You stated that you are carrying a balance. The best success comes in paying the statement balance in full each month. Also, by carrying a balance you lose your grace period on new purchases, so with the card's very high APR you would be losing nearly half of the 5% you are saving at Target by using the card.
If you meant that you are letting a balance of 8-9% and sometimes 10-29% report each statement, but are paying the statement balance in full each month (plus what sounds like mid-statement payments to keep it in check), then you are doing everything you can and patience may be the only thing you can do at this point. It took about 13 years before I ever got a CLI, but since I have been following those steps I have received CLIs every 6 months for 3 years now, going from $800 (starting line was $1300 but they gave me a CLD when it changed to a visa around 2004 or 2005) to $8100.
No problem; just ignore my first paragraph. Since you mentioned paying several times a month, I thought that might be the case and addressed both.
It's annoying and frustrating, but you are doing everything right when it comes to getting a CLI on this card. Hopefully when they do decide you are eligible it will be well worth the wait. Their system is quirky and automated, so certainly don't take it personally. Hopefully they'll reward you soon!
I would highly recommend just being patient with Target. I agree with many others on her saying that usage is what drives Target. I got mine in 2016 with a $400 limit. In early 2017, I had a financial crsis and a bunch of charge offs happen. I kept paying most of my smaller credit cards (like Target), but some larger ones went CO. Target STILL gave me an CLI to $700 during this time period because I kept using the card and paying it each month. They are basing their decisions on spend and payment history, in my experience. My husband also has a Target card opened in 2017. It took about a year from when he started at $300 to get a CLI to $600. His credit is in just as bad a shape as mine, but yet again, he got the increase. I think the strategy of charging up your card and paying it in full mentioned above is probably your best bet (along with patience LOL).
