Stuck with a low CL on Citi Diamond Preferred; would PC help?

[LionLaw]

It took almost a year of focused rebuilding, but my credit is finally in good shape. Two years ago, the only credit line to my name (other than my student loans) was a $500 Discover card I got in college. Now, I have a variety of prime cards and an auto loan with the best available rate; I'm very happy with the cards I have.

There's just one hitch. Early in my rebuild, I got a preapproval in the mail for a Citi Diamond Preferred. I was very excited, as this was the first prime CC I'd received. So, I jumped at the opportunity, and was approved online... with a $1000 CL, and 12 months of 0% APR, instead of the 18 that was standard on Diamond Preferred cards at the time. No worries, I thought: as I rebuild my credit, this card will grow with me, right?

Wrong. As my credit improved, the credit lines on my other cards have soared: that $500 Discover now has a limit of $6500, and the Wells Fargo Visa I opened with $3000 two years ago has auto-CLI'd all the way up to $7000. I also opened a BOA Visa sig with a $5000 limit a few months back, though I haven't requested a CLI yet.

Citi just won't budge though. Earlier this year I finally got them to raise my CL to $2000, but even that took a HP and a recon. I tried again during my most recent round of CLI requests, and was denied.

It seems pretty clear to me that I must have unwittingly been signed up for some subprime version of the Diamond Preferred; most people who have this card seem to have very high CLs, which was part of the card's appeal to me in the first place. But with no rewards and a CL that's lagging way behind my other cards, it doesn't have much utility to me.

So, here's my question: would it be possible to get out of this sub-prime "bucket" by PCing to a different card (maybe one of the Thank Yous)? Citi has send me a bunch of preapprovals for the TYP, but I don't really have any interest in opening a new TL. If I requested a PC, would the CL on this card start keeping pace with my others, or would I still be stuck with a low limit indefinitely?

[FinStar]

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@LionLaw wrote:
It took almost a year of focused rebuilding, but my credit is finally in good shape. Two years ago, the only credit line to my name (other than my student loans) was a $500 Discover card I got in college. Now, I have a variety of prime cards and an auto loan with the best available rate; I'm very happy with the cards I have.

There's just one hitch. Early in my rebuild, I got a preapproval in the mail for a Citi Diamond Preferred. I was very excited, as this was the first prime CC I'd received. So, I jumped at the opportunity, and was approved online... with a $1000 CL, and 12 months of 0% APR, instead of the 18 that was standard on Diamond Preferred cards at the time. No worries, I thought: as I rebuild my credit, this card will grow with me, right?

Wrong. As my credit improved, the credit lines on my other cards have soared: that $500 Discover now has a limit of $6500, and the Wells Fargo Visa I opened with $3000 two years ago has auto-CLI'd all the way up to $7000. I also opened a BOA Visa sig with a $5000 limit a few months back, though I haven't requested a CLI yet.

Citi just won't budge though. Earlier this year I finally got them to raise my CL to $2000, but even that took a HP and a recon. I tried again during my most recent round of CLI requests, and was denied.

It seems pretty clear to me that I must have unwittingly been signed up for some subprime version of the Diamond Preferred; most people who have this card seem to have very high CLs, which was part of the card's appeal to me in the first place. But with no rewards and a CL that's lagging way behind my other cards, it doesn't have much utility to me.

So, here's my question: would it be possible to get out of this sub-prime "bucket" by PCing to a different card (maybe one of the Thank Yous)? Citi has send me a bunch of preapprovals for the TYP, but I don't really have any interest in opening a new TL. If I requested a PC, would the CL on this card start keeping pace with my others, or would I still be stuck with a low limit indefinitely?

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What APR were you assigned with the Citi card when approved?  What is the current rate?

[LionLaw]

Currently 18.99%, and I'm pretty sure that's what it has always been.

[FinStar]

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@LionLaw wrote:
Currently 18.99%, and I'm pretty sure that's what it has always been.

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It's actually not horrible, but not their best.  Since account coding more than likely not migrate if you PC, you can give that option a try and see what PC options may be available for your current account (keep in mind these fluctuate frequently and not all products may qualify).  If you had an account that had more sub-prime terms (i.e. APR > 19.99%), then it would be recommended that you apply for a new one altogether.

[Built2last]

Citi Diamond preferred was my first prime card as well.  I was able to double the CL from the initial $1500 to $3000 with a hard pull after just six months.  I have seen others on the forum have this card in their signature with 5 figure credit limits.   It just takes time.

[lionsfan20]

not sure why you guys took hard pulls. After a year , I got a bump from 1000-2300 with a soft pull..you just have to call in and theyll tell you whether its a sp or hp and then you can decide if you wanna procede.

[tinuviel]

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@lionsfan20 wrote:

not sure why you guys took hard pulls. After a year , I got a bump from 1000-2300 with a soft pull..you just have to call in and theyll tell you whether its a sp or hp and then you can decide if you wanna procede.

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I called in on mine because I didn't want an automated system pulling hard; I wanted the CSR to tell me if it required a HP and decline if that was the case. I wound up getting an increase from $6800 -> $8950. As with all things, YMMV.

[Anonymous]

I apped for the Citi Diamond Preffered on Dec 24th and was approved with a $3500 limit and 16.99apr. Only using this card for the 18 month balance transfer but the problem is I need a 6k limit as I'll be transfering roughly 5500 over to the card. Once I get the card I plan on reconing for a higher limit.