Hawk, keep the card for one year and then close it. Don't apply for any more cards because you have more than enough cards to rebuild your credit. Save your inquiries for better cards because the big boys such as Citi, Chase, BOA, etc. don't like to see a lot of inquiries and new accounts within a short period of time. Just manage the cards you have right now and after a year or two, keep the cards you like and the ones with long history.

Hi ColoNative,
I must say i'm a bit addicted and the offers don't help i received another sweat deal from capital one the other day I promply sredded it to avoid the temptation. Thanks for the advice

Here is something to help with the addiction https://www.financeglobe.com/SocialNet/clubs/creditaddicts/

Meya, as alway's you make a good point I guess I just have to eat the fee's and wait till I hit the seven mark that will take a while yet but at least I have credit now I guess I should be proud of that fact cause not so long ago my credit was nothing. I remeber getting a pre-approval from a car dealer and I went there all hyped up thought my luck had changed only to have the Manager and the saleman come out of the office Laughing seemed as my credit score was amusing to them but now a few short years later I have a car.(thanks to cap1) and I have credit. it's a long road back and thanks for the Slap sometime we need that to keep us in check. People that have good credit seldom can see it from our side unless they walk in our shoes hopefully they will never have to

That's all we needed to hear. Merry Xmas, and we love you too!

Just an update... I called today and the csr told me that I received the card based on my credit scores. that was in response to my request to have my AF either reduced or eliminated all together. She responded that we don't change the fee it is what it is. So I asked maybe in a year you'll evaluate my account and perhaps reduce or eliminate the AF then She stated that the card will always have that fee forever and I beleive the rate will never change either. I asked about applying for a new card in a year she then said you can't apply you can only have one card I explained I wasn't aware of that and that my other accounts allow more than one card. Last but not least I asked about the AF billing it gets billed in full for the first year and then once a month there after. She seemed anoyed at first but I explained to her that I was unshure weather I could negotiate the fee I had done that with other bank with success. She was pleasent not a bad customer experience. I desided to follow Meya & hjm331's advice and I activated the card I will go for dinner a few times and pay it off. next year if they won't work with me I will drop the card and apply about six months after that to see if I get a good rate

Re-Applying will not guarantee a better APR or no AF. It is all based on your credit report and scores. I had a no AF and 16% APR for my Hooters card. That was nice because some of the reviews have them with an AF and 23% APR. But in the end I was dropped from the Hooters Family, LOL.

Hi ColoNative,
I have the following cards,
Capital one, hooters, bestbuy Reward Zone, Union Plus, ESPN, credit one (one of my first cards) HSBC Discover, My scores Vary depending on where I get them...Ex has me at 621 Eq 593 this according to Credit keeper...I also have a few GE money accounts that are over two years old going on three.Meya and others have been a big help i'm not going to apply for any more credit for at least a year. Gonna see where that gets me. I must say i'm a bit addicted and the offers don't help i received another sweat deal from capital one the other day I promply sredded it to avoid the temptation. Thanks for the advice

Meya, as alway's you make a good point I guess I just have to eat the fee's and wait till I hit the seven mark that will take a while yet but at least I have credit now I guess I should be proud of that fact cause not so long ago my credit was nothing. I remeber getting a pre-approval from a car dealer and I went there all hyped up thought my luck had changed only to have the Manager and the saleman come out of the office Laughing seemed as my credit score was amusing to them but now a few short years later I have a car.(thanks to cap1) and I have credit. it's a long road back and thanks for the Slap sometime we need that to keep us in check. People that have good credit seldom can see it from our side unless they walk in our shoes hopefully they will never have to

That is actually pretty decent if you have a HSBS Rewards Zone MasterCard and a Hooters MasterCard. The $48 annual fee is a small price to pay for having less then perfect credit and at least you did not get suckered into a First Premier, Salute, Continental Finace etc card. Like Meya said, use it regularly and pay it in full each month. Then when you start to get into the 600's apply for a Capital One card. Capital One will open the doors to BofA, Citi, Chase etc.

Good luck.

Meya, as alway's you make a good point I guess I just have to eat the fee's and wait till I hit the seven mark that will take a while yet but at least I have credit now I guess I should be proud of that fact cause not so long ago my credit was nothing. I remeber getting a pre-approval from a car dealer and I went there all hyped up thought my luck had changed only to have the Manager and the saleman come out of the office Laughing seemed as my credit score was amusing to them but now a few short years later I have a car.(thanks to cap1) and I have credit. it's a long road back and thanks for the Slap sometime we need that to keep us in check. People that have good credit seldom can see it from our side unless they walk in our shoes hopefully they will never have to.

Now let me slap you hand for a minute! [slap] You mean to tell me that you are going to wait one year, close it, and then reapply for a good chance of negotiation?

So let me see, 1 year history.....gone. Another hard pull.........wasteless. I say roll with the punches until you can do better altogether. While rebuilding, and rebuilding during the credit crisis, you are lucky to get the card you have, and are going to run across some more that may not be in your favor.

Just work with it until our times come, you will know when, and as long as you are here with us, you will always know when the tie is appropriate for a change. HJM and all has brought me a mighty long ways, just keep your ears and eyes open on them.

Just an update... I called today and the csr told me that I received the card based on my credit scores. that was in response to my request to have my AF either reduced or eliminated all together. She responded that we don't change the fee it is what it is. So I asked maybe in a year you'll evaluate my account and perhaps reduce or eliminate the AF then She stated that the card will always have that fee forever and I beleive the rate will never change either. I asked about applying for a new card in a year she then said you can't apply you can only have one card I explained I wasn't aware of that and that my other accounts allow more than one card. Last but not least I asked about the AF billing it gets billed in full for the first year and then once a month there after. She seemed anoyed at first but I explained to her that I was unshure weather I could negotiate the fee I had done that with other bank with success. She was pleasent not a bad customer experience. I desided to follow Meya & hjm331's advice and I activated the card I will go for dinner a few times and pay it off. next year if they won't work with me I will drop the card and apply about six months after that to see if I get a good rate.

Yup, yup! Heard that one also.

Don't know if this works or not but "Hooters: 801-545-6705 or 800-850-4668." In the meantime, here is the link for backdoor numbers
https://www.financeglobe.com/SocialNet/forum/showthread.php?t=491&highlight=backdoor

So far, I have not heard of anyone negotiating anything with the Hooter's card. I know that they do have good cs, and yes they do offer cli's every 6 months which will show on the 7th statement. Now I have heard of a few who have been delayed a cli in here, YoYo1 being one of them

Dont forget that Hooters (Merrick Bank) has been closing accounts of good customers too wuthout a legitimate reason. So much for rebuilding.

Thanks Meya & hjm I want to call them and ask for a reduction of the AF if the bite i'll let you guy's know. Is there a Backdoor number I can use or should I just use the number on the back of the card ? As alway I really
appreciate all your help.

Pay off the AF, use it once every 2 months for small purchase and pay it off before the statement cuts to avoid interest charges. If you don't like the card or don't need it, then close it after a year.

So far, I have not heard of anyone negotiating anything with the Hooter's card. I know that they do have good cs, and yes they do offer cli's every 6 months which will show on the 7th statement. Now I have heard of a few who have been delayed a cli in here, YoYo1 being one of them:worried:

Watch the annual fee, some are divided in to 12 months, for example if your annual fee is $60 per year then they would add $5 to your statement every month. Not knowing this can cause a late payment for those who carry zero balances because they may just shred the statement because they assumed they had no balance.

All I can say is give it try, call them and see what happens, you may never know, you may be the first they show some love to. As far as not keeping the card, if you are rebuilding, it is best to keep it since you took a hard hit. Remember, this is not a bad card to deal with when it comes to rebuilding, we recommend this card to all re-builders. When we are at the stage where we can better our credit background, then we can start to shut these sub-primers down.

I received an Envelope from a PO box today I opened it and to my Surprise it was a Hooters Card. They Gave me a $500.00 Dollar limit, However it came with an annual fee ($48.00) and an interest rate of a whopping 25.70%. I do want this card as It is my last one for at least a year (I hope!) But...I am uncertain if I should keep it due to the Fee. I need help to decide Pros and cons if you will. I don't mind the high rate it's that AF I don't want. This card give five points for every Dollar spent at Hooters and Hooters merchandise and one dollar for every other thing under the sun.
The Card looks Kool.
They give CLi if you make your paymeny ontime.
CS is said to be good.

one big con I can think of is a hard Pull and a card cancellation right off the bat that's not good on my rebuilding. Has anyone at all had luck with getting this fee removed or at least cut down? Should I tell them that I won't accept the card with the AF? It worked with Bestbuy Rewards Zone (HSBC) I never had dealing with Merick Bank. I don't want them to say fine we canceled your account... That to would really suck. Any input would be Extremely helpful as I intend on calling them tomorrow. Meya any advice? Thanks