It's not a huge CLI, but my statement closed last night and I got another $500 auto-CLI on my Target MasterCard. Since I know it's a frequently discussed subject, I thought I'd make a thread to share the data points. I went many years with no CLI on the card through several lenders owning the account, then in June 2016 I suddenly had a CLI that was then followed by CLIs every 6 months like clockwork when my statement closed in June and December - until December 2019 when the by-then expected CLI didn't happen after three $2000 increases. 17 months after the last of those, I got a surprise $500 back in November 2020 and noticed another $500 today - so fingers crossed the 6 month CLI train is back for me in May and November.
I opened my card as a store card in 2002 with a $1200 starting line. Around 2005, another lender acquired the account and changed it into a Visa - but they also gave me a CLD down to $800 at the same time (I've never had any lates or other derogs). It sat at $800 for about 11 years (and got changed from a Visa to a MasterCard I believe when TD Bank bought the accounts, although it may have been one lender before - was that Target National Bank?) until June 2016 when the increases began, and here is my credit line history:
DEC 2002 $1200 SL
2005? $400 CLD ($800)
JUN 2016 $500 CLI ($1300)
DEC 2016 $1000 CLI ($2300)
JUN 2017 $1000 CLI ($3300)
DEC 2017 $1000 CLI ($4300)
JUN 2018 $2000 CLI ($6300)
DEC 2018 $2000 CLI ($8300)
JUN 2019 $2000 CLI ($10,300)
NOV 2020 $500 CLI ($10,800)
MAY 2021 $500 CLI ($11,300)
Current limit is now $11,300. The card typically sees $200-600 per month of charges at Target and has seen very few months over the past 19 years without a statement balance reporting. From about 2016 to mid-2020, I was updating my income once a month even though it hadn't changed as some combination of our little myFICO mantra of "use regularly, always let a statement balance report, pay in full, and update income every month" seemed to have been working. Of course now, I haven't updated my income in about a year and I actually paid what would have been my April statement balance off before the statement cut (I was trying to see what movement would happen in various scoring models with fewer cards reporting last month) so I had a $0 statement last month.
Grats on the latest CLI and overall limit. I dont think I have ever seen a Target with a CL over 10K!
Congratulations on your CLI!
Congrats K! I received the $500 special in February, so hoping we're all back on the predictable CLI clock.
Thanks for your DP.
Congratulations on the CLI and thank you for providing your historical DP's. How do you get notified of the CLI? Do you just see the available bumped and/or do you get an email or notice in the app?
Thank you! They usually mail a letter that arrives a week or two later, but I notice it immediately in my credit limit on the main page when I log in after statement closing. I also have a near panic attack if I look too early after the statement has closed since it will show that I have a payment that was due weeks ago. (Due date and available credit don't update until the next morning even though credit limit and amount due update around midnight.)