topic Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks in Credit Card Applications

High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

Superduper2014 — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 14:32:25 GMT

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for recommendations on less mainstream banks that might offer high initial credit limits for new credit card applications.

My FICO 9 score is 800+ across all bureaus, and I have a 6% overall utilization.

I'm particularly interested in:

PNC
Citizens Bank
FNBO
NAvy Federal (can't join, No one around me has ties to armed forces)

Questions:

Which of these banks is more likely to issue higher credit limits with my profile?
Is it necessary or beneficial to open a checking account before applying for their credit cards?

Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Seeking Advice: High CL Cards from Lesser-Known Banks (800+ FICO)

Superduper2014 — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 19:56:56 GMT

Hey guys,

I'm looking for recommendations on less mainstream banks that might offer high initial credit limits for new credit card applications.

Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My goals:

Open at least 2 more cards
One with a long 0% APR for balance transfers
Another with 0% APR for purchases
High credit limits (I keep utilization below 30% on all cards)

My current credit profile:

- 800+ FICO 9 score across all bureaus

- 6% overall utilization

- 3 cards with balances: Discover (28%), US Bank (28%), Truist (27%)

- 1 hard inquiry on Equifax and Experian (Chase, Oct 19, 2023), none on TransUnion

Existing cards:

- 2 Citi, 2 Amex, 2 Discover, 2 Capital One, 3 Wells Fargo, 2 US Bank, 2 Truist, 1 Chase, 1 Synchrony (Lowe's)

- Credit limits range from $2k to $26k, mostly around $15k

- Reached max credit available with most issuers and max number of cards (I know because I have been denied CLIs due to usage history or other explanations etc and from reading the boards. Wonder about Citi and Chase now though)

So I imagine applying for another card with any of these lenders would be a denial. Right?

Questions:

Citi: Can I get a third card with a high initial limit with Citi? (Current cards: AA $17k, Diamond $15k, both unused)
Can I transfer available credit between Citi cards?
Chase: Can I get another card 8 months after my last approved card with them, with 3 new cards opened in the past year? Considering I am currently using the card they approved under 30% CL of 15k
PNC, Citizens Bank, and FNBO have been coming to my radar from reading the boards (can't do Navy Cu):
1. Which is more likely to issue higher credit limits with my profile?
2. Is it necessary or beneficial to open a checking account before applying for their credit cards?

Thank you so much for reading through this.

Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Re: Seeking Advice: High CL Cards from Lesser-Known Banks (800+ FICO)

gt3Rs — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 20:51:44 GMT

@Superduper2014 wrote:
Hey guys,

I'm looking for recommendations on less mainstream banks that might offer high initial credit limits for new credit card applications.
Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My goals:
Open at least 2 more cards
One with a long 0% APR for balance transfers
Another with 0% APR for purchases
High credit limits (I keep utilization below 30% on all cards)

My current credit profile:
- 800+ FICO 9 score across all bureaus
- 6% overall utilization
- 3 cards with balances: Discover (28%), US Bank (28%), Truist (27%)
- 1 hard inquiry on Equifax and Experian (Chase, Oct 19, 2023), none on TransUnion

Existing cards:
- 2 Citi, 2 Amex, 2 Discover, 2 Capital One, 3 Wells Fargo, 2 US Bank, 2 Truist, 1 Chase, 1 Synchrony (Lowe's)
- Credit limits range from $2k to $26k, mostly around $15k
- Reached max credit available with most issuers and max number of cards (I know because I have been denied CLIs due to usage history or other explanations etc and from reading the boards. Wonder about Citi and Chase now though)
So I imagine applying for another card with any of these lenders would be a denial. Right?

Questions:
Citi: Can I get a third card with a high initial limit with Citi? (Current cards: AA $17k, Diamond $15k, both unused)
Can I transfer available credit between Citi cards?
Chase: Can I get another card 8 months after my last approved card with them, with 3 new cards opened in the past year? Considering I am currently using the card they approved under 30% CL of 15k
PNC, Citizens Bank, and FNBO have been coming to my radar from reading the boards (can't do Navy Cu):
Which is more likely to issue higher credit limits with my profile?
Is it necessary or beneficial to open a checking account before applying for their credit cards?

Thank you so much for reading through this.
Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Can't help much, but I would go the CU route, pick one that suites your needs. I think jovia is the current FOTM lol

Re: Seeking Advice: High CL Cards from Lesser-Known Banks (800+ FICO)

FicoMike0 — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 22:06:38 GMT

Navy and penfed seem to go big. My highest initial was from wf.

Re: Seeking Advice: High CL Cards from Lesser-Known Banks (800+ FICO)

Superduper2014 — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 18:27:23 GMT

Is there are way to get in with Navy if you have no relatives or even a roommate who was in the armed forces? I have been hearing about them for so long.

Jamaica suggested BECU, Langley and Unify..

My brain is fried at this point trying to sort out what with who to apply and which cards and whether I need to open bank accounts with them first etc. ..

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

coldfusion — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 19:44:17 GMT

What constitutes a "high limit" is subjective - there's no universally accepted threshold that defines it. One key metric that you did not share is that neither FICO scores not utilization figures account for is income, and another related to income that NFCU (and for credit unions in general) overtly factors in is DTI.

That being said, out of the 4 FIs you list I'd say that NFCU tends to be the most generous and easiest to grow followed by PNC and then FNBO with Citizens at the bottom of the list. I know that it is possible to get a $30K SL with PNC.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

Horseshoez — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 20:53:06 GMT

@Superduper2014 wrote:
Hey everyone,
I'm looking for recommendations on less mainstream banks that might offer high initial credit limits for new credit card applications.
My FICO 9 score is 800+ across all bureaus, and I have a 6% overall utilization.
I'm particularly interested in:
PNC
Citizens Bank
FNBO
NAvy Federal (can't join, No one around me has ties to armed forces)
Questions:
Which of these banks is more likely to issue higher credit limits with my profile?
Is it necessary or beneficial to open a checking account before applying for their credit cards?
Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Answers to your two questions as far as I know:

Odds on bet NFCU will give you the highest starting limit of the four financial institutions you listed.
As far as I know none of the four require a checking account before applying for a credit card.

From personal experience:

Dec-2023: I opened up my NFCU account with a savings account (which is a requirement) with an initial deposit of $50
Feb-2024: I set up a $500 direct deposit into the savings account
Mar-2024: I opened up an EasyStart Certificate
May-2024: I applied for the NFCU More Rewards credit card; instantly approved for a $30,000 starting limit with a 14.9% interest rate (which is irrelevant as I don't carry balances)

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

xenon3030 — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 21:06:51 GMT

I got around 25k of CL, when I applied for Cash Rewards from Affinity Federal CU. A few years ago, the card had a promising Hi5 rotating category and it was stacking with the other perks. It got nerfed sometime ago. I could never get such a high CL from any bank, right after approval.

If you count this CL as high enough, you may go for Affinity or similar CUs. I worked with only one CU while I guess, CUs should provide a larger CL in comparison to banks. Their rewards program might not be very promising, while it is good to boost the total available CL.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

Superduper2014 — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 21:14:03 GMT

@coldfusion

Thank you for your replying.

You are correct high limit is subjective.

I have a Lowe's card with 36k (highest) then a 26k Amex and the rest are mostly between 10 to 17k.

Thank you for ranking the Fis I asked about. That helps me narrow down my efforts.

I wonder if there is any way to get in with NFCU without any ties to armed forced?

Or as @Horseshoez mentions, I don't need to open an account with them and I could just apply for a card with them?

Would you please suggest another credit union that I could consider in place of NFCU that would be at the top of the list above PNC?

Thanks a lot!

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

coldfusion — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 21:42:55 GMT

NFCU used to have a back door to membership if you became a member of the San Diego branch of the Navy League (easy) but that door was slammed shut in May of 2017.

I'll throw out several examples of credit unions that will issue at least 1 card with a $25K starting limit for qualified applicants that don't require major hoops to qualify for membership, often simply by joining the American Consumer Council. These aren't listed in any particular order, nor am I necessarily recommending either the CU or the card - only that they can and do issue cards that have at least a $25K starting limit.

As I mentioned upthread, credit unions in general take DTI, or debt-to-income ratio, very seriously when evaluating applications for unsecured credit. Outcome is YMMV but if yours is north of somewhere around 35%+/- getting an approval can be tough.

Also, expect to need to provide proof of income for final approval with a CU, providing the last 2 paystubs is a common request.

Boeing Employees CU (BECU)

Affinity FCU

Andrews FCU (the Titanium can have up to a $50K CL)

First Tech FCU (Odyssey Mastercard)

United Nations FCU (can be up to $100K on the Elite)

If you could have qualified for NFCU they would have also made the list.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

Superduper2014 — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:59:06 GMT

Thank you so much for your reply.

I am in TN and checked each one of the options and I would only be able to join Andrews and Affinity via ACC. Then First Tech through Financial Fiteness Association. Unfortunately, they do not have the cards I am looking for at the moment after checking them out.

However, PNC and FNBO do, so I may do PNC first and then FNBO. I just want 2 cards for now.

Would opening a checking with them get me better chances at getting the cards I need from them?

Thanks again.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

Horseshoez — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 01:22:37 GMT

@Superduper2014 wrote:

I wonder if there is any way to get in with NFCU without any ties to armed forced?
Or as @Horseshoez mentions, I don't need to open an account with them and I could just apply for a card with them?

Sorry if my post wasn't clear; while you do not need to open a checking account, you do need to open a savings account; I believe the minimum balance is something like $5.00.

As for getting in to NFCU, a grandparent, parent, spouse, spouse's relations, your children, and grandchildren...; if any of them were or are in the military then you can get in on their referral.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

AndySoCal — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 01:23:10 GMT

@Superduper2014 Affinity FCU you do not need the ACC to join. Since you live in TN you might want to investigate Fortera Credit Union. They have a couple of nice flat rate rewards (2%). I do not know about their credit limits. Fortera also has prequalification tool There savings rates are not bad either. Another credit union I would suggest you become a member of thru the ACC is State Department FCU. This credit union also has a prequalifacation tool as well. I received a starting CLI of 15,000 and a year later an auto CLI of 5,000

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

FicoMike0 — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 02:24:43 GMT

I know Pen fed goes as high as $15000.

I think most cus are into relationships.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

xenon3030 — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 02:50:10 GMT

@Superduper2014: Why do you want to add cards with large CL? I do prefer good reward programs as the first priority and afterward, a good CL (>10k).

One of the cards that I may plan to get is PenFed Pathfinder. I already have a PenFed Honors Advantange membership and its AF should get waived. I believe that its CL would be ~15-25k, based on the comments of people over internet. I guess, the CUs and banks are giving more CLs to travel cards with AF instead of CB cards. It has a large SUB (50k points after spending 3k) and it can be my backup travel card on top of USBAR and CSP.

PS: PenFed was a great CU and it was giving excellent rates for auto-loan for several years. It seems that recently there were some declines in the quality of their services. Their cheap website seems to be designed by interns while they allow to add only one external account for transfers. I do not know how much they would be flexible to PC cards, since their best cards for me are Platinum (5x on gas/EV) and Pathfinder (4x on travel), in order.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

Anonymous — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 04:19:09 GMT

Not a particularly large SL ($11K) but when Citizens had a special offer (unlimited 5% back on all spend until a date about 3 months in the future), I went in to a branch to ask and it turned out I was "preapproved" which in this case meant they gave me the card without an HP. (A very nice meaning of preapproved!) I had no connection with them before that. So, might be worth a try, and you might get an OK SL sort of for free.

Re: Seeking Advice: High CL Cards from Lesser-Known Banks (800+ FICO)

titancylinder — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 05:08:02 GMT

@Superduper2014 wrote:
Hey guys,

I'm looking for recommendations on less mainstream banks that might offer high initial credit limits for new credit card applications.
Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

My goals:
Open at least 2 more cards
One with a long 0% APR for balance transfers
Another with 0% APR for purchases
High credit limits (I keep utilization below 30% on all cards)

My current credit profile:
- 800+ FICO 9 score across all bureaus
- 6% overall utilization
- 3 cards with balances: Discover (28%), US Bank (28%), Truist (27%)
- 1 hard inquiry on Equifax and Experian (Chase, Oct 19, 2023), none on TransUnion

Existing cards:
- 2 Citi, 2 Amex, 2 Discover, 2 Capital One, 3 Wells Fargo, 2 US Bank, 2 Truist, 1 Chase, 1 Synchrony (Lowe's)
- Credit limits range from $2k to $26k, mostly around $15k
- Reached max credit available with most issuers and max number of cards (I know because I have been denied CLIs due to usage history or other explanations etc and from reading the boards. Wonder about Citi and Chase now though)
So I imagine applying for another card with any of these lenders would be a denial. Right?

Questions:
Citi: Can I get a third card with a high initial limit with Citi? (Current cards: AA $17k, Diamond $15k, both unused)
Can I transfer available credit between Citi cards?
Chase: Can I get another card 8 months after my last approved card with them, with 3 new cards opened in the past year? Considering I am currently using the card they approved under 30% CL of 15k
PNC, Citizens Bank, and FNBO have been coming to my radar from reading the boards (can't do Navy Cu):
Which is more likely to issue higher credit limits with my profile?
Is it necessary or beneficial to open a checking account before applying for their credit cards?

Thank you so much for reading through this.
Any insights or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

I think you could get 30-40K from Jovia Financial if your income supports it. They recently renamed, but the institution is 70-80 years old and isn't going anywhere.

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

coldfusion — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 11:33:44 GMT

@Superduper2014 wrote:
Thank you so much for your reply.

I am in TN and checked each one of the options and I would only be able to join Andrews and Affinity via ACC. Then First Tech through Financial Fiteness Association. Unfortunately, they do not have the cards I am looking for at the moment after checking them out.

However, PNC and FNBO do, so I may do PNC first and then FNBO. I just want 2 cards for now.
Would opening a checking with them get me better chances at getting the cards I need from them?

Thanks again.

I had no problems with approvals from either FI without being a current or past accountholder.

What features are you looking for in a card besides the potential to get a starting limit high enough to meet your needs?

What other criteria ar

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

Superduper2014 — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:53:42 GMT

What features are you looking for in a card besides the potential to get a starting limit high enough to meet your needs?
What other criteria ar

Hi @coldfusion

Thank you for replying

My goals:

1. Open at least 2 more cards

2. One with a long 0% APR for balance transfers

3. Another with 0% APR for purchases

4. High credit limits (I keep utilization below 30% on all cards at all times)

DTI is very low for me thankfully, but I am finding myself using more and more money due to my father's decline and need for care 24/7.. So I am trying to use credit to keep my cash available for the unexpected expenses that are popping up left and right. It's all happening so fast, my brain is fogged and my heart is broken. (I maybe shouldn't be sharing this on a public forum, but hey.. you guys are probably wondering what the heck with this guy so...I am sharing a bit of personal info with you)

I started a new thread with updated info here just in case you have time to take a peek:

Thread

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Pre-quals-from-Chase-and-Citi-plus-PNC-FNBO-options-Which-to/m-p/6777217#M1873020

Re: High Initial Credit Limits: Seeking Recommendations for Less Mainstream Banks

zerofire — Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:32:45 GMT

I know Dover FCU has a 2% flat card that has a nasty habit of being issued with lots of SL. The CU itself has a prequal tool to help find out what they are willing to offer. I think the last time I checked they offered 20-25k for me. The only thing that you should be aware of is however that existing high credit lines will encourage lenders to break the ceiling for you. They want to see you being able to handle credit before they give you more. No bank will just hand you 25k just for fun with no history of decent management.