Proof: Discover has tightened up CLI requirements.

[Anonymous]

I know it's been speculated that Discover since late 2018 has been "tightening up" with respect to giving out CLIs.  People on this forum have referenced articles where this has been suggested, while also simply posting that CLIs seem to have felt more difficult to obtain.

I received my first piece of concrete proof though that something has indeed changed on their end.  As you all know, when you are denied a CLI from Discover you receive a denial letter in the mail and are provided with a denial reason.  "Insufficient experience with current Discover card credit limit" is the reason that is received seemingly 99% of the time.  In the case of my 70+ denial letters, it's the reason I've been given 100% of the time... until today.

The denial letter today stated, "Low usage on existing line of credit in previous month(s)."  Big difference here.  First let me say that for a very long time that I've strongly believed that the standard "insufficient experience..." denial reason was related only to the element of time and not dollars at all.  To support my argument on that front, there were times that I'd receive that denial reason and then spend literally nothing on the card, only to receive a CLI a cycle or two later.  This to me proved that "experience" simply meant time, as no additional dollars were needed for a CLI.  This new denial reason though definitely does refer to spend, which only strengthens my previous belief that the standard "insufficient experience" denial reason indeed points to only time elapsed.

The reason I consider this new denial reason "proof" that something has changed with Discover is because on my end, nothing has changed.  Discover gets maybe $100-$200 of spend per cycle out of me.  During months where the 5% category doesn't suit me, they've seen as little as $0 spend or a low 2-digit spend.  During months where their 5% category has been meaningful (like groceries) they've seen a healthier (say) $500-$600 spend.  So, if nothing has changed in terms of my use of the card, to me it means Discover has changed something on their end in terms of "tightening up" with respect to CLIs.

Now I'm wondering what metric they're actually looking at, whether it's raw dollars or percentage of limit used.  I'm going to keep an eye on that in the months going forward as I receive my denial letters.

Just as an opinion here, I think this is a very smart move on the part of Discover and am surprised that for years they haven't implemented more strict restrictions to CL growth.  I think it's ridiculous for people with > $40k limits (for example) to receive $3000-$4000 CLIs when they're spending maybe $150/mo on average on the card.  Perhaps that has changed now, which makes a lot of financial sense for Discover. 

[Fico82]

Good information to know , thanks for posting.

[GApeachy]

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@Anonymous 

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I hope you're right cuz we use the heck out of our cards, low limits and it's a pita making multiple pymts to control utl.%.  DH has had his since Jan. 2019, received 2 cli's (small amts. though this last one was triple the first one.)  If they will reward upon usage we will be sitting good hopefully over the course of a year and after that I don't care if we grow the cards any further than what we need to cover expenses while maintaining a healthy utl.% overall.

[Anonymous]

I think your "proof" is a DP not suggesting that things have changed.  It's possible there's a swing on the pendulum @ Disco and maybe they're going to try acting like Cap1 but, then again until more people try the CLI option and post their results it's a  1 off.

[AverageJoesCredit]

This is the only thing that can explain my breaking AJC Special Bad

[LakeLife]

The recent Discover CLIs on the forum have been with people carrying a balance whether it be a BT or spend.  I think that's what it takes.  I'm at around 30% UTIL on my Discover with a BT and have been granted 2 CLIs in the past 6 months.  

[Anonymous]

I am 100% done with Discover.  I have tried repeatedly.  When I got a notice last week that my interest rate went up FOR NO REASON, I called them.  I did get it reduced to below 20%.  I asked to be transferred to talk to someone about a CLI.  I thought I was going to get one, but then realized they were just filling out the online form.  I was like I could have done that! 

Anyway, I have frozen the account and have zero plans to use it anytime in the near future.  I would close it, but I like the $5K showing up as available credit on my scores.

[Anonymous]

APR's fluctuate with the prime rate.  

If they're pissing you off then just close it.  Not worth keeping the 5K if you're not going to use it.  They've been on a downhill slide since they started nerfing things that made them worthwhile in the past.

[rbentley]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I know it's been speculated that Discover since late 2018 has been "tightening up" with respect to giving out CLIs.  People on this forum have referenced articles where this has been suggested, while also simply posting that CLIs seem to have felt more difficult to obtain.

I received my first piece of concrete proof though that something has indeed changed on their end.  As you all know, when you are denied a CLI from Discover you receive a denial letter in the mail and are provided with a denial reason.  "Insufficient experience with current Discover card credit limit" is the reason that is received seemingly 99% of the time.  In the case of my 70+ denial letters, it's the reason I've been given 100% of the time... until today. 

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New thread suggestion.  The Saturation Technique: Best CLI Odds.  

[CreditInspired]

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@LakeLife wrote:

The recent Discover CLIs on the forum have been with people carrying a balance whether it be a BT or spend.  I think that's what it takes.  I'm at around 30% UTIL on my Discover with a BT and have been granted 2 CLIs in the past 6 months.  

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Hmmmm, last month I was at 27% UT on my BT with Discover and denied a CLI. Reason: my outstanding balance was too high. I'll try again either later this month or next month and see what the reason will be at that time. 

That's great you got 2 CLIs.