Mike Clark: Many of the “Credit Builder” type of cards are not yet available to connect within in the app. Though my personal credit has grown considerably over the past couple of years, I am still hanging on to some of these cards and using them every few months to keep the accounts open. A few that are not supported other than Ollo include: Aspire, Merrick Bank, and Upgrade Card.

Store cards that are not supported include Target (will not connect) and Kohl’s.

Finally, some of the newer cards that are adding a significant amount to my available credit / utilization and are not yet an option, e.g. Bread 2% Cashback AMEX (probably need Good to Excellent for this one though).

I would think a lot of this is basic data entry work, but maybe a dev is required to setup the connections and that’s why it’s taking so long. I, like many others, just want to see this happen far sooner than later!

So, yeah! I’m also all for getting more cards added and connected within the app!

Jay Rose:

Many good items to add.

I've had good luck building my credit with Experian then using their boost feature. I started with Capital One Platinum, then QuickSilver and Walmart cards (there is a limit of 3 Capital One cards at a time I figured out). I then followed up with an Ollo card. Sitting with those cards for like a year and a half I got my Amex Blue Cash and then most recently Amex Blue Cash Preferred. I sit at a lower 700s Fico, but onwards to 800!

Mike Clark: That’s awesome! Still no BCP for me, but I tried obtaining it the very same day that I was approved for the traditional AMEX Gold Card and realized afterwards that I just pressed my luck by going for it too! I may do like you did and go for the Blue Cash after a bit more “gardening.” They just revamped the rewards on the Blue Cash and it became a hell of a lot more competitive practically overnight! In the meantime they approved me for the AMEX Delta SkyMiles Gold, so I’m just gonna let the relationship build a bit more before trying for any other AMEX cards.

I too started off my rebuilding with Capital One, but they’re really pissing me off lately, yet it’s simple as folks like you and I are no longer their “ideal” cardholder as we don’t rack up hefty fees by using our cards irresponsibly. I barely ever even carry a balance, so they’re practically not even getting any APR out of me! BTW, are you sure that their co-branded cards such as Walmart Rewards factor in? They don’t with AMEX provided another bank is the issuer, e.g. Navy Federal. I also was pre-approved for the Walmart before my 6-months was up.

Regarding Experian, I started using Credit Cards to pay bills as soon as I started rebuilding, so I couldn’t see any real balance in using their Boost feature. I do think their scores give the most value provided they’re FICO and come with reasons. Credit Karma on the other hand does a far better job matching you up with credit cards that are worthwhile aside from having a very high probability for approvals. I used Credit Karma for my entire first year of rebuilding and had great results!

So, I’m a big proponent of “Credit Builder” cards that don’t come with excessive fees as I was first approved for my Capital One Platinum in 2020 literally two months after my BK was discharged. It was for health problems, but I was starting from scratch back in 2020. I was next approved for Mercury, NFCU nRewards (Secured), and Kohl’s.

Moving into 2021, I added Tomo, Ollo, Target, Upgrade, Aspire, Quicksilver One, and then Merrick Bank. Then something ‘magical’ happened — about 16-months post-BK I got approved for my first premium card — a Discover Card. Before the year was even up I was approved for the NFCU AMEX & an Apple Card.

By 2022, I was pretty much getting approved exclusively for premium cards, though they may not have the highest limits. I also found CLIs exponentially easier to get. Sure, it took a lot of applications and new approvals, but that’s why I’m “gardening.” It was totally worth it and now I’m just looking for the scores to keep increasing as more hard pulls drop off.

May you continue to have much success on your journey!