Thread: Discover 1986 through Mid 2005

Originally Posted by DavidNY

So that's what happens. I wonder what the difference is between the old and current applications.

the newer applications are much shorter. they are not allowed to ask certain questions on the computer application compared to what they were allowed to ask on the paper application.

for example if you remember the old american express application in those days, it was a longer.

Originally Posted by sticf

I applied for mine from an application at the check out from Sears back around 1993 (fresh back from Okinawa). Like OOXS stated had to fill it out and mail it in.

Then you had to wait weeks to find out if you were approved or not. If not there was just a letter "Sorry but at this time... blah, blah blah." They did not have to tell you anything about why or your credit score. I am not sure if you were allowed to pull your credit report for free after being rejected. Things have changed in the past 20 years in the credit world.

nowadays you are allowed to 1 free credit report from all the bureaus each year. in those days if you were turned down for a mortgage or a credit card you could get free credit reports.

so let's say for example in 1 year you were denied a mortgage, 2 or so months later you were denied a gold optima, 3 months later you were denied a chase card. you would have been able to get a free credit report (I don't know if from all 3 bureaus but at least 1).

whereas today you get a copy of all 3 bureaus, then you get turned down for a Delta gold or a Citibank american airlines card, even if you applied for the cards 60 days apart, even if you get turned down for cards you can't get another 1 for free.

I was just reading through this topic, when I got out my Discover Card, I realized I must have had this since their early, early days. It shows on my card as joining in 1989!

Wow, 22 years I've had this card - where did the years go? I hardly use it at all, but to their credit, they haven't cancelled it on me. Just yesterday, I found out my (former) Schwab/FIA card was cancelled because I didn't use it for a few months. That really sucked, because I had a $21K limit on it and it was the only Visa I had. I applied for the Chase Sapphire and was approved online this afternoon (only $10K limit, though), and get a 50,000 pt/$500 bonus on top of it. Guess FIA didn't want my business at all. They didn't even have the courtesy to tell me they were going to cancel it, or that they had cancelled it. I found out by accident.

As for how I acquired the Discover Card, it was so many years ago I really don't remember. I am sure I filled out a paper app, though, because I didn't have a computer back then, and even if I did, they didn't have such things available online. How times have changed.

Originally Posted by just-me-in-tn

I've had mine since I was 18, so around 1988. I believe I filled out an paper application at Sears for it.

I just came back from downstairs after checking my join date: also 1988. I was a college student back then with no job, and at best $500 earned in the summer of 1987. That was it. I wonder whether my parents co-signed. I just can't imagine being able to get a card nowadays under those same circumstances. I think I just filled a paper application.