Increase card usage before requesting CLI?

[masscredit]

I usually rotate which cards I use each month. At least the main cards. Store cards get used when I'm in that store. I really step up my usage a few months before I'm going to request a CLI. My Quicksilver card has an $8K limit. Really would like that to go over $10K in August so I've been giving it a lot of use lately. 

[Anonymous]

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@masscredit wrote:

I usually rotate which cards I use each month. At least the main cards. Store cards get used when I'm in that store. I really step up my usage a few months before I'm going to request a CLI. My Quicksilver card has an $8K limit. Really would like that to go over $10K in August so I've been giving it a lot of use lately. 

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I've been using the crap out of quicksilver visa, but they still won't give me cli on it saying it's not enough usage.

[SOGGIE]

FYI: I never up my usage before I request a CLI, and I usually get nice increases. I guess it depends on the CCC.

[masscredit]

I think they are more likely to give an increase if the card is being used. I might be wrong but I don't think it hurts. 

[Pway]

Capital One loves to see useage with their cards when evaluating for a CLI

[Ghoshida]

I've stopped taking Cap One's letters by letter. I think there are other factors. During the first 2 years of having the card my credit was in mid 600s to low 700s. Even with putting the full limit of the card to use, I'd get the 'low usage' remark and had to go via EO twice. This time, max use has been 10-15% of the limit and 1-2 out of 6 months didn't get any use. I still got the same $2k CLI that I used to get via EO. Now my scores are mid to High 700s.

[Ghoshida]

ETA: through luv button; which worked for the first time for me with Cap One.

[Anonymous]

I would definitely increase the usage!  They love that and swipes!  

[kdm31091]

No one can tell you for sure and there are always other factors, but it seems that often, more usage will help. After all, if you are barely using a card, why would they care to give you a CLI?

[Ghoshida]

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@kdm31091 wrote:

No one can tell you for sure and there are always other factors, but it seems that often, more usage will help. After all, if you are barely using a card, why would they care to give you a CLI?

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I know this logic is presented here very often, but that's not all that the CC company cares about.

I'm not saying that increasing spend won't give you a CL; however, increasing spend in the hope of a CL in my experience hasn't worked. Except to some extent Discover, but it's always been a growth in the profile rather than increase in spend overall.

Another lender, following this model, seems to be Citi. It gives SP CLI every 6 months; I seem to get between $1.2k and $1.5k every time, for the last 3 times. Do I spend a lot? Not really, maybe $100 in 6 months. It's at $5.9k right now. I already gave the Cap One example. It's the same with US Bank: the REI card barely saw $50 over 6 months and got a $2k CLI bringing it to $5k. AMEX saw maybe $500 per month on a $6k CL, and let it go to $15k. 

However with Chase, at least for the first 6 months, it seems that usage matters quite a lot. Then again, it's only for auto-CLIs. They don't really do much SP CLIs unless they send a code to you. Same for Barclays with the first auto-CLI. For their SP CLI, I've got decent results with about 10% usage. I'd guess Credit Unions love usage as well.

I'm assuming you don't call it heavy usage unless you charge at least 30-40% of your CL every month. Of late, it seems that my CLIs are happening more because my scores have increased; and will happen until I hit each lender's internal ceiling (which I guess I've reached with Chase and US Bank, and very soon with Cap One and Discover).