Deleted member 28936
TF Select
In 2017, I started my career with a job that paid me 10K per month. Along with that job came the chance to open my first salary account, which also meant I could get my hands on my first credit card from Kotak with a limit of 15K.
However, after a year, I realized the credit card limit didn't really match my needs, and I didn't have much of a credit history to support getting a higher limit. So, I decided to close the card.
Later on, when I started my Ph.D., I switched to a HDFC salary account, where I was getting a monthly credit of 35K (Stipend). Excited about traveling internationally, I applied for another credit card, but was rejected because I didn't have much of a credit history. Checking my credit (CIBIL) score, I found it was -1 (NH).
But I didn't let that stop me. I sought advice from different sources, including this community, and learned about entry-level credit cards. I started applying for them, but unfortunately, got rejected 31 times (applied to multiple cards from same banks 🙂 ) in just two days.
Then I found out about secured Wow credit cards, where I put down a 25K deposit to get it. I still have my Wow card and use it for international spends (I am a student so my travels are sponsored by Microsoft and Google to attend conferences). Over time, I kept trying and eventually got approved for a BOB Premier Rupay card with a 1 lakh pre-approved limit (It got changed to 50K after card delivery) in January 2023. I was eventually offered a LTF HDFC MoneyBack+ card with a 1.32 lakhs limit and this time HDFC approved it in 1 hour and delivered it with the same limit.
But I still had my eye on Amex cards because of their great travel benefits. So, one night, I decided to apply for them. To my surprise, both the Amex MRCC and Amex Platinum Travel cards were approved (The application said that it is approved based on CIBIL and no documents are required), with limits of 4 lakhs and 4.5 lakhs respectively, all within a day. My CIBIL currently is 754.
Looking back on my journey, I'm grateful for the lessons learned and the support I received from this community. If you have any questions or need advice on your own credit journey, feel free to ask. Thank you all for being part of my incredible journey! ✨
Edit: I will be moving to the US in July this year for a research program lasting 2 years. If you have any advice on which cards to use, it would be greatly appreciated.
Current cards:
However, after a year, I realized the credit card limit didn't really match my needs, and I didn't have much of a credit history to support getting a higher limit. So, I decided to close the card.
Later on, when I started my Ph.D., I switched to a HDFC salary account, where I was getting a monthly credit of 35K (Stipend). Excited about traveling internationally, I applied for another credit card, but was rejected because I didn't have much of a credit history. Checking my credit (CIBIL) score, I found it was -1 (NH).
But I didn't let that stop me. I sought advice from different sources, including this community, and learned about entry-level credit cards. I started applying for them, but unfortunately, got rejected 31 times (applied to multiple cards from same banks 🙂 ) in just two days.
Then I found out about secured Wow credit cards, where I put down a 25K deposit to get it. I still have my Wow card and use it for international spends (I am a student so my travels are sponsored by Microsoft and Google to attend conferences). Over time, I kept trying and eventually got approved for a BOB Premier Rupay card with a 1 lakh pre-approved limit (It got changed to 50K after card delivery) in January 2023. I was eventually offered a LTF HDFC MoneyBack+ card with a 1.32 lakhs limit and this time HDFC approved it in 1 hour and delivered it with the same limit.
But I still had my eye on Amex cards because of their great travel benefits. So, one night, I decided to apply for them. To my surprise, both the Amex MRCC and Amex Platinum Travel cards were approved (The application said that it is approved based on CIBIL and no documents are required), with limits of 4 lakhs and 4.5 lakhs respectively, all within a day. My CIBIL currently is 754.
Looking back on my journey, I'm grateful for the lessons learned and the support I received from this community. If you have any questions or need advice on your own credit journey, feel free to ask. Thank you all for being part of my incredible journey! ✨
Edit: I will be moving to the US in July this year for a research program lasting 2 years. If you have any advice on which cards to use, it would be greatly appreciated.
Current cards:
- IDFC Wow: Limit of 2 Lakhs
- BOB Premier (Rupay+JCB): Limit of 50K
- HDFC Moneyback+: Limit of 1.32 Lakhs
- AMEX MRCC: Limit of 4 Lakhs
- AMEX Platinum Travel: Limit of 4.5 Lakhs
Last edited:
