One of the best things about selling tradelines is that you can make extra income from nothing more than having some credit cards with an excellent payment history. At the same time, the worst part of selling tradelines is simply not having good cards (or the right kind of cards). Even if you have a wallet full of credit cards that you'd like to sell as tradelines, they may not all meet the basic requirements for selling. Here's what you need to know to make the this side hustle work and ensure you can make it as profitable as possible.

Sorry, Card Not Accepted

If you know anything about selling tradelines you'll have learned by now that certain cards are more valuable than others. In fact, there are many card issuers who aren't even accepted by many tradeline companies. This is usually due to the recurring problems with failure to post, or a high risk of card closures related to those banks.

For example, while cards like Discover, Citi, or Barclays fall into the category of some of the best cards you can have for selling tradelines, you might be surprised to learn that USAA or Wells Fargo are considered by many to be a big headache in this business. And even if the cards you have are happily accepted by your tradeline company, that doesn't mean they're all going to result in a high number of sales. Everything depends on whether or not the card is desirable or valuable in the eyes of the buyer - who's either an individual buyer or a broker purchasing for their own clients.

Now, don't get us wrong - you can definitely make some cash (and something is always better than nothing) with less popular cards, but you can only reap the maximum benefits of selling tradelines when you're holding the cards with the highest demand. Let's take a look at how this works.

Better Performance Makes For Higher Demand

To lay it out as simply as possible, selling tradelines is most profitable for those with high-limit cards that have an older account age. The more of those you have, the better. Especially when they're from the right banks and are utilized properly.

There's a lot of people who make over $500 per month selling tradelines from cards with younger accounts and lower limits but the people who are the most successful - some of whom make as much as $3,000 a month or more - are able to do so because their wallet is packed with high-demand cards that deliver a maximum impact for the buyer. These cards pay the highest commissions and tend so sell very quickly, ensuring that the seller is never left waiting around to make a sale.

Like fine wine, good tradelines become better with age. The difference between earning $75 per sale and $550 (or more) per sale depends entirely on the many thousands of dollars in difference between the credit limits, or the many years of difference in account age. The ability to maintain a serious income stream from tradelines (like $25k a year or more) really does require a strong stack of cards.

Not having a strong stack of cards might give the impression that you'll never make good money. But there's good news, because if you know what you're doing (or at least willing to learn) you can easily strategize and plan for this endeavor to be highly profitable for the long-term.

Selling Tradelines Is About The Long Game

Rather than thinking about quick cash, you have to think about the future and make the correct moves today so that you can continually build your portfolio of cards and increase your income as time goes on.

Ideally, you want to:

  • Acquire the right cards, make sure you use them wisely
  • Maintain a perfect payment history, and continue to develop your strategy for optimizing your sales
  • Always intend to achieve maximum commissions with minimal risk
  • Be aware that as a seller, many companies offer excellent referral programs - use them to your benefit when possible
  • Get yourself into a solid routine of organization, planning, and managing your cards while always being willing to learn

In addition, there's more to selling tradelines than meets the eye. As we previously mentioned, not all cards are created equal. If you want to squeeze that extra cashflow from your cards or people you refer to your tradeline company, knowing which cards are the best for selling is a huge benefit. So how do you know what's the best and what to avoid? We'll explain it right now.

Nothing is certain, and anything can change. But the way most tradeline companies see things is that Discover, Barclays, and Navy Federal cards are always among the best cards for selling tradelines. This is because they seem to not be overly strict with their authorized user policies, which is nice. While that isn't an invitation to be greedy, it's a big plus when you're trying to prevent account closure, deal with problematic customer service from the bank, or in the instance of problem resolution. These cards are consistently the best performing, have the best limits for allowed AUs and duration of use, and earn the cardholder the most money in commissions from tradeline companies. Most people won't say the same about Chase or Bank of America, who have well-known reputations for being difficult to sell with and require special care.

Whether you're deciding which cards you need to acquire, free up balances on, or recommend for friends or others who you decide to send as referrals - you really need to think about the time vs. value. One of the best things about selling tradelines is that once you know how to do it, it takes very little time to execute. When you translate it into an hourly rate, the amounts you can earn are often hard to believe.

Don't Scratch Your Head, Get Started Instead

Rather than wonder or worry about what you'll make and how you'll plan this all out, the best thing you can do - if you're inclined to do it - is get started selling tradelines today. You can view our commmissions table here to understand exactly how much each sale will pay based on age and credit limit of any given card.

Once you sign up, familiarize yourself with the process and sell some cards you'll have a better feel for what it's like. Whether you make a lot or a little, you'll become quick and confident in a very short time span. As you develop your methods, you'll know what to look out for, what works best for your own particular stack of cards, and how to seek and refer cardholders who will help optimize your income each month.

Also, as time goes on and your cards continue to age and you receive larger credit limits, you'll naturally earn more. There's always something new to learn if you have the desire, and it's an excellent way to understand the credit system while helping others - both buyers and new sellers alike. There's a certain charm to selling tradelines that's hard to shake off once you get a taste of just how easy it is. It isn't for everyone, those who decide to partake as a cardholder - especially those who are patient and smart - tend to have a hard time calling it quits. It's a unique and very functional method for making extra money each month while helping others move closer to their own financial goals and freedoms.

While the worst part of selling tradelines is not having good cards, it's something that you can easily overcome if you're dedicated to becoming a better and smarter long-term seller. When you look back one day and realize the total gains made with a minimal effort, it really is a great feeling. We hope you decide to join us and build a long-term relationship with GFS Group by selling your tradelines and making a very fair return for the small amount of time and work it requires.

Want to learn more or get started today? Visit our Selling Tradelines page today to sign up. More than just another tradeline company, at GFS Group we want you to become part of our family. We welcome you with a smile, an abundance of knowledge, and an expert customer service team who will always be at your side. There's no disappointments here, only positive outcomes for everyone.