topic Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance in Credit Cards

Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

ScarletFever — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 21:40:44 GMT

Hello, it's been a while. Look forward to catching up, soon. Many forum members have discussed the subject of Discover CLI. The Discover account page has a cli request section that states a hard pull might accompany a cli request. Having hit the Citi luv button recently and receiving a $1600 increase with a sp, I checked your experiencees with Discover and decided to give it a go. I have both cards just under three years, and have been in the garden most of that time, Citi is a $5600 limit. Over that time period, Discover has given me one auto cli, from $2000 to $2500. I carried a balance for a majority of that time, paid on-time every month and now have a zero balance for about 2-3 months. CC balances overall=zero. I called cs to ask for a cli, they transferred me to a cs center in Utah that handles cll. They told me I had to "continue making payments and sit and wait for automatic cli not require a Hp".....in a patronizing tone. I rolled with the punches and accepted it. I went online after thinking about it, and sent a message to cs, along with a cli increase request with a sp, explaining my experience. I received back a pro-forma, pat, standard response stating regrets over "not meeting my cs standard, this time." They asked me to fill out a cs response to the online response. I gave good marks for the attitude of cs, terrible marks for Discover, giving them a "1" on likelihood of recommending them to friends. I also wrote in the comment section that their insincere, standard form letter has no sway with me and did not fix things. Talk about being myopic.Why would I waste a Hp on a $500-$1000 increase? I could likely get significantly more cl with a new account (getting Chase Freedom, Slate, BOA offers regularly,and could probably receive $10,000 or more with Rutgers credit union) Wondering about your experiences with same, likely coming out of garden next month after I pay off auto loan 3 years early, and spree on the aforementioned cards. BTW, don't know FICO scores, just back in game, 732 CreditKarma, 795 Vantage.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

parakleet — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 21:55:55 GMT

Not sure what your complaint is. Is it that they didn't give you a CLI w/o a HP? That's pretty standard. Discover gave me an auto cli from $5.5k to $6.6k so it's definitely possible to get more than than with a HP. You can't say for sure what CLI you would have been able to get with a HP so it's not fair to say that a HP wouldn't have been worth it, no? In any case, I'm sorry that you didn't get a CLI w/o a SP.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

daybreakgonesXe — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:01:03 GMT

First off, just wanted to give a hearty "RU-RAH-RAH!" to you! Nice to see another scarlet knight on the boards!

Although I don't have personal experience with Discover, both my brother and bf have. They've never requested a CLI through any means, and when my brother and I attempted it about a year ago, we got to a screen that said "a credit report may be pulled" and we stopped.

Discover does, however, like a lot of use on the card as well as carrying balances in order to give high CLI. My brother went from $5k --> $5.25k --> $5.5k after a year and a quarter, but he hasn't been carrying a balance until just now as he's taking some time paying off car repairs until he can get his refund check from the school to PIF. My bf went from $1.25k --> $1.5k --> $1.9k --> $3k since he is always carrying a pretty high balance (~30-60% of his CL).

Discover seems to like a certain demographic of CC holders for auto's, and it's up in the air about requesting CLIs. They're usually not the best at reconning higher limits when you get pulled, but if you treat them right and use them frequently, you seem to have the better chance.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:18:13 GMT

I guess I must be the odd person out with discover because I've had them for 7 years now and my limit still stands at 2k with them. The only reoccurring charge I have going to them now is my $8 netflix account.I do remember them giving me a CLI at the end of last year for a whopping $500....but I guess every one is different.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

flowfaster — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:31:26 GMT

Discover will only grant a soft pull CLI every 6 months (usually to the day). I have heard that if you have even one baddie you are denied soft pull customer initiated CLI requests and are redirected to a CSR for a HP attempt. If you have a baddie on your report you might just have to take a hard pull.

In 2 years I have never gotten an auto cli from Discover. However, I have requested a bunch of cli over the automated phone system. Sometimes I would be denied so I would hang up, call back and request a smaller amount. My discover has gone from 1500-2000-5000-7500, all soft pulls over the automated phone system.

That's just how Discover is. If you have anything negative on your report they are not the most CLI friendly bank but if you are squeaky clean, they are great like you read above. If you are looking for higher limits I suggest another bank. Try Amex.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 22:51:00 GMT

Recently, Discover changed their policy to every 90 days. I have been successful in obtaining 2 CLI's in 6 mos starting CL $2500, $800 CLI and lasts months increase it to $7300. I had used the card heavily during the gas category only. Sometimes carried a balance but also PIF. No baddies on my TU and as of Sept FICO was 744.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

ScarletFever — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 23:01:59 GMT

Red team, up-stream! Hp's for cli may be sop for Discover, but are not the rule elsewhere. Many cc companies, including Citi, sp significant cli. It seems arbitrary as evidenced by those on the boards that have received sp cli. No recent baddies, probably have one 30 day from about four years ago...

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 23:09:04 GMT

Requesting a CLI and receiving it by a sp is not SOP by all lenders including Citi. BoA, Chase are just a few that hp for CLI's. I'm sorry that for some reason, you are not meeting their criteria for SP's. Whether the one baddie is the issue or not is unclear

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

dodgerslv — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 23:09:50 GMT

@flowfaster wrote:
Discover will only grant a soft pull CLI every 6 months (usually to the day). I have heard that if you have even one baddie you are denied soft pull customer initiated CLI requests and are redirected to a CSR for a HP attempt. If you have a baddie on your report you might just have to take a hard pull.

In 2 years I have never gotten an auto cli from Discover. However, I have requested a bunch of cli over the automated phone system. Sometimes I would be denied so I would hang up, call back and request a smaller amount. My discover has gone from 1500-2000-5000-7500, all soft pulls over the automated phone system.

That's just how Discover is. If you have anything negative on your report they are not the most CLI friendly bank but if you are squeaky clean, they are great like you read above. If you are looking for higher limits I suggest another bank. Try Amex.

+1...i agree. I have tried to get a CLI via SP twice already and it always declines it because of a collection on my TU report. Had the card over a year and have gotten one auto cli of 500.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

ScarletFever — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 00:25:12 GMT

Yikes. That stinks. I heard they can be stingy.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

n777ua — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 00:48:25 GMT

I was offered a 0% BT for 15 months (or 4.9% with no BT fee)from them, and if I transferred at least $3k they would increase my limit from $6k (where I've been stuck since opening the account 4 years ago) to $9k. Wondering how "temporary" it wouuld be, I wrote myself a check for $3005 @ 4.9%, and let it hit the account. My CL was increased to $9k. I immediately paid off the balance, then waited. That was a couple of months ago now, at least 2 statement cycles...and my CL is still at $9k. I wonder when / if it will go back to $6k. BTW, b/c of their outright refusal on several occasions to ever process a CLI, I don't use the card. Ever.

Also, I pull my reports almost daily, and its still showing a CL of $6k on all three.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

ScarletFever — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:02:08 GMT

Thanks Lexi, good info!

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

ScarletFever — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:13:16 GMT

I saw many members that said BT was the ticket to high cl..that being said, good job holding back business from them , I will be doing same. Hate bureaucratic responses.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

parakleet — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:15:34 GMT

Discover is known for liking heavy usage so you holding back your business from them probably won't have the desired effect of a SP CLI.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:24:15 GMT

@n777ua wrote:
@I was offered a 0% BT for 15 months (or 4.9% with no BT fee)from them, and if I transferred at least $3k they would increase my limit from $6k (where I've been stuck since opening the account 4 years ago) to $9k. Wondering how "temporary" it wouuld be, I wrote myself a check for $3005 @ 4.9%, and let it hit the account. My CL was increased to $9k. I immediately paid off the balance, then waited. That was a couple of months ago now, at least 2 statement cycles...and my CL is still at $9k. I wonder when / if it will go back to $6k. BTW, b/c of their outright refusal on several occasions to ever process a CLI, I don't use the card. Ever.

Also, I pull my reports almost daily, and its still showing a CL of $6k on all three.

Your increase will probably last for a year. I was given a temporary increase of 3k to 19k if I did a balance transfer and I was told it would last for a year and after the year the limit was reduced back to 16 until i asked for a permanent increase back to 19 and they gave it VIA soft pull

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

ScarletFever — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:22:28 GMT

I'm not sure giving them business and paying on time is any guarantee, either. The cc co. That demonstrates a willingness to be responsive is who gets my business. No more groveling and hoping cc co's play ball. Either, they show the luv, or they don't.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

leoment — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:31:12 GMT

There may be some merit to the BT/clean file comments:

I was approved for the card with a $3k limit in 2011, auto CLI to $3750 sometime in 2012 (I want to say around the 1 year mark), and this year alone have taken it from

$3750->$6000->$10000.

When submitting my last CLI request, I did put for the reasoning that I was interested in doing a balance transfer, so I don't know if that helped it go through or not, but all CLIs were SP. Squeaky clean file on all reports as well.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

dodgerslv — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:37:38 GMT

what really is a bummer is that i am getting denied a CLI via SP because of a 51 dollar paid collection on my TU report that is only 3 years old. Oh well, got no one else to blame but myself for that. I will eventually take a HP once my new accounts age a bit more and ask for the world with them.

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

ScarletFever — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:40:19 GMT

Sounds like too much work just to get a decent cl...

Re: Discover CLI, Hard-Pull Arrogance

AndySoCal — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 01:42:33 GMT

Techniclaly, CLI is a request for new credit and should be hard pull. If and when they will do a credit increase without a hard pull is up to the credit card company. I used the web site received a 1K increase without a a hard pull from Discover.