Why is Discover keeping my CL so low?

Anonymous · ‎07-17-2017

I got a student Discover card about a year and a half ago. The initial limit was $750 and has been steadily rising. It was $2,000 and after today's CLI request they only offered $509 to make it $2500. Meanwhile about 6 months ago I got approved for an Amex BCE revolver with a 10k limit right off the bat. Then last month requested it be raised to 20k and was instantly approved. Why is Discover so stingy with the CL increases?

yfan · ‎07-17-2017

Every lender is different on how they treat each customer, and part of it is based on the customer's profile not just presently but when they started with a given lender.

AverageJoesCredit · ‎07-17-2017

Besides the recent rise on defaults on their cc's and a " system fix " needed in march, Discover is so topsy turvy on who it gives cli to ive given up trying to figure them out.

happypill · ‎07-17-2017

I've had the same experience with Discover. They send me a pre-approval mailer about a year and a half ago and gave me a starting CL of $800. I did have some derogs on my report at the time, but I also had other cards with limits up to $30k. Since then, they've given me a few increases up to $2300, but it is far lower than the limits I have received on other cards.

I think Discovere has, to quote Hillary Clinton, "a bucket of deplorables". So, if you're in that bucket, even if you get approved for a card, you're never in line for the juicy limits that they hand out quite easily to others. Nothing you can do about it really, every lender has their own policies. I just use my card for the 5% categories that are useful to me when they come up. Maybe that's another reason why I haven't gotten big increases. I only use the card for 5% categories and have never carried a balance or paid any fee on it; so with the double bonus in the first year, I'm sure thy have lost money on my account.

Anonymous · ‎07-17-2017

It is possible that Discover "bucketed" you at the time of your approval? That happened to me with several other cards. Bank of America did that to me and although I can get the CL's, I cannot get good interest rates with them. Over time, I am gradually getting the interest rates lowered, but not everyone has to do that. Just a thought...

On the other hand, just hanging in there and using your CL well will often do the trick. Good luck!

Anonymous · ‎07-17-2017

Mine is only at 900, have been with them 18 months and never had an increase. (score really didn't justify it til now)I will be asking for one by the end of the week, so will report back.

I am debating whether it will help to call vs just hit the button on my account page, have heard that works better sometimes.

mitchblue · ‎07-17-2017

From $750 to $2500 in 18 months? Count yourself lucky and be very blessed.. Many on here don't get that with Discover.. Over much longer times. Over 300% CLI. That's quite a bit.

FICO® 8 Scores 821 FICO® 9 Equifax 826 (Updated 02-7-23)

Anonymous · ‎07-17-2017

I for one do understand how fortunate I've been with Discover - I got a $2500 SL in late March, which is pretty astonishing for someone at my stage of rebuilding at that point, and less than four months later I'm at $3300 after a double-dip CLI last month. I whiffed on a CLI attempt this month, but that probably might only mean I'm on the 60-day or 90-day schedule considering that the reason given for being declined was that I didn't have enough experience at my current credit line.

Anonymous · ‎07-17-2017

@mitchblue wrote:
From $750 to $2500 in 18 months? Count yourself lucky and be very blessed.. Many on here don't get that with Discover.. Over much longer times. Over 300% CLI. That's quite a bit.

Great post above and one that I think the OP needs to consider as well as everyone else. CLIs are very often considered based on percentage, not dollars. Going from $750 to $2500 in a year and a half on this Discover account was a 3-1/3X increase. You said you got an Amex card at a $10k SL. The increase you received from Discover would be equal to you bringing that Amex card from $10,000 to $33,333 in terms of percentage. I get it that the dollars aren't nearly as flashy with the Discover account, but when you think in terms of percentage you're not doing bad at all.

Another question, how did your credit profile 18 months ago (at the time of Discover approval) compare to it today? What was your FICO score with Discover at the time you were approved? What is it now? The fact that they only approved you for a $750 limit to me suggests that there was one of two things going on with your profile. One, it was young and/or thin or two, it had negative information on it. Both of these things in an 18 month period could be rectified, though, meaning that your current profile may be much stronger. You said you were approved for the $10k Amex line about 6 months ago, which would have been 1 year after the Discover approval. A lot can happen in that year. Do you feel if you apped for the Amex card at the time you apped for Discover that you would have been given the $10k SL at that time? Just some different things to take into consideration here.

9CLINE · ‎07-17-2017

+1 that info MitchBlue & BBS,,, lot of times folks say they aren't getting anything without really seeing what they have gotten... Also more than majority of us have gotten in last having been cardholders longer...