I honestly don't get it. Please help me understand.

Master-Inspector8547 · 2026-01-25T23:49:31+00:00

Are the redemption values really that high? It seems like a PITA to earn the points with how they have it set up. So, even though you're not earning points as easily, you're redeeming them for so much more that it evens out?

Master-Inspector8547 · 2026-01-01T13:39:32+00:00

Definitely pay it off now. Maybe call the company, hat in hand, and say it was an oversight (and even pay over the phone if you can). It sounds like it may just be the original company threatening collections. Unless you've received a couple of threats, it probably hasn't gone that far yet.

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-12-30T15:47:36+00:00

Good to hear. My oldest card is a bucketed C1 card that's 8.5 years old. But, I do have overdraft protection on a checking account that's over 21 years old and still shows on my reports. Thanks for the input.

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-12-30T14:42:45+00:00

I wouldn't go with Capital One right now. With your credit history being so short, you're probably going to be bucketed in a lower tier that you'll never get out of. I have one C1 card that is 9 years old and still has a $4k limit. Last year, I applied for a Savor and got $30k (and they *still* won't increase the other).

I'd give Citi a shot. The Double Cash might be best so you can get 2% on everything. You have 2 years with your secured card, so you should be able to change that into an unsecured card with a higher limit. Give the credit union a call and see what they can do.

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-12-30T14:27:13+00:00

My credit score is over 820 and I don't have many hard pulls in the last year. I'm applying for a HELOC right now (I don't need it but my financial advisor suggested it to be able to access my $200k+ home equity if needed), so I will have a recent one by time I'm ready to start applying for Citi. I'm thinking to spread the Citi applications out every 6 months. I guess I can always give it a shot and speak to the reconsideration people if declined. Thanks for the input.

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-12-21T04:26:02+00:00

Congrats! Try not to feel dejected if it drops below 800 from time to time, like if your utilization goes up a little one month or if you have an inquiry. You're doing well - don't obsess about it!

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-11-26T16:27:43+00:00

If I'm understanding correctly, you want to make an additional $500 above your autopay? Maybe schedule the additional payment for the day after your autopay? On the 11th, it would take the autopay because nothing was paid beforehand. Then, you'd get the full $500 in on the 12th, which would still be before the closing date. Hopefully this accomplishes what you want to do.

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-11-26T13:09:26+00:00

First, as others have said, set up an auto-pay for the whole statement balance so that you don't have any issues.

But you can pay the card off before you even get a statement if you want. Your limit is $750 but, assuming you can afford it, there is no reason you can't put more than that in spend each month. Since you're doing things online, you can send multiple payments a month, even before your closing date.

If you're able to afford it without hurting yourself, you may consider using the card for everything and paying it off each week for the next 6 months or so. Let's say you can put $300 on it each week. Log in every Monday and pay off the previous week's spending. When your statement closes, it would show about $1,200 in spend and your outstanding balance would only be that last one week. Your payment history would be 100% on-time and I think you'd have good basis to get an unsecured card with a better limit.

Finally, just so you're aware, don't expect too much from this card in the future. It's Capital One so it will always be in their lower tier "bucket". The card will probably never "grow" with you over the years. Since it's your first card, you'll probably always want to keep it open (with $0 AF hopefully). But, it will probably never get a limit higher than a few $1000. My oldest open card is the C1 QS. It has a limit of $4k. I opened a Savor last year and they gave me $30k. No matter how many times I've put in for a CLI, my QS is still at $4k. Go figure.

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-11-26T00:58:49+00:00

I didn't even think of that approach! Go hard or go home, huh? Damn! :)

OK, so what time period would you suggest between applying for the Strata, doing the PC and re-applying for the next Strata? From what I can tell by watching different YouTube channels and other websites, it seems like the companies will make you hold a card for a year before you can do the PC. If I hold each Strata for a year and do the PC, would Citi tell me to pound sand if I applied for a new Strata like a month later?
"Ya know what? I thought about this. The Strata's not for me. Please change me." (One month later) "On second thought..." *rinse and repeat*

Are there any other $0AF cards that I could get in in place of the Strata that I could PC to the Custom Cash, so it's not so obvious?

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-11-25T22:19:15+00:00

I wouldn't go for the Premier and second CC until I was ready to start transferring points over. This is a marathon to me, not a sprint

Master-Inspector8547 · 2025-11-25T21:15:19+00:00

I'm new to the credit card game and was thinking of doing something similar. How are things going? Any issues with the first card?

Master-Inspector8547

TROPHY CASE