No CLIs on low limit AMEX cards?

Anonymous · ‎02-26-2016

For those of you with experience with AMEX, is it safe to assume that their low limit cards are rarely if ever granted CLIs? I ask this because I have a Delta Gold AMEX with a $1000 limit that is really not very useful to me when I want to purchase airline tickets. I've requested increases a couple of times but they were not approved. My credit score is now 35 points higher than when I was approved for it and I want to try again but I don't want to bother if it will be another automatic no. Thinking of just sock drawering or cancelling this card before the annual fee hits if I can't get any increases. Delta miles don't seem to be worth as much these days anyway.

Ghoshida · ‎02-26-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
For those of you with experience with AMEX, is it safe to assume that their low limit cards are rarely if ever granted CLIs? I ask this because I have a Delta Gold AMEX with a $1000 limit that is really not very useful to me when I want to purchase airline tickets. I've requested increases a couple of times but they were not approved. My credit score is now 35 points higher than when I was approved for it and I want to try again but I don't want to bother if it will be another automatic no. Thinking of just sock drawering or cancelling this card before the annual fee hits if I can't get any increases. Delta miles don't seem to be worth as much these days anyway.

I started with a $1k BCE in Nov 2013.

I mostly abused the 0% APR for most of the first year, running balances etc. I paid off the card to zero balance in Sep 2014, and a couple of days before my Oct 2014 statement, I was Auto CLI'd to $2k. After the statement was released, I went for 3X and got $6k. Since then, I've pressed the button twice, always asking for less than 3X (because nervous about 4506T and all that). So it went to $15k and now it's at $25k since Oct 2015.

My EX score is also approx 100 points higher than when I applied.

Anonymous · ‎02-26-2016

@Ghoshida wrote:
@Anonymous wrote:
For those of you with experience with AMEX, is it safe to assume that their low limit cards are rarely if ever granted CLIs? I ask this because I have a Delta Gold AMEX with a $1000 limit that is really not very useful to me when I want to purchase airline tickets. I've requested increases a couple of times but they were not approved. My credit score is now 35 points higher than when I was approved for it and I want to try again but I don't want to bother if it will be another automatic no. Thinking of just sock drawering or cancelling this card before the annual fee hits if I can't get any increases. Delta miles don't seem to be worth as much these days anyway.
I started with a $1k BCE in Nov 2013.

I mostly abused the 0% APR for most of the first year, running balances etc. I paid off the card to zero balance in Sep 2014, and a couple of days before my Oct 2014 statement, I was Auto CLI'd to $2k. After the statement was released, I went for 3X and got $6k. Since then, I've pressed the button twice, always asking for less than 3X (because nervous about 4506T and all that). So it went to $15k and now it's at $25k since Oct 2015.

My EX score is also approx 100 points higher than when I applied.

Thanks for offering your experience. Maybe next month after my last collection falls off my accounts I will get another boost in score and can try again.

icyhot · ‎02-26-2016

I have a $1K Delta as well that I haven't been able to get an increase on. I'm going to try the LUV button again once it hits 1 year (4/17 I think) and if none, no biggie. I use it for the checked bags and priority boarding anyway, and if I charge a flight I pay it right off. I hate having a $1K line when I have several $10K and $5K lines, but I just consider Amex to be a hard on

Anonymous · ‎02-26-2016

I can understand your frustration but if I had to venture a guess I would say the reason for the denial is the same reason for the low limit. What was the reason given? Loosing that collection certainly can't hurt...don't give up yet take the time to build a relationship with Amex...they will be good to you in time. For now you can always ask to have the annual fee waived.

Appleman · ‎02-26-2016

Does anyone know if AMEX is agreeable to re-allocating credit lines between AMEX credit cards?

Anonymous · ‎02-26-2016

@Anonymous wrote:
I can understand your frustration but if I had to venture a guess I would say the reason for the denial is the same reason for the low limit. What was the reason given? Loosing that collection certainly can't hurt...don't give up yet take the time to build a relationship with Amex...they will be good to you in time. For now you can always ask to have the annual fee waived.

Are they usually amenable to waiving annual fee?

UncleB · ‎02-26-2016

I have a $1k BCP, and I've tried for a CLI four times and each time I'm summarily turned down due to "...previous negative experience with an American Express account."

They are referring to an account IIBK 16 years ago.

Granted, I'm fortunate they gave me another chance at all, but after nearly a year of running my card to 40%-50% monthly and PIF each time without hesitation, one would hope that eventually they would at least throw me a bone... but so far no love. Since there's no way I can 'cure' the condition causing the CLIs to be declined, all I can do is work on the overall relationship.

Since I'm able to use the card satisfactorily as-is, I'm not too worked up over it, but I would like to have the freedom of not having to worry about how the card is reporting each month (i.e. utilization). I consider it my 'grocery store' card, since the credit line isn't large enough for anything else, and I have better rewards cards for other categories, anyway.

My personal plan is to app for a ED card later in the year, and assuming I'm approved I will move the credit line over to the BCP after 13 months since they seem to generally be OK with that. There are folks here who report having a card that seemed to be 'stuck' at $1k then they got approved for other cards with Amex with 'normal' credit lines, so hopefully that will apply in my case as well.

Anonymous · ‎02-26-2016

"Are they usually amenable to waiving annual fee?"

I can't say from personal experience, but it seems others on here have had some success. No harm in asking, the worst that could happen is they say no.

Ghoshida · ‎02-26-2016

@Appleman while I haven't done it, I believe it is possible.