Well, today I will have to say goodbye to my Garden Ruby as I pulled the trigger for the Delta Skymiles Amex and was APPROVED with 2k SL.
The details.....
I'm just past the 2 year BK7 Discharge. My scores are at the high end of 600's and low 700's. Most of my INQ's for my rebuild 2 years ago will be falling off next month so I though I had little lose but a few points for the HP. All my current CC & Installment accounts are solid with good payment history and low UTL so I thought if I was gonna take a HP for something I might as well go big with Amex. Knowing that the Delta Skymiles was the easiest to get I pulled the trigger. I instantly received the " need more info" message on the screen and that my app was under review. 30 minutes later I received an email from Amex to call them. I spoke to someone that said the account needed further review and that I should hear something within 24hrs. That was Monday the 15th. On Tues I got impatient and called , this time speaking to a woman with a thick Indian accent. She said " Congratulations, you've been approved" WOW I thought. Then she said" Oh, Im sorry, I made a mistake, you're account has to go thru further approval" I thought are you Flippin kidding me ? You made a mistake ??? But I kept my cool on the phone and thanked her for her time and assistance. I was furious when I hung up. How could that possibly happen?
On wed I called again. This time a gentleman with a thick Indian accent as well. " Mr X, let me be the first to congratulate you as you've been approved with a 2k limit" WOW, I almost collapsed right there. I got in, 2 years post disch and I got my foot in the door with a card I will actually use in the near future. It feels so damn good that I keep logging on to their website just to see the approval. Although I forgot to ask what the rate is, I really dont care as this is a PIF card for me.
I don't know what the magic bullet was with this approval. Perhaps a combo of scores, low UTL, relatively low INQ's and same employ for over 20 years. I just don't know. So far it appears they only pulled EX. Won't know if they pulled others for a few days I guess. Strangely enough I remember thinking to myself I had a fair shot at the approval. Now in hindsight I have to wonder just what the heck I was thinking. You have a BK dummy. You know that its typically 5 years at least post discharge. Although I know some have broke thru at the 2 to 3 year mark. Still, looking back, it was a viable risk and it's as if this silly confidence I had came out of nowhere.
Whatever got me in, there is no doubt the discipline, determination and knowledge I received from this forum went a long way in getting me to this point. For that I thank each and every one of you that comes in here each day and shares their knowledge and experiences. I look forward to returning to the Garden and planting my seedling again . 