How do you get a DIscover CLI?

[thelethargicage]

• Do you allow your statement to close with a balance?
• Do you close some of your other cards with higher limits?
• Do you put massive amounts of spend on It?
• Do you max out your other cards and request a balance transfer?
• Do you do all of the above and then watch in disbelief as someone with a thinner file than you gets a higher limit?

[takeshi74]

Regardless of creditor CLI's are determined by one's credit and income.  You can't rely on anecdotal evidence for CLI tactics.  People get CLI's with and without balances.  I was carrying a balance on the intro offer with my Discover it at around 3 months when I requested a CLI and they nearly doubled the limit with a hard pull  Usage may play a part but it's also not going to make or break a CLI on its own.  All of the standard factors apply -- see my second link below.

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@thelethargicage wrote:

• Do you close some of your other cards with higher limits?

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Unless a creditor has specifically stated "too much available credit" this isn't likely to help.  Closing a high limit card is likely to increase utilization.  This thread is linked in the Helpful Threads sticky in this subofurm:

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/Credit-Cards/Closing-Credit-Cards/m-p/347190?jump=true

Utilization (Amounts Owed) is the second biggest factor:

http://www.myfico.com/crediteducation/whatsinyourscore.aspx

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@thelethargicage wrote:

• Do you max out your other cards and request a balance transfer?

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A BT doesn't change overall utilization and this tactic is likely to max the card that is being BT'ed to.  Both overall and individual utilization matter.  If one wants the best odds then reducing utilization would be the way to address balances.  To optimize prior to an app/CLI allow only one balance to report at 10% or less.  I've never bothered to do so with any of my CLI's but if one wants to eke out every possible point then that may help.

[chalupaman]

Right now, mine has a 0 balance and recently paid the 159 dollar balance I had. I haven't put any new charges on it or anything since I put in the SD. I also made it so my recurring charges are paid with my other cards. Each time I've made a CLI request, I get shot down though it's always a TU SP in my case. It was one of the cards that I used most frequently out of everything that I have.

[Anonymous]

Both of my CLI's came from discover themselves. I began with a 5k limit and at the six month mark it was increased to 8500.

Last November, 2013, just before Thanksgiving they bumped it to the current limit.

In my mind they want to see you use their card responsibly and make your payments on time. No one size fits all but overall utilization across all cards seems to be a biggy with them from the times I've chatted with CSR's about different things.

[AzaleaB]

Hi, OP. Based on anecdotal evidence from some of the posts on myfico and my own experience, having a thin file may help with Discover - again, limted evidence here. When I was approved for my Discover card last February, my file was relatively thin and my highest CL at the time was 7500. They beat that limit and approved me for 8800. I requested an SP CLI about 6 months later and at that time my highest limit was 10,400 and Discover gave me an increase to 10,800 - not much but just beating my highest limit at the time. When I got my most recent Discover CLI this month, my highest limit then was 12000 (DC hasn't reported yet) and Discover raised me to 13000.  So assuming good profiles, it seems that Discover likes to be the big boss if possible and there isn't too much distance to cover. Yes, I use my Discover card all the time and often let balances report before I PIF but I do the same with my Barclay and get no luv at all. 

[Involver]

You use the card heavily.

Your score increases significantly.

After seven months you ask for a CLI.  They HP you.

They give you $500.

You sock drawer the card forever.

[Anonymous]

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@Involver wrote:

You use the card heavily.

Your score increases significantly.

After seven months you ask for a CLI.  They HP you.

They give you $500.

You sock drawer the card forever.

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This, All the way.

[heyitsyeh]

Discover is one of the few card companies that do SP increases on your request (albeit, over the phone automated system, and with a 10% success rate)

[VirtualCuriosity]

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@Involver wrote:

You use the card heavily.

Your score increases significantly.

After seven months you ask for a CLI.  They HP you.

They give you $500.

You sock drawer the card forever.

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Hahaha, good one.  Almost me, but instead it was a $900 CLI.  I am not going to say I won't use it soon, I just need to compare the rewards.  

[thelethargicage]

Hopefully the added spend on this card from all the bills I'll be paying from now on thru Evolve Money will trigger an auto CLI