Credit Line Increase with new CC's

[Anonymous]

The auto CLIs I've gotten occurred:

Citi: every 6 months after opening the card.  This occurred  for 6 years. Card was used a lot. Toward the end of the semi annual increases they were larger. No CLIs, automatic or requested in 13 years.

DISCOVER: had 1 about a year after I opened it. Not a ton of spend on it. 

Chase: one auto CLI after 15 months of heavy spend and carrying a balance on a 0% offer. Received it after PIF. I have another Chase card and I'll see if I can get another auto CLI after PIF at the end of 0%. Spend won't be as heavy as the first time.

Capital one: auto CLI after first year, ton of spend. None since. Requested CLI denied.

Amex: no auto CLI. 2 CLI requests successful. Not a ton of spend.

BoA: no auto CLI. 2 CLI requests successful. Increased spend after first CLI. 

PNC: no auto CLI.  CLI request denied. Low spend.

Wells Fargo: auto CLI after 9 months. Requested CLI successful. Heavy spend.

Lowe's: one auto CLI during first year. Requested CLI denied. Very low spend.

[SouthJamaica]

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@joeyv1985 wrote:

All,

I opened the following credit cards within the past 2 months. Going forward, if I keep small balance on one of them(AZEO Method), when can I expect an automatic CLI from the issuer?

Very possibly never. So if you want one you will want to apply for one.

Assume 2 of the credit cards will have little or no use and my Credit Scores range from 720-746. Also, how much of an increase? For the record, I just made a large payment on the Citi cards and also just cancelled 2 Credit One cards that I hardly used. I also have a Capital One Venture One card open with a $4K limit with no balance. Thank you in advance. 

Citi Double Cash($0/$11,000) Opened 1/2020

Citi AAdvantage($200.87/$8,500) Opened 2/2020

With Citi you need to check whether  you're getting the hard pull language ('we will pull your credit report') or the soft pull language ('no credit report will be obtained'). Wait until the soft pull language appears, and then ask for it.  After you get a CLI don't apply for another until at least  6 months and a day have passed since the previous CLI on that card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred($0/$5,000) Opened 3/2020

Chase CLI applications are always hard pull. Automatic CLI's do happen from time to time, but they are rare. I have had 3 Chase cards for around 4 years now; I've had one automatic CLI on one of the cards. It came after I'd used the card more than usual for a month.

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[joeyv1985]

With Citi you need to check whether  you're getting the hard pull language ('we will pull your credit report') or the soft pull language ('no credit report will be obtained'). Wait until the soft pull language appears, and then ask for it.  After you get a CLI don't apply for another until at least  6 months and a day have passed since the previous CLI on that card.

Thanks SouthJamaica. By chance, is this verbage, 'no credit report will be obtained' or 'we will pull your credit report' on the Citi phone app?

[joeyv1985]

SouthJamaica,

I called Citi and they siad any CLI request made before the 6 month anniversary will be a hard pull. After 6 months it will be a soft pull. Increase will probably be in the $2-3K range on the SP. Didn't ask about CLI on a hard pull before 6 months. They confirmed everything you said my friend. Thanks for the help. Cheers. 

[SouthJamaica]

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@joeyv1985 wrote:

SouthJamaica,

I called Citi and they siad any CLI request made before the 6 month anniversary will be a hard pull. After 6 months it will be a soft pull. Increase will probably be in the $2-3K range on the SP. Didn't ask about CLI on a hard pull before 6 months. They confirmed everything you said my friend. Thanks for the help. Cheers. 

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Talking to CSR's is a waste of breath. The same question can get you 12 different answers.

The website is absolutely reliable. If it says "without a credit bureau report" or "will not obtain a credit bureau report" it will be soft pull.

[SouthJamaica]

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@joeyv1985 wrote:

With Citi you need to check whether  you're getting the hard pull language ('we will pull your credit report') or the soft pull language ('no credit report will be obtained'). Wait until the soft pull language appears, and then ask for it.  After you get a CLI don't apply for another until at least  6 months and a day have passed since the previous CLI on that card.

Thanks SouthJamaica. By chance, is this verbage, 'no credit report will be obtained' or 'we will pull your credit report' on the Citi phone app?

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Slightly different language but the meaning is clear.

[SouthJamaica]

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@joeyv1985 wrote:

SouthJamaica,

I called Citi and they siad any CLI request made before the 6 month anniversary will be a hard pull. After 6 months it will be a soft pull. Increase will probably be in the $2-3K range on the SP. Didn't ask about CLI on a hard pull before 6 months. They confirmed everything you said my friend. Thanks for the help. Cheers. 

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I didn't say anything about needing to wait 6  months for the first CLI request. In fact many people have gotten CLI's on new Citibank cards less than 6 months after account opening. If memory serves, I got one myself. The 6 months only comes into play after you've gotten a CLI.

BTW the 6 month rule and the soft pull rule don't necessarily mesh. I always have the soft pull language now, but I know if I do apply for a CLI before 6 months and a day I'll be turned down.

I.e. there are 2 hurdles. The first is the soft pull language. Don't every apply for a CLI until you have the SP language. If you do have the SP language then look to see if it's 6 months + a day since your last CLI. If so, apply. If not, don't.               

[joeyv1985]

Thanks for the info. I'll see where I am in 6 about months. On any typical month, I charge up to $6-8k so I don't want to hit that dreaded >30% utilization threshold across all cards. If/when my total credit limit across all cards gets to the  $40k range, I won't have to worry as much. 

[Anonymous]

I was surprised to receive a CLI from chase on my freedom only 2 payments in, especially considering I was at about 75% of the CL and my first payment was only the minimum. I did pay $500 on the 2nd payment which they must have liked. 

[M_Smart007]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I was surprised to receive a CLI from chase on my freedom only 2 payments in, especially considering I was at about 75% of the CL and my first payment was only the minimum. I did pay $500 on the 2nd payment which they must have liked. 

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A lender can surely grant an auto CLI based on high useage of ones CL, followed by large payments.

I have experienced it a few times.