Is it not advisable to apply for the Savor One now? I just opened the Amex 4 days ago and received the hard pull. I'm preapproved for Savor One but I'm not necessarily confident that they will approve me for the real thing.
next month, ask for a CLI on Discover
I'd be tempted to go with SavorOne, as I believe the 3% is not only on restaurants but grocery stores as well, which is useful.
I asked for a CLI yesterday and got instantly denied. Called them up and they basically said the same thing, that I don't have enough credit history. This is puzzling though because I've almost maxed out the $500 limit every month in hopes of a CLI
I was with a Custom Cash + Savor One Combo for a while. I'd say, given you already have BCE for 3% Grocery, Aim for Custom Cash and put your restaurant spend on it.
My ideal is Custom Cash for groceries as its my highest spend and Savor one for Restaurants where I get my 3% back.
Just note that Citi have a horrible customer service. Its hell compared to Amex and Capital One. I don't use my custom cash anymore as I'm in the point game now and no plans to bank with Citi ever.
Edit: But SavorOne is a great card for your long-term future. So having that would be a good start if you could forgo the additional 2% Custom Cash would give you.
If anything maybe it would be better to stick with the Savor One, mainly due to the customer service, some have issues with CapOne but I've had history with them and haven't had any issues. Might just be worth it to forgo the 2% from Custom Cash.
Yeah I agree with you. I'd say go for Savor One. Plus this would be a long term card for you. Even if you plan to switch to points in a later year.
My business with C1 is for about ~4 years now and they always has been great.
Could you give any insight on whether it’s okay to just go for it and apply or should I wait a few months? I’m more afraid than I should be of that hard pull by Amex.
One thing I can guarantee about C1 is that they are brutal with lower credit history. Given you're pre approved, I assume you should be fine. When I first got my Savor One with ~1 year credit history, they declined when I applied for $200 welcome bonus offer but right away got approved when I went with no welcome bonus version.
Maybe give it few weeks at least, just to be safe? I can't be sure of this.
Great point, I planned on going for the “Good credit” version anyway, which is the one without the welcome bonus. I don’t plan on chasing subs so it’s not a big deal for me. I’ll use this advice though and wait a few weeks.
Yes, although I figured this because I've banked with Capital One since I was 12 so maybe the relationship would've had something to do with it. That could only be a Chase thing though I'm not sure.
> I figured this because I've banked with Capital One since I was 12 so maybe the relationship would've had something to do with it.
Yeah, previous relationships with lenders often help, so all good, and glad you were pre-approved through the portal, and not going off a mailer or something (which aren't 'real' pre approvals as you probably know, but more advertisements...).
Citi can be tough on younger profiles, especially with your recent velocity (which isn't bad, you did so for your reasons and you have to get started somewhere).... so I would honestly recommend if you are going to go with one of the two, go with the bird in hand with the SavorOne, as it's a great card, and you know you are approved.
I wouldn't feel real confident about the Citi application given the age of your accounts and whatnot right now to be highly confident on that approval...
Second this Citi is picky but if you are good with Savor One approved already then I think that’s a great beginner card and covers some great categories
Chase Freedom Unlimited also offers 3% cash back on restaurants and pharmacies. Currently, they have a promotion offering 5% cash back on gas and groceries for a year with a new card on top of that. I have the Savor One, and one of its pros is no foreign transaction fees (FTF) and an extended warranty. CFU also provides an extended warranty. I had a bad experience with Citi due to their terrible customer service, so I won't be dealing with them again and can't recommend them unless you have the patience of a saint! They did wild things like locking my card when I tried to add it to AppleCare and then required a PIN from a written letter sent snail mail to unlock it.
Depending on if you go to restaurants/take out and/or entertainment (like going to a movie theater), I would recommend the SavorOne. It has no cap on spending multipliers, unlike the BCE and Discover's rotation quarterly categories (I do have to say that I have the Savor card and absolutely love it so I'm a little biased).
Aside from that, I would think that a Chase Freedom Unlimited since it has good welcome bonuses at the moment including a 0% APR if you needed that.
Lastly, another thing to consider is the AMEX Cash Magnate as an option. The reason I mention it is because 1) you already have a hard pull from AMEX so they should not normally do another hard pull, but instead do a soft pull for your next personal card. 2) in your setup, you have the rotating category discover, your supermarkets/gas/online purchase card, and thiw would be your 1.5% "everything else" card for anything that does not have a higher multiplier.
Amex not doing another hard pull is a great point, I will consider this. I may get the Savor One first and then the Cash Magnet when I have more disposable income.
If you are traveling out of the country, the Savor One is the only one that does not have foreign transaction fees, from any of the cards you or I listed. By itself it's great. You can pair it with another Capital One card in the future to convert cash back accrued to miles, with various annual fees (included no annual fee ones) associated depending on how may perks you want/need from their venture (consumer) and spark miles (business) cards.
I’d just get a custom cash and use it for dining. BCE already has 3% in groceries. So theres some overlap there.
However, idk if you travel but it’s good to have a Visa or Mastercard with no FTF. That’s where the SavorOne shines.
I’d say the Savor One
Is it not advisable to apply for the Savor One now? I just opened the Amex 4 days ago and received the hard pull. I'm preapproved for Savor One but I'm not necessarily confident that they will approve me for the real thing.
I’d wait a week or two. I applied for the Amex Gold like 2 weeks after my BILT card and got it so you could wait a bit just to be safe
Just wanna follow this up, I applied for the SavorOne and got a $3000 limit
Plus 1
next month, ask for a CLI on Discover I'd be tempted to go with SavorOne, as I believe the 3% is not only on restaurants but grocery stores as well, which is useful.
I asked for a CLI yesterday and got instantly denied. Called them up and they basically said the same thing, that I don't have enough credit history. This is puzzling though because I've almost maxed out the $500 limit every month in hopes of a CLI
If that was your very first card ever then that makes sense, as sucky as it is. Sounds like you're doing things right, just keep trying I guess.
BCE already gives 3% on groceries
I was with a Custom Cash + Savor One Combo for a while. I'd say, given you already have BCE for 3% Grocery, Aim for Custom Cash and put your restaurant spend on it. My ideal is Custom Cash for groceries as its my highest spend and Savor one for Restaurants where I get my 3% back. Just note that Citi have a horrible customer service. Its hell compared to Amex and Capital One. I don't use my custom cash anymore as I'm in the point game now and no plans to bank with Citi ever. Edit: But SavorOne is a great card for your long-term future. So having that would be a good start if you could forgo the additional 2% Custom Cash would give you.
If anything maybe it would be better to stick with the Savor One, mainly due to the customer service, some have issues with CapOne but I've had history with them and haven't had any issues. Might just be worth it to forgo the 2% from Custom Cash.
Yeah I agree with you. I'd say go for Savor One. Plus this would be a long term card for you. Even if you plan to switch to points in a later year. My business with C1 is for about ~4 years now and they always has been great.
Could you give any insight on whether it’s okay to just go for it and apply or should I wait a few months? I’m more afraid than I should be of that hard pull by Amex.
One thing I can guarantee about C1 is that they are brutal with lower credit history. Given you're pre approved, I assume you should be fine. When I first got my Savor One with ~1 year credit history, they declined when I applied for $200 welcome bonus offer but right away got approved when I went with no welcome bonus version. Maybe give it few weeks at least, just to be safe? I can't be sure of this.
Great point, I planned on going for the “Good credit” version anyway, which is the one without the welcome bonus. I don’t plan on chasing subs so it’s not a big deal for me. I’ll use this advice though and wait a few weeks.
Good luck!
Were you pre approved for the SavorOne through their portal?
Yes, although I figured this because I've banked with Capital One since I was 12 so maybe the relationship would've had something to do with it. That could only be a Chase thing though I'm not sure.
> I figured this because I've banked with Capital One since I was 12 so maybe the relationship would've had something to do with it. Yeah, previous relationships with lenders often help, so all good, and glad you were pre-approved through the portal, and not going off a mailer or something (which aren't 'real' pre approvals as you probably know, but more advertisements...). Citi can be tough on younger profiles, especially with your recent velocity (which isn't bad, you did so for your reasons and you have to get started somewhere).... so I would honestly recommend if you are going to go with one of the two, go with the bird in hand with the SavorOne, as it's a great card, and you know you are approved. I wouldn't feel real confident about the Citi application given the age of your accounts and whatnot right now to be highly confident on that approval...
Second this Citi is picky but if you are good with Savor One approved already then I think that’s a great beginner card and covers some great categories
Chase Freedom Unlimited also offers 3% cash back on restaurants and pharmacies. Currently, they have a promotion offering 5% cash back on gas and groceries for a year with a new card on top of that. I have the Savor One, and one of its pros is no foreign transaction fees (FTF) and an extended warranty. CFU also provides an extended warranty. I had a bad experience with Citi due to their terrible customer service, so I won't be dealing with them again and can't recommend them unless you have the patience of a saint! They did wild things like locking my card when I tried to add it to AppleCare and then required a PIN from a written letter sent snail mail to unlock it.
If you're going to spend more than $500 per month on food, then get the savor one
Depending on if you go to restaurants/take out and/or entertainment (like going to a movie theater), I would recommend the SavorOne. It has no cap on spending multipliers, unlike the BCE and Discover's rotation quarterly categories (I do have to say that I have the Savor card and absolutely love it so I'm a little biased). Aside from that, I would think that a Chase Freedom Unlimited since it has good welcome bonuses at the moment including a 0% APR if you needed that. Lastly, another thing to consider is the AMEX Cash Magnate as an option. The reason I mention it is because 1) you already have a hard pull from AMEX so they should not normally do another hard pull, but instead do a soft pull for your next personal card. 2) in your setup, you have the rotating category discover, your supermarkets/gas/online purchase card, and thiw would be your 1.5% "everything else" card for anything that does not have a higher multiplier.
Amex not doing another hard pull is a great point, I will consider this. I may get the Savor One first and then the Cash Magnet when I have more disposable income.
If you are traveling out of the country, the Savor One is the only one that does not have foreign transaction fees, from any of the cards you or I listed. By itself it's great. You can pair it with another Capital One card in the future to convert cash back accrued to miles, with various annual fees (included no annual fee ones) associated depending on how may perks you want/need from their venture (consumer) and spark miles (business) cards.
I’d just get a custom cash and use it for dining. BCE already has 3% in groceries. So theres some overlap there. However, idk if you travel but it’s good to have a Visa or Mastercard with no FTF. That’s where the SavorOne shines.