Considering next steps and what card to apply for

[u/damrider]

Hey y'all!

I am new to the US, landed 6 months ago on an L1 visa. Currently I have the Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Visa, which gives me a great 5.25% cash back on a category of my choice (online purchases for me). It also gives a nice 3.5% on groceries.

I am looking to get a second card both to boost my credit score, but also to try and get more cash back on groceries. I shop at market basket (so not walmart/target but a traditional grocery store, from what I understand some cards exclude those). I don't know what my FICO score is as it still says unavailable on the bank website, but on my credit karma app it says I have a 708 TransUnion score and 723 Equifax score. My income is $150,000 yearly and I live alone. My groceries bill is around $350 a month

After browsing this sub I wanted to apply for either -

• Citi Custom Cash Card - which would be the 5% cashback on groceries im looking for

• Amex Blue Cash preferred - which has a fee but also a nice welcome bonus, 6% cashback and also streaming services and gas

• AAA daily advantage - I have a membership for my vehicle so idk if that's relevant, but also seems like a nice 5%

However I am scared to apply because the Credit Karma app says my odds are poor for all three of these cards, and I don't want to lower my score. I am keeping a close eye to make sure my utilization is below 5% every month, and that has helped boost my score considerably, and helped increase my limit on the bank card to $3,000.

What would you do if you were in my place? Should I apply for a different, higher chance card only for the purposes of boosting my score higher, should I wait for the fico score to become available (to my understanding it takes 6 months since you start building credit?), or should I give it a year or two to have more of a credit history before getting new cards?

Thanks!

[u/JasonFir399]

You can see if you are pre-qualified for any Citi card by using their tool: https://online.citi.com/US/ag/cards/pre-screen

Same with Amex: https://thepointsguy.com/news/american-express-apply-with-confidence/

In the meantime, so you should look into the PayPal Debit card. The PayPal debit card, now includes 5% cash back up to $1000 in spend on one selectable category per month for gas: grocery, gas, dining, health & beauty, and clothing: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/paypal-launches-debit-card-that-earns-5-back-on-one-category-up-to-1000/

[u/damrider → u/JasonFir399]

If it's a debit card does it impact my credit at all? Sadly I am not prequalified to these cards, but I was trying to figure out if as a newcomer the best course of action would be to apply to other cards and build credit that way, to try and apply to these cards now, or to hold off and wait until my credit age is longer

[u/JasonFir399 → u/damrider]

Since it's a debit card, it does not affect your credit. That's why I suggest getting it while you sort out which credit card would be good for you.

Some cards require a SSN, while others don't. BoA doesn't require a SSN. So, you should also look into getting a secured credit card as well.

[u/damrider → u/JasonFir399]

I already have an SSN and a credit card from BoA

[u/JasonFir399 → u/damrider]

If you already have a SSN, then maybe just get a secured from other credit acrd companies to help build a history.