topic Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use in Credit Cards

Citi CLD for Non-Use

UncleB — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:23:56 GMT

I was checking my accounts making sure all my payments posted (they did) but when scrolling through my Citi cards I noticed something looked odd with my Double Cash... my limit was lowered from $17,200 to $15,140.

I looked around the dashboard and found the 'notices and letters' section, and sure enough, there is a letter from a few days ago titled, "WE'VE UPDATED YOUR CREDIT LIMIT" (in all caps, LOL). It is Citi's standard CLD for non-use letter:

Hi, UncleB. We frequently review cardmember accounts - a recent review of your Citi®
Double Cash Mastercard® account shows that a significant portion of your available
credit limit is not being used.

Based on your current credit limit usage, we've decided to lower your credit limit from
$17,200 to $15,140, of which $760 is available for cash advances.

If you'd like to request the reinstatement of your current credit limit, you can call us at the
number on the back of your card within the next 60 days. Please note that if you contact
us after 60 days, we will consider this as a new credit limit increase request.

For background, until around February this account had between $2k and $3k in use each month. Since then (roughly six months) it's only received minimal use, less than $100 some months down to $0 other months (especially after the nerf of the Rewards+ back in the summer).

There are no new baddies, no high utilization, no HPs, or other 'flags'... I believe the reason in the letter is genuine. My FICO Bankcard Score 8 as reported by Citi themselves is 885 (out of 900) so no worries there (I've been sitting on my hands for a while - no new accounts or HPs in over two years - thus the good Bankcard score). FICO 8 scores are all 850 across the board. My other three Citi cards are untouched.

I have to admit the CLD caught me slightly off-guard, but most surprising was the amount - I'm surprised they weren't more aggressive. In any case the account is just as usable to me as it was a few days ago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So, what's next? Good question... I've decided *not* to call and request the old limit to be reinstated. Why? Well, they're right; I'm really not using the card much these days, and I probably won't be. The old Citi Rewards+ made the Double Cash (very) marginally better than my other 2% options, but with that now gone there's no reason to use the DC over my several other 2% non-category options. This situation is making me consider calling in to see if I can simply PC the card to another Custom Cash (it would be #4) but I'm not sure if that's worth it (still thinking on this). At least then it would occasionally get some use, though. Another consideration is that I might be looking at the Citi AAdvantage MC next year, and having (slightly) lower exposure might be helpful.

Unrelated, I also got a CLD from Belk a few months ago - this one was expected (no use for over 18 months). The credit line went from $5K to $1024 (typical Synch CLD limit). I could likely get this bumped back up as well but I'm also leaving it alone, since (again) they're not wrong, and frankly I only keep it around for the age, anyway - it's 19 years old. Also I don't see any point in poking Synch for a CLI that I really don't even care about.

Hopefully someone will find these data points useful.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

NoMoreE46 — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:10:09 GMT

Good DP on a CLD from Citi. Six

months timeframe on a very low risk profile seems aggressive from a big bank but it is what it is.

The actual CLD amount is also interesting.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

GZG — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:04:34 GMT

great dps, but do consider taking the CLD as a chance to lower your limit to a full whole number

15,000 just looks so much nicer on the credit report

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

UncleB — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:16:38 GMT

@NoMoreE46 wrote:
Good DP on a CLD from Citi. Six
months timeframe on an a very low risk profile seems aggressive from a big bank but it is what it is.
The actual CLD amount is also interesting.

I know, right?

The funny thing is, while it did have consistent monthly use for the last few years before that it got very little use at all (this was PC'ed years ago from a Diamond Preferred). During those years of mostly no activity they weren't bothered in the least.

I also find the new credit line curious. First, it's a really weird number (like many folks I prefer a nice, round number but thankfully I'm not too hung-up on it or else this would be maddening, ha). Second, since they bothered with a CLD at all I would have expected them to go a bit further yet they didn't. Taking a little over $2k from a card with a $17.2k credit line seems kinda pointless (although obviously the Citi algorithm disagrees). 🤔

I'm still tossing around the idea of a PC to a(nother) Custom Cash. In that case they can lower it to $1k if they want and I'll be fine.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

UncleB — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 18:19:48 GMT

@GZG wrote:
great dps, but do consider taking the CLD as a chance to lower your limit to a full whole number

15,000 just looks so much nicer on the credit report

LOL, I actually considered doing just that, but with Citi being Citi I figured might as well leave well enough alone. With my luck the rep would get confused by the request and I'd end up with a closed account.

Although to be fair, the last couple of times I've had to speak with a rep (about PCs) they've been pretty good.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

ElvisCaprice — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 08:34:13 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
I was checking my accounts making sure all my payments posted (they did) but when scrolling through my Citi cards I noticed something looked odd with my Double Cash... my limit was lowered from $17,200 to $15,140.

I looked around the dashboard and found the 'notices and letters' section, and sure enough, there is a letter from a few days ago titled, "WE'VE UPDATED YOUR CREDIT LIMIT" (in all caps, LOL). It is Citi's standard CLD for non-use letter:

Hi, UncleB. We frequently review cardmember accounts - a recent review of your Citi®
Double Cash Mastercard® account shows that a significant portion of your available
credit limit is not being used.

Based on your current credit limit usage, we've decided to lower your credit limit from
$17,200 to $15,140, of which $760 is available for cash advances.

If you'd like to request the reinstatement of your current credit limit, you can call us at the
number on the back of your card within the next 60 days. Please note that if you contact
us after 60 days, we will consider this as a new credit limit increase request.

For background, until around February this account had between $2k and $3k in use each month. Since then (roughly six months) it's only received minimal use, less than $100 some months down to $0 other months (especially after the nerf of the Rewards+ back in the summer).

There are no new baddies, no high utilization, no HPs, or other 'flags'... I believe the reason in the letter is genuine. My FICO Bankcard Score 8 as reported by Citi themselves is 885 (out of 900) so no worries there (I've been sitting on my hands for a while - no new accounts or HPs in over two years - thus the good Bankcard score). FICO 8 scores are all 850 across the board. My other three Citi cards are untouched.

I have to admit the CLD caught me slightly off-guard, but most surprising was the amount - I'm surprised they weren't more aggressive. In any case the account is just as usable to me as it was a few days ago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So, what's next? Good question... I've decided *not* to call and request the old limit to be reinstated. Why? Well, they're right; I'm really not using the card much these days, and I probably won't be. The old Citi Rewards+ made the Double Cash (very) marginally better than my other 2% options, but with that now gone there's no reason to use the DC over my several other 2% non-category options. This situation is making me consider calling in to see if I can simply PC the card to another Custom Cash (it would be #4) but I'm not sure if that's worth it (still thinking on this). At least then it would occasionally get some use, though. Another consideration is that I might be looking at the Citi AAdvantage MC next year, and having (slightly) lower exposure might be helpful.

Unrelated, I also got a CLD from Belk a few months ago - this one was expected (no use for over 18 months). The credit line went from $5K to $1024 (typical Synch CLD limit). I could likely get this bumped back up as well but I'm also leaving it alone, since (again) they're not wrong, and frankly I only keep it around for the age, anyway - it's 19 years old. Also I don't see any point in poking Synch for a CLI that I really don't even care about.

Hopefully someone will find these data points useful.

I would call Citi and get that cash advance feature reduced to zero. Citi is great for this allowance. I would also do the PC to Custom Cash and ask for a further CLD, at least to 5 or 6k max CL (I have mine at 1k), since you'll never spend more than $500 in a month for a category bonus. This would clear up some TCL Citi headroom for that AA card next year and keep Citi from ever performing a CLD again.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

NAVYCHOP — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 15:49:53 GMT

Uncle B, I find Citi cryptic with all this. About six years ago, Citi reduced my Costco card from $9,900 with no lates, always PIF, to $500 when I had high credit utilization with other cards. OK, I understand that reason that they may have been spooked by other high balance cards. It has taken me many years of credit increase requests every six months to get the Citi Costco back up to $10,500 this summer.

However, during that time I had a AA Advantage Exec card with Citi that never decreased below the $20k starting limit. I used the Citi AA card for lounge access and only make about one charge annually on the card. Yet last year after the card anniversary they gave me an auto

CLI to $30k. Then this year they gave me another auto CLI to $34k. I never thought one transaction a year would merit auto CLIs like this.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

Thomas_Thumb — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:32:49 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
I was checking my accounts making sure all my payments posted (they did) but when scrolling through my Citi cards I noticed something looked odd with my Double Cash... my limit was lowered from $17,200 to $15,140.

I looked around the dashboard and found the 'notices and letters' section, and sure enough, there is a letter from a few days ago titled, "WE'VE UPDATED YOUR CREDIT LIMIT" (in all caps, LOL). It is Citi's standard CLD for non-use letter:

Hi, UncleB.

Based on your current credit limit usage, we've decided to lower your credit limit from
$17,200 to $15,140, of which $760 is available for cash advances.

For background, until around February this account had between $2k and $3k in use each month. Since then (roughly six months) it's only received minimal use, less than $100 some months down to $0 other months (especially after the nerf of the Rewards+ back in the summer).

There are no new baddies, no high utilization, no HPs, or other 'flags'... I believe the reason in the letter is genuine. My FICO Bankcard Score 8 as reported by Citi themselves is 885 (out of 900) so no worries there. My other three Citi cards are untouched.

I have to admit the CLD caught me slightly off-guard, but most surprising was the amount - I'm surprised they weren't more aggressive.

Hopefully someone will find these data points useful.

^ Agree. The CLD is not surprising. The drop seems unusually small. It may be a warning shot. "Get back in the game or face additional consequences".

The drop was likely moderated by higher historical use on the card.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

dfwxjer — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 20:06:59 GMT

@ElvisCaprice wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
I was checking my accounts making sure all my payments posted (they did) but when scrolling through my Citi cards I noticed something looked odd with my Double Cash... my limit was lowered from $17,200 to $15,140.

I looked around the dashboard and found the 'notices and letters' section, and sure enough, there is a letter from a few days ago titled, "WE'VE UPDATED YOUR CREDIT LIMIT" (in all caps, LOL). It is Citi's standard CLD for non-use letter:

Hi, UncleB. We frequently review cardmember accounts - a recent review of your Citi®
Double Cash Mastercard® account shows that a significant portion of your available
credit limit is not being used.

Based on your current credit limit usage, we've decided to lower your credit limit from
$17,200 to $15,140, of which $760 is available for cash advances.

If you'd like to request the reinstatement of your current credit limit, you can call us at the
number on the back of your card within the next 60 days. Please note that if you contact
us after 60 days, we will consider this as a new credit limit increase request.

For background, until around February this account had between $2k and $3k in use each month. Since then (roughly six months) it's only received minimal use, less than $100 some months down to $0 other months (especially after the nerf of the Rewards+ back in the summer).

There are no new baddies, no high utilization, no HPs, or other 'flags'... I believe the reason in the letter is genuine. My FICO Bankcard Score 8 as reported by Citi themselves is 885 (out of 900) so no worries there (I've been sitting on my hands for a while - no new accounts or HPs in over two years - thus the good Bankcard score). FICO 8 scores are all 850 across the board. My other three Citi cards are untouched.

I have to admit the CLD caught me slightly off-guard, but most surprising was the amount - I'm surprised they weren't more aggressive. In any case the account is just as usable to me as it was a few days ago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So, what's next? Good question... I've decided *not* to call and request the old limit to be reinstated. Why? Well, they're right; I'm really not using the card much these days, and I probably won't be. The old Citi Rewards+ made the Double Cash (very) marginally better than my other 2% options, but with that now gone there's no reason to use the DC over my several other 2% non-category options. This situation is making me consider calling in to see if I can simply PC the card to another Custom Cash (it would be #4) but I'm not sure if that's worth it (still thinking on this). At least then it would occasionally get some use, though. Another consideration is that I might be looking at the Citi AAdvantage MC next year, and having (slightly) lower exposure might be helpful.

Unrelated, I also got a CLD from Belk a few months ago - this one was expected (no use for over 18 months). The credit line went from $5K to $1024 (typical Synch CLD limit). I could likely get this bumped back up as well but I'm also leaving it alone, since (again) they're not wrong, and frankly I only keep it around for the age, anyway - it's 19 years old. Also I don't see any point in poking Synch for a CLI that I really don't even care about.

Hopefully someone will find these data points useful.
I would call Citi and get that cash advance feature reduced to zero. Citi is great for this allowance. I would also do the PC to Custom Cash and ask for a further CLD, at least to 5 or 6k max CL (I have mine at 1k), since you'll never spend more than $500 in a month for a category bonus. This would clear up some TCL Citi headroom for that AA card next year and keep Citi from ever performing a CLD again.

You crack me up every time you post your card strategy. I'm glad it works for you, but neutering your own credit lines is bizarre unless it's a mental thing to prevent overspending.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

ElvisCaprice — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 08:08:59 GMT

@dfwxjer wrote:
@ElvisCaprice wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
I was checking my accounts making sure all my payments posted (they did) but when scrolling through my Citi cards I noticed something looked odd with my Double Cash... my limit was lowered from $17,200 to $15,140.

I looked around the dashboard and found the 'notices and letters' section, and sure enough, there is a letter from a few days ago titled, "WE'VE UPDATED YOUR CREDIT LIMIT" (in all caps, LOL). It is Citi's standard CLD for non-use letter:

Hi, UncleB. We frequently review cardmember accounts - a recent review of your Citi®
Double Cash Mastercard® account shows that a significant portion of your available
credit limit is not being used.

Based on your current credit limit usage, we've decided to lower your credit limit from
$17,200 to $15,140, of which $760 is available for cash advances.

If you'd like to request the reinstatement of your current credit limit, you can call us at the
number on the back of your card within the next 60 days. Please note that if you contact
us after 60 days, we will consider this as a new credit limit increase request.

For background, until around February this account had between $2k and $3k in use each month. Since then (roughly six months) it's only received minimal use, less than $100 some months down to $0 other months (especially after the nerf of the Rewards+ back in the summer).

There are no new baddies, no high utilization, no HPs, or other 'flags'... I believe the reason in the letter is genuine. My FICO Bankcard Score 8 as reported by Citi themselves is 885 (out of 900) so no worries there (I've been sitting on my hands for a while - no new accounts or HPs in over two years - thus the good Bankcard score). FICO 8 scores are all 850 across the board. My other three Citi cards are untouched.

I have to admit the CLD caught me slightly off-guard, but most surprising was the amount - I'm surprised they weren't more aggressive. In any case the account is just as usable to me as it was a few days ago. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

So, what's next? Good question... I've decided *not* to call and request the old limit to be reinstated. Why? Well, they're right; I'm really not using the card much these days, and I probably won't be. The old Citi Rewards+ made the Double Cash (very) marginally better than my other 2% options, but with that now gone there's no reason to use the DC over my several other 2% non-category options. This situation is making me consider calling in to see if I can simply PC the card to another Custom Cash (it would be #4) but I'm not sure if that's worth it (still thinking on this). At least then it would occasionally get some use, though. Another consideration is that I might be looking at the Citi AAdvantage MC next year, and having (slightly) lower exposure might be helpful.

Unrelated, I also got a CLD from Belk a few months ago - this one was expected (no use for over 18 months). The credit line went from $5K to $1024 (typical Synch CLD limit). I could likely get this bumped back up as well but I'm also leaving it alone, since (again) they're not wrong, and frankly I only keep it around for the age, anyway - it's 19 years old. Also I don't see any point in poking Synch for a CLI that I really don't even care about.

Hopefully someone will find these data points useful.
I would call Citi and get that cash advance feature reduced to zero. Citi is great for this allowance. I would also do the PC to Custom Cash and ask for a further CLD, at least to 5 or 6k max CL (I have mine at 1k), since you'll never spend more than $500 in a month for a category bonus. This would clear up some TCL Citi headroom for that AA card next year and keep Citi from ever performing a CLD again.
You crack me up every time you post your card strategy. I'm glad it works for you, but neutering your own credit lines is bizarre unless it's a mental thing to prevent overspending.

Nope, it's controlling your CL to your needs, yet maintaining proper utilization. What I find bizarre is asking for CLI's or allowing the issuers to give a CLI for no reason or benefit when proper utilization has already been achieved. Why allow the issuer to suck up some of your total CL when you could use that CL on another card opening? Has absolutely no benefit to credit score (or rewards) and you open yourself up to future CLD's when the issuer has a change of strategy.

As far as credit file, I probably wouldn't ask for a CLD either, unless done at a proper strategic moment, like upon issuance of SL or like now, when an issuer CLD has been performed. It's a YMMV, dependent on the strenth of your credit file.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

UncleB — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:32:22 GMT

@ElvisCaprice wrote:
I would call Citi and get that cash advance feature reduced to zero. Citi is great for this allowance. I would also do the PC to Custom Cash and ask for a further CLD, at least to 5 or 6k max CL (I have mine at 1k), since you'll never spend more than $500 in a month for a category bonus. This would clear up some TCL Citi headroom for that AA card next year and keep Citi from ever performing a CLD again.

Right now I'm leaning toward going for the PC (assuming it's an option). I hear ya on lowering the cash limit, but it'll never be used anyway (I don't even have the PINs for my Citi cards) and it's already pretty low so I'll likely just leave it alone. While my interactions with Citi have been positive so far, I try to keep them to a minimum.

Good thoughts on thinking ahead for the possible AAdvantage app... I'm still months out for that, but will definitely give this some consideration before that time comes.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

UncleB — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:37:01 GMT

@NAVYCHOP wrote:
Uncle B, I find Citi cryptic with all this. About six years ago, Citi reduced my Costco card from $9,900 with no lates, always PIF, to $500 when I had high credit utilization with other cards. OK, I understand that reason that they may have been spooked by other high balance cards. It has taken me many years of credit increase requests every six months to get the Citi Costco back up to $10,500 this summer.

However, during that time I had a AA Advantage Exec card with Citi that never decreased below the $20k starting limit. I used the Citi AA card for lounge access and only make about one charge annually on the card. Yet last year after the card anniversary they gave me an auto
CLI to $30k. Then this year they gave me another auto CLI to $34k. I never thought one transaction a year would merit auto CLIs like this.

That's so wild... the Costco Visa and all the AAdvantage cards are considered 'core' Citi cards (as opposed to Citi Retail) and one would think they would have similar underwriting, but apparently that's not the case.

To borrow a quote from Churchill, "It's a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma..."

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

UncleB — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 21:38:19 GMT

@Thomas_Thumb wrote:
^ Agree. The CLD is not surprising. The drop seems unusually small. It may be a warning shot. "Get back in the game or face additional consequences".

The drop was likely moderated by higher historical use on the card.

This was precisely my thought as well.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

CreditCuriosity — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 22:30:25 GMT

@UncleB you post motivated me to actually call CITI today and request CLD's on two of my custom cash's with them my 34k one I asked them to reduce it to 20k and had another one at 14k and asked them to reduce it to 10k. No need for those limits i had or even have now on the card unless i was to do a BT which I am not lol. Also gives me breathing room on AA when apply next year with them for more miles.. Also with that said I closed out my Alliant VS card since nerf bat was coming very soon at only 10k and my Aviatitor barclay's card at 25k today as want the sign-up bonus when goes to citi early next year. I tried to also close out my affinity CC as have amazon covered but they want me to put that in writting and upload my request to them (talking about stupid!). So that card will live to survive another day and let them close it to non use eventually as not about to write them a letter with a pic of my DL's for them to close it. Might chop one or two more cards soon as well as did a few a few weeks ago being USBank AR as mentioned and my Delta Blue Amex that was a few years old after downgrading gold to blue and holding to not anger AMEX. Might close my SECU MD card as well as another card I charge t every 6 mons to and offers no value to me. My card deck is getting close to being able to fit in a desk of playing cards although have a few more to go like 10 lol. A bit side tracked but long story short I AA'ed myself with Citi due to this post and wanting skin with them in the future as have BB at 19k and also a business AA card at 20k. So sure I was near there max for me?

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

ElvisCaprice — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:50:57 GMT

@UncleB wrote:
@Thomas_Thumb wrote:
^ Agree. The CLD is not surprising. The drop seems unusually small. It may be a warning shot. "Get back in the game or face additional consequences".

The drop was likely moderated by higher historical use on the card.
This was precisely my thought as well.

And if you came back with a voluntary CLD to 5k, then what would they think? Not a dam thing, lol, shrug their shoulders, give up. They will give you more CL to keep your spend and suck the oxygen (credit) out of the room to keep it on their CC. But when that doesn't work, try a CLD. You just need to show them who's running the show on your credit needs/spend. I bet with a big voluntary CLD, that the games would end, and Citi would leave you alone to play them how ever you see fit.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

dfwxjer — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:51:12 GMT

@ElvisCaprice wrote:
@UncleB wrote:
@Thomas_Thumb wrote:
^ Agree. The CLD is not surprising. The drop seems unusually small. It may be a warning shot. "Get back in the game or face additional consequences".

The drop was likely moderated by higher historical use on the card.
This was precisely my thought as well.
And if you came back with a voluntary CLD to 5k, then what would they think? Not a dam thing, lol, shrug their shoulders, give up. They will give you more CL to keep your spend and suck the oxygen (credit) out of the room to keep it on their CC. But when that doesn't work, try a CLD. You just need to show them who's running the show on your credit needs/spend. I bet with a big voluntary CLD, that the games would end, and Citi would leave you alone to play them how ever you see fit.

Voluntarily neutering one's credit lines doesn't have any impact when the big banks run their algo to determine if lines need to be cut. It's not like it takes the cardholder off their radar, or excludes them from the data pull. I think you're putting too much stock in the voluntary CLD move.

I'd rather have the credit line and not need it, vs need it and not have it.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

NAVYCHOP — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 05:06:21 GMT

@UncleB
To borrow a quote from Churchill, "It's a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma..."

Uncle B, thanks for the wonderful Churchill quote and pardon me for being slightly off topic-- when I read your Churchill quote it reminds me of one of my favorite Mark Twain quotes: "Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is never enough.."

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

unsungivy — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 13:04:33 GMT

@ElvisCaprice wrote:
@dfwxjer wrote:
@ElvisCaprice wrote:
I would call Citi and get that cash advance feature reduced to zero. Citi is great for this allowance. I would also do the PC to Custom Cash and ask for a further CLD, at least to 5 or 6k max CL (I have mine at 1k), since you'll never spend more than $500 in a month for a category bonus. This would clear up some TCL Citi headroom for that AA card next year and keep Citi from ever performing a CLD again.
You crack me up every time you post your card strategy. I'm glad it works for you, but neutering your own credit lines is bizarre unless it's a mental thing to prevent overspending.
Nope, it's controlling your CL to your needs, yet maintaining proper utilization. What I find bizarre is asking for CLI's or allowing the issuers to give a CLI for no reason or benefit when proper utilization has already been achieved. Why allow the issuer to suck up some of your total CL when you could use that CL on another card opening? Has absolutely no benefit to credit score (or rewards) and you open yourself up to future CLD's when the issuer has a change of strategy.

As far as credit file, I probably wouldn't ask for a CLD either, unless done at a proper strategic moment, like upon issuance of SL or like now, when an issuer CLD has been performed. It's a YMMV, dependent on the strenth of your credit file.

I agree with you on setting cash advance to $0, or as close as they will allow you to get to it. Sane MyFICOers would never use the cash advance, and it protects your cards from being run up at ATMs if stolen.

However, unless you have a specific reason to need to free up credit with a lender so you can use it for another card, lowering your CLI seems like a BAD strategy. For two reasons. First, from my experience, when lenders look at your credit file, they're not only looking at what you have with them, they look at how much credit other banks trust you with... they both want to see if you're "credit seeking", but also, having higher limits at other banks per account seems to signal that you CAN be trusted with higher limits. I have absolutely seen a snowball effect with being given higher SLs that is unrelated to my credit score.

Secondly, having more credit in general helps your overall utilization %.

Because shizznit happens.

Throwing your emergency kit out the window just because it's taking up space is poor planning.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

ElvisCaprice — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:40:01 GMT

@unsungivy wrote:
I agree with you on setting cash advance to $0, or as close as they will allow you to get to it. Sane MyFICOers would never use the cash advance, and it protects your cards from being run up at ATMs if stolen.

However, unless you have a specific reason to need to free up credit with a lender so you can use it for another card, lowering your CLI seems like a BAD strategy. For two reasons. First, from my experience, when lenders look at your credit file, they're not only looking at what you have with them, they look at how much credit other banks trust you with... they both want to see if you're "credit seeking", but also, having higher limits at other banks per account seems to signal that you CAN be trusted with higher limits. I have absolutely seen a snowball effect with being given higher SLs that is unrelated to my credit score.

Secondly, having more credit in general helps your overall utilization %.

Because shizznit happens.

Throwing your emergency kit out the window just because it's taking up space is poor planning.

Guess you missed the main title and just of the thread. The OP had already received an involuntary CLD from the issuer. This alone could be a big red flag to other issuers but for an advanced credit file like the OP's not a big deal. Also the OP's credit limit was far beyond necessary for any possible utilization needs, considering that a suggested PC to another CCC was never going to have any spend of more than $500 per month. Thus my suggestion, for long term usage, to voluntarily CLD to a CL that would be sufficient for any maximum $500 spend and yet maintain proper utilization. The timing was right if the PC followed thru.

Now that being said, yes you are correct, higher limits beget higher limits SL/CL, but if you don't need those higher limits and they are far beyond your spending needs for proper utilization, then you probably would be wise, on longer term CC's, to get SL/CL's that fit your needs for your spend. Thus the CLD can be an effective tool to accomplish that with the right timing in place. Trust is another issue and the mere fact that they are willing to give you a line of credit, means, regardless of CL/SL they believe you will be responsible.

Personally, I use the CLD, so that I don't have a snowball effect in SL/CL from issuers. Because issuers have an alternative motive, they want to give you higher credit limits (as long as you qualify) so as to crowd out other issuers from taking away your business from their lines of credit to you. I call this sucking the oxygen out of the room (eating up your possible total credit limit). And what not a better tool to cajole spend out of you in the future than an involuntary CLD if you don't comply. Don't allow the issuers, dictate, SL/CL.

By controlling your CL's and open lines of credit, I believe your setting yourself up for long term health with the likely hood of any involuntary CLD's becoming negligible, yet retain the ability to add to your total CL with new lines of credit as the market changes with better products that fit your changing needs.

CC's are just a safer means than cash to make payments and get rewarded. I would never rely on them for anything other than that. Including emergencies. You should have the means to PIF at any time. Anything else is poor planning on your part. Keep one or two lines of credit, like a general flat rate CC, at higher limits for emergency payments. Probably 10 to 20k is all that is needed, your call for your needs.

More is not necesarily better. As is too little. Need to find where it's just right.

Re: Citi CLD for Non-Use

firefox100 — Mon, 13 Oct 2025 14:46:47 GMT

Citi AI and there computer algorithms are just plane worng and in the long run hurt Citi bank. Why cut the credit limit of a customer with great credit scores and great income, or you do is make the card holder stop using your account and use his other accounts and may be he will stop doing business with your bank this just turns off the customer to your credit cards. I agree with Uncle B not to cut limits and request the limit to be brought back to the Orignal limit. For example I have 2 cards with Citi bank one of the is the custom cash with 8K limit for the past several years can't get increase because I don't use enough of the limit, but here is the crazy thing every month I get an email offering me a citi loan on my custom cash mastercard why would I take out a loan this account if I took a 3K loan my UL would be around 35% and my scores would drop. Most creditcard uses would not know this and just hurt their scores and that could cause other lenders to do credit limit custs. In Uncle B case if Citi would leave the limit alone then he may in the future may take out a loan, I agree the double cash is not greatest card any more. For example I have the Bread cashback card which gives me the 2 percent cashback right away after the charge not wateing for statement to close and they want to see a payment first before you get the whole 2 percent on your spending. Citi is just short- minded in the long run.