What does Sears want from me?!

[Anonymous]

Sears store card, not major card:

Customer since 1996

No late payments ever

Every couple of months I buy something then pay in full

I was at $250 limit until they did an auto limit increase to $350 in June

I just called and asked for $1000. They gave me $500 - total, not additional.

I'll take it, but how do I get more?

[Anonymous]

How do you get more in the current credit climate? I'd say, spend more.

Lenders are rethinking (finally) the size of the credit lines that they're extending to their customers. It appears as though lenders want larger credit lines to be justified, and to fit the spending habits of the customer. At least, in some cases. Those who aren't already doing this will probably be following suit in short order.

So, depending on how much of your existing credit line you're using every few months, you're giving the lender a look into how much credit you "need" (from their perspective). Liabilities are a big deal right now, not that it isn't always, but it's an even bigger deal in this current credit crisis than it normally is. Some are taking the "use it or lose it" approach, or the "don't show us you need it, then you're not getting it," even for the most creditworthy customers.

That, and they extended you credit so that you could increase their revenue. Show them that you really use the card, and they'll 'encourage' you to use it (and your disposable income) even more!

[Anonymous]

Years, years, years ago, back when I had a Sears card, all I had to do is try to buy something beyond my CL. I initially had a $250 CL, and when I went to the "Home Store" (or whatever their furniture sales store was called) and wanted to buy a bedroom/loft set, they raised it to $3K. Go figger.

That may not be the answer you wanted (don't know if you want to actually spend that much or if you're just hoping for luv or better util) but that's what worked for me.

[Creditaddict]

it's backed by citi. if it's anything like the home depot card, they want you to use it and carry a balance, hopefully they offer some free financing just like the HD.

Everytime I have had a balance on HD and hit 6 months, I got auto CLI, when the account sits, I see nothing.

[Anonymous]

Spend more - yep that seems to be the answer. Well I'm not going to rush out just yet and go buy anything. I'd just like to see some love from them. I guess if any of those "emergencies" come up where I need a new appliance or anything (knock on wood that I don't), I'll rush over to them and take advantage!

Hmm.. I do need a new vacuum, though... Dangit, now I'm trying to find things to buy. Bad bad bad.

Alrighty, thanks for the input!

[Anonymous]

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@Anonymous wrote:

Spend more - yep that seems to be the answer. Well I'm not going to rush out just yet and go buy anything. I'd just like to see some love from them. I guess if any of those "emergencies" come up where I need a new appliance or anything (knock on wood that I don't), I'll rush over to them and take advantage!

Hmm.. I do need a new vacuum, though... Dangit, now I'm trying to find things to buy. Bad bad bad.

Alrighty, thanks for the input!

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For what it's worth, for many years now Sears' Kenmore Progressive Direct Drive upright vacuum cleaner has consistently been one of Consumer Reports' top five picks. One of the nice things about it is that there's no belt. If you have stairs in your house, one caution is that some people might find this vacuum to be a little heavy should they need to pick it up to transport it elsewhere. Also, on my several year old upright, with the vacuum turned off it might seem like the hose is plenty long to reach spots way high up. However, the suction is so strong once you turn that vacuum on that you have much less "reach" with the hose.

This Kenmore Progressive series also comes in bagless upright and canister versions. The downside is that the Kenmore Progressive series tends to run in the $ 200 range (when I bought mine a few years ago, there were frequent sales of $ 25 to $ 50 off. I don't know if Sears still runs specials like that).

Message Edited by MojaveMoon on 01-15-2009 02:23 PM