“I have a high income but no FICO score or tax returns yet. I opened a Navy Fed secured card in June 2026 and a Chase Freedom Flex in August 2026, and I have $12k in a BofA checking account. I was denied for the US Bank Altitude Connect because I don't have tax returns, and denied for Bilt. Should I apply for the BofA Customized Cash Rewards card, or are there better options for my travel and serviced apartment spending?”
Your June account has not yet reached FICO’s six-month minimum, so having no yet is consistent with a very new credit file—not proof that your finances are weak. Reassess around December 2026, provided an eligible account is being reported; that timing is not a guarantee of a score or approval. [1]
My recommendation is to use your existing cards now, then choose a later application according to how your apartment charges are classified and how much you spend.
This is my first choice for now. Freedom Flex already earns 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel and 1% on other purchases, so you have a usable travel option without another application. Direct apartment charges do not receive the portal’s 5% merely because they are travel-related. Meanwhile, let your oldest reported account reach FICO’s six-month minimum, around December 2026 for a June opening. [1,7]
For U.S. apartment spending that falls within BofA’s Travel categories, Customized Cash Rewards is a reasonable later candidate—especially because its published Travel table includes 6513 for real-estate rentals. The current offer is 6% in your selected category for the first year, then an ordinary 3%, subject to the shared $2,500 quarterly cap. It is less compelling as your only spending card when the apartment alone exceeds that cap. [2–5]
If your serviced apartment charges as a hotel/motel, or you want an uncapped travel-rewards candidate for later, Wells Fargo Autograph deserves consideration: it advertises unlimited 3X points in qualifying categories, including travel, with no annual fee or foreign transaction fee. Its listed travel categories include hotels/motels but do not establish that a real-estate rental charge qualifies. These are points, not a quoted 3% cash-back rate, and there is no established reason to expect easier approval than BofA. [8–9]
Waiting is SettleKit’s recommendation for your situation—not a published bank waiting-period rule—and none of these later card options is a prediction of approval.
These steps let you use your existing credit, preserve the denial-related report rights and approach a later application more deliberately.
Now
Get your reports and save both denial notices
Obtain your free reports at https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ and identify whether the June Navy Federal and August Chase accounts appear, along with their opening dates. CFPB confirms free weekly access. If either denial was based on a credit report, request the additional free report from the reporting company named in that notice within 60 days after receiving it. [12–13]
Requirements
While your history matures
Keep paying your existing accounts on time
Set payment reminders and pay by each account’s due date; CFPB identifies on-time payments as a critical credit-building step. For travel you would otherwise book through Chase Travel, your Freedom Flex’s published earning rate is 5%; other purchases ordinarily earn 1%. Compare the final booking price rather than buying a more expensive booking solely for rewards. [7,14]
Requirements
Optional relationship benefit
Enroll your eligible checking account in BofA Rewards
Use BofA’s enrollment link: https://www.bankofamerica.com/deeplink/redirect.go?target=myrwrds_prbr&screen=MyRewards:PreferredRewards&version=7.9.0. The current program has no enrollment fee or minimum balance for Member status. Enrollment can make eligible future card rewards more valuable, but it does not approve a card application. [6]
Requirements
Reassess around December 2026
Use prequalification before deciding on one later application
Once the June account reaches at least six months, reassess rather than treating December as an automatic approval date. BofA’s card-specific screening is at https://secure.bankofamerica.com/apply-now-services/cards-prequal/initialize-prequal?requesttype=CCAPQ&appflow=USA&locale=en_US&lobchannelcode=BPCSHL and is advertised as having no credit-score impact. Treat as preliminary, not approval. If you later obtain Customized Cash Rewards for qualifying apartment charges, select Travel in BofA Online Banking or the mobile app before those purchases; the published default is Gas & EV Charging Stations, and the category can be changed once each calendar month. [1,5,11]
Requirements
You are not the first to go through this. Here is how it went for others who asked the same thing.
u/Tough-Experience4593r/ExpatFinanceMar 14, 2026
This answer uses FICO’s scoring requirements, Bank of America’s current offers and rewards rules, Chase and Wells Fargo product terms, and CFPB regulations and consumer guidance.
FICO minimum-score requirements
Your June account points to approximately December 2026 for the six-month age requirement, provided the other scoring conditions are met.
Minimum scoring requirements
In order to receive a valid FICO Score, the credit report must have: At least one account opened for six months or more, and At least one account that has been reported to the credit bureau within the past six months, and No indication of deceased on the credit report (Please note, if you share an account with another person this may affect you if the other account holder is reported deceased).
BofA Customized Cash Rewards current offer
The currently advertised 6% selected-category rate is introductory, not the permanent earning rate.
With the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards credit card, earn 6% cash back in the category of your choice for the first year.
BofA Customized Cash Rewards offer terms
The selected-category and grocery/wholesale rewards share a quarterly cap, and ordinary selected-category earnings return to 3% after the promotion.
Earning rates and quarterly maximum
Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Earn 6% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter in the choice category, and at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, then earn unlimited 1% thereafter. After the 3% first-year bonus offer ends, you will earn 3% and 2% cash back on these purchases up to the quarterly maximum.
BofA Customized Cash Rewards Program Rules
BofA’s published Travel table includes rental transactions submitted under MCC 6513.
Travel merchant-category table
**6513** Real Estate Agents and Managers—Rentals
BofA Cash Back Categories & Exclusions
The apartment operator’s submitted transaction category—not its advertising description—determines bonus eligibility.
Merchant category codes
Merchants, not Bank of America, categorize and submit purchases, so some purchases may not fall into the category where you might expect them to appear. When this occurs, purchases with that merchant won't qualify for bonus rewards.
BofA Rewards terms
The current program provides an eligible Member-tier customer a 10% card-rewards bonus, subject to its enrollment and reward exclusions.
Credit Card BofA Rewards Bonus
Enrolled BofA Rewards members with eligible Bank of America® credit cards can receive a BofA Rewards bonus of 10% for the Member tier, 25% for the Preferred Plus tier, 50% for the Preferred Honors tier, or 75% for the Premier tier.
Chase Freedom Flex current product terms
Your existing Freedom Flex already offers portal-travel rewards without needing another card application.
Cash-back earning rates
Plus, earn 5% back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% on dining including takeout and drugstores, and 1% on all other purchases.
Wells Fargo Autograph rewards terms
Autograph is a later candidate for qualifying hotel and travel spending, but its listed categories do not establish real-estate rental eligibility.
Travel rewards FAQ
Yes, 3X points may be earned on travel purchases. This includes airline, hotel/motel, timeshare, vehicle/auto rental, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, and campgrounds.
Wells Fargo Autograph fee terms
Autograph’s issuer expressly confirms no foreign transaction fee.
Foreign transaction fee FAQ
The Autograph Credit Card has no foreign transaction fee.
12 CFR 1026.51
Federal credit-card underwriting rules require an ability-to-pay assessment, not automatic approval based on a high salary.
(a)(1)(i)
A card issuer must not open a credit card account for a consumer under an open-end (not home-secured) consumer credit plan, or increase any credit limit applicable to such account, unless the card issuer considers the consumer's ability to make the required minimum periodic payments under the terms of the account based on the consumer's income or assets and the consumer's current obligations.
BofA credit-card prequalification
BofA offers a card-specific preliminary screening without affecting your credit score.
Credit-card prequalification
Prequalify for a credit card with no impact to your credit score
CFPB: Free credit reports
You can obtain your reports free and see whether your existing accounts are appearing.
Getting your credit reports
You can get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major consumer reporting companies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) once a week at AnnualCreditReport.com.
CFPB: Reports following adverse action
A qualifying credit denial creates an additional free-report right with a 60-day request deadline.
Additional free-report rights
You received a notice that you were denied credit, insurance, or employment or experienced another “adverse action” based on a credit report. In this case, you have a right to a free report from the credit reporting company identified in the notice. To get the free report you must request it within 60 days after you receive the notice.
CFPB: Building credit from scratch
On-time payments on the accounts you already hold are a concrete credit-building action.
Actions to build credit
Paying your credit card bills or other loan payments on time is one critical step in building a good credit score.
These are the official rules and issuer terms reviewed for October 18, 2026; dated sources are identified above, undated pages are marked, and terms can change.
This is general information about official processes and published financial-product terms, not legal advice, and SettleKit is not a law firm.
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