AMEX Delta CLIs

[languedoctor]

Forgive me if this is a FAQ and I've created an unnecessary thread.

Is it common for AMEX to give first-time cardholders a low CL? Is AMEX usually reasonable about CLIs after x number of months?

Background: Experian FICO around 680 (should have a steady upward trajectory as my new mortgage ages), other prime card is Discover More w/ 5200 limit. (I have a CU VISA plus a debit MC for those occasions when merchants are VI/MC only).

If Amex is good with CLIs, I'll go ahead and use it for a few months and check back. Otherwise . . . there's not much point in having a $100 annual fee on a $1k card. That really limits the amount of miles I can rack up. I guess I could play the game of paying the balance down to zero multiple times per month, but frankly it'd be a lot easier just to switch the Discover More card to Discover Miles/Escape (though I'd lose the early boarding and free checked bag stuff )

I'm no high roller, but my recent credit history is good. I wasn't expecting $25k. But something roughly on par with Discover would have been a lot more useful (read: I could have racked up miles buying furniture for the new house). 

edit:

One other potentially relevant bit of info -- my application went to fraud prevention before approval because I used my new home address, which isn't yet on file with the bureaus. Err . . .oops.  Maybe that's got something to do with it.

[Ron1]

---

@languedoctor wrote:

Forgive me if this is a FAQ and I've created an unnecessary thread.

Is it common for AMEX to give first-time cardholders a low CL? Is AMEX usually reasonable about CLIs after x number of months?

Background: Experian FICO around 680 (should have a steady upward trajectory as my new mortgage ages), other prime card is Discover More w/ 5200 limit. (I have a CU VISA plus a debit MC for those occasions when merchants are VI/MC only).

If Amex is good with CLIs, I'll go ahead and use it for a few months and check back. Otherwise . . . there's not much point in having a $100 annual fee on a $1k card. That really limits the amount of miles I can rack up. I guess I could play the game of paying the balance down to zero multiple times per month, but frankly it'd be a lot easier just to switch the Discover More card to Discover Miles/Escape (though I'd lose the early boarding and free checked bag stuff )

I'm no high roller, but my recent credit history is good. I wasn't expecting $25k. But something roughly on par with Discover would have been a lot more useful (read: I could have racked up miles buying furniture for the new house). 

edit:

One other potentially relevant bit of info -- my application went to fraud prevention before approval because I used my new home address, which isn't yet on file with the bureaus. Err . . .oops.  Maybe that's got something to do with it.

---

Amex usually gives $2K to start out for their credit cards. I'm sorry you got $1K Delta card. You might want to ask for CLI thru the automated system over the phone. Either they're going to say  Y or N. They usually give CLI every 6 months.  How often do you use your card?

Ron.

[OhioCPA]

Amex will treat you well if you treat them well. With use of the card you should get a nice bump at the 61 day point. The increase isn't automatic as you need to call the number on the back of your card. The system will allow you to request a new limit of 3x your current limit. Thus, you should be able to get an increase to 3k fairly easily. After that Amex allows CLI every six months. All of this is with soft pulls of your credit file. Low utilization across the board seems to be important for getting nice increases.  

My BCE started at 1k, went to 3k with the first request, then 9k on the second.

[languedoctor]

I don't plan to use the cards *that* often, but the next couple months are going to be an exception. I'm going to have a lot of employer-reimbursed moving expenses, and I've budgeted a decent amount of money for first-time homebuyer purchases. For example, it just hit me that I now have a lawn and garden. I need a lawnmower. Obvious, I know, but these were foreign concepts during my previous life as an apartment-dweller, lol

The next two months will be the biggest chance I'll have to rack up miles for the foreseeable future. It looks like most of them will be with Discover, though. 

Not a huge problem. I'll use AMEX for a few things, pay it back down right away, and follow your advice on checking for CLIs after 61 days / 6 months. Thanks!

[suebee123]

I also got a low limit on the Delta Card about 2 wks ago....$1000 limit.  Funny thing is, I also app'd for SPG and got a $5000 limit on that card.  I think I am going to apply for the CLI for the SPG and try to get that card over 10,000 at the 61 day mark, and just hold onto the Gold Delta and try for a increase 6 months after that.  If no increase by the 1 year mark will probably cancel the card before the AF.  But, the good thing is that I get 11 years backdating on both!

[DrJim]

I was approved for $2K even though I had other cards in 5 digits.  After 61 days called in and it went to $6K.  6 months later called in and took it to $18K.  Will call at the end of this month and ask for it to go to $25K which is the max on the automatic system.

[Creditaddict]

---

@suebee123 wrote:

I also got a low limit on the Delta Card about 2 wks ago....$1000 limit.  Funny thing is, I also app'd for SPG and got a $5000 limit on that card.  I think I am going to apply for the CLI for the SPG and try to get that card over 10,000 at the 61 day mark, and just hold onto the Gold Delta and try for a increase 6 months after that.  If no increase by the 1 year mark will probably cancel the card before the AF.  But, the good thing is that I get 11 years backdating on both!

---

They counter... Ask for the full 3x CLI on SPG!

[suebee123]

@creditaddict....Thanks for the info, I will ask for 3x the current limit. 

[languedoctor]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I guess this isn't so unusual. 

I'll probably play it conservatively and ask for 2x increases. If my CL is even just $4k a year from now, I'll take that as evidence of good faith in growing the account with responsible use. Then after 12-13 months, I can go for a double to $8k and be about where I want to be. 

It's not my lowest-rate card, so I don't care about carrying balances. I just want (1) to be able to earn miles without jumping through hoops, and (2) to have a CL that isn't so low that it raises a red flag. Some scoring models take this into account right now. To the best of my knowledge, FICO is not one of them, but there's no guarantee that a future revision of FICO won't do that . . . 

[emptypockets]

---

@suebee123 wrote:

I also got a low limit on the Delta Card about 2 wks ago....$1000 limit.  Funny thing is, I also app'd for SPG and got a $5000 limit on that card.  I think I am going to apply for the CLI for the SPG and try to get that card over 10,000 at the 61 day mark, and just hold onto the Gold Delta and try for a increase 6 months after that.  If no increase by the 1 year mark will probably cancel the card before the AF.  But, the good thing is that I get 11 years backdating on both!

---

I believe AMEX also lets you re-allocate line (move some of your available credit from one card to another). So if you get 3x your limit on the SPG, you can move some of your available credit over to the Delta card, to make the card more useable for your needs.