Hello everyone! So I just got off with a Discover rep a short while ago in regard to the constant CLI denials. My card graduated last september and ever since, I've put heavy spending on the card but always paid it off to let a 0 balance report. Forgive me if the majority of you have known this, but this is a first for me. The rep basically explained that the reason I'm constantly getting the "Insufficient experience with credit card limit" is because I don't let balances report. I questioned her that even if I spend or max the card possibly, but pay it off 1 day before the due date, I'll be denied because no balance ever reports? She said yes and that even if I do let a small balance report, I'm most likely getting denials because 1% usage means "You don't need a CLI" She told me give or take let large balances report for a couple months then try again. The issue with this to me is, when I let balances report... especially large balances, my credit takes a hit. Give or take I lose 10 points across the board due to util % going up even if its 3% to 15%. So tell me, should I just let balances report in high amounts and pay it off the next day after the statements cut? Of course it will be in full. Do all CCs use this methodology? I recently got a CLI the other day with my NFCU secured after graduation as a courtesy but does this mean if I practice the same methods by charging the card til max but paying it off before the statement cuts, I'll still be unable to get a CLI because no balances report? This was one of the biggest questions I had on my credit journey because I had thought it would be best to let balances report to gain points. Whenever I would just simply be reponsible and the CC companies report a 0 balance, nothing would ever happen and I'd be stuck. I guess you can actually be too responsible 
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@Anonymous wrote:All my cards statement dates are 3 days after the due date, so if my bill was due July 6th I would have to not pay and let my bill sit till July 9th then pay. Wouldn't I have to pay interest on that balance because it wasn't paid by the due date? That seems counterintuitive and I can't seem to understand why she would advise you to do that.
<p>You should pay whatever is owed by the due date. As far as the statement goes, whatever was reported to give you a balance due is from the previous month. If you have a balance due by the 5th and your statement date is on the 8th, any new charges after the last statement cut is what would show. My Discover is always due the 14th, a new statement is always generated on the 19th. I pay as soon as the 19th hits and the statement balance has reported to the bureaus. Then I start using the card again and incurring new charges all the way back to the 19th of the next month.</p>
<p> ETA: I hope this was clear. By paying as soon as my statement reports, my balance is always paid before the due date of the 14th. I don't carry a balance or pay interest at any time.</p>
Goal Scores: 700 across all three
To an extent, the CSR was feeding you a line. No one on these forums has been able to crack the ages old Disco CLI formula. Letting your balances report organically and PIF as you go is a good thing, letting balances report that could cause you to go over thresholds that hurt your scores solely in the name of a CLI is not a good thing, especially right now. If you're not using enough of your current CL, there is actually a different reason code that they will give you for that stating that you are not utilizing your current credit line enough, it will not be the standard "Insuffecient experience with current limit." That is just the generic response that you get that means "Our computer generated formula has not determined it's your time for a CLI yet." There are people that will get CLIs after cycling through the entire limit on their cards for 6 months in a row, while at the same time some will get one after spending $5 on their card over the last entire year. There is no rhyme or reason to it (that we can decipher at least.) Don't feel you are required to let a high balance report in order to receive a CLI from them because although that may work sometimes for some people, it certainly is not a must, and if it means letting your card report with a large portion of utilization showing to the bureaus, I would actually call it a must not right now.
@Ficoproblems247 wrote:To an extent, the CSR was feeding you a line. No one on these forums has been able to crack the ages old Disco CLI formula. Letting your balances report organically and PIF as you go is a good thing, letting balances report that could cause you to go over thresholds that hurt your scores solely in the name of a CLI is not a good thing, especially right now. If you're not using enough of your current CL, there is actually a different reason code that they will give you for that stating that you are not utilizing your current credit line enough, it will not be the standard "Insuffecient experience with current limit." That is just the generic response that you get that means "Our computer generated formula has not determined it's your time for a CLI yet." There are people that will get CLIs after cycling through the entire limit on their cards for 6 months in a row, while at the same time some will get one after spending $5 on their card over the last entire year. There is no rhyme or reason to it (that we can decipher at least.) Don't feel you are required to let a high balance report in order to receive a CLI from them because although that may work sometimes for some people, it certainly is not a must, and if it means letting your card report with a large portion of utilization showing to the bureaus, I would actually call it a must not right now.
Well put. No one has figured out what these banks really want. Unless they have specific guidelines ala NFCU. Wait your 91/3 and then ask for a cli. Nor have I really, honestly figured out what drives FICO. Last month I reported a balance on two cards. Cap One $28 and Disco $5. Total $33 and 1% overall utilization. This month I decided that I would move back to AZEO. I let the Disco card report $33 and paid the Cap One to 0. I got a MyFico alert that my utilization had went from 1% to 6% on the Disco and my TU dropped by a point. Lol, still at 1% overall utilization.
