topic Re: How is chase with CLI’s in Credit Cards

How is chase with CLI’s

SRT4kid93 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:15:04 GMT

I recently got a CFU and have been doing a ton of research on their CLI's from various posts on this forum.

a lot of the posts are old, and are referring to chase CLI's being hard pulls, but some of the new posts say they changed this rule recently tho and they are all soft pulls now correct?

futhermore there seems to be a lot of conflicting information about how they do CLI's in general.

first off, on their app, it seems that you cannot request an increase. you can only accept CLI offers, if you want to request an increase without an offer being present you need to call in. Is this right? Or am I simply unable to request one via the app because my account is newer?

also, many people have said they never get auto increases from chase, all of their increases needed to be requested. But the bulk of these posts were from late 2020-2021 when COVID was crazy. So I'm sure that has changed some.

others mention getting auto increases, but it's very hit and miss. It's not every 6 months or every 12 months, they seem to be extremely random.

can anyone with a current chase card shine some light on how chases generally handles CLI's.

-How you got yours(were you offered on the app or did you have to call in and request?)

-how often do you get auto increases

-what does chase like to see? What have you found to be the best way to get auto increases from chase specifically?

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

cashorcharge — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:32:31 GMT

In App:

Yes, you can request in-app. Select your card, then select Manage and then Credit Limit Increase. If you are deemed eligible electronically, it will allow you to proceed. If not, it will state that an increase isn't available for this card right now. Incidentally this is typically the message I see so I simply call them.

SP/HP

Their requests used to be exclusively HP and it was a few months ago, they opened this up to SP. That is how I received mine. Had the aforementioned "not available" but called in and it was processed as SP and approved while on the same call.

Auto-CLI

This is primarily individualized so not a lot of data around this potential.

Timing:

I haven't asked since my last. That last one was the first I had ever requested on accounts that were older so someone else can hopefully chime in.

Strategy:

Usage and good management. Additionally, Chase does tend to look at your other activities and if they see something awry like high UTIL on other accounts or minimum payment activity, that would negatively impact your success.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

SouthJamaica — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:35:54 GMT

@SRT4kid93 wrote:
I recently got a CFU and have been doing a ton of research on their CLI's from various posts on this forum.

a lot of the posts are old, and are referring to chase CLI's being hard pulls, but some of the new posts say they changed this rule recently tho and they are all soft pulls now correct?

futhermore there seems to be a lot of conflicting information about how they do CLI's in general.

first off, on their app, it seems that you cannot request an increase. you can only accept CLI offers, if you want to request an increase without an offer being present you need to call in. Is this right? Or am I simply unable to request one via the app because my account is newer?

also, many people have said they never get auto increases from chase, all of their increases needed to be requested. But the bulk of these posts were from late 2020-2021 when COVID was crazy. So I'm sure that has changed some.

others mention getting auto increases, but it's very hit and miss. It's not every 6 months or every 12 months, they seem to be extremely random.

can anyone with a current chase card shine some light on how chases generally handles CLI's.

-How you got yours(were you offered on the app or did you have to call in and request?)
-how often do you get auto increases
-what does chase like to see? What have you found to be the best way to get auto increases from chase specifically?

Forget the old posts. Things have changed dramatically with Chase CLI's in the past couple of years.

Auto CLI's. Chase is good with those, usually for people putting a lot of spend on the card and paying it right down.

SP CLI's. You can apply for a CLI, and it's soft pull now.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

SRT4kid93 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 20:46:13 GMT

@SouthJamaica

that's a relief, I saw posts of people who had the same credit limit for like 5-10 years and very few of them ever got auto increases they had to request them all which were hard pulls.

it was so bad people found it easier to apply for a new chase card, move the limit over to their old card, and then closing the new card immediately. So the card they applied for was basically only used to donate its credit limit and then it was gone

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

NoMoreE46 — Wed, 18 Sep 2024 21:58:04 GMT

FYI, Someone asked earlier about Chase CLIs and this is my reply. (I got my Prime Visa July 2022.)

https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Chase-prime-visa-cli-timeframe/m-p/6788074#M1876169

The abililty to request a CLI may not appear in the App for a while IIRC. Here is a screen shot from the Chase App wherein the credit limit increase option is enabled.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

Aim_High — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 01:52:58 GMT

@SRT4kid93 wrote:
@SouthJamaica

that's a relief, I saw posts of people who had the same credit limit for like 5-10 years and very few of them ever got auto increases they had to request them all which were hard pulls.

it was so bad people found it easier to apply for a new chase card, move the limit over to their old card, and then closing the new card immediately. So the card they applied for was basically only used to donate its credit limit and then it was gone

I've had at least one Chase card since 2000. In the early days, my profile wasn't what it is today and my finances were more stressed. Back in the 2000's and 2010's, yes you did have to authorize a HP if you wanted a CLI (unless you somehow generated an auto-CLI approval.) From my experience, auto-CLIs didn't happen at all for me, at least nothing significant that I remember. I also specifically remember authorizing the HP and then getting a decline, which was quite frustrating! The strategy you mention above has been the secret for me with Chase. I've opened and/or consolidated multiple cards, reaped the SUBs, got to test a new card, and ultimately combined limits strategically. As part of my higher limits strategy, I wanted a $100K card and I eventually achieved that with this method on my Chase Sapphire Reserve. What's really crazy is that if I wanted to combine all my personal limits on that card, they would probably allow it and I would have a $141,400 limit on a single card! What I found with applying for new cards is that Chase kept lending me more money as long as they thought my profile would support it. Eventually, I did get approvals with reallocation of existing credit limits but no denials due to Chase TCL. Today, Chase is by-far my most generous lender with $156,400 in credit across personal and business cards. They've been good to me and I like them.

By the way, I never closed a new card right away. I kept all of them for at least two years before consolidating and closing. I honestly wanted to try out the cards, plus I didn't want to look like a SUB churner to Chase since I valued the relationship. TIP: If you do this, leaving the DONOR card idle for a full six months may make you eligible to move the entire limit over to another card. Less than that and they may make you leave $500 to $1,000 on the donor card when you close it.

Yes, Chase discontinued the mandatory HP policy in 2023. It was posted on 03/01/2023: Chase CLI - no more HP! Initially, I didn't have any "offers" but eventually I was able to get a $2K CLI on my new IHG Rewards Premier Visa Signature at about the five month point (08/04/2023) without particularly heavy spend other than the SUB.

Here's another Chase CLI nugget. If you're OVER 5/24 - ie, five new personal revolving accounts in the past 24 months - which makes you normally ineligible for a new card approval with Chase, they will normally ALSO decline to give you CLIs during this time. So heavy credit seekers may be denied, even with heavy utilization.

That said, heavy spend-and-pay will often generate auto-CLIs from what I've read, barring the 5/24 rule. I probably never put enough spend through my cards before I started this consolidation strategy to warrant the better auto CLIs. (When I opened my first Chase card in 2000, it was a basic Slate Visa with no rewards and the Freedom Unlimited wouldn't be introduced until around 2016.)

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

SRT4kid93 — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 00:08:36 GMT

@Aim_High

does chase allow you to have multiple of the same card? For example, multiple freedom unlimited cards?

also, what's the point of not giving increases and then making you apply and move the credit limit? All that's doing is forcing them to pay out more sign up bonuses, (which for me was $200 if I spend $500 which was ridiculously easy to hit)

lastly, have you noticed that chase has improved in recent years compared to before? Do you fiind that you still don't get increases to this day?

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

Aim_High — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 02:21:35 GMT

@SRT4kid93 wrote:
@Aim_High

does chase allow you to have multiple of the same card? For example, multiple freedom unlimited cards?

also, what's the point of not giving increases and then making you apply and move the credit limit? All that's doing is forcing them to pay out more sign up bonuses, (which for me was $200 if I spend $500 which was ridiculously easy to hit)

lastly, have you noticed that chase has improved in recent years compared to before? Do you fiind that you still don't get increases to this day?

For some cards, yes, you can have duplicates. For others, it might not make sense for most people. The Freedom Unlimited, for example, doesn't have capped spending on any categories, so there's no need to have a second one. Same for cards like their Amazon. They also have a "ONE SAPPHIRE" rule, so you cannot hold both a Sapphire Preferred and a Sapphire Reserve, if for some reason you wanted to do so. (Some have tried that for the second SUB; Chase also has a one Sapphire card SUB every 48 months, which limits that besides the one Sapphire rule.) I don't think there's a limit on having multiples of the other types such as Marriott, United, or Hyatt cards, for example, but again there is no reason to do that and have multiple AFs.

The most logical card to have a multiple is the Freedom Flex with rotating categories. That allows you to double the capped spending in quarters where one card's limit is too low.

I don't know if you're interested in travel cards or points, but there are combinations known as the Chase bi-fecta; tri-fecta; quad-fecta etc. That's because with a Sapphire card (Preferred or Reserve) or a Business Preferred as the anchor card, you can move cash back as Ultimate Rewards points (UR) to those Sapphires at a penny-a-point. (Cash Back earned on any of the Freedoms or the INK Business cards.) Combined with the Sapphire cards higher rewards value in portal (Preferred 1.25; Reserve 1.5) or the ability to transfer to airline/hotel travel partners at value rates of up to 2 cents per point, that makes the combinations quite valuable if travel is your objective. I didn't like playing the rotating category game with my Freedom although some people love that and the added value in URs. In my case, I felt I was not getting even value-added. However, the Freedom Unlimited earning 3% (3 URs) in drugstores combined with 1.50% everywhere else means that if I want to save up URs for travel, my Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5% x 1.5 (in travel portal magnification) = 2.25% or 1.5 x 2.0 (high transfer value) = 3% on everything I buy. That beats the 1 UR base earnings I get with Chase Sapphire Reserve. So CSR for dining and travel categories; CFU for everything else is a killer combo. And my INK Cash card also plays nicely earning 5% in office supply stores, home television, home internet, cellphone in cash value. But transferred in URs to CSR, those points are 7.5% to 10% in value.

Don't get me wrong; Chase does give good CLIs to some consumers. Yes, I think they are better with it than they used to be. But they do like to see good spending patterns. However, for some reason, they are more generous with new credit. I don't know why, but that seems to be the more simple and fastest way to build larger credit lines with Chase. Their 5/24 rule largely prevents many people from abusing their SUBs unless that person is limiting their new applications and focusing on Chase. Otherwise, you would probably exceed 5/24 easily.

Do I get increases? Well, I did get that $2K last year on that IHG Rewards Premier. I've been over 5/24 lately which has kept me from getting additional increases, if nothing else. Also, my TCL is so high with them that I may be at or near a cap without large assets invested with Chase. My spending is nowhere near my limits and probably never will be, so my spending is unlikely to warrant an increase. In the last couple of years, I think I am at or close to topping out in TCL with several of the large banks including Chase ($156.4K); Bank of America ($99.9K); CITI ($95.5K); AMEX ($95K); and NFCU ($80.0K.) They've all been part of my strategy and I've been knocking them off one at a time.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

SRT4kid93 — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 03:18:09 GMT

@Aim_High

im not interested in travel, but I am interested In multiple freedom unlimited/freedom flex, mostly because they started me with a low limit, so if they won't raise it, getting several unlimited/flex's and then moving the credit limit to my original card will be my only play. (I don't want to end up having a ton of cards, I'm thinking 5 total, so hanging onto the chase cards may not be for me I would rather have 1 card with a high limit over 5 cards with the limits spread across them. And honestly, it shouldn't matter to chase either. Whether they give me 50k all on 1 card, or 10k on 5 different cards. They are still extending 50k credit line. And then they don't have to worry about paying out the sign up bonuses, or worry about me having 5 flex's all with different categories, giving me 1 larger limit card will save them money.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

Gregory1776 — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 15:14:04 GMT

Chase Amazon. 2Ksl 5K cl I asked or it was auto. Don't remember. Then they auto increased it to 22k. Don't think I ever asked for a Cli, but I don't remember.
it is SP now I asked a bit ago for a Cli to 25k no bueno.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

NoHardLimits — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 15:25:18 GMT

@SRT4kid93 wrote:
@Aim_High

im not interested in travel, but I am interested In multiple freedom unlimited/freedom flex, mostly because they started me with a low limit, so if they won't raise it, getting several unlimited/flex's and then moving the credit limit to my original card will be my only play. (I don't want to end up having a ton of cards, I'm thinking 5 total, so hanging onto the chase cards may not be for me I would rather have 1 card with a high limit over 5 cards with the limits spread across them. And honestly, it shouldn't matter to chase either. Whether they give me 50k all on 1 card, or 10k on 5 different cards. They are still extending 50k credit line. And then they don't have to worry about paying out the sign up bonuses, or worry about me having 5 flex's all with different categories, giving me 1 larger limit card will save them money.

Chase's often gives out higher starting limits on their travel cards (Sapphires, airline/hotel co-brands) compared to their general spend core cards (Freedoms). Applying for multiple Freedoms is likely to result in multiple small SLs.

The most common reason for having more than one Freedom is to increase the overall cap on 5% quarterly categories for Flex. The other common reason is that people have downgraded from Sapphire Preferred/Reserve and are looking to keep the account open without the annual fee.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

SRT4kid93 — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:27:35 GMT

@NoHardLimits

Thats too bad as I literally never travel by plane, I guess maybe chase will never be a bank that gives me a high limit, I'll have to look elsewhere. Unfortunately my other cards are also cards that will never give me high limits. Which means at some point I will have to add another 3-4 cards.

im Holding out for Amex as my next card cause I know they are good with limits. I'm also holding out hope for navy fed. Discover can be good but right now they are only offering me the secured card when I check.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

NoHardLimits — Thu, 19 Sep 2024 16:48:55 GMT

@SRT4kid93 wrote:
@NoHardLimits

Thats too bad as I literally never travel by plane, I guess maybe chase will never be a bank that gives me a high limit, I'll have to look elsewhere.

You don't have to keep a travel card for the long term. Just think of it as opening a general credit card. Use it for general spending for a year, and then either downgrade or reallocate the credit limit to another existing card which better matches your spending. The point is to get a card product which increases your chances for a higher starting limit. This strategy might not give you the best rewards returns for your immediate spend, but it will likely give you higher overall credit limits over the long run. You have to decide what primary goal you want to achieve first: higher limits vs rewards.

Re: How is chase with CLI’s

Aim_High — Fri, 20 Sep 2024 02:01:29 GMT

@NoHardLimits wrote:
@SRT4kid93 wrote:
@NoHardLimits

Thats too bad as I literally never travel by plane, I guess maybe chase will never be a bank that gives me a high limit, I'll have to look elsewhere.
You don't have to keep a travel card for the long term. Just think of it as opening a general credit card. Use it for general spending for a year, and then either downgrade or reallocate the credit limit to another existing card which better matches your spending. The point is to get a card product which increases your chances for a higher starting limit. This strategy might not give you the best rewards returns for your immediate spend, but it will likely give you higher overall credit limits over the long run. You have to decide what primary goal you want to achieve first: higher limits vs rewards.

^ ^ ^ ^ This, @SRT4kid93. @NoHardLimits has some great points.

I've written a lot on My FICO about aspects of higher limits. (You can read some of my older posts if you start >HERE< and go back with the links to older threads.) Some variables besides those connected to profile and income are related to the lender and the particular credit card in question. Part of my "theory" of card limits is that, when a new card program is designed, each issuer decides what range of limits *MOST* consumers will fall within for THAT card. (There may be exceptions on the high end due to outsized income and/or assets deposited with the lender, but most approvals will fall in this range.) If you don't meet the lower end for that card, it's denied. You might -but rarely- exceed that window. I've noted that the majority of approvals for particular cards fall within a defined window.

My general hierarchy is:

(1) Subprime profiles approved for subprime cards - often the "toy" limits we see of maybe $1000 or less. Chase doesn't play in this category.

(2) Secured cards, "student" cards, "beginner" cards like the Chase Freedom "Rise"

(3) Generic basic cards with lower APR and typically no AF, but no rewards. For Chase, this would be a card like the Slate Edge.

(4) Rewards Cards with no-AF, and the "better" rewards often come with stricter underwriting and from more desirable lenders but also potentially higher SLs. Chase cards included would be the Freedom Flex, Freedom Unlimited, or Amazon Prime.

(5) Lower AF travel cards, generally in the $50 to $150 AF range. For Chase, cards like the Sapphire Preferred, Marriott Bonvoy Boundless, World of Hyatt, Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier, or United Explorer.

(6) Higher AF travel cards, generally in the $250+ range. The higher fees may get the highest approval limits. For Chase, this would be cards like the Sapphire Reserve, Ritz Carlton, or United CLUB, all Visa Infinite cards.

From my experience with five spaced out but back-to-back applications with Chase, my travel cards got the highest limits and non-travel cards were lower. (See THIS POSTING where I summarized those cards and limits.) The lowest limit was also not the last approval.

CITI approvals have typically been considered "low" by many of our members. But I noted that the higher AF AAdvantage Executive WEMC had a higher SL than most CITI cards. So while some on the forums applied for the Custom Cash and got $5K -$15K limits, myself and several other members got higher limits on the AAdvantage Executive. My SL? $30.5K, which I was able to almost immediately recon into a $5K increase, albeit with another HP. Within 45 days of the application, I had a $35.5K card which was $500 higher than the similar SL for my Chase Sapphire Reserve ($35.0K). You probably couldn't have done that with a Custom Cash. See THIS POST for several other members who got the identical $30.5K SL on the AAdvantage Executive! Coincidence? I think not. We all apparently had a strong enough profile to get the top limit so that odd number repeated itself. And I wasn't seeing any higher approvals on the card. Barclay's approved my AAdvantage Aviator Red WEMC at $22K. Not a bad limit but I also reconned it. Barclays being Barclays, like CITI they wanted to do another HP which I allowed. BOOM. CLI to $50K two days later. Worth the second HP. If these weren't AF-travel cards, I believe those SLs and quick growth would have been very unlikely.

So yes, the travel cards will likely give the most generous limits available.

You say you almost never travel by airplane. That's fine, but you're thinking most likely of an AMEX Platinum, a card that you discussed as a previous goal card in another thread. AMEX Platinum makes the most sense for consumers who buy a lot of airfare (and can reap the benefits of higher earnings on that category) and who therefore spend a lot of time in airports where they will take advantage of the Platinum's industry-leading airport lounge access. Also, Platinum may make sense for even occasional travelers if their natural spending patterns easily recoup the steep AF on the narrowly-focused "coupon credits" on the AMEX charge cards. Beyond those two groups of people, Platinum is a ridiculously large hole in your pocket to keep for the long term. That's why I've never desired or applied for one, and I also realize that the "prestige" for that card is far overblown. My Chase Sapphire Reserve was much more difficult to attain than a Platinum would have been.

The Chase Sapphires, on the other hand, are more balanced travel cards and don't rely on traveling by air. However, they do make sense if you travel or aspire to travel in the future. Chase's definition of "travel" is quite wide, and I believe is only surpassed by Bank of America's definition.

For Chase, merchants in the travel category include:

airlines,
hotels,
motels,
timeshares,
car rental agencies,
cruise lines,
travel agencies,
discount travel sites,
campgrounds

... and operators of:

passenger trains,
buses,
taxis,
limousines,
ferries,
toll bridges and highways and
parking lots and garages.

For more about that and a lot of details about the Chase Sapphire Reserve's value, see THIS POSTING. I've made many postings about the CSR over the years. The posting also details how the travel protections on the CSR and its sister Visa Infinite card, the Ritz Carlton, are the best-in-class for premium travel cards, far surpassing the AMEX Platinum even after AMEX made some improvements to it a few years ago.

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred (CSP) and Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) can be downgraded to the Freedom Unlimited Visa or Freedom Flex Mastercard. You (may) still be able to downgrade to an "original" Freedom which is a Visa. That is a factor for some of our members who prefer that network, for example for shopping at Costco. I believe they will also allow you to downgrade to the "original" no-AF Sapphire card, but a Freedom is a better choice.

The SUB on both the CSP/CSR right now is 60,000 UR (Ultimate Rewards) points. You can cash those in at a penny-a-point or $600. That fully reimburses the $550 AF on CSR plus puts $50 back in your pocket if you downgrade after a year when the next AF posts, but before you pay it. Or, if you elect the CSP, you would pay the $95 AF only once, leaving $505 in your pocket. Just keep in mind that the CSR would likely get you a higher SL if you qualify ($10K is minimum approval.) Also, if you plan to use the cards at all beyond the SUB, the CSR earns higher in some categories such as direct travel purchases (outside of Chase portal.) While CSP earns 5x points for in-portal travel purchases of hotel, rental car, or airfare, the CSR earns the same 5x points on airfare but 10x points on rental car or hotels.

The CSP has a $95 AF with an automatic $50 hotel credit. So if you book one night with the card anytime during the year with any hotel-coded MCC charge exceeding $50, your effective AF is $45 if you decide to keep the card. If you redeem points in-portal for travel, CSP gives you a 25% bonus on points value.

With the CSR, the AF is $550, but *any* of the above travel categories automatically credits the first $300 in travel charges to your card, making the effective AF $250. CSR also reimburses TSA Global Entry/Precheck once every four years ($100/4 years, so a $25 annual value.) CSR also included Roadside Assistance that not only coordinates assistance like a "Roadside Dispatch" plan, but also pays the first $50 up to 4x annually, equivalent to a roughly $60 basic AAA plan. CSR also includes some great shopping perks like Extended Warranty extensions, Return Protection, and Purchase Protection. Right now, there is a complimentary Door Dash "DashPass" membership with $5 monthly DashPass credits ($60 annually), complimentary LyftPink with 10% discount, and the Priority Pass airport Lounge perk among others. There are additional DoorDash credits (up to $20 on CSR) for non-food deliveries. There's a lot more value-added to the card than I'm even summarizing here. Depending on how you value or use all the added perks, the AF could eventually become completely irrelevant, and all without having to set foot on an airplane.

CSP offers similar perks although often not quite as generous as on the CSR. Both cards have PRIMARY rental car CDW, which means the claim is handled without involving your insurance company, paying a deductible, or affecting your insurance rates.

You may decide to keep one of these cards after the first year, but you can always downgrade it. With the SUB, there is no financial risk and you'll probably end up at least a little ahead.