My understanding and experience with Discover has been that they will normally consider a CLI after six months. At least that's the way my CLI's have gone with them.
DW was approved for her first Discover card (MILES) on November 11, 2019 with a $9K limit. She's been using the card regularly and has run up (and paid off) as much as $4500 in a single month, the first month she had the card. Since January, the total spend is $3,380. In seven months, she's spent the majority of the starting credit limit.
She asked for a CLI on June 10, 2020 (almost seven months after approval) and was declined. Her explanation letter said she had "Insufficient Experience with Existing Discover Card Credit Line."
I was quite surprised at the denial and wondered if Discover has been this way for a long time with newer cardholders or are they tightening down on CLI's due to the coronavirus? And at what point could she expect a successful increase? I'm also wondering if they are trying to keep limits on the lower side during the first twelve months due to the cashback match and trying to minimize the match payments.
Seems to be a trend since the virus started, based on forum posts. I did my first CLI in February and I was going to do one after 3 months but I've seen lots of posts about it and I decided to hold off. It appears to be hit or miss with more misses currently (YMMV). I've decided to wait until at least 6 months myself. I know it is a SP and won't hurt me.... I just don't want to see a denial.
@Aim_High wrote:My understanding and experience with Discover has been that they will normally consider a CLI after six months. At least that's the way my CLI's have gone with them.
DW was approved for her first Discover card (MILES) on November 11, 2019 with a $9K limit. She's been using the card regularly and has run up (and paid off) as much as $4500 in a single month, the first month she had the card. Since January, the total spend is $3,380. In seven months, she's spent the majority of the starting credit limit.
She asked for a CLI on June 10, 2020 (almost seven months after approval) and was declined. Her explanation letter said she had "Insufficient Experience with Existing Discover Card Credit Line."
I was quite surprised at the denial and wondered if Discover has been this way for a long time with newer cardholders or are they tightening down on CLI's due to the coronavirus? And at what point could she expect a successful increase? I'm also wondering if they are trying to keep limits on the lower side during the first twelve months due to the cashback match and trying to minimize the match payments.
It seems that it's a consensus through out the forum that Disco is a hard one to figure out. Some get everything quick and easy and some get the...
No matter what they do.
I tried for a cli after being a good boy when my card turned 7 months with them and got thee ole "Insufficient Experience with Existing Discover Card Credit Line." also. My plan is to wait until it matures a year then try again to see if I will end up being on their loving side or their bad side.
@Anonymous wrote:Rumor is their official CLI policy since COVID-19 struck is to not give one until the card is a year old.
I wondered if that was the case. With the spend on the card and good payment history, I think it normally would have matured. When denied, I thought maybe they were looking for a full year and this data point seems to validate that rumor.
Heres what iv been seeing.... Discover not giving out CLIs to some, and giving out consolation prizes to heavy hitters and definitely longer between granting requests... Some folks with newish credit or graduation are seeing some small auto CLIs but rarely something substantial. Yes Miss Disco is a little skittish right now... not that she wasn't already a bit unpredictable as to who/what she wants to give... That said.. She hasn't come CLD happy on my account and its been proported that basically they were going to try to not CLD people for the time being...
Not enough experience is usually the catch all denial for a discover CLI.....
Hang in there.. your DW still has a chance of a CLI down the road, and even possibly an Auto.... Not sure with the current climate/pandemic but sometimes a denial can trigger a future autocli....
-J
@Anonymous wrote:Rumor is their official CLI policy since COVID-19 struck is to not give one until the card is a year old.
That's exactly what the nice CSR rep told me back in Feb when I called about an increase on mine, which was only 7 months old. I thought I would give them a call at the time because my scores had jumped over a 100 points and I felt like I had some pull. She told me it has nothing to do with scores at all and all to do with experience with having the card and to call back after my 1 year in July. So I'm soooo close less than 2 weeks! We shall see
Starting Score: 560
@Anonymous wrote:Even prior to pandemic, I got my 1st CLI after 6 months, then another one st 11 months. Nothing since. I, like your DW put good spend on the card but no soup for me more often than not. Cant complain in the since that my SL was $9500 and it currently sitting at $12000. I have wondered if Discover was possible makin their CLI every 6 months or longer. Who knows.
Editrd to say: maybe with covid it’s closer to 12 months
@Im2snaz4u wrote:
Very Strange. I got a Discover IT card with a $2000 limit in mid April 2020, and 6 weeks later they sent me an email stating that they were raising my limit to $2500, which I hadn't requested. Perhaps it's because my limit is lower?
@JeffMO wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:Rumor is their official CLI policy since COVID-19 struck is to not give one until the card is a year old.
That's exactly what the nice CSR rep told me back in Feb when I called about an increase on mine, which was only 7 months old.
@Anonymous, @Im2snaz4u , @JeffMO , @Anonymous ... Thanks for all those data points.
It does appear that Covid-19 has put a damper on CLIs. 
In the case of @Im2snaz4u , perhaps it was heavier use ?? combined with the lower limit. If you were allowing statements to post with high usage, they might have raised your limit hoping you'd use the card more. Or maybe your overall credit profile was strong.