Help getting/finding a good card
 

I'm at wit's end here and I could use some help. I'm a newbie at this, so please be gentle :)

I have about a 7-month credit history (always paid) on one CapOne card with $750 limit (7% utilization), and make $60+ a year. Can anyone recommend a Visa/MC credit card with no forex fees that I can get a proper limit on?

I travel a lot internationally for business (hotels, dinners, expenses), and was told the company card I was using was tied to my credit, which was a big lie, there's no record of me paying that on time. I figure it was time to get my own proper card, and should have realized I wouldn't get far with my applications.

I apply for a card I can actually use, but get turned down. I just didn't get it, and some 9 hard pulls later (over in bunches over 4 months), I can't get approved for anything. "Too many inquiries". I get flak because my limit is small, but how can I increase it if I can't get approved? Each pull also makes it less likely I get approved. Hooray!

Even with all that, my scores on CreditKarma/CreditSesame/Quizzle are above 700. Is there a card with at least $3k limit, that is actually worth having, I can get approved for?

Sorry for the length, but I figure those who want to help will need the details anyway. I appreciate any and all suggestions ^

Thanks friends

I wouldn't think you would have any problems getting a card. They are so aggressive now. If your credit is really bad I suggest just buying a car on loan for one year and paying it off. You will then have credit cards coming out the wazoo!

Correct, they don't just look at CC's. They look at the mix of credit you have. This includes Auto, Home and Personal loans as well as CC's.

The only credit I have is the card, no other loans. I checked my credit reports and they confirm that. I don't think it's a good idea to get a loan I don't need

Can you ask for a credit limit increase from Cap 1? $750 seems very awfully low. Even my first credit card at age 18 had an $800 limit, and it was $1600 in a few months, then $3000 by the next year.

Sounds like you need to wait until you've established more of a credit history - you've only got 7 months and your limit is $750. In this day and age, the banks are afraid to take a risk on you.

As amolkold suggested, see if Capital One will increase your credit line.

No dice on the increase. They just increased it a one or two months ago from 500 :(

When I asked them for an increase, they give a boilerplate response that they "periodically evaluate" the accounts and mine isn't up yet. I asked about upgrading the card, but they said I can't do that and it would require an application. With three report pulls, I said no thanks

Have you tried the Chase Freedom card? Seems like an easier one to get, you still get points and can build a history with chase. what cards did you apply for?

The nature of my international expenses, Sapphire Preferred made the best choice. I just got my rejection from them

Few revolving accounts opened long enough
Not enough account opened long enough

When I called in to try and reconsider, they said there were also too many inquiries. Should I have mentioned that prior to this app, there was only one inquiry in the last 3 months? (Citi Foward)

It's not like I have other credit lines to play around/negotiate with, but is there anything I could say to plead my case? Even just a 2k limit would go a long way. I'm just baffled that I've had a solid job for almost two years and there are college kids who get higher limits than I do

For what it worth, when I applied for my first credit card in college, I was the authorized user on my parents' 8-year-old AmEx with a $30K+ limit, and I've heard that creditors like to see AmEx on a report. It still shows up on my CR now and I probably owe a lot of success to that.

Do you have any way of getting added as an authorized user by a relative or close friend? You don't even need to spend on it, just have it on your report.

Btw, 7% utilization on your Cap1 is only about $55, which is less than the annual fee for these cards. Prove to Cap1 that you spend on their card and pay your balance in full, and they should be better about upping that limit. That may mean having a high utilization one month (your score will have a temporary dip), but if you pay it off in full, it'll help prove that you can handle the credit (which is what creditors want to see)

The Sapphire Preferred and other Visa Signature cards (and whatever the equivalent Mastercard level is) are premium cards that require a minimum credit limit of, I believe, $5,000. It'll be tough, if not impossible, for you to get that right now.

I'm not sure what the best strategy for you would be, but I would wait at least 3 more months before applying for a lower level card, maybe another one from Capital One (since they have no foreign transaction fees). In the meanwhile, moderately increase your spending on your existing card.

So here's the deal: of course I don't only spend $55/month. As difficult as the card is, they still give me some rewards, vs my corporate card from which I get nothing.

I take advantage of the revolving credit. As I approach a certain threshold towards by meager limit, I pay off a couple hundred bucks, then keep going. Before the end of my billing cycle, I deliberately pay off a certain amount to keep some nominal amount for billing and the credit reports. That way, I have a much higher spend relative to my limit, and I still get low utilization.

I guess the question then becomes: given my salary and low credit limit, would companies understand that of course I have high utilization?

The problem is at CapOne I don't feel like I've spoken with anyone who actually has any power or actually considers the fact that my limit is disproportionally low and I use the card as much as I can by maximizing the revolving credit.

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I would not apply for any further credit cards for at least six months. You already have too many hard pulls over a very short period of time, and you're just digging yourself a deeper hole by continuing to apply for cards right now.

I would also look into taking out a "secured" consumer loan -- maybe $1,000 for six or twelve months -- secured by a certificate of deposit for a like amount. Some banks specifically offer these products to help people build up a credit history.

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Agreed. You need to focus on increasing the limit on your Capital One card, rather than worrying about applying for another card. There are no magic words that you can use to induce Capital One to increase your credit limit. Just keep using the card, approach but never exceed the limit, always pay in full and on time, and at some point their system will probably increase the limit automatically.