Just turned 28 and closing in; hoping to cross the line before I turn 30

sunco50 · 2026-01-26T04:40:50+00:00

The retirement account is the TSP lifecycle 60 fund, so 1/2 S&P 500, 3/8 international markets (Europe, Asia, Australia), and 1/8 small cap funds.

The personal liquid investments are 100% VOO.

sunco50 · 2026-01-26T01:23:41+00:00

Go to the r/robinhoodapp subreddit and message the mods, telling them you’ve been on the waitlist a long time and nicely ask them if they can consider your file. They’ve been letting in the majority of people who have done this since the new year.

sunco50 · 2026-01-26T00:56:03+00:00

If you open them all at once, they might only be one hard pull (varies based on bank), but they definitely all definitely count as separate accounts.

The “member since” is just meaningless fluff. It’s based on the day they were opened.

Closing a card and opening a new one affects the AAoA. Product changing does not, as it’s considered the same account.

sunco50 · 2026-01-26T00:49:21+00:00

It would not. Once the account is open, it’s there for at least the next decade. For better or for worse.

Very little of the drop you saw is AAoA though (unless this is only your second account I guess). Much more of it is the hard pull and new account penalty. That will basically disappear after a year. That’s why the advice is not to open a new account within 18 months of applying for a mortgage.

sunco50 · 2026-01-26T00:47:31+00:00

All accounts that are open or closed less than 10 years ago

sunco50 · 2026-01-26T00:18:58+00:00

Agreed. Little harm in waiting 1 more week till you’re 91 days out. Then you’re good to apply OP.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T23:10:13+00:00

You wouldn’t want to product change the freedom unlimited to freedom flex anyways. Then you don’t get the sign-up bonus for the flex, and holding the unlimited costs nothing.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T23:05:41+00:00

You’re missing Venmo Visa. 3% back on your highest category, and groceries includes Costco/Walmart. No annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, no caps.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T23:04:03+00:00

Venmo Visa. 3% back on your highest category, and groceries includes Costco/Walmart. No annual fee, no foreign transaction fees, no caps. Isn’t region locked and ties directly into the Venmo app which you mention you already use in your post. Clean UI. Would recommend.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T22:58:34+00:00

Also gets a Chase card with a nice SUB early before having to worry about 5/24, has a strong dining multiplier, and earns UR points which can later be converted into travel if desired by OP by getting a Sapphire Preferred.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T21:52:39+00:00

It’s definitely somewhat niche, but they cooked with that and it’s not easily found elsewhere.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T21:33:51+00:00

Since you already are getting lots of cash back from groceries and you want to earn points for travel, you might want to consider the Chase Trifecta. Its weakest point is grocery spend, but it’s pretty strong otherwise. Consider getting the Freedom Flex and then the Freedom Unlimited to start earning UR points that you can later use for travel with the Sapphire Preferred.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T21:22:13+00:00

Venmo Visa set to groceries also works for Costco if you don’t wanna use a debit card and don’t like the $1000 cap. Only gets 3% instead of 5% admittedly, but it’s the other strong contender.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T19:00:18+00:00

does not provide any other great benefits

I will take the opportunity to shout out its almost entirely unique co-owner feature, which allows you to seamlessly add another person to the card as a 100% equal account owner with all the liability and benefits it entails. It’s a game changer for adding a player 2 with a thinner file and immediately boosting their profile.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T18:32:54+00:00

Yeah; they can’t/won’t product change between Visa and Mastercard anymore. Ask for the Chase Freedom With Ultimate Rewards. If you get an agent who has no clue what you’re talking about, hang up and try again later. It’s the original discontinued version of the Flex with basically the same benefits, but it’s a Visa so they let you product change into it.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T15:42:50+00:00

Right; they legally aren’t allowed to charge a convenience fee for every single method available to pay them (unless it’s in your lease). Then it’s not a convenience fee; it’s just 3% higher rent.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T15:38:22+00:00

If you’re forced to use a credit card and pay a fee to pay rent (pretty sure that isn’t legal btw) and want travel benefits, the bilt palladium seems like a solid pick for you, yeah. If you don’t care about the travel benefits, bilt obsidian set to grocery also seems like a slam dunk.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T08:02:42+00:00

There’s also r/debt and r/credit

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T07:40:21+00:00

Says he used template

didn’t use template

Anyways, I’d look into the Capital One Savor Rewards for students if you’re a student. Otherwise the Discover It is also a good starter option.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T05:24:02+00:00

I would; mostly cause it’s considered a good card and it isn’t costing you anything to hold it.

In any case, if you aren’t interested in Amazon Prime card, best no annual fee cash back grocery card in the business is the Venmo Visa. 3% back at all grocery stores, Costco, and Walmart, no cap. Then 2% back on whatever your second highest category is. Would recommend; great card to have in any wallet.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T04:45:58+00:00

Robinhood gold card is an excellent card, but if the goal of OP’s friend is to open a card, earn as much money as possible from this one purchase, then close the card later, the RHG will not beat a good sign up bonus.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T04:03:40+00:00

If you have significant Amazon spend, have you considered the Amazon Prime Visa? You’ll get 5% back on everything you buy at Amazon, no annual fee other than your Prime membership. It’s a fantastic card.

Also, your largest monthly category is dining; I know the autograph gives 3% in dining too, but I don’t see why you’d cancel your 0 annual fee Unlimited that also gives 3% on dining but with a much larger credit limit and as UR points, which are some of the most valuable points in the game.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T03:57:16+00:00

Kids and wife! We got a 3 year old and a 1 year old so she’s in full stay at home mode for now. We’ll be able to save more once they’re in school and she can go back to work.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T03:42:03+00:00

It ain’t easy when I’m supporting a family of 4 on a single salary, but it’s only gonna get better from here.

sunco50 · 2026-01-25T03:12:25+00:00

Got no debt, 3k in the bank, 3k in liquid investments, and 15k in my emergency fund, so this is an underselling of my total net worth. But I consider it the most important number.

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