Amex Hilton Hhonors CLI Declined AGAIN

[Denny33142]

I was approved for an AMEX Hilton HHnoros card with a $1000 limit, The limit is not very useful but i kept the card in the hopes of getting the very much talked about 3X increase in 90 days, I have had the card for about 8 months and i tried for an increase at exactly the 90 day mark, I asked for a $2000 increase and was swiftly declined (This was around 5 months ago).

I once again tried for an increase today (5 months after my last attempt), I once again asked for a $2000 increase and i was declined again, The reason given was a high "internal risk score" and a history of delequincy and high utilization.

I am really starting to get fed up with AMEX at this point, I have had an AMEX PRG since 2011 which i consistantly charge $3000-$4000 in purchases per month, In addition i have a Chase Sapphire and a Discover IT both with $5000 limits each, I just requested a CLI on the Discover out of curiousity and was immediately approved for an extra $1000, Now my discover is sitting at $6000 (Discover has given me 4 increases in 2 years) seems to me like Discover is a much more loyal company than AMEX.

My only negative is a 90 day late which is 6 years old, My credit has been prestine since then, I have $3K in credit card balances out of $15K in usable credit spread out over my 5 cards, I don't know what my Experian score is but on the Discover site it shows my Fico at 704.

I really don't get what AMEX looks at when deciding on a CLI, I wanted to have the Hilton HHonors as my primary card since i like the points system and stay in Hilton hotels frequently, At this point i am thinking of just closing the account and using the Discover as my main card, They have been good to me unlike AMEX.

What are your opinions on this? Does this make any sense to anyone? I really like AMEX but it is offensive how little trust they have in a customer that has been loyal to them for 6+ years.

[willwar14]

I have had a lot more success getting and opening new accounts with them vs. getting a CLI, I kept getting denied a 2k increase on my BCP (which was my first Amex card with a 1k limit) but they were happy to hand me $22k and $25k business cards (that I had to PG)

[Anonymous]

Have you called in to speak with anyone about it? Maybe there's something on your record that they're really questioning.

[Denny33142]

I called the number on the back of the card but those foreign reps are absoultely no help, They just repeat the same "High internal risk score" with no further explanaition.

I don't think their internal risk score system does a good job of calculating credit worthiness, I wonder how many customers they have lost due to their unreasonable CLI qualifications, I have no reason to use a card with a $1000 limit when i have cards with 5X that amount and a comparable rewards system.

[NRB525]

OP how much do you use the HHilton card? I'd use it right up to $900 and PIF for a few months and see what happens in six months.

Sorry to hear about no CLI, but if you like the rewards, use the card heavily to get those rewards. If you want a CLI, usage of the revolver is helpful to continue to build your internal score.

Soon the 90-day should fall off and then the CLI should be easier. In the meantime, no AF, so that's a positive, and of course easy Silver status.

[Denny33142]

I used $950 last month (Almost maxed it out by mistake actually), I guess i can continue to hang on to it since it has no AF anyway, Still can't get passed how stingy Amex is with their CLI though.

[Anonymous]

This is funny to keep reading this on Amex cards that start with a $1k and $2k SL. And the sad part willwar is right about what he/she is saying. Amex will leave you hanging on to that card for a long time. My Delta started at a $1k and still sits there, everytime I wait and ask for a CLI, similar response, the crazy part they always say call us, like they are going to review the decision. They just want to say we still aren't giving it to you. I've tried the increased usage method, nothing zilch. My card is over a year old now. Alas, applied for a Hilton with a fresh collection hitting my EX (I didn't know until after I apped otherwise clean) my score went from a 743 to a 683 approved for the Hilton at $8.4k. I find the behavior odd how they tend to approve new limits but not existing cards.

[DeeBee78]

Amex seems to like to use your utilization history as an artifical BS reason to keep limits low.

That's why they're using their internal risk score to deny you: because FICO scoring does not factor utilization history.

This is why I'm worried I'll get stuck in 1K limits with Amex if I try to get in with them. I have used 0% APRs and promotional purchase APR's to their max limits in the past, and I hate that it could come back to bite me. 

[austinguy907]

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@Denny33142 wrote:

I was approved for an AMEX Hilton HHnoros card with a $1000 limit, The limit is not very useful but i kept the card in the hopes of getting the very much talked about 3X increase in 90 days, I have had the card for about 8 months and i tried for an increase at exactly the 90 day mark, I asked for a $2000 increase and was swiftly declined (This was around 5 months ago).

I once again tried for an increase today (5 months after my last attempt), I once again asked for a $2000 increase and i was declined again, The reason given was a high "internal risk score" and a history of delequincy and high utilization.

I am really starting to get fed up with AMEX at this point, I have had an AMEX PRG since 2011 which i consistantly charge $3000-$4000 in purchases per month, In addition i have a Chase Sapphire and a Discover IT both with $5000 limits each, I just requested a CLI on the Discover out of curiousity and was immediately approved for an extra $1000, Now my discover is sitting at $6000 (Discover has given me 4 increases in 2 years) seems to me like Discover is a much more loyal company than AMEX.

My only negative is a 90 day late which is 6 years old, My credit has been prestine since then, I have $3K in credit card balances out of $15K in usable credit spread out over my 5 cards, I don't know what my Experian score is but on the Discover site it shows my Fico at 704.

I really don't get what AMEX looks at when deciding on a CLI, I wanted to have the Hilton HHonors as my primary card since i like the points system and stay in Hilton hotels frequently, At this point i am thinking of just closing the account and using the Discover as my main card, They have been good to me unlike AMEX.

What are your opinions on this? Does this make any sense to anyone? I really like AMEX but it is offensive how little trust they have in a customer that has been loyal to them for 6+ years.

I called the number on the back of the card but those foreign reps are absoultely no help, They just repeat the same "High internal risk score" with no further explanaition.

I don't think their internal risk score system does a good job of calculating credit worthiness, I wonder how many customers they have lost due to their unreasonable CLI qualifications, I have no reason to use a card with a $1000 limit when i have cards with 5X that amount and a comparable rewards system.

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1. So what's the status on the PRG at this point?  Open/Closed? CL?

2. 20% util on all of your cards isn't ideal and could raise a flag because all of your accounts are reporting a balance each month.  Consolidate and conquer!

3. What's in your profile that's keeping your scores down?

4. Your SPG and HH both should show you your EX score monthly when you're logged into AMEX... otherwise go here https://www.creditscorecard.com/registration 

5. The 704 score from Dsico is your TU score the site under #4 is EX though that can update monthly.

6. AMEX looks at the big picture when it comes to a CLI instead of just your relationship with them.  Usually a good indicator of how they feels is when they stick you in the $500-$2000 opening CL realm.  When this happens they're going to determine when you get your CLI instead of letting you request one.  Something in your profile has spooked them and they're holding the keys for the time being.

[BronzeTrader]

Come on, AmEx, approve us....