Correct me if I am misunderstanding, but doesn't reporting a balance have more to do with SL of new cards and not with CLI of the account you have. I thought that they usually take the internal information, a current credit score (at least within 6 months) and then maybe look at your other accounts to see where you are with those limits and utilization. I know it's a little more involved and each creditor is/can be different, but you are discussing CLIs and whether you report a balance or not the creditor knows what you used with them right... 
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@HighAchiever wrote:Correct me if I am misunderstanding, but doesn't reporting a balance have more to do with SL of new cards and not with CLI of the account you have. I thought that they usually take the internal information, a current credit score (at least within 6 months) and then maybe look at your other accounts to see where you are with those limits and utilization. I know it's a little more involved and each creditor is/can be different, but you are discussing CLIs and whether you report a balance or not the creditor knows what you used with them right...
Its a chicken and egg discussion.
Low existing limits = lower approvals
to get higher CL you have to report a balance to show use
With higher CL's it's possible for higher approvals
e.g. Chase wants to see 1 year at X level before they'll issue a large limit
A one off approval w/ only AU accounts pulls off a 15K CSR approval w/o having cards in his name...
@Anonymous wrote:
@HighAchiever wrote:Correct me if I am misunderstanding, but doesn't reporting a balance have more to do with SL of new cards and not with CLI of the account you have. I thought that they usually take the internal information, a current credit score (at least within 6 months) and then maybe look at your other accounts to see where you are with those limits and utilization. I know it's a little more involved and each creditor is/can be different, but you are discussing CLIs and whether you report a balance or not the creditor knows what you used with them right...
Its a chicken and egg discussion.
Low existing limits = lower approvals
to get higher CL you have to report a balance to show use
With higher CL's it's possible for higher approvals
e.g. Chase wants to see 1 year at X level before they'll issue a large limit
A one off approval w/ only AU accounts pulls off a 15K CSR approval w/o having cards in his name...
From my own personal experience, not reporting balances has no effect on starting limits. CLI's on the other hand will look at how you have been using their cards primarily. If two years after getting a card that was 11400 SL, you request an increase, and they can see your highest balance ever was 700 dollars...they will not grant the increase. It does not even matter if all your scores are over 800, you will be denied simply because you have used very little of the existing credit limits. They can't possibly use data about how you use their card to set the SL if it is the first card with that bank. For the record, my starting limit is always 10,000 at least, and has been for at least 3 years. I am rejected for credit limit increases every time. It is always for the "have not used a sufficient amount of your existing credit limits with us."
@HighAchiever wrote:Correct me if I am misunderstanding, but doesn't reporting a balance have more to do with SL of new cards and not with CLI of the account you have. I thought that they usually take the internal information, a current credit score (at least within 6 months) and then maybe look at your other accounts to see where you are with those limits and utilization. I know it's a little more involved and each creditor is/can be different, but you are discussing CLIs and whether you report a balance or not the creditor knows what you used with them right...
I actually posted a response to this as a reply to someone elses reply accidently. From my experience, CLI's look mainly at how you have handled the account you are requesting an increase on. My starting limits are always over 10,000 dollars, and every time I have requested an increase I have been denied. That has been the case for at least 5 years. PS::: Look at my scores, my credit profile is spotless and pristine. The credit card issuers have never refused an increase due to anything in my credit reports...they are perfect. It is always stated to be due to not utilizing enough of the current limits on THAT card.
@HighAchiever wrote:Correct me if I am misunderstanding, but doesn't reporting a balance have more to do with SL of new cards and not with CLI of the account you have. I thought that they usually take the internal information, a current credit score (at least within 6 months) and then maybe look at your other accounts to see where you are with those limits and utilization. I know it's a little more involved and each creditor is/can be different, but you are discussing CLIs and whether you report a balance or not the creditor knows what you used with them right...
It also does not have as much to do with whether or not the balance on the existing card reports, it is du to the fact that the highest ever balance is not even 10% of the current credit limit. Now on the credit report it will show highest reported balance for cards from other issuers, and if a lot of the highest ever reported balance is 0, due to PIF before it reports, that will lookk like the card is not being used. On the existing card with them, they know you have used it but just paid it before it can report. They however know exactly what the highest balance that has ever been used on their card is, and if it is less than 10% of the current credit limit, they will reject the CLI.
That's what I assumed... thanks for the detailed explanation!!! 