topic Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry in Credit Cards

CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 07:03:16 GMT

Not sure if there is a thread of such, but typically requesting a CLI can cause a soft or hard inquiry. If this is not already a thread, I’d like to construct a list of which issuers use soft vs hard inquiries. Post up what your experience with your issuer to help others avoid those hard inquiries! Of course, if a CLI is offered, that is typically a soft pull.

Below is the compiled list along with the contributing members user name and the type of pull they experienced (if varied).

Soft:

AMEX
Capital One
Discover (pulpo)
HSBC
Orchard
Walmart

Hard:

Chase
First National Bank of Omaha (Dalmus)

Varies (Sometimes soft, sometimes hard):

Bank of America (Aahz - HP, Benzman - HP)
Best Buy (Loquat - HP)
Citi
Navy Federal Credit Union
USAA (cam3150 - SP)
US Bank (ABCD2199 - SP/HP)

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 02:26:18 GMT

Some data points say US bank isn’t soft for $1000/$1500 or less and hard for higher amounts.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Aahz — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 02:27:50 GMT

I've requested and received a half dozen Bank of America CLIs over the last three years and they've always been a hard pull.

And my Citi CLIs are usually a soft pull.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 02:31:59 GMT

Updated.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Dalmus — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 02:48:55 GMT

FNBO is virtually always a hard pull for requested CLI.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Loquat — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 04:41:16 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Not sure if there is a thread of such, but typically requesting a CLI can cause a soft or hard inquiry. If this is not already a thread, I’d like to construct a list of which issuers use soft vs hard inquiries. Post up what your experience with your issuer to help others avoid those hard inquiries! Of course, if a CLI is offered, that is typically a soft pull.

Soft:
AMEX
Best Buy
Capital One
Discover
HSBC
Orchard
Walmart

Hard:
Chase
First National Bank of Omaha
USAA

Varies (Sometimes soft, sometimes hard):
Bank of America
Citi
Navy Federal Credit Union
US Bank

I guess it's a YMMV with Best Buy because I asked for a CLI on my Visa card with them last year and it was a HP...went from $4k to $10k but there was definitely a HP for it.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 05:08:07 GMT

@Loquat wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
Not sure if there is a thread of such, but typically requesting a CLI can cause a soft or hard inquiry. If this is not already a thread, I’d like to construct a list of which issuers use soft vs hard inquiries. Post up what your experience with your issuer to help others avoid those hard inquiries! Of course, if a CLI is offered, that is typically a soft pull.

Soft:
AMEX
Best Buy
Capital One
Discover
HSBC
Orchard
Walmart

Hard:
Chase
First National Bank of Omaha
USAA

Varies (Sometimes soft, sometimes hard):
Bank of America
Citi
Navy Federal Credit Union
US Bank
I guess it's a YMMV with Best Buy because I asked for a CLI on my Visa card with them last year and it was a HP...went from $4k to $10k but there was definitely a HP for it.

Thanks for the input, main post updated to reflect.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Benzman — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 05:18:58 GMT

@Aahz wrote:
I've requested and received a half dozen Bank of America CLIs over the last three years and they've always been a hard pull.

And my Citi CLIs are usually a soft pull.

True on both for me as well.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 05:36:19 GMT

Updated with user id of members experiences that they post. This should allow new post readers to determine validity and chance of SP/HP. Keep the experiences coming!

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 19:22:34 GMT

Post has been released from the spam quarentine, keep those CLI inputs coming.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

pulpo — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 03:51:34 GMT

I just want to add a slight spin to this VERY valuable discussion on soft or hard pull CLIs....

I have no lates or bankruptcies or anything overtly bad in any of my 3 reports, but I had a $20k medical bill last summer that I charged to my credit cards, and I just now got my utilization rate back to about 30% after paying off as much as I could for the last few months. I've generally found Discover to be a little under-appreciated around here and on other similar forums. They are not a prestige card, but I think the evidence indicates they are very easy to work with and often generous.

So, this afternoon I decided to spend some time on the Discover website for account holders, thinking I might request a CLI. My FICO 08 on all 3 bureaus is right at 700. I have a Discover IT card with a $5000 limit, currently with a zero balance, after being maxed out last August and gradually paid off.

...but I came across a balance transfer offer on the Discover website that really intrigued me because moving what remains of my medical debt onto a 0% balance transfer offer with Disocver had many obvious benefits. So I clicked on the balance transfer offer. They let me choose the card I wanted from the list of standard Discover card products and I choose the travel points card.

I listed my Citi AA card and BoA cashback card that together have about $10k balance on them at painfully high APRs. Discover came back right away online with a 18 month 0% APR balance transfer offer on a new travel points card with a limit exactly matching my balance transfer request - $10k. I was so excited that I called in to verify that I was really this fortunate and the representative told me I was also eligible for a 50% CLI on my old Discover card.

So today, with an online balance transfer request and a follow up call to a Discover rep, I got an entirely NEW Discover card with a $10k limit and a $2500 CLI on my old Discover Card.

...all with only a soft pull on Experian (confirmed by both my tri-bureau credit monitoring and the Discover rep).

Great stuff!

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 04:28:32 GMT

I got a large CLI's on both of my USAA cards (cash rewards and signature rewards) and they were both soft pulls. I went from $10k to $17k in both.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 07:03:45 GMT

Thank pulpo and cam3150! Updated with your info.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

UncleB — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 22:06:45 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I got a large CLI's on both of my USAA cards (cash rewards and signature rewards) and they were both soft pulls. I went from $10k to $17k in both.

@Anonymous, were these auto-CLIs or did you request them?

I've never known USAA to do a SP CLI unless it was auto... would love to know if this is changing.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 03:07:04 GMT

I requested them, one right after the other, and they were immediately approved. I did it online. Maybe I just got lucky? 🤷‍♀️

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

UncleB — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 03:11:57 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I requested them, one right after the other, and they were immediately approved. I did it online. Maybe I just got lucky? 🤷‍♀️

Stranger thing have happened!

Last year I also requested two CLIs from them, but at different times (also on different cards). On one they did a HP on EQ, and on the other they did a HP on EX (which was somewhat unexpected).

It would be great if they started consistently doing SP user-initiated CLIs!

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

arkane — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 05:05:11 GMT

@pulpo wrote:
I just want to add a slight spin to this VERY valuable discussion on soft or hard pull CLIs....

I have no lates or bankruptcies or anything overtly bad in any of my 3 reports, but I had a $20k medical bill last summer that I charged to my credit cards, and I just now got my utilization rate back to about 30% after paying off as much as I could for the last few months. I've generally found Discover to be a little under-appreciated around here and on other similar forums. They are not a prestige card, but I think the evidence indicates they are very easy to work with and often generous.

So, this afternoon I decided to spend some time on the Discover website for account holders, thinking I might request a CLI. My FICO 08 on all 3 bureaus is right at 700. I have a Discover IT card with a $5000 limit, currently with a zero balance, after being maxed out last August and gradually paid off.

...but I came across a balance transfer offer on the Discover website that really intrigued me because moving what remains of my medical debt onto a 0% balance transfer offer with Disocver had many obvious benefits. So I clicked on the balance transfer offer. They let me choose the card I wanted from the list of standard Discover card products and I choose the travel points card.

I listed my Citi AA card and BoA cashback card that together have about $10k balance on them at painfully high APRs. Discover came back right away online with a 18 month 0% APR balance transfer offer on a new travel points card with a limit exactly matching my balance transfer request - $10k. I was so excited that I called in to verify that I was really this fortunate and the representative told me I was also eligible for a 50% CLI on my old Discover card.

So today, with an online balance transfer request and a follow up call to a Discover rep, I got an entirely NEW Discover card with a $10k limit and a $2500 CLI on my old Discover Card.

...all with only a soft pull on Experian (confirmed by both my tri-bureau credit monitoring and the Discover rep).

Great stuff!

Yeah well I had a 780 EQ and one card with 5 years of perfect history and they gave me an insulting $2500 limit lol so I'm obviously still very salty about it.

Congrats on your success though, should really help with your financial situation.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Aug 2018 22:22:27 GMT

The Paypal Extras MC issued by Synchrony bank always does a soft pull, I did it 3X already every 6 months in the last 2 years ...

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Aug 2018 22:57:22 GMT

Cards issued by Synchrony and Comenity (in my case, Amazon, Walmart and Care Credit from Sync and Overstock from Comenity) are usually SP's. I got the PayPal 2% MC at the end of June and haven't attempted a CLI yet but I understand it's SP as well. Penfed HP's you for CLI requests but the HP is valid for any other credit application for up to 90 days, and they often issue quarterly SP offers for CLI's or even new cards. Apple FCU (regional CU in Northern VA) HP's for CLI requests; it seems to me that most credit unions prefer to do HP's.

Re: CLI Request w/ Soft Inquiry

Caught750 — Sat, 11 Aug 2018 23:23:35 GMT

BoA has recently gone to SP