CL on Flexible Spending CC. Do they really matter?

[iheartwings]

This may be a totally stupid question. I recognize that CLs are important for your utiliization, and I've been working on rebuilding over the last several years. 

Should I be working so hard to get my CLI on cards that are considered Flexible Spending (e.g., VS, WMC, WEMC)?

I have a few of these cards, ranging from $7500 to $14000 on spending limits. I'm back in the garden (with very frozen CR), but unless Chase gives me an autoCLI, I'd have to take a HP to raise that $7500 limit.

I'm a PIF kind of user, so if I *had* to go over a limit, I would be able to pay it off right away (otherwise, I have bigger issues in that I shouldn't be charging more than I can afford).  I guess the flipside is if I did take advantage of the flexible portion, I could be subject to AA on all my other cards.  

Opinions?

[longtimelurker]

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@iheartwings wrote:

This may be a totally stupid question. I recognize that CLs are important for your utiliization, and I've been working on rebuilding over the last several years. 

Should I be working so hard to get my CLI on cards that are considered Flexible Spending (e.g., VS, WMC, WEMC)?

I have a few of these cards, ranging from $7500 to $14000 on spending limits. I'm back in the garden (with very frozen CR), but unless Chase gives me an autoCLI, I'd have to take a HP to raise that $7500 limit.

I'm a PIF kind of user, so if I *had* to go over a limit, I would be able to pay it off right away (otherwise, I have bigger issues in that I shouldn't be charging more than I can afford).  I guess the flipside is if I did take advantage of the flexible portion, I could be subject to AA on all my other cards.  

Opinions?

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If you are just concerned about CL for utilization, and you aren't using any one card particularly hard, it doesn't matter whether the CLI goes on a Flex Spending card or not.

And I'm not sure when it does matter, maybe if you really need to make a large purchase and a flex card is your highest CL, but even then it's not just because it is a flex card.

[NRB525]

OP, your title question is different from the question in the text of your post.

Does a Flexible Spending CL really matter? Yes. You can carry a balance up to the CL on that card. You can charge over the CL amount, but any amounts over that CL can not be carried, they must be paid down so the carried amount is below the CL.

As to the question in your text, it's not a good idea to work really hard for CLI anyway Banks either have ways to give you CLI within  certain defined parameters (AMEX) or they are extremely unlikely to give you any CLI (Chase). Just research what is possible, and that defines your universe of possibilities.

[takeshi74]

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@iheartwings wrote:

This may be a totally stupid question. I recognize that CLs are important for your utiliization, and I've been working on rebuilding over the last several years. 

Should I be working so hard to get my CLI on cards that are considered Flexible Spending (e.g., VS, WMC, WEMC)?

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If you know that CL's factor into utilization then you really have what you need to answer your question.  If you want higher limits to help with utilization then, yes, you should work on getting CLI's .  If that doesn't matter to you then, no, you don't need to work on getting CLI's.  Flex spending/NPSL is neither here nor there in this context.  The amount you can charge over the limit does not factor into your revolving utilization.

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@iheartwings wrote:

I'm a PIF kind of user, so if I *had* to go over a limit, I would be able to pay it off right away (otherwise, I have bigger issues in that I shouldn't be charging more than I can afford).  I guess the flipside is if I did take advantage of the flexible portion, I could be subject to AA on all my other cards.   

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Wouldn't be an issue if you PIF before the account reports.