersey called Affinity FCU. My first thought..."How the hell am I going to get membership with a CU in New Jersey?" LOL. He explained how all that would work, and then told me that they also have this monster cash rewards card as well, the Affinity FCU Cash Rewards Visa, and that I could just apply for everything I wanted from them during the membership process, and it would all result in just one HP on EX. I was a little worried bc I now had 2 HPs already on EX, but my FICO 8 was still 703, the banking and credit products offered by this CU seemed amazing, and I figured, if they denied me, I could still try through NFCU anyway. As Affinity is a smaller CU and I applied on the Friday before Columbus Day weekend, they sure kept me in suspense approving my membership and banking accounts the same day, but not giving me a 'conditional' approval on the card and loan until the next Tuesday and asking for POI. After submitting my POI, it was an agonizing 2 more business days (with a major, ugly credit change to my EX report right in the middle), and I was almost convinced my plans had been sabotaged. Birdman had to be sick of me blowing up his DMs by this point, and kept telling me, "Dude, they're a pretty small CU. Your app is on the underwriter's desk, they already have a HP of your reports (before the nasty FICO drop), and you'll get your approval Thursday probably." In true Nostradamus-like fashion, I received my Affinity FCU Cash Rewards Visa approval with a $5K SL, and a full approval of my auto loan pending the actual purchase order for the vehicle. As I was letting out the biggest sigh of relief ever, Birdman was messaging me saying, "What did I tell you? Thursday?" LOL. As of this writing, I have not executed the auto loan yet, but will post my experience on that in the Auto Loans forum when it's complete. As I'm a Soldier, I still decided I would establish accounts with NFCU to begin building a relationship with one of the biggest and most military friendly CUs in existence for the future. I then had the thought that, over the course of my entire spree, all my HPs were on EX, we know NFCU is guaranteed to pull TU, and only my new Discover card has hit my credit reports so far. With 7 revolvers now, and an upcoming auto loan, I wondered if I was really pushing my luck, but I took a look at NFCU's card offerings as well. I wasn't too interested in their cashRewards card, bc at 1.5% CB (1.75% if you have DD set up), it would basically become a sock drawer card for me immediately after the SUB bc my FNBO Evergreen at 2% CB is better, and with SUBs for both Discover and Affinity, I knew there was no way I could hit a 3rd SUB now anyway. The others didn't interest me at all, and I was about to just forget the idea, get my truck loan, and head for the garden. In telling Birdman my intention, he advised that I really should get one more bankcard to get to 5 (for the bankcard scoring metrics), and then I'd definitely be set to garden effectively. I explained about why I didn't want the cashRewards (sock drawer after SUB), Go Rewards (already have same rewards), or Flagship (probably can't get approved yet). He said, "What about the Platinum?" I kinda laughed and said, "A Platinum card with no rewards? Sounds awful!" He quickly proceeded to breakdown why everyone needs not 1 but multiple CU Platinum cards eventually, and believe it or not, it's possible I'll be needing it very soon for one of the exact reasons he mentioned. His Nostradamus-like abilities are not to be mocked! LOL. So, when I went in to NFCU to apply for membership and bank accounts, I decided to apply for the Platinum at the same time, and was instantly approved with a $3400 SL. With my TU report not quite as good as my EX, I was extremely happy with my 5th approval in less than 3 months completing my little spree. After I execute my auto loan next week, it's Team Garden Party for me for at least 12, if not 24, months, and with this really solid lineup of 8 revolvers (5 bankcards and 3 store cards) and my auto loan, when I come out of the garden I should be ready to target Citi Custom Cash, CFF, whatever card has an insane, CSP-type SUB at the time, or maybe even AOD to fill in the gaps in my current rewards profile. It's a pretty amazing feeling for a guy who had FICOs in the 500s a year ago, and low 600s just 4 months ago! Spree totals: 4 pretty amazing CCs with a combined SL of $24,200 and an auto loan to be finalized next week all for 3 HPs on EX and 1 HP on TU. Lessons Learned for going on a spree: 1. Do some research on the best cards available that fit your spending profile the best. All the info is out there. Find it before you start hitting 'apply'. This includes SUBs. Do some math on if you can responsibly hope to hit the SUBs your targeted cards are offering. 2 of the 4 cards I got have very lucrative SUBs that I can hit. If the other 2 had SUBs too, there's no chance I could've hit them all. 2. Set realistic expectations for how many cards you can get in 1 spree. Also, understand what it will do to your FICOs and for how long. If you're going to be hit with a new revolver penalty anyway, why not get 3 cards at once instead of 'resetting' your AoYRA multiple times by spreading it out? If you're on a dirty scorecard, why not get multiple accounts at once that will all age together when you decide to garden? But, understand what multiple new accounts are going to do to your AAoA, AoRA, etc. too. I expect a pretty decent hit to my scores when the dust settles and all my new accounts report. But, I'm in the garden for the foreseeable future, so I don't care that much. Will you need your credit for something before it has a chance to recover from your spree? 3. Research the qualifications of credit products you want to apply for. Don't waste HPs on products you are unlikely to be approved for. I had no chance with Chase. Very little chance with Citi. I was 5/5 on approvals bc I didn't apply for anything I had a poor chance of getting. Again, the info is out there. Find it and use it to your advantage. Use pre-approval tools whenever possible to see where you stand with each creditor. They're not always a 100% guarantee of approval, but you can get a really good idea of where you stand. 4. Find out which CRA report each lender is likely to pull. Use your best report(s) to your advantage. Spread your apps across the 3 CRAs if possible to avoid too many HPs on any 1 report. Do some research on which lenders are easily spooked by too much recency, and make a plan for which order to apply for things that gives you the best chance of getting approved for everything you target. 5. Be fast...but not too fast. Remember that aging metrics are all calculated on the 1st of the month. A HP on Aug 26th was 'last month' on Sep 1. I had HPs on my EX report in Aug, Sep, and Oct. No one seemed to be too spooked. My Discover card reported quickly to the CRAs, so be careful to try to get everything you want in your spree before your new accounts all start reporting. Multiple HPs are one thing. Multiple new accounts are another. My Affinity FCU SL was the lowest they give on that card, and I think it's possible 1 new account and 2 previous HPs may have spooked them a bit. Luckily, I still got my approvals. Ok, novel #2 is in the books. Lol. If you made it this far, I'd love all the comments and feedback. Until next time...
Post

My Post-Rebuild Spree (A Credit Rebel Saga II)

1 of 1
3 years ago
Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:58 am
User avatar
SoonerSoldier33
Seasoned RebelTeam Cash Back
Level9 Last INQMonday, November 27, 2023 Gardening For9 months, 11 days, 20 hours, and 23 minutes Next Level in19 days, 3 hours, and 37 minutes on September 27th INQ 1yr onWednesday, November 27, 2024 INQ 1yr in2 months, 19 days, 3 hours, and 37 minutes INQ 2yr onThursday, November 27, 2025 INQ 2yr in1 year, 2 months, 19 days, 3 hours, and 37 minutes Goal24 months Goal DateThursday, November 27, 2025 Goal In1 year, 2 months, 19 days, 3 hours, and 37 minutes
I'm going to write this thread for 2 main purposes. First, to attempt to make an example that @Birdman and @Cassie envision for how we want spree posts to be written with links to individual approval threads. Second, to detail how, after just 4 months into a fairly extensive rebuild, I was able to apply and be approved for 4 quality credit cards and an auto loan in the span of about 2 months. If you're interested in Part I of this saga, my rebuild process that allowed me to successfully execute this spree, you can check it out here. Although my rebuild was not quite complete, I was nearing the end of my deployment, I had amassed a vast amount of knowledge about FICO metrics, largely thanks to @Birdman and his Primer, and I realized that, even though my main goal after my rebuild was to be able to be approved for an auto loan at less than predatory terms, my current credit file of 1 revolving bankcard, 3 store cards, and an almost paid off installment loan was less than ideal for growing my credit file after resolving my baddies. My FICOs stood at EX FICO 8: 701; TU FICO 8: 674; EQ FICO 8: 660, and I decided it was time to take my new 'pretty decent' scores out for a spin. I decided to do some research on what cards were going to fit my spending profile best (everyone should do this when deciding on cards to apply for). My favorite card before my financial collapse was my Chase Freedom Flex. I loved the 5% rotating categories, which often seemed to include categories I have high spend on. Alas, after doing some research, I realized it was highly unlikely that Chase would even look twice at me just yet after having just paid a CO with them a few months earlier. Researching the Credit Cards sub on Reddit, my sights started to set in on the Discover it. With its 5% rotating categories, 1% uncategorized, and 1st year cash back match basically making it 10% / 2% the first year, I was pretty much sold. The fact that every single recent approval thread on Reddit and MF indicated they would pull EX (my best report at the time) sold me even further. It should also be noted that, at this time, I was planning on applying for my auto loan through NFCU (who pulls TU), so I wasn't worried about a hard inquiry on EX affecting my auto loan chances too much. We'll touch more on this later. So, in August I went to Discover's website to fill out the pre-approval tool just to see if I'd get offered anything other than the secured Discover card (LOL), and I received a pre-approval offer for an unsecured Discover it or chrome with a fixed APR...the signal we know means that I was very likely to be approved. I pulled the trigger, and the end result was an approval with a $7K SL! My highest CL at this time was $2250, so I was shocked and elated to say the least, It was at this point that I realized that my rebuild was going to really pay off, and that I could be approved for 'big boy' cards even with my negative past credit history still relatively fresh on my reports. After telling @Birdman about my Discover approval, he gave me major congratulations on my rebuild and approval, and I could sense his satisfaction in the role he had played in helping me through my rebuild, and his genuine happiness for me with the results. Little did I know, this was just the beginning. Lol. As some time went by, I kept getting pre-approval offers through the Experian app for the elusive, invite-only Ollo Optimum 2.5% CB card (TBOM). Now, I also had a CO with TBOM from a Helzberg Diamonds store card that they had sold to a CA, and it scared me that, even though I kept receiving pre-approvals, TBOM would see my recent CO with them when I actually applied, deny my application, and it would be a waste of a HP on EX. I knew I needed to get at least 1 more bankcard to get me up to 6 revolvers to go along with my upcoming auto loan, and with a Discover it and Cap One Savor One in my wallet already, a 2% (or better) uncategorized card seemed to be the way to go. I talked to @Birdman about the Ollo card, and he said, while he couldn't be sure, DPs seemed to suggest a pre-approval from Ollo through Experian's app was a solid offer of credit. I decided to wait until September as not to look too desperate since I had just applied for my Discover in Aug. Lo and behold, as September rolled in, the pre-approval offers from Ollo just disappeared from the Experian app for me. I would check it 4-5 times a day, and it just never reappeared. I know now that my file had actually improved 'too much' for their target consumer, and that I probably would have been given a measly $1K to $2K limit with them at best. Blessing in disguise, bc I would've instantly hit 'apply' had it ever shown up again. So, the HP on my EX file resulted in absolutely 0 score loss, and my new Discover reported very quickly to my reports which, in addition to my installment loan dropping below 9% utilization, actually INCREASED my scores slightly due to there being no new revolver penalty (gotta love dirty scorecards sometimes, LOL), and my scores now stood at EX FICO 8: 704; TU FICO 8: 678; EQ FICO 8: 669. As it seemed I had missed my window on Ollo (thank God), I began research on another 2% uncategorized CB (or better) card I might qualify for. The Citi Double Cash seemed the obvious choice, but Citi seems to favor pulling TU or EQ, and I wasn't sure I'd qualify just yet. I also really didn't want to put a HP on my TU prior to applying for my auto loan. I stumbled across a thread on the Credit Cards sub on Reddit discussing this very topic, and a few comments into the thread, none other than my sensei @Birdman had mentioned some card I had never heard of called the FNBO Evergreen Visa. I did a little research, and, much to my delight, discovered it was indeed a flat 2% CB card, and that they would almost certainly pull EX (still my best report at that time). I went to their website, and filled out their pre-approval tool, and received a pre-approval offer not only with a fixed APR, but also a SL of $8800. I was more than a little taken aback, as this would be my highest SL ever, and it just seemed too good to be true. I went to the MF forums to read threads on how reliable FNBOs pre-approval tool was, and got very mixed results. My faith was declining at this point. Yet again, it was time to DM @Birdman. I told him I had seen his comment about this card, about my pre-approval offer, and all about my hesitation to apply. He told me about what a great card it was, the CLI potential, and how he really liked FNBO as a bank. Sensing I didn't need to be sold on the card, but needed a little nudge to actually apply, he asked me to confirm, "You have a pre-approval offer with a fixed APR and SL for that card?" When I responded that I did, he simply stated, "You better hit that 'apply' button!" LOL. It was the nudge I needed, and after agonizing a few more minutes, I did indeed hit apply. I received an instant approval for the exact $8800 SL and APR from the pre-approval offer, and our simultaneous happy dance began! LOL. Just 4 months removed from low 600s FICOs, I had been approved for 2 very solid rewards cards with over $15K in SLs! Oh, and the HP on EX cost me exactly 1...one damn point, leaving my EX FICO 8 at 703 after approval. @Birdman's response? "Is that the best 1 point you ever lost or what?" Haha! Now, with less than a month to go before I got home, my focus was squarely on my auto loan. I felt like I had enough revolving tradelines to go along with my new auto loan to effectively garden for at least a year. I started discussing my plan to apply for my auto loan through NFCU with @Birdman. He said he thought I would indeed be approved for an auto loan through NFCU with my TU score at 678, but told me he was concerned that the APR might be on the higher side due to my TU FICOs and still unresolved baddies reporting to TU. I remember saying, "Man, if only there was some lender I could be sure would pull EX only." His response was pretty epic..."Brother, why didn't you just ask?" LOL. He told me to go check out a CU from New Jersey called Affinity FCU. My first thought..."How the hell am I going to get membership with a CU in New Jersey?" LOL. He explained how all that would work, and then told me that they also have this monster cash rewards card as well, the Affinity FCU Cash Rewards Visa, and that I could just apply for everything I wanted from them during the membership process, and it would all result in just one HP on EX. I was a little worried bc I now had 2 HPs already on EX, but my FICO 8 was still 703, the banking and credit products offered by this CU seemed amazing, and I figured, if they denied me, I could still try through NFCU anyway. As Affinity is a smaller CU and I applied on the Friday before Columbus Day weekend, they sure kept me in suspense approving my membership and banking accounts the same day, but not giving me a 'conditional' approval on the card and loan until the next Tuesday and asking for POI. After submitting my POI, it was an agonizing 2 more business days (with a major, ugly credit change to my EX report right in the middle), and I was almost convinced my plans had been sabotaged. @Birdman had to be sick of me blowing up his DMs by this point, and kept telling me, "Dude, they're a pretty small CU. Your app is on the underwriter's desk, they already have a HP of your reports (before the nasty FICO drop), and you'll get your approval Thursday probably." In true Nostradamus-like fashion, I received my Affinity FCU Cash Rewards Visa approval with a $5K SL, and a full approval of my auto loan pending the actual purchase order for the vehicle. As I was letting out the biggest sigh of relief ever, @Birdman was messaging me saying, "What did I tell you? Thursday?" LOL. As of this writing, I have not executed the auto loan yet, but will post my experience on that in the Auto Loans forum when it's complete. As I'm a Soldier, I still decided I would establish accounts with NFCU to begin building a relationship with one of the biggest and most military friendly CUs in existence for the future. I then had the thought that, over the course of my entire spree, all my HPs were on EX, we know NFCU is guaranteed to pull TU, and only my new Discover card has hit my credit reports so far. With 7 revolvers now, and an upcoming auto loan, I wondered if I was really pushing my luck, but I took a look at NFCU's card offerings as well. I wasn't too interested in their cashRewards card, bc at 1.5% CB (1.75% if you have DD set up), it would basically become a sock drawer card for me immediately after the SUB bc my FNBO Evergreen at 2% CB is better, and with SUBs for both Discover and Affinity, I knew there was no way I could hit a 3rd SUB now anyway. The others didn't interest me at all, and I was about to just forget the idea, get my truck loan, and head for the garden. In telling @Birdman my intention, he advised that I really should get one more bankcard to get to 5 (for the bankcard scoring metrics), and then I'd definitely be set to garden effectively. I explained about why I didn't want the cashRewards (sock drawer after SUB), Go Rewards (already have same rewards), or Flagship (probably can't get approved yet). He said, "What about the Platinum?" I kinda laughed and said, "A Platinum card with no rewards? Sounds awful!" He quickly proceeded to breakdown why everyone needs not 1 but multiple CU Platinum cards eventually, and believe it or not, it's possible I'll be needing it very soon for one of the exact reasons he mentioned. His Nostradamus-like abilities are not to be mocked! LOL. So, when I went in to NFCU to apply for membership and bank accounts, I decided to apply for the Platinum at the same time, and was instantly approved with a $3400 SL. With my TU report not quite as good as my EX, I was extremely happy with my 5th approval in less than 3 months completing my little spree. After I execute my auto loan next week, it's Team Garden Party for me for at least 12, if not 24, months, and with this really solid lineup of 8 revolvers (5 bankcards and 3 store cards) and my auto loan, when I come out of the garden I should be ready to target Citi Custom Cash, CFF, whatever card has an insane, CSP-type SUB at the time, or maybe even AOD to fill in the gaps in my current rewards profile. It's a pretty amazing feeling for a guy who had FICOs in the 500s a year ago, and low 600s just 4 months ago! Spree totals: 4 pretty amazing CCs with a combined SL of $24,200 and an auto loan to be finalized next week all for 3 HPs on EX and 1 HP on TU. Lessons Learned for going on a spree: 1. Do some research on the best cards available that fit your spending profile the best. All the info is out there. Find it before you start hitting 'apply'. This includes SUBs. Do some math on if you can responsibly hope to hit the SUBs your targeted cards are offering. 2 of the 4 cards I got have very lucrative SUBs that I can hit. If the other 2 had SUBs too, there's no chance I could've hit them all. 2. Set realistic expectations for how many cards you can get in 1 spree. Also, understand what it will do to your FICOs and for how long. If you're going to be hit with a new revolver penalty anyway, why not get 3 cards at once instead of 'resetting' your AoYRA multiple times by spreading it out? If you're on a dirty scorecard, why not get multiple accounts at once that will all age together when you decide to garden? But, understand what multiple new accounts are going to do to your AAoA, AoRA, etc. too. I expect a pretty decent hit to my scores when the dust settles and all my new accounts report. But, I'm in the garden for the foreseeable future, so I don't care that much. Will you need your credit for something before it has a chance to recover from your spree? 3. Research the qualifications of credit products you want to apply for. Don't waste HPs on products you are unlikely to be approved for. I had no chance with Chase. Very little chance with Citi. I was 5/5 on approvals bc I didn't apply for anything I had a poor chance of getting. Again, the info is out there. Find it and use it to your advantage. Use pre-approval tools whenever possible to see where you stand with each creditor. They're not always a 100% guarantee of approval, but you can get a really good idea of where you stand. 4. Find out which CRA report each lender is likely to pull. Use your best report(s) to your advantage. Spread your apps across the 3 CRAs if possible to avoid too many HPs on any 1 report. Do some research on which lenders are easily spooked by too much recency, and make a plan for which order to apply for things that gives you the best chance of getting approved for everything you target. 5. Be fast...but not too fast. Remember that aging metrics are all calculated on the 1st of the month. A HP on Aug 26th was 'last month' on Sep 1. I had HPs on my EX report in Aug, Sep, and Oct. No one seemed to be too spooked. My Discover card reported quickly to the CRAs, so be careful to try to get everything you want in your spree before your new accounts all start reporting. Multiple HPs are one thing. Multiple new accounts are another. My Affinity FCU SL was the lowest they give on that card, and I think it's possible 1 new account and 2 previous HPs may have spooked them a bit. Luckily, I still got my approvals. Ok, novel #2 is in the books. Lol. If you made it this far, I'd love all the comments and feedback. Until next time...
SoonerSoldier33
User avatar
Seasoned Rebel
  • Score data TU FICO 8: 641 EQ FICO 8: 616 EX FICO 8: 649
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