Amex Delta Reserve Denial low credit card limit

[MBCLA]

Amex Delta Reserve application was denied.  Delta Diamond  for many years.  Fico Ex. 797 EQ 770 and TU 768.  No bankruptcy, no negative history or late payments.  Only one CC as I pay all my expenses, purchases, travel etc. at once usually bank card, or check etc. --  CC card with $1500 only for hotel and rental car reservation with credit utilization  .03 , Salary +$150k verified with bank statements. No debts. 

Amex Rep said my credit limit on my current card is too low. 😂  As I don't usually use credit can someone please explain this rational.  

[GZG]

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@MBCLA wrote:

Amex Delta Reserve application was denied.  Delta Diamond  for many years.  Fico Ex. 797 EQ 770 and TU 768.  No bankruptcy, no negative history or late payments.  Only one CC as I pay all my expenses, purchases, travel etc. at once usually bank card, or check etc. --  CC card with $1500 only for hotel and rental car reservation with credit utilization  .03 , Salary +$150k verified with bank statements. No debts. 

Amex Rep said my credit limit on my current card is too low. 😂  As I don't usually use credit can someone please explain this rational.  

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lenders like to see you have history with similar cards, particularly for high limit cards or cards with high CL minimums

one $1500 CL, even if it's a 10 year+ history isn't evidence that you can handle a big $10k+ CL and a $650 AF 

you should get a few extra cards and work on building your CL's so other lenders won't be so skittish when you want a nicer travel card 

what card is your current credit card?

in amex's mind: "why would a person who only has a history with a boring, small $1,500 credit card want our $650 af delta reserve card, that doesn't make sense and I don't trust it". 

[MBCLA]

Thanks for replying.  I don't use credit for anything normally.  I got the CC w 1500 limit only for reservations. Most car rental need  a CC for reservations.  I still pay the bill at the time of service.  I just didn't understand the rational Amex gave me.  I'm not pressed, as my method obviously works for me.  I wanted to get the 100k skymiles to add to my 400k current Delta skymiles for incidentals and upgrades etc.  they invited me to apply later but my situation probably won't change as I see no purpose in getting another CC with higher limit just to get approved for Amex.  

[creditrizz]

Ask 'em for a CLI that limit is too small for the cost of things in  2025. What if you need to rent a car for two weeks, it probably won't even get approved with the damage deposit they usually add. Weird that they didn't increase it automatically at all over all that time. 

[FicoMike0]

As I found out, you must have credit to get credit. I'm long retired. I closed my credit cards and used cash or debit for years. I counted on my dw having a card for rental cars and hotels. About two years ago, she had a problem while we were on a trip. I decided I should have a backup. I was unscorable! My longtime local bank approved me for a $500 card anyway. About six months later, with a total limit of $2500, I applied for amex bce, approved for $6,000. I got an auto cli to $9000 at six months, requested and approved cli of $27,000 at one year.

You should definitely cli your present card.

I agree, you sort of jumped the shark going from $1500 to a high fee card. Why not try the delta gold? 70,000 Mile bonus, no fee first year. Once in with amex for a while, you can upgrade and pay the big fee, lol. I don't really travel much and I recently got the amex hilton as well.

[markbeiser]

You have to play the game, at least a little, to level up!

[Berk]

You sound exactly like my father. He was an investment banker. Had one credit card his entire life. Final credit limit was 10K and he woudl get mad at the bank every time they increased his limit. He only used it when he absolutely had to - car rentals and hotel reservations mostly. Plane, train, and boat tix were all purchased through an agent. He used Amex Travelers Cheques for every vacation we took. I can count on one hand the number of times I saw him actually use his card. Never did understand why people needed more than one card and didn't care about cash back or rewards points. 

He was a great man and probably one of the most financially savvy people I know.

[cashorcharge]

If you're serious about accruing those Delta benefits, perhaps start with the lower tier Delta Card and then upgrade/product change up to get to the greater benefits of the Reserve Card

[MBCLA]

Your father sounds like a remarkable man with a disciplined and thoughtful approach to finances. It's clear he valued simplicity and had a strong sense of control over his spending, which is how I am hoping to emulate him... a lesson many could learn from today IMHO. I admire his methods of using Amex Travelers Cheques back then and using a single credit card only when necessary speaks to a time when financial tools were less about perks and more about practicality.  Recognize things are different today but I believe his financial principles are timeless. I believe the trick is to do both-- be like your dad and use credit wisely like many on this forum, but unfortunately most Americans don't. 

I hope your post about him will be a  reminder that being financially savvy doesn’t always mean chasing points (like me), rewards or trends—it can simply mean being intentional, avoiding debt, and sticking to principles that ensure stability and security and a happy life.   He truly sounds like a great person that I'm sure I would've loved getting to know. 

.

[MBCLA]

I already have all the perks of Delta Reserve. I only wanted the 100k skymiles points as I'm accumulating them for free flights and upgrades when my Diamond status isn't The highest priority on the flight.  I don't use the Delta Lounges as it's too crowded with all the Amex card holders. I prefer the Private Suites Lounges-- a bit more costly but worth it to me since there's one in my home based airport where I regularly fly  from.,.. maybe I'm missing out on garnering points through spending on the AMEX card.  Then you're right I should consider a lower card. I'll take that into consideration if I come back to obtaining AMEX in the future.  Thanks for your advice.  It was sound advice in my opinion.