Should I increase my credit limit?

To get a high limit credit card, you will need good or excellent credit and proof that you can afford a high spending limit, as your income, assets and existing debt obligations will be taken into consideration. Picking the right credit card goes a long way, too.

How to Get Approved for a High Limit Credit Card… read full answer

Apply for a credit card with a high starting limit

Top-notch credit cards such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card typically offer credit limits starting at $5,000 to $10,000. You may find minimum starting credit limits listed in some cards’ terms and conditions. In other cases, you might be able to get some information from cardholder reviews.

Improve your credit score

High limit credit cards typically require good or excellent credit. Before you apply for a high limit credit card, you should check your credit score to gauge your approval odds.

If you’re unlikely to qualify based on your score, you will need to add positive information to your credit report by catching up on any past-due bills and maintaining a steady history of on-time payments, among other things. Once you’ve established a strong credit profile, you can then target credit cards known for their high initial credit limits.

Increase your income and reduce your debt

The higher your income is, the better chance you have of getting a new card with a high initial credit limit. Similarly, reducing your debt boosts your odds.

You might therefore want to consider increasing your income through a second job, investments, or even a new job with a higher starting salary. Also, if your income goes up in the future, be sure to update your credit card’s issuer, as this could help get you a higher credit limit.

Get a credit limit increase

Some credit card issuers may automatically review your account for a credit limit increase every 6 to 12 months. You can also request a credit limit increase, either online or by calling the issuer’s customer service department.

Not all issuers will give automatic increases, and there’s no guarantee the issuers that do provide them will automatically bump up your credit limit. However, requesting a credit limit increase on your own may result in a hard inquiry, which could hurt your credit score.

Requesting a credit limit increase will likely trigger a hard inquiry and cause a short-term decrease in your credit score. Receiving an automatic credit limit increase (i.e. your issuer increases your credit limit without you asking) will not hurt your score. No matter how you receive a credit limit increase, it will provide long-term credit-score benefits to responsible users.… read full answer

A credit limit increase will give you access to more available credit to use. As a result, you will get a better credit utilization ratio, assuming your spending does not increase, too. The lower the ratio, the better your credit score. If you continue to spend and maintain a high balance on your account, you will see a negative impact on your credit score. A credit limit won’t help your credit score if you just max it out immediately.