Small SCT App Spree. Grateful...and CLI questions.

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to put a note out here - for the first time - about how grateful I am for these forums. I have lurked for a very long time. This forum helped my finance a car and get a Capital One QS and a Capital One Journey student visa. I'm a credit rebuilder and I would have given up if not for the knowledge here. Recently though, I was finally able to get the Comenity SCT to work for me - and I was able to get Overstock, J Crew and Ann Taylor cards all with $250 limits. I will definitely use the J. Crew and Ann Taylor for work clothing and of course, the Overstock will get a little bit of use. My question to the forum is on how to use/grow the CLI's on these two cards - with soft pulls only please. I don't want to hit a luv button and get a HP, but as we all know, our utilization goes down with CLI's (and PIF of course). You're suggestions are appreciated.

[gdale6]

Welcome to the board

I have moved this to CC forum so you can get better input on your questions.

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I just wanted to put a note out here - for the first time - about how grateful I am for these forums. I have lurked for a very long time. This forum helped my finance a car and get a Capital One QS and a Capital One Journey student visa. I'm a credit rebuilder and I would have given up if not for the knowledge here. Recently though, I was finally able to get the Comenity SCT to work for me - and I was able to get Overstock, J Crew and Ann Taylor cards all with $250 limits. I will definitely use the J. Crew and Ann Taylor for work clothing and of course, the Overstock will get a little bit of use. My question to the forum is on how to use/grow the CLI's on these two cards - with soft pulls only please. I don't want to hit a luv button and get a HP, but as we all know, our utilization goes down with CLI's (and PIF of course). You're suggestions are appreciated.

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Welcome to the forums.

I have Overstock and JCrew, but don't have Ann Taylor.  Overstock has given me CLI's every other month.  JCrew has given me increases almost every month (there have been a few months, that I didn't get it for 2 months, but that has been few and far between).  I started off with a limit of $350 with JCrew and it is at $17550 now.  Overstock I started off with $600 I think (it's been a while) and am now at $4500.  I don't know if anyone has gotten multiple increase on Overstock; as for JCrew, around month 9 it started giving multiple increase, sometimes 10 or 11 at a time and it now rotates where one month I get 2 increases, then the next month 10 or 11.  Maybe someone who has Ann Taylor can let  you know.  Each request (knock on wood has been a SP).  Be careful about appllying for too many cards with Comenity.  Recently accounts have been closed if too many new accounts are opened with them.  When I applied, they didn't have that rule, but then I ended up closing a lot of them I just didn't use.  If you are purchasing items from them monthly, then if you get CLIs the limit will remote monthly.

[happypill]

There are two ways to get a CLI with Comenity.  The first is with the CLI button on the web page (AKA the "luv button").  The second way is by calling the number on the back of the card and going through the automated system (AKA the "robot lady").  Both are SP, though you should always be prepared for the rare possibility that it becomes a HP.  I guess there is a 3rd way, by calling the number and talking to a live human being, but that would most likely be a HP and might trigger other stuff like a manual review or something so I would suggest avoiding speaking with any live people at Comenity.

The best way to get a CLI from Comenity is the robot lady.  Call the number on the back of the card and in the automated system ask for a credit limit increse.  It will prompt you for some info to verify (maybe automatic if you call from the phone you have listed on your account), as well as income info.  The robot lady will then tell you if you have been approved for an increase or not.  If approved, don't hang up.  The system will then ask you if there is anything else; at that time ask for another CLI.  It will ask you for income information again and let you know if you were approved.  Some people have gotten as much as 20 increases in a single call (I got 19 myself).  Depending on the card in question, each CLI could vary from $200 (very common) to $3000 (which I always got on my Barney's card).  So, if you get 20 increases at $200 each, your limit will be $4k higher.  On my Barney's card I always got 3-4 increases of $2500-$3000 each.  You can try once each month (every 30 or 31 days from the last increase I believe); though for some cards it's more like every 3-4 months.  Of course, the amount, number & frequency could vary depending on your credit & standing with Comenity.

[Anonymous]

Oh my gosh - 19 CLI's in one phone call? That is sooo crazy!!

[Anonymous]

@happypill just out of curiosity what makes you think it's better to call the robot lady then hit the luv button? Just curious....I feel like calling right now for my overstock card...lol

[happypill]

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@Anonymous wrote:
@happypill just out of curiosity what makes you think it's better to call the robot lady then hit the luv button? Just curious....I feel like calling right now for my overstock card...lol

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There's actually a few reasons, though they are based on observations and not facts.  First, when you use the online CLI I believe that at least in some cases, it says they could use a HP, though it doesn't seem to happen often.  With the robot lady I don't believe they give such a warning so to me it seems less likely to result in a HP.  Another reason is that the reports of big multiple CLI's have been by robot lady, from what I've seen.  Again, these are just observastions based on what people have reported.

[Anonymous]

I usually go with the button, but you must READ THE FINE PRINT after you start the process of asking for a CLI. All of these companies will tell you if they are going to do a hard pull, usually by saying something along the lines of "we may need to pull your credit report." If some version of that language isn't used, the CLI attempt will only be a soft pull.