Pre-Authorization over-limit

LJ555 · ‎04-06-2018

Hi everyone, hopefully a quick question here. So I have a fairly new Amex BCE. I've been PIF so far, and keeping utilization pretty low when it's not at zero. We had a water line break this morning and we had to rent a tool. DH is out of town today so I drove by the rental place to reserve the only machine they had available before it was gone, which meant I had a pre-authorization charge as a deposit. I simply wasn't paying attention or I would have chosen a different card but the pre-auth was much higher than I expected which put me over-limit by about $45. The charge was approved (I have also since called to have them NOT approve charges that will put me over-limit in the future, not that I expect this to be an issue again).

Now DH will be picking up this tool tomorrow and actually will be using a different card to pay, so my pre-auth will be returned ASAP. My problem is this - I'm days away from the date I had marked on my calendar to try for my 3X CLI! I immediately got online and made a payment that took the balance back below my limit, and by the time the pre-auth is returned I will have only 3% util. Will this affect my chances for being approved for a CLI? Up until today I've been feeling very confident of approval - my score has increased quite a bit since my initial approval, my spending and payments have been solid.... But I'm afraid that this one thing will be a black mark. Thoughts?

Anonymous · ‎04-06-2018

@LJ555 wrote:
Hi everyone, hopefully a quick question here. So I have a fairly new Amex BCE. I've been PIF so far, and keeping utilization pretty low when it's not at zero. We had a water line break this morning and we had to rent a tool. DH is out of town today so I drove by the rental place to reserve the only machine they had available before it was gone, which meant I had a pre-authorization charge as a deposit. I simply wasn't paying attention or I would have chosen a different card but the pre-auth was much higher than I expected which put me over-limit by about $45. The charge was approved (I have also since called to have them NOT approve charges that will put me over-limit in the future, not that I expect this to be an issue again).
Now DH will be picking up this tool tomorrow and actually will be using a different card to pay, so my pre-auth will be returned ASAP. My problem is this - I'm days away from the date I had marked on my calendar to try for my 3X CLI! I immediately got online and made a payment that took the balance back below my limit, and by the time the pre-auth is returned I will have only 3% util. Will this affect my chances for being approved for a CLI? Up until today I've been feeling very confident of approval - my score has increased quite a bit since my initial approval, my spending and payments have been solid.... But I'm afraid that this one thing will be a black mark. Thoughts?

If it's truely Amex your speaking about then all the more reason why you will likely get approved not to say people should

go over their limits don't even worry if everything is in line payments,etc... should not be an issue.

LJ555 · ‎04-06-2018

"If it's truly Amex"... ?? I don't get it.... it's an Amex BCE, not a copy-cat company. LOL! So you are basically saying not to worry, that a small blip and going over-limit (even if only for an hour, literally) will actually HELP my chances of being approved for a 3X CLI, or any CLI? Color me confused! But ok.... Thank you!

LJ555 · ‎04-06-2018

In pondering this a bit more, I think that I will wait a few extra days beyond the 61 when I have my next payment scheduled. So by then, the pre-auth deposit will have been returned, and my balance will be zero rather than 3%. Either way, I suppose it can't hurt to do the request and it's not like I'm in so much of a hurry I can't wait until it's not just PIF but paid to zero.

Anonymous · ‎04-06-2018

I'm curious why it was charged already, thee's usually a"pending" phase before it becomes a charge. So you wouldn't technically be over the limit, right? Then when it get spaid by a diffeernt card, it shouldn't even be charged to Amex anyways?

I guess your lesson is that you should have used a NPSL card. lol

Anonymous · ‎04-06-2018

Dont over think it. Amex has a feature that allows you to spend over your limit. You always PIF and you immediately made sure the over payment was corrected. Ive seen many posts on here and other credit communities where a CLI was given when the revolver was maxed, although it is YMMV. Like some body else replied, all the more reason to up your limit. I say pay it and hit the love button...LOL Good luck!!

Anonymous · ‎04-06-2018

@LJ555 wrote:
In pondering this a bit more, I think that I will wait a few extra days beyond the 61 when I have my next payment scheduled. So by then, the pre-auth deposit will have been returned, and my balance will be zero rather than 3%. Either way, I suppose it can't hurt to do the request and it's not like I'm in so much of a hurry I can't wait until it's not just PIF but paid to zero.

Whateva floats ya boat lol...