Amex CLD :(

[B335is]

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@TheSpeculator wrote:
4 or 5 inqs this summer. Plus the maybe 3 that were there from 2012.

My Amex balances before this statement were 0% (charge card), 0%, and 70%. As of today all zero balance.

No more inqs for me. Luckily amex balances are all manageable now. Just have to pay down my other debts.

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I'm thinking that 70% Amex util coupled with the other 2 at 80% is what got their attention.  Like enharu said, at least they kept the accounts open and it sounds like you're able to manage through it.

[TheSpeculator]

70% was on HHonors for a good 3 months

[09Lexie]

I believe the high util was the issue. The inq's probably not so much unless it looked like you were rolling over debt.
Definitely get your other cc's down before the other shoe drops.

[missjae]

It could be worse. They could have closed all of your accounts. With the first Amex I had, I had high utility and the cut my credit limit to $500, then closed the account a month later. It was my fault since I had high utility across the board and made min. pymts. Fix what you can and don't worry too much. It's definitely a learning experience.

[enharu]

Another thing to remember. It's a bad idea to drag high balances immediately following a spree. If you want to make use of the 0% promo to its fullest, then don't go on a spree.

Having lots of new accounts and inquiries reporting on top of high utilization usually means trouble.

[mongstradamus]

what percent of utilization is the breaking point? I usually use about 35-40% of my credit limit on my amex TE . I am just worried about getting CLD. I think the overall usage for all my credit cards is between 4-5 %. Should i start paying multiple times an month to make sure the utilization is under 20% for that card?

[enharu]

@mong, having high utilization on 1 card is usually fine.

There's no "fixed" threshold for utilization either. It varies depending on the individual. Banks usually also factor in how much you are paying as well.

[Crashem]

Stinky!!  But I wouldn't worry about it too much.  AMEX CLI policies make it easy to get it back and more.  When are you eligible for CLI?  Also what are the limits of your other AMEXs.

[parakleet]

I agree with enharu - there's too many variables involved to know what the "sweet spot" on util to expect AA from amex. For example - I got my BCP (12.6k CL), Slate (10k), Freedom, CSP, and Discover all back in April'13. I've been carrying a balance from BTs on the Slate (70% util), Freedom (50%) and Discover (50%) since then and was able to get a 61-day CLI from 11k to 12.6k on the BCP. Grant it, I didn't get the full "3x" which most likely due to my high balances but I certainly didn't get AA from them. Knock on wood. I should note that the BTs have been going down progressively and I always make more than the min payment. 

[mongstradamus]

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@enharu wrote:
@mong, having high utilization on 1 card is usually fine.

There's no "fixed" threshold for utilization either. It varies depending on the individual. Banks usually also factor in how much you are paying as well.

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Well i am an bit worried because i was planning to put some charges into my newly acquired BCP and freedom also to make sure i a qualify for the bonus when i signed up. Maybe i should try and split up those purchases or pay multiple time to make sure if they SP it will show low utilization ?