Christie Matherne, Credit Card Writer
@christie_matherne
Your American Express® Gold Card credit limit may have been lowered due to late payments, inactivity on your card, or a change in your credit history. Amex Gold Card has no preset spending limit, which means your limit may change from month to month based on how you use your card and other factors.
You can call American Express at 1-800-528-4800 to ask about your limit and why it was lowered. You can also learn more about the most likely causes and how to avoid future credit-limit decreases below.
Why Your Amex Gold Card Credit Limit Might Have Been Lowered
- Missed payments: If American Express detects a number of missed or late payments, they could assume you’re experiencing financial difficulties and reduce their risk by lowering the amount you can borrow from them.
- Inactivity: If you don’t use any of the limit that’s available to you, your issuer might eventually lower your credit limit accordingly.
- Changing market conditions: American Express may have lowered your credit line to limit its risk in response to changes in the economic environment. Many people’s limits got lowered by credit card companies during the COVID-19 pandemic, for example.
While your card activity might not always be the reason for a credit limit decrease, you can reduce the chances that it will be lowered in the future by using your card regularly and responsibly.
How to Prevent Your Amex Gold Card Limit From Being Lowered
- Never miss a due date. Missed payments are one of the main reasons why your Amex Gold Card credit limit might be lowered. You should always pay the amount required by your due date. Setting up automatic monthly payments from a bank account can help with this.
- Use your card regularly. Your Amex Gold Card credit limit may be reduced based on your spending habits, so it helps to use your card consistently. Try not to drastically change how much you spend from month to month.
- Maintain good credit habits. Since your overall credit history can affect your Amex Gold Card credit limit, it’s important to manage all of your cards and other types of debt responsibly. You should always make your payments on time, and try to keep your credit utilization under 30% of your credit limit on each of your credit cards. Keep in mind that your Amex Gold Card does not impact your utilization.
Having a long history of responsible use on your Amex Gold Card will decrease the chances that your credit limit will be lowered. If you want to better understand how the process works, you can read our guide on how your credit limit is determined.
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