aloha Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 i applied for, and got instant approval, for a macy's cc last week when shopping at the store. i got a 'shopping pass' to use until my card arrives... and a pamphlet welcoming me to 'star awards' program.the pamphlet is a little confusing in that it lists and describes 8 different(?) macy's credit cards (e.g. red star awards visa card, red star awards-apparently without the visa, ditto for gold, platinum and elite).is there any way to tell, before i receive the card in the mail, which macy's credit card i was approved for? and, are the non-visa "star awards" cards only good for shopping at macy's, while the visa ones can be used anywhere that visa is accepted?is macy's a good card to have? any good tips on how to use it for the most benefit?[the only other cc i have is a BofA visa]tia for any info/experiences re macy's cc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieR Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Hello aloha I don't think there is a way to tell which one you got before you actually receive it.Regardless, I would use it as you need to and PIF each month.Macys is a fine card if you can stand to deal with their stores. I don't think there are any special tricks to getting the most out of this card other than to use it responsibly and PIF. My philosophy is that during credit repair, cards should be used for necessities and paid off each month (or some would say to carry a small 8-10% balance). If you still feel like you are a risk for CCs, then just use for a small purchase every so often. I would not use Macys just to use it or to get any so-called "rewards" from them since very few household or personal necessities come from there (as they might, for instance, from Target).In your overall plan, the Macys is a good thing to have (store card) in addition to your BofA (for variety). Do you have any installment loans? What is your CL like on your BofA? If low, I'd concentrate on getting one more major CC with a decent limit or obtaining a CLI from BofA.Congrats on the card!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aloha Posted July 6, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 Hello aloha I don't think there is a way to tell which one you got before you actually receive it.Regardless, I would use it as you need to and PIF each month.Macys is a fine card if you can stand to deal with their stores. I don't think there are any special tricks to getting the most out of this card other than to use it responsibly and PIF. My philosophy is that during credit repair, cards should be used for necessities and paid off each month (or some would say to carry a small 8-10% balance). If you still feel like you are a risk for CCs, then just use for a small purchase every so often. I would not use Macys just to use it or to get any so-called "rewards" from them since very few household or personal necessities come from there (as they might, for instance, from Target).In your overall plan, the Macys is a good thing to have (store card) in addition to your BofA (for variety). Do you have any installment loans? What is your CL like on your BofA? If low, I'd concentrate on getting one more major CC with a decent limit or obtaining a CLI from BofA.Congrats on the card!!!!!thanks for the quick response.i totally agree with using cc's only for necessities and PIF each month (burned my credit 8 years ago and have paid cash for everything in the interim, including my car in 2002!) no installment loans.CL with BofA is 7400 (it's a new card as of May, and i've PIF my first statement)i plan to PIF my macy's balance each month. i only shop at macy's for clothes, so if the awards program doesn't include clothes, i shouldn't be tempted to buy just for the awards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieR Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 LOL I hear that - rewards + clothes might = danger for me.Nice job on the BofA CL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctfudge&bankofC-ville Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 You could always just call them and ask. They are extremely nice at Bloomingdale's which I am sure is the same office as Macy's because I called to ask a question about my B account and they said thanks for calling Macy's.I just got a Bloomie's card a week or so ago, and I called to ask what the limit was. They said $200, and I was a little disappointed and asked if they could raise it. They said I have to establish a payment history first and that seemed fair enough.Then they called the same day or next day and said they needed to verify security questions, and I passed, so I called up later and got the automated system which told me my limit was $1,000. This is just the store card, no VISA or anything like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aloha Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 i decided not to call but just wait and see what card i was approved for (assuming it woud be the store only card with maybe a $500 CL)well i was bowled over... received my macy's card today, and it was the red star awards visa with $5,000 CL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeslieR Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 i decided not to call but just wait and see what card i was approved for (assuming it woud be the store only card with maybe a $500 CL)well i was bowled over... received my macy's card today, and it was the red star awards visa with $5,000 CL GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveyzzz Posted July 13, 2008 Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 well i was bowled over... received my macy's card today, and it was the red star awards visa with $5,000 CL You SCORED ! Awesome. I have had a Macy's card since 1987 (oldest credit line) and I made the mistake of missing a payment 23 months ago. They lowered my credit line from $5000 to exactly what the outstanding balance was and kept lowering until I was below $500. After that they left it at $500 for about a year then finally raised it to $1000 again. I try to use it for small items occasionally and pay in full. They turned me down for an upgrade from a store card to a visa about 6 months back , so you have really scored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aloha Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 You SCORED ! Awesome. I have had a Macy's card since 1987 (oldest credit line) and I made the mistake of missing a payment 23 months ago. They lowered my credit line from $5000 to exactly what the outstanding balance was and kept lowering until I was below $500. After that they left it at $500 for about a year then finally raised it to $1000 again. I try to use it for small items occasionally and pay in full. They turned me down for an upgrade from a store card to a visa about 6 months back , so you have really scored.thanks! and thanks for the info about how quick on the trigger they are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aloha Posted July 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2008 GREAT JOB!!!!!!!!!!!thanks!now i can take a break from applying for any more cards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustaTexan Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 i decided not to call but just wait and see what card i was approved for (assuming it woud be the store only card with maybe a $500 CL)well i was bowled over... received my macy's card today, and it was the red star awards visa with $5,000 CL OMG! You have my card! Give me my card back! No just joking, congrats! I love Macy's and can't say enough good about them! Enjoy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovebug5 Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Woo-Hoo, congratulations!! Nice job!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
virginiabound Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Awesome job!I can't say anything but good things for Macy's as well. They are the only one who has given me a decent CLI without having much history down here.Hopefully they will upgrade me to a Visa one day 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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