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ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

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JcT21
Frequent Contributor

ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

i keep getting denied for a CLI on my oldest QS, which currently has 3600 cl.    reasons state that i have not made use of available credit. its possible this could be a bucket card, as this was part of my early rebuild 2 years ago.   is there a magic percentage of spend vs. available credit that cap1 likes to see?   do they like it when i carry a balance and pif the next month?  ive been frustrated with them for CLI denials for the past several months so ive only been using it for netflix. (shout out to cobra kai)  ....so this cycle i decided to put some spend on it. i ran through $1200 and i just PIF because my due date is the oct 8th.   im hoping thats enough to trigger a cli.  maybe they want that kind of spend for several months?  your expertise is always welcome & appreciated!

 

 

fico scores - August 2024:
TU - 733| EX - 737 | EQ - 730 |
TCL - 174K - UTIL - less than 1%
Message 1 of 14
13 REPLIES 13
FireMedic1
Community Leader
Mega Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

There is no set rules when it comes to Cap1 and CLI's. Yes its probably a bucket card. I do know people (outside of here) who keep a high balance and they get auto's left and right. So they can run up the balance even more. More interest laced payments. Cap1 makes more $. They wont listen to me to pay it down. So even it you did get one. Probably a few hundred or just maybe more.


Message 2 of 14
mortimerwereback
Regular Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

Agree with FireMedic1, it's most likely a bucket card if it was part of your rebuild. Had a few myself. Never made it to 5k on either card. They were in the 4k range before my bk. Maybe try app'ing for one of their prime cards when you feel the timing's right. I recently got lucky with a Venture after trying their soft-pull prequal. Good luck!

Message 3 of 14
Zoostation1
Valued Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

I agree with the others it's probably bucketed, but they do like heavy usage.  I just went from $2000 to $3500 after 7 months with a lower tier card by pumping a lot of usage through it (avg of $2k/mo during that time). I let the balance get high at times (over $1500 at one point) before paying off but closing balances were never higher than 19% and 3 of them were 5% or less.

Rebuild Started Nov 2021
June 2022 FICO 8:
June 2022 FICO 9:
Apr 2025 FICO 8:
Apr 2025 FICO 9:
Message 4 of 14
OmarGB9
Community Leader
Super Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

Yes it's probably bucketed, sadly. That said, if you're so inclined, I believe I have heard 60% being thrown around as a percentage to try to use and pay off in full (no need to carry and pay interest). Also note that you would have to do this for a few months, not just one month. 


Last App: 1/10/2023
Penfed Gold Visa Card

Currently rebuilding as of 04/11/2019.

Starting FICO 8 Scores:




Current FICO 8 scores:


Message 5 of 14
xenon3030
Valued Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

Indeed, it might be the reason that my Cap1/Walmart is bucketed to a $500 CL for several years, because it is in SD...


Fico8: EX~EQ~TU~840 (12 month goal~850).
BOA (CCR, UCR), Chase (CFF, CSP, Amazon, CIC, CIU), US Bank (Cash+, AR, Go, Ralphs), Discover, Citi (CCC, DC, SYW), Amex (BCP, HH, Biz Gold, BBC, BBP), Affinity CR, Cap1(Walmart), Barclays View.
Message 6 of 14
Aim_High
Super Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

Yes, Capital One normally likes to see moderate-to-heavy usage to approve a CLI, @JcT21.   Your $1200 spend on a $3600 limit isn't what I would call heavy usage and maybe on the low end of moderate at about 33%.  I've grown a Capital One card from Platinum ($1K limit) to Quicksilver ($28K limit) over many years.  I posted many data points at >This Thread< (see thread message 34) and you can also reference Capital One approval data points at >This Thread< by @Curious_George2

 

Based on those data points, it appears to me that about 45% of credit limit is roughly around the "magic number" to hit or eclipse.  So I would expect a decline.  However, do that for another month and you may get an approval.  Smiley Very Happy

 

With a relatively decent CL of $3600 on the card, I question whether it's truly bucketed.  Low limits with Capital One don't always mean bucketed cards, as my example proves. 

 

Lately, I've gotten some with unexpected $1K CLIs Capital One from $25K to $28K without putting even moderate spend on the card, but this seems atypical. 


Business Cards


Length of Credit > 40 years; Total Credit Limits >$936K
Top Lender TCL - Chase 156.4 - BofA 99.9 - CITI 96.5 - AMEX 95.0 - NFCU 80.0 - SYCH - 65.0
AoOA > 31 years (Jun 1993); AoYA (Oct 2024)
* Hover cursor over cards to see name & CL, or press & hold on mobile app.
Message 7 of 14
Zoostation1
Valued Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

Anecdotally from reports here/reddit/experiences of a few personal friends, I'm also under the impression that in addition to heavy usage, Cap 1 generally is more reluctant to give big CLs if you already have multiple highish to high limit CLs (ie they don't want to be your're 4th or 5th $15K+ card etc.)

Rebuild Started Nov 2021
June 2022 FICO 8:
June 2022 FICO 9:
Apr 2025 FICO 8:
Apr 2025 FICO 9:
Message 8 of 14
Gollum
Established Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....


@JcT21 wrote:

i keep getting denied for a CLI on my oldest QS, which currently has 3600 cl.    reasons state that i have not made use of available credit. its possible this could be a bucket card, as this was part of my early rebuild 2 years ago.   is there a magic percentage of spend vs. available credit that cap1 likes to see?   do they like it when i carry a balance and pif the next month?  ive been frustrated with them for CLI denials for the past several months so ive only been using it for netflix. (shout out to cobra kai)  ....so this cycle i decided to put some spend on it. i ran through $1200 and i just PIF because my due date is the oct 8th.   im hoping thats enough to trigger a cli.  maybe they want that kind of spend for several months?  your expertise is always welcome & appreciated!


I think a Capital One credit card with a credit limit of $3600 is probably not what has become known as a "bucketed" https://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Credit-Card-Asset-Backed-Securities-ABS-and-w... credit card.

 

The Fed is raising interest rates to try to reduce record inflation. The increase in interest rates and the overall outlook on the USA economy mean an end (in for the near future, at least) of easy credit.

Credit Scores: (FICO 8) 850 Experian April 2025, 847 TransUnion April 2025
Credit Cards (newest to oldest): NFCU Visa Platinum $25,000 | BECU Cash Back Visa $10,000 | American Express BCE $9000 | Simmons Bank Visa $7500 | Capital One Quicksilver Visa Platinum (PC/upgrade from No Hassle Miles Rewards Visa Platinum) $1800
Message 9 of 14
bigseegar
Established Contributor

Re: ive heard cap1 likes heavy usage....

Only "heavy" usage my Cap1 card will ever get any more is dependant on how many pairs of socks gets thrown on top of it in that drawer Smiley Happy

 

Message 10 of 14
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