What other things might stop me from obtaining a credit card?

Question

I'm both upset and confused.
My credit score isn't bad.
I've not lost a days work in 8 years.
I'm pensioned from the military.
I own my own home.
I can't find anything on my credit report that's negative.
My income is good and I'm not that far in debt.
My bills are all paid on time.
I still get refused for obtaining a credit card and all I want it for is for emergencies; renting cars; travel; and hotels as needed. - Use it then pay it off.
My last application showed you only needed a yearly income of $15000 a year and I still got refused. I just don't get it!

Answer 1

Negotiate with the credit card companies Through the Bank
- personal voluntary capping of monthly limit credit card (c/c) expenditure, (say) $1000 monthly, instead of a given $3000 month credit. Decent banks can apply a cap to the c/c spending limit which is a nasty surprise to c/c fraudsters;
- maintain a bank account with sufficient funds in the bank providing the credit cards to the limit of the credit provided;
- apply for ATM cards, debit cards and lastly credit cards, this gives time to credit card assessors through monthly spending and income patterns;
- enquire from bank on required duration to monitor spending and income before the next application, assuming an applicant in gainful employment, 6 months or 1 year is usually sufficient, assuming no other bad credit history.

Avoid or minimise credit card spending on the internet through open channels.
- Credit card ratings obtained through online monitoring computer systems are historically prone to errors. (Appologies to those IT guys out there.)


Master Card, Visa and Dinner’s Club general credit assessment through a credit house:
- ability to repay money lent based on historical records;
- no historical track records attribute a higher risk assessment;
- provide income slips from employer and bank statements for assessment of money in versus money out;
- lack of present earnings to project future earnings will qualify as high risk;
- duration of bank account(s) held with the same institution, frequent switching is frowned upon being postulations of masking poor credit history;
- previous owners of said home owned will leave a trail of credit history, better or worse, present occupants not excluded.

Obtain information
- rationale of assessment as a high-risk candidate in practise, is provided by some, not all banks. Ask for it;
- approach reputable large banks, BoA, Citibank, Chase, HSBC etcetera;
- clarify that the above said new home owner position is emphasised to the appointed bank assessor, ask for a history on previous owners of said home.

Consider common causes of poor accountability of credit trail
- Prior owners of said home leaving credit trails do Not and Rarely update change of address with banks and credit houses;
- Fraudsters implicate genuine cases by placing purchase orders at the mailing address of others.

Generic Collateral and caveats on personal assessment of
- location of home owned, red light and high crime districts have an internally assessed lower rating, Nil rating is not unheard of;
- bank balance and other active and passive sources of income.

Answer 2

If there is anything false on your credit report, dispute it. Grab a copy from all three of the credit bureaus, so you know if one thing is reporting somewhere, and the other is not.

Second, get a service to help dispute things for you. Call your bank and see if they have any credit monitoring services they can offer to you that also provide dispute assistance. In most cases, they'll give you a credit advisor to walk you through improving your credit, and sometimes even offer reimbursement for legal fees if you have something fraudulent on there.

Third, don't try too much. The more inquiries on your CBR, the worse off you are in trying to actually get credit. It lowers your score every time someone else is trying to give you credit.

Hope it helps. Good Luck!

Answer 3

You should ask the financial institution(s) you have been refused from to explain why you have been refused credit.

I have heard with loans (ok different to credit), finance institutions usually won't approve it if the weekly payments are more than 25-30% of your weekly income.

There if they factor in all your income against your expenses, you may have been classed as a high-risk candicate. Again they should have explained this to you. Actually I think they have to by law.

If there is any reasons why they refused, at least you would then have the opportunity to improve on the areas to apply again later.

But what I can't understand - why would any financial institution refuse you when you own your own home. Surely they could secure their debt by putting a caveat on your property & possible auction off your property for the debt (should you decide to never pay them back).

Answer 4

I was advised to check into a "security card" as a means to establish or rebuild credit. There is one place named Home Trust that will issue you a visa based upon the amount you put down. I think it is from $300 to $10 000.00. There is a low interest rate option, or a higher interest rate without annual fee option. Apparently, once getting this type of card, one should use it and pay off the balance each month. Do not abuse it, nor let it max out without paying much of it off. In spite of making the minimum payments on time, a maxed out credit card will negatively effect your credit. After using your card for a few months, you should qualify for others.

Best of luck!

Answer 5

Definitely DON'T stop paying all together, unless you want to be worse off than you are right now. Banks understand when you do not have a job. Contact the creditors and work out a plan that works best for you. It is not unheard of for banks to drop your interest to a low percentage and bring your payment way down while you get on your feet.

Answer 6

do you have any current credit history on your report. If you have no current history such as cards, loans etc(you say you own your home so no payments), the profile has a problem telling if you pay bills on time. Is your income pension only. any judgments, liens, collections? I suggest going to a bank talk to a bank rep to see if they can help find your problem.

Answer 7

Primarily it's your credit score. Try getting a free credit report with all three credit bureaus and see if their is something there that doesn't seem right. Try going to http://www.freecreditreport.com for your free reports. Good Luck!

Answer 8

banks dont issue credit cards now to lawyers police and military and also age after 60.Because they can not terrorize them w/ demands for late payments.

Answer 9

try getting some information from legal counselors , most of the time they can pin point the problem .

Answer 10

I found some good info here.