687 score is not bad. Most banks are looking at other factors then your credit score. They will look at your utilization ratio, the time since your last derog mark, income, etc.

Based on what you stated you should be eligible for prime cards. I would look into Discover, Amex Charge, and Chase Freedom.

Thanks for your good advice!, very handy. You should do your own business advising people with credit difficulties, many of the services charge a bundle and provide close to no information.

The credit union part I will pursue, I am contacting some now. The other part sort of hits you double or triple, first the inquiry for the card, then one or more downgrades if you are denied plus the maxing out. I got 2 small credit cards last November and although approved, the whole process knocked 20 points of the scores(without maxing out).

Of major or medium sized banks which one is less difficult in your view?,(I am in the Northeast) I checked locally and one had a 680 minimum requirement (borderline for me) and the other, although larger(Webster in Northeast) a 640, a wide 40 pt difference,However, I will try this as sort of a last resort since several inquiries(factoring in denials) also lower scores.

I have a substantial credit line with Sears(the store), actually the card is at zero balance, any ideas what I can do with this if anything, perhaps purchasing and selling something?

Thanks again

Thanks for the compliment. But I do not have a financial background really, well not in credit management. However there are several members on here that are, and they give great advice by the way. I am not in the Northeast, so maybe if another member is reading this and is located in that region, they could provide a better answer for you. I have received a personal loan from a Virginia based credit union called Navy Federal Credit Union. You have to be affiliated to the military, but there are several ways to apply for membership. They generally have generous credit limits and work well with people with less than perfect credit. I don't know what my scores were at the time, but they approved me for a personal loan of $1500 I think, but this was when I was in the Navy about 6 or 7 years ago. Their branches are mainly on Navy bases. They have a few that are not, but you can do everything over the phone with them, if you'd like. Discover has been approving some people with scores in the 650's for their credit cards lately, but with they come with less than perfect terms. On Discover's website there is a section to apply for personal loans, but like I said, usually they require better than average scores...but scores are not everything. They will look at your debt ratio, and your earnings, so these things do factor in. If you already have the Citi Sears card, and you have a reasonable credit limit on that card, you might try calling Citi to see if you can convert their store card (I am assuming that is the one you have) to their MasterCard. You might be able to get away with it without a hard pull and if you are approved, you could ask about a transfer check. Here is an insert from their webpage.

How do I transfer balances to my Sears MasterCard Card?

If your account has a balance transfer offer available, simply sign-on to Account Online and select "Complete an Online Balance Transfer Check" under the Tools & Services Menu, then choose the offer available for your account and follow the instructions. Or, when your card arrives, use your home phone to call the number that is provided with your new card. If you qualify for an offer, we'll contact your other lenders and move those balances to your new Sears MasterCard, subject to credit approval. Please have the names and addresses of your lenders, your account numbers and your balance amounts ready when you call.

Yes, your scores will take a hit by maxing it out, but once you have paid them back down, they should come back to their present levels and you will have walked away with a credit card that can be used at places other than sears. Good luck to you.

Personal loans are typically harder to obtain, especially ones with no collateral. It's very hard to get one from any of the major banks. You might talk to a local credit union and ask them what your options are. Sometimes you can get a loan using your vehicle as collateral. One option thought, if you can't just get a personal loan for about 4k would be to apply for a credit card with a 0% intro APR with balance transfers. What some of the banks do is they issue you a check in the amount of the balance transfer, up to the amount of your credit limit. You are supposed to deposit the check and pay your existing loan, but they make a note sometimes that says that you can use it for other things too, if you choose. Doing so will bring down your scores as you are maxing out another card.

Thanks for your good advice!, very handy. You should do your own business advising people with credit difficulties, many of the services charge a bundle and provide close to no information.

The credit union part I will pursue, I am contacting some now. The other part sort of hits you double or triple, first the inquiry for the card, then one or more downgrades if you are denied plus the maxing out. I got 2 small credit cards last November and although approved, the whole process knocked 20 points of the scores(without maxing out).

Of major or medium sized banks which one is less difficult in your view?,(I am in the Northeast) I checked locally and one had a 680 minimum requirement (borderline for me) and the other, although larger(Webster in Northeast) a 640, a wide 40 pt difference,However, I will try this as sort of a last resort since several inquiries(factoring in denials) also lower scores.

I have a substantial credit line with Sears(the store), actually the card is at zero balance, any ideas what I can do with this if anything, perhaps purchasing and selling something?

Thanks again

Isn't a credit line or loan better than getting into the credit card trap? At least they have a finalization. BTW Where can I get a high interest but nonpayday loan for 3 or 4 K$ or so, pulling my credi,t I suppose. Is there an option that doesn't?I have 640-688 scoresbput no luck, found a 4 K$ loan in Alabama at 19.99% last month no problem(minimum score required 550)but need about this additional amount. Prosper, in theory requires 640 and gives me a 664 credit score but they combine with their system which says I have too many inquiries and accounts close to the limit so it's not an option. At the beginning and mid 2014 I should be able to pay these off (due to family medical and other unexpected expenses)so it's sort of a bridgeloan. Thanks!

Personal loans are typically harder to obtain, especially ones with no collateral. It's very hard to get one from any of the major banks. You might talk to a local credit union and ask them what your options are. Sometimes you can get a loan using your vehicle as collateral. One option thought, if you can't just get a personal loan for about 4k would be to apply for a credit card with a 0% intro APR with balance transfers. What some of the banks do is they issue you a check in the amount of the balance transfer, up to the amount of your credit limit. You are supposed to deposit the check and pay your existing loan, but they make a note sometimes that says that you can use it for other things too, if you choose. Doing so will bring down your scores as you are maxing out another card.

Isn't a credit line or loan better than getting into the credit card trap? At least they have a finalization. BTW Where can I get a high interest but nonpayday loan for 3 or 4 K$ or so, pulling my credi,t I suppose. Is there an option that doesn't?I have 640-688 scoresbput no luck, found a 4 K$ loan in Alabama at 19.99% last month no problem(minimum score required 550)but need about this additional amount. Prosper, in theory requires 640 and gives me a 664 credit score but they combine with their system which says I have too many inquiries and accounts close to the limit so it's not an option. At the beginning and mid 2014 I should be able to pay these off (due to family medical and other unexpected expenses)so it's sort of a bridgeloan. Thanks!

Thanks a bunch for your reply. What I don't want to do is apply for one and get shot down! That's why I am kind of spinning my wheels and haven't done anything. Talk about conservative! That's me. So any advice or words of wisdom is greatly appreciated.

With your scores I would say you have a chance with a lot of cards out there. GECapital bank holds retail cards for several companies, including JCPenny, Paypal, Amazon and Walmart just to name a few. You can view of list on their webpage. Also, try website preapproval sites. Discover, Capital One, Citi, Chase all have preapproval pages. It's not guarantied but at least you get a good idea at which credit cards may approve you.

Sometime though you just have to take that chance, when there is a card you really like. You have up to 4 inquires in a two year period, where it doesn't affect your scores. After 4 it might drop about 10 points but on the bright side, you can apply for 10 cards and it wouldn't adversly affect your score. Now, opening 10 new accounts would, as it would completely lower your age of accounts, but in your case by just having one card, you will do that anyway. If you open one new account now, and only have 1 at 5 years, and 1 at 0 years, your average age on both is 2.5 years. (That might lower your scores, or keep them about the same). If you open two new accounts now, 1 at 5 years 2 at 0 years your average age for all three is now 1.6 years (that would most likely lower your scores. But, they come back as they age.

Credit cards are made for convenience, but when you are rebuilding you are focusing on increasing your score, so you want to keep utilization low and slowly apply for and or close accounts. Keep that in mind when you apply. If you don't really shop at Kohls, but you just think you will get approved there, later, when that card is say, 2 years old and you close it when you open a new card, your scores will probably sink. Once your credit is better established, (your scores are good, but I mean your history and mix of accounts) you can have that luxury. I applied for a lowes card to take advantage of a promotion last year and bought a new lawn mower. I paid it off, interest free then closed the account because I don't go there as much as I used to because I moved.

If the card you have now is already a retail card then look at a card for someone with your scores. Some people apply for their cards back to back. That way if you get declined for one, you might be approved for the other.

I applied for 3 cards within a week due to different promotions I was offered. Normally, I wouldn't have but I did and was approved for all three. Because I have some older accounts, one goes back 7 years, this brings my new age of accounts to about 2.3 years down from 2.8 years so my scores shouldn't change much. In fact, it should improve them as I have essentially doubled my available credit. Another benefit for me is that I have enough credit now. I couldn't think of another card I would be interested in, in fact I will close about 2-4 accounts I no longer use. I will try to close about 1 every six months to let the new cards age. So that by the time the three new cards are 2 years old I will have improved my average age. The goal, if you really want to have really good scores is to have all your accounts somewhere in the 14 year range or older. Sure you can still have good scores without doing that, but we are talking about the high 700's and even 800.

I tend to lend on the conservative side myself. I am a preacher of not taking on more credit than you need and operating at a manageable amount, but sometimes you just have to dive in. Sometimes you have to apply more than once before getting approved.

I know I went off the subject here a little, but I wanted to make a point that there are so many factors to consider when making your credit choices.

You can go to the FG home page and click on the link that says "score match" to get an idea of what kind of cards are in your range. As for the card itself, you would need to pick one that suits your needs. There are so many different kinds out there; what I think is a great credit card might be different from what you think is an awesome card. Read some of the credit card reviews. Go back and search the ones that interest you most and read what type of issues members had when applying.

You are right about one thing, that one card is keeping your scores from reaching their potential. For one thing, your utilization will probably be a little high if that is the only card you use, even if you pay it in full each month. For another, you need a good mixture of credit, (i.e) 2-5 different credit cards and a store card, for example.

A 687 is a good score, but some banks are kind of funny about how they choose to approve someone. For example, I got approved for a Citi card with a 690, but it probably helped that I already had 20 months of history with them. I wasn't approved right away, but I called and they helped me out. My limits range between 1700-7000, with several of my cards have 5-6k, but Citi only game me 2k. They are great as far as rewards, and customer loyalty. Same goes for Discover, they have an awesome card but can be conservative as far as initial credit line.

But if you just want a card with a high limit, you might look at some credit unions and local banks. Your financial situation like income, mortgage, outstanding car loan, will play a role in their decision. Even your current utilization. Banks get a little scared when you are at a certain point with your cards, so to prove you are financially sound, you are expected to keep balances low.

Anyway, there are so many answers to your question, I hope I was able to bring some insight, but like I said spend some time doing a little research. If you find a card you like and you have some questions for the reviewer, you can always send them a private message to ask more about their card.

Good luck!

Thanks a bunch for your reply. What I don't want to do is apply for one and get shot down! That's why I am kind of spinning my wheels and haven't done anything. Talk about conservative! That's me. So any advice or words of wisdom is greatly appreciated.

You can go to the FG home page and click on the link that says "score match" to get an idea of what kind of cards are in your range. As for the card itself, you would need to pick one that suits your needs. There are so many different kinds out there; what I think is a great credit card might be different from what you think is an awesome card. Read some of the credit card reviews. Go back and search the ones that interest you most and read what type of issues members had when applying.

You are right about one thing, that one card is keeping your scores from reaching their potential. For one thing, your utilization will probably be a little high if that is the only card you use, even if you pay it in full each month. For another, you need a good mixture of credit, (i.e) 2-5 different credit cards and a store card, for example.

A 687 is a good score, but some banks are kind of funny about how they choose to approve someone. For example, I got approved for a Citi card with a 690, but it probably helped that I already had 20 months of history with them. I wasn't approved right away, but I called and they helped me out. My limits range between 1700-7000, with several of my cards have 5-6k, but Citi only game me 2k. They are great as far as rewards, and customer loyalty. Same goes for Discover, they have an awesome card but can be conservative as far as initial credit line.

But if you just want a card with a high limit, you might look at some credit unions and local banks. Your financial situation like income, mortgage, outstanding car loan, will play a role in their decision. Even your current utilization. Banks get a little scared when you are at a certain point with your cards, so to prove you are financially sound, you are expected to keep balances low.

Anyway, there are so many answers to your question, I hope I was able to bring some insight, but like I said spend some time doing a little research. If you find a card you like and you have some questions for the reviewer, you can always send them a private message to ask more about their card.

Good luck!

I have a 687 FICO score, no lates for over 5 years....problem is, I just have one credit card with a low limit. What card would be best for me to apply for with a good chance of getting a higher limit. My low limit is hurting my score...HELP