Tradeoff b/t Hard Pull vs Decreased Utilization?

[hombre14]

I currently have 5 credit cards-  2 reporting zero balances.     $19k in total balances, with $63k total credit limit=  30% overall util.    Last FICO score per Discover statement is 763.

My question is-   if I were to raise the limit on my Chase card from it's current $4.4k to $15k-   what would happen to my FICO score?      I know that it would be a "hard pull" from Chase which might ding me, but then my overall util would go down (to 19/73.6=    26%).   

Which do you think would have the higher influence on my score-  the ding from a hard inquiry, or the boost from lower util?

[MT936]

It wouldn't be noticeable unless you brought utilization under 10%

[vanillabean]

There's nothing to indicate that any given percentage signals any particular threshold. So no boost from 30% to 26%.

[pizzadude]

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@hombre14 wrote:

I currently have 5 credit cards-  2 reporting zero balances.     $19k in total balances, with $63k total credit limit=  30% overall util.    Last FICO score per Discover statement is 763.

My question is-   if I were to raise the limit on my Chase card from it's current $4.4k to $15k-   what would happen to my FICO score?      I know that it would be a "hard pull" from Chase which might ding me, but then my overall util would go down (to 19/73.6=    26%).   

Which do you think would have the higher influence on my score-  the ding from a hard inquiry, or the boost from lower util?

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My take on this is a bit different.

You don't mention what balance you're carrying on the Chase card.  If you were maxed out on that card then your individual card utilization for the Chase card would drop significantly, which may yield a FICO score bump.   Remember that FICO revolving utilization scores both overall and individual utilization.

Whether it would outweigh the immediate impact of an inquiry is unknown, but over time it could boost your FICO score if your utilization remains unchanged.