Well, something to consider as well is that a new account will lower the average age of your accounts; however, if you are rebuilding you have to start somewhere.

668 is not a bad score, I can't off the top of my head remember which banks pull from TU, but GEMB pulls Experian or Equifax from what I can remember.

With that score I would recommend Capital One. They will probably start you out between $300-$500 but if you get credit steps you could get regular increases. From what I understand a 675 is the new 625 so banks are geting pickier. I can't guarantee that you will be approved but your chances are higher with them. Then see what Citibank does in March. They should increase you to about $1,000. Use the card regularly and in September 2010 go online and request a CLI.

The worst thing you can do for yourself right now is applying willy nilly for any old card. You have to think about the future and a card that will age with you.

i got denied by capital one in march..i applied online and i had an online chat with a cust rep ..i explained all about my scores and history..he said i should be ok and i applied for the cashback rewards or a miles card(i do not remember)...i got denied and the letter said i do not have enough open accts and my credit limit was low....well..do you think i should try again now that i have macys,citi,and target cards,and if so,what is the easiest one to get......
thank you so much

Well, something to consider as well is that a new account will lower the average age of your accounts; however, if you are rebuilding you have to start somewhere.

668 is not a bad score, I can't off the top of my head remember which banks pull from TU, but GEMB pulls Experian or Equifax from what I can remember.

With that score I would recommend Capital One. They will probably start you out between $300-$500 but if you get credit steps you could get regular increases. From what I understand a 675 is the new 625 so banks are geting pickier. I can't guarantee that you will be approved but your chances are higher with them. Then see what Citibank does in March. They should increase you to about $1,000. Use the card regularly and in September 2010 go online and request a CLI.

The worst thing you can do for yourself right now is applying willy nilly for any old card. You have to think about the future and a card that will age with you.

thank you colonative for all the info that you provide...i need a major card ofr 2 reasons..
1- i did read a very good article that shows a graph that explain the relationship between your credit limit and your credit score..also another article about the relationship between credit utilization and credit score..you could read them on creditkarma.com
as far as my utilization in the last 3 months i cut down to only 2%.
so,i am trying to get a major card that i can use as my limit on citi secured card is only 650$....most of the times i use my bank debit card.

2-second reasaon is a psycological reason for me as i ve gone through a marriage that destroyed my credit eventhough i do NOT personally owe anybody a dime...so i kind of got tired of looking like a bad.. dishonest..irresponsible person that has 2 public records(i paid him off and will be deleted in 2014) and few co(not showing in report anymore)...while the fact is that the opposite is true...hey what are you gonna do...the fico score is a formula that does not diffrentiate between you and what your spouse have done in the past....
thanks a lot

i forgot to add that my last transunion score is 668 and the other 2 bureaues are around 650
thanks a lot

But why do you need another major card so badly? Do you need the money or you just feel that you need another card? If Citibank is sending you pre-approve "loans" it may be a line of credit accessable via checks. It is like a credit card without the card. You will get a fee everytime you use a check and the APR is usually pretty high. They used to call it Citi Flex.

As far as retail stores that offer Visa's...they aren't as easy to get as you might think. Macy's/Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Sears, Target etc. offer Visa/MasterCard but usually for prime customers. Macy's/Bloomingdale's and Sears require a store application.

From what I have heard, the Best Buy MasterCard from HSBC is pretty easy to get, but the cavat is that you might get an annual fee, high APR and finding a three legged balleria is easier then getting a CLI. That might be your best bet at this time if your scores are under 625. As far as the American Eagle/GAP/Banana Republic/Old Navy Visa's those are GEMB and again will have tiny credit lines. I am not sure what the minimum FICO is for those (they are marketed towards the 18-25 crowd so they might not be sticklers on high FICO's) but again, you would have to apply at the store; and if you do not qualify for the Visa, they will sometimes offer the store card instead.

thank you colonative for all the info that you provide...i need a major card ofr 2 reasons..
1- i did read a very good article that shows a graph that explain the relationship between your credit limit and your credit score..also another article about the relationship between credit utilization and credit score..you could read them on creditkarma.com
as far as my utilization in the last 3 months i cut down to only 2%.
so,i am trying to get a major card that i can use as my limit on citi secured card is only 650$....most of the times i use my bank debit card.

2-second reasaon is a psycological reason for me as i ve gone through a marriage that destroyed my credit eventhough i do NOT personally owe anybody a dime...so i kind of got tired of looking like a bad.. dishonest..irresponsible person that has 2 public records(i paid him off and will be deleted in 2014) and few co(not showing in report anymore)...while the fact is that the opposite is true...hey what are you gonna do...the fico score is a formula that does not diffrentiate between you and what your spouse have done in the past....
thanks a lot

i forgot to mention that citi had sent me 3 pre approaved loans for the amount of4500$..i guess it is a good sign ..i just ignored them as i do want to take any loans.do you think i should try to apply to any of citi cards....also i went shopping today and i saw that some stores like american eagle ,modell's,dick's offer master cards and visas..do you have any idea about the easiest store to get a visa or mc from and what is their minimum required fico score in general..i can not wait till march to get the citi unscured...i need a major credit card asap......
thank you so much....

But why do you need another major card so badly? Do you need the money or you just feel that you need another card? If Citibank is sending you pre-approve "loans" it may be a line of credit accessable via checks. It is like a credit card without the card. You will get a fee everytime you use a check and the APR is usually pretty high. They used to call it Citi Flex.

As far as retail stores that offer Visa's...they aren't as easy to get as you might think. Macy's/Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, Sears, Target etc. offer Visa/MasterCard but usually for prime customers. Macy's/Bloomingdale's and Sears require a store application.

From what I have heard, the Best Buy MasterCard from HSBC is pretty easy to get, but the cavat is that you might get an annual fee, high APR and finding a three legged balleria is easier then getting a CLI. That might be your best bet at this time if your scores are under 625. As far as the American Eagle/GAP/Banana Republic/Old Navy Visa's those are GEMB and again will have tiny credit lines. I am not sure what the minimum FICO is for those (they are marketed towards the 18-25 crowd so they might not be sticklers on high FICO's) but again, you would have to apply at the store; and if you do not qualify for the Visa, they will sometimes offer the store card instead.

i forgot to mention that citi had sent me 3 pre approaved loans for the amount of4500$..i guess it is a good sign ..i just ignored them as i do want to take any loans.do you think i should try to apply to any of citi cards....also i went shopping today and i saw that some stores like american eagle ,modell's,dick's offer master cards and visas..do you have any idea about the easiest store to get a visa or mc from and what is their minimum required fico score in general..i can not wait till march to get the citi unscured...i need a major credit card asap......
thank you so much....

i ve had citi secured for 12 months..it wil graduate in 6 months..i was hoping i can get a major credit card before that.i do not care about apr.fees are important.how about target visa or macys visa..what do you think...thanks a lot

Well don't be in too much of a hurry. It takes time to build or rebuild credit properly and you don't want to waste inquiries or tradelines on a card that won't grow with you or that you will end up closing in a few years.

Like HJM said you should check to see if you are eligible to join a credit union through your work, school or local community credit union. They usually have Visa and MasterCards available that even if you start out with a low limit over the years it will become a great card.

Other then that, I stand by what I said, keep the apps at a minimum, wait to see what Citibank does and then maybe apply for a Capital One.

When you get to the 700's you can think about applying for BofA, Chase, US Bank and Wells Fargo.

I don't know what Citi will convert our secured cards when they graduate nor the CL but they are generous with CLI's once you're in so I'm not worried at all as long as they keep giving me decent CLI's every now and then. It's odd how they gave you a CLI on your secured card, I've never received one. It probably has to do with my current CL (deposit).

About HSBC, you can apply for their credit with them and you won't have to worry about getting denied as far as your history with them in the past is concerned. They don't blacklist and it would be a good idea to apply for their Platinum Mastercard or 2% cashback Mastercard. Put it this way, if it has an annual fee, you should apply for it because your chances of getting approved are pretty high.

i opened citi with 500$..i tried to get a limit increase in january online and i was denied..for some reason last may my limit was increased to 650$ without me sending 150$ or even asking for it...i took it and never questioned it...i do not know about what card and limit we will get when it graduates...let me take a wild guess...may be citi platinum standered card with 1000 limit..just a guess...i wonder if you have any idea about that...

also i had a co with hsbc years ago (marriage problems), although it just got dropped off my report...do you think i should still apply for any hsbc cards and if yes please name the easiest one to get
note...i recieved a household card offer in the mail a couple months ago but i did not bother knowing it is hsbc company...
thanks a lot

Adamhandy, I've had my Citi Secured Card for 12 months also. It looks like both of our Citi Secured Cards will graduate in March. What's your current CL? When I opened my account, I sent them the $200 minimum and haven't add since then so I'm curious as to what kind of CL they're going to give me when my account graduates in March.

HSBC is a good rebuilder card even though it comes with an AF. They pretty much approve everyone for their cards that come with an AF and you can call-in when you get your card and have the AF reduced by 50%. HSBC subprime cards don't really grow with you but they help you get approved for prime cards.

The BoA Secured Card is also a good choice but BoA has buckled down recently on accountholders with high util. but if you have a secured card, you don't really have anything to worry about as far as your CL closed because it's your money connected to the account, not theirs.

If you any local CU's near you, it would be a good idea to pay a visit and talk to them to see if you can open a credit card account with them with your current credit situation.

Good Luck

i ve had citi secured for 12 months..it wil graduate in 6 months..i was hoping i can get a major credit card before that.i do not care about apr.fees are important.how about target visa or macys visa..what do you think...thanks a lot

hi everybody.. my fico scores are in the mid 600 ,i have 2 paid tax lien from my previous marriage (due to fall off 2014) ..
i have those card

How long have you had the Citibank card? If you are getting declined for Capital One that should be a sign that you need to just hang in there for now and stop applying. Let the Citibank become unsecured and let those inquiries fall off. Then I would suggest trying Capital One again.

hi everybody.. my fico scores are in the mid 600 ,i have 2 paid tax lien from my previous marriage (due to fall off 2014) ..
i have those card:
-citi secured mastercard 650$
-macys store card 1400$
-target store card 500$
-special acct with macys 2200$(i could use for a big purchase but i never used it)
-5 inq in the last 6 months
-got denial from
capital one,discover,walmart,citi sunoco and wells fargo in the last 6 months
-also had co with wamu,providian and hsbc(they are not showing in my report anymore.
-perfect history in the last 13 months.
i need a major credit card.what cards should i apply for if you were in my shoes and if anybody know what are the tax lien friendly companies in general.thank you so much

You can try it, but I would sit down and talk to a rep first. Sometimes when we think of secured loan, we think that as long as they have something to back it up, it shouldn't be a problem. I tried this with US Bank, and was denied due to my credit background. I was thinking, come on guys, I have something to back it up with, but they still denied me. Having a personal loan on your cr is pretty cool, but taking the hit is going to be another. Ask them before applying for this secured loan, and if they give you some good feedback, I say go for it!

No, i mean a personal loan from cardinal bank secured with a cd. they will gime me interest on the cd and interest on personal loan will be very low. around 5%