Move Credit Limit Guide
Cardholders, whether they’re casual points fans or advanced hobbyists, may periodically need more credit limit on specific cards. They may need more points quickly to for a priority redemption, aspire to reach a big spend bonus, need to make a large purchase beyond their existing credit line, and so on. Cardholders can ask for more credit, but that may involve a longer process which can lead to a denial, anyway. Another option is to shift existing credit limit among cards from the same issuer. We’re focusing on this second option today. Here’s how some prominent card issuers handle requests to move credit limit, in my experience. I encourage you to share your data points in the comments!
American Express
Amex is generally flexible with users transferring credit limit across credit card accounts. You can even do it online. The biggest catch I’ve seen is a cardholder can’t move business credit limit to personal cards. I suggest trying to move credit online first. If you aren’t able to do so, call in and a rep may be able to help.
Bank of America
Our experience moving credit limit with BoA is limited and random. I had no problem shifting credit line among my cards over the phone. When my wife called to do the same, the rep put her off, saying that she would receive a response via snail mail. This letter never came. Annoyed, we’ve since moved on (for now). If you need to move credit limit with Bank of America, call and be persistent!
Barclays
I’ve routinely shifted credit with Barclays over the years, including just a few days ago. Doing so is a snap once you get to the right rep. Last week, a front line agent was perplexed by my request. It appeared the rep was new – I had to rephrase my request several times, and I was put on hold while she researched. After about fifteen minutes, I thanked the rep for the effort and hung up.
A few days later, a front line agent immediately said transferring credit limit was possible and connected me with the “Credit Department” to help. I asked the second rep if there are any policies on the frequency of credit limit moves. She responded that there are not; cardholders can initiate transfers at their convenience. Within a couple minutes, the second rep completed my requested move. Not wanting to lose this handy access in the future, I obtained a direct number for moves. If you need to move credit limit, you can call 866-205-5973 to bypass front line reps.
Chase
Chase phone agents have easily transferred my credit limit upon request. Similar to Barclays, they’ve advised that I can move credit limit around as often as I desire. Over time, Chase has the most consistent, smooth process for credit limit transfers, in my experience.
Citi
I love Citi, but they come up pretty short in the move credit limit arena. When I’ve tried it, I’ve been told various stuff by different reps: it’s not possible, it would entail a hard credit pull, etc. But cardholders have a different option for the same outcome: a card product change! Citi has a very flexible product change policy. If you hold multiple Citi cards, you can change to a second card account for the rewards currency you’re wanting to collect. By doing so, you’re raising your ability to earn a particular rewards currency with your existing credit line. And randomly, Citi has automatically raised my credit limit on multiple cards.
Discover
Discover routinely cites their superior customer service. Sure, they’re nice and helpful in many areas. Unfortunately, one realm they’re pretty inflexible with is moving credit limit. And it seems to have gotten worse. In my last few calls with them when I still held their cards, Discover would not move credit limit across cards in the first year of card membership. Discover’s first year cash back match feature is a big selling point of multiple products, so their move credit limit policy is of zero help there. Worse, credit limits with Discover are stingy compared to other issuers. And they’re slow to release credit after paying off a balance. In my experience, Discover essentially throttles their rewards programs with a smile.
Conclusion
Those are my major data points to move credit limit with the bigger banks. I know others are out there, and I welcome your input in the comments! Responsibly maximizing our credit lines enables us to do better in the hobby. While so many other factors are out of our control, banks allow us varying levels of power in how we move credit limit around. Take advantage of that aspect! So, dear reader, what are your experiences moving credit limit with card issuers?
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Just a couple of data points:
Barclays had no problem moving some available credit from a personal card to a business card.
Chase automatically lowered the credit limit on my Hyatt card to facilitate approval of my Aeroplan card. The only problem is that I run a large charge through my Hyatt card every month and the new lower limit just wasn’t enough to cover the recurring charge. I got it worked out by calling Chase and reshuffling limits on some other cards but something to know if you use a lot of your credit on a specific card.
Christian,
Great data points – thanks for bringing them up!