Reopening cards not included after discharge

[riff]

I am waiting for my discharge to be complete in about 15 days. Looking forward to it.http://www.bkforum.com/images/smilies/clapping.gif Has anyone had luck reopening a credit card that did not have a balance included in a Chapter 7? My Sears, Home Depot, HSBC, AMEX, BOA, Paypal were closed out but I did not owe them when I filed. The only card surviving now is the Kohls card. I don't plan on jumping back into debt, but some of these cards come in handy for those car repairs and home repairs that spring up unexpectedly.

[shabam]

From what I hear Amex is a no go.

[Tom_Mi]

Hi Riff,
Check out my thread a few lines down with this, the title starts with "started reusing an old card....." I got a lot of good ideas from people.

For me, I had 2 old accounts I tried to use:
-Macy's: My wife bought 400 in suits for her new job after a year of not touching the card. Works great.

-Victoria's Secret was a problem. Bought some pajamas on their website, and they accepted payment -- almost! I got an email 1hr later saying to please call because there's a problem. I called and the lady said:
"oh, your account is just inactive because you haven't used it. I'll be happy reactvate it for you.... one moment"

...but the reactivate failed because of credit.

[Never_Again]

I don't plan on jumping back into debt, but some of these cards come in handy for those car repairs and home repairs that spring up unexpectedly.

I certainly see your point. These things can be a real concern, especially when you don't have the money to cover them!

However, a handier thing to have when car repairs and home repairs spring up is an emergency fund. If you have one of 3 to 6 months income, you really won't hit much of a bump when a repair bill for even $5K or $6K comes along.

Even having a couple of thousand set aside can make a huge difference. Many of these things could be handled with such an amount.

I would use this opportunity post discharge to build up that emergency fund first, before I even worried about rebuilding credit. It is an awesome feeling not to have to use credit, and it gives security to you unlike any credit card can! Try it, and you won't be disappointed.

[StartingOver08]

I certainly see your point. These things can be a real concern, especially when you don't have the money to cover them!

However, a handier thing to have when car repairs and home repairs spring up is an emergency fund. If you have one of 3 to 6 months income, you really won't hit much of a bump when a repair bill for even $5K or $6K comes along.
Even having a couple of thousand set aside can make a huge difference. Many of these things could be handled with such an amount.

I would use this opportunity post discharge to build up that emergency fund first, before I even worried about rebuilding credit. It is an awesome feeling not to have to use credit, and it gives security to you unlike any credit card can! Try it, and you won't be disappointed.

This is so true! Also, the peace of mind you get from having the $$$ in the bank is....priceless!

[music12]

HSBC promptly closed my $0 balance account the day after i filed bk. yesterday i got a 0% offer from them in the mail. i thought it was weird...

i would suggest you wait a few months after bk before trying. i am 3 months post discharge and my fico is a whopping 690. so give it time and try to save money like the others suggested.

[BobMango]

HSBC is kind of funny in this regard. I had an account with them with a $0 balance. Before I filed BK they lowered my limit to $0. Then after I filed they closed the account altogether. After discharge I'll probably apply with them again.