ByHow to Request a Credit Limit Increase — and Get It
Many people are perfectly fine with the same standard credit limit they got when they first opened their card or account. Others, though, might need some extra spending power. If you’ve been good on your payments and always spend within your means, why shouldn’t you be able to put more on something like your credit card? If this describes your situation, let DoNotPay show you quickly and easily with our service.
How Credit Limit Increases Work?
A credit limit is the maximum amount of money you can borrow from a financial institution or lender. You most often hear about this in relation to credit cards, but it also applies to other kinds of loans. Basically, whatever the bank sets, the credit limit is how much money you can spend on that account before you’re cut off. The simple example also uses credit cards, where maxing one out means you can no longer make purchases with it.
Increasing your credit limit would mean that you can spend more than your original limit. Say your credit card’s spending limit was originally capped at $5000. If you can get the company to increase your credit limit, though, that could rise even higher. That gives you more spending power and more room to pay back your debts, all of which is pretty good news.
Who Can Request a Higher Credit Limit?
Anyone can request a higher credit limit, but not everyone will get accepted. A number of factors go into getting that yes, with some common things banks, card issuers, and others look for being:
- Good payment history
- Good credit score
- High income
- High usage of card (if it’s a credit card)
Conversely, some things that frequently disqualify people for credit limit increases are:
- Recently opening the card/taking out the loan
- A credit limit decrease in the past
- Late payments
- Defaulting on a loan or card
When Can I Request a Credit Limit Increase?
Requesting a credit limit increase largely depends on your circumstances and the organization you’re requesting the increase from. Various credit card holders, banks, and similar have rules around when you can request an increase, so check up on those before you waste your time. Additionally, be conscious of what was outlined above to judge whether or not you have a good chance of success.
To summarize, your best chances of having your is if you’ve had your card or loan for a decent amount of time, your income is steady, your credit score is high, and you haven’t had any late payments as of late. While none of these are things you just have to get that acceptance, they all increase your odds. You should also try to be conscious of your ability to pay back your debts, as improving your credit limit and spending a bunch won’t do you any good if you can barely make your payments as a result.
Things to Consider Before Requesting a Credit Limit Increase
Before you request your credit limit increase, you should consider a few factors. The more things you prepare and the more you take into account, the better your chances are that you’ll get what you want. As a guide, here are some things to look out for when you’re considering the right moment to request a credit limit increase.
| Timing | Pay attention to when you decide to ask since timing can be everything. If there’s been a shakeup in your employment, good or bad, that can affect how good things are for getting your credit limit increased. This can also be a reminder to strike when the iron is hot and not to put something like this off since you could quickly lose your opportunity unexpectedly. |
| Hard Pulls | Credit limit increase requests might result in a hard pull on your credit report depending on who you’re asking. If this happens, it may hurt your credit score. As counterintuitive as it might seem, you need to be sure of your credit before you can start to consider a limit increase. |
| History | Your history of good payments is key to getting that limit increased. In many ways, loans are a risk the lender takes on the person they loan to. Making yourself seem like a good investment is one way to increase your chances of getting granted. Making payments on time is one of the best ways to do that. |
If all of this checks out, though, you might be well on your way to a credit limit increase.
How to Request a Credit Limit Increase on Your Own
Requesting a credit limit increase can be a challenging process on your own. Using DoNotPay is most accessible, but you can also request a request on your own. If you do, you’ll probably follow steps like this:
- Gather documentation related to your income, credit score, payment history, and more.
- Draft a letter to your credit card company or loan provider requesting that your limit be raised. If you plan to request by phone, simply use this as a guide as you talk so that you remember to get all your points across.
- Contact customer service for the company. You can do this over the phone or online, depending on the company.
- Provide the necessary information to a representative. If asked, give permission for the company to examine your credit report (remember that this counts as a hard pull and can impact your score).
- Send in any information they might need for their decision and wait for the result.
Is There an Easier Way to Increase Your Credit Limit and Improve Your Score?
If you’d like a higher credit limit but don’t want to deal with the tedium involved in requesting it, let DoNotPay handle the work with these six easy steps:
- Go to the Credit Limit Increase product on DoNotPay.
- Select which type of card you own and your credit provider.
- Tell us more about your card, such as when you first created this card, your current credit limit, what you would like your new limit to be, your card number, and whether you’ve missed past payments.
- Tell us more about your current income and expenses and why you would like to request a limit increase.
- Indicate whether you want to allow hard inquiries to be made into your credit history. Upload a copy of your ID and provide your e-signature.
- Submit your task. DoNotPay will deliver the request letter on your behalf. You should hear back from the card provider with confirmation or a request for more information within a few weeks.
Increase Your Credit Limit with Financial Institutions, Quickly
We can handle credit limit increase requests for a number of companies. In the past, we’ve negotiated with major credit card providers like Chase, Capital One, Apple, American Express, and Discover to get our users a higher limit. We’ve also worked with banks to increase limits on loans, including Bank of America, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Credit One.
What Else Can DoNotPay Do?
Increasing your credit limit isn’t all DoNotPay can help with. We offer a ton of other services to our users, including the ability to:
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