Thread: Just starting out in the credit world... Need some advice

I'm 24, graduated from college 2 years ago and had never had a credit card until about a month ago.

Before I got my current card, an American Express Blue, which I LOVE, I applied for a Discover Card, got denied, applied for a CitiBank MasterCard, got denied, applied for a Capital One MasterCard, got denied and had even previously applied for a retail clothing store card and got denied I was denied for all of these under the reasoning that I just didn't have enough credit history, which is totally understandable, so I was very surprised when about a month ago I tried for an American Express Blue Card, and was instantly approved online.

Last evening I made the impulse decision to apply for a Chase Freedom Visa because I hastily thought that I NEEDED to have a card that was a Visa or MasterCard for when I'm at an establishment that doesn't take American Express. It's only happened to me once so far, and that was at a pharmacy, so it wasn't a grocery store or department store that I frequent more often, but I, perhaps foolishly, decided that I should look into getting a Visa or MC so I can have a backup when AmEx isn't accepted.

I thought I had researched Chase enough to be assured that the Freedom card is a good card, but now after looking through forums and blogs, I've seen people post horror stories (terrible customer service, charging a rewards fee after 1 year of membership, changing rewards terms, etc) about Chase and I'm scared that if I do somehow get approved, that because of the awful things I've heard about Chase, I'll want to immediately close the account without even using the card.

So, my questions are:

Is it even likely that I'll get approved for the Chase Freedom Visa with ZERO credit history? (I haven't even paid my first AmEx bill yet...)

If I do get approved, is it as bad as I've heard? Should I save the headaches and cancel the card?

Any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Originally Posted by Mogul of Pineapples

It's hard to say. How long ago was it the others denied you, only a month or so? If it was recently then it's doubtful that Chase will approve you. But you never know, credit cards are becoming easier to get again. For a while during the recession it was nearly impossible for even those with good credit to get approved.

I did get a letter in the mail once on my Amazon account for it not being used in 12 months. It told me if I didn't make a purchase within the next 60 days the account would be canceled. I made a purchase and all was fine. Lately I have been using it more since I'm shopping on Amazon more frequently. Other than that the rewards aren't worthwhile compared to my other cards.

Thanks for getting back to me. I did indeed get denied for the Chase Freedom Visa

I'm glad to hear that you haven't had any big problems with Chase though, maybe I'll apply again in the future for one of their cards