Easily Increase Your J. Crew Credit Limit

Prepsters across the US look to for their wardrobe staples. J Crew offers a branded MasterCard to consumers, with a pretty good rewards program—if you shop at J Crew a lot. But since they outfit the entire family for almost any occasion, cardholders might need a higher credit limit, so they can use that card and keep accumulating points. Keep reading for DoNotPay's dish on how to ask for an increase in your limit, and other cards—Apple, Amex, Capital One, Chase–that might be better in the long run.

Pros of a J Crew Card

Sure, has a great rewards program. Here are a few of the highlights.

15% discount on initial purchase. There may be exclusions, so check first.
Every dollar you spend earns 2 points back.
For every $100 you spend, you'll get $5 in rewards, which means 5% cashback.
No annual fee.

Okay, these are pretty standard. Here's where J Crew's card really shines.

Free basic alterations (hemming, shortening sleeves, taking in a seam, etc) for in-store purchases.
Free shipping.
Birthday present.

An upside to the J Crew card is that you don't need a really high credit score to qualify for a card—the issuing bank, Comenity, requires at least a fair credit history—a wide range between 580 and 669, according to Experian. The downside is that the interest rate is a whopping 24.2%—so you really need to zero out your J Crew balance every month.

Cons of the J Crew Card

J Crew does not have the best record for customer service. Many online reviews point to hard credit pulls without authorization, fraudulent purchases, and your reward points expire after 12 months. Unless you really love those J Crew points, a Visa, MasterCard, or Discover rewards card gets you the same benefits without the hassle and a better interest rate. 21% is the average for fair credit, far below J Crew's rate. If you have good or excellent credit, other cards offer lower rates. Ask yourself—are the J Crew rewards really worth it?

Consider These Before You Request a Credit Increase

Credit limit increases are not available to those who have recently obtained a card or have reduced their credit limit over the last few months. Before you request a credit limit increase for your J Crew card, consider these factors:

Income	You may be asked to supply information about your earnings while applying for a credit limit increase. To guarantee that you aren't offered more credit than you can afford to repay, the credit company will most likely look at your gross income compared to your debt.
Delinquency	They may consider the amount of outstanding debts on your credit reports when deciding whether or not to increase your credit limit. Overdue accounts are those that are past the payment date. People with a history of late payments are often looked down upon by credit lenders.
Hard Pull	When a credit card firm checks your credit score before choosing whether or not to approve your request, this is known as a hard inquiry. This type of query can stay on your credit reports for up to two years. If you have a lot of hard inquiries on your credit record, they may be skeptical of your increase request. A string of hard inquiries could indicate a high-risk customer opening many new accounts due to a financial constraint and could be a bad borrower.

When Can I Ask For a Higher Credit Limit?

If you've had your J Crew MasterCard longer than six months or so, you could qualify for more credits. Also, changes in your life situation may help you qualify for increased credit. Do any of these scenarios apply to you?

Marriage
New job
Bought a house
Started a family

Any or all of these changes will also mean a change in your spending habits, and buying a house indicates a higher level of creditworthiness on your part. And having kids? Crewcuts is here for you!

Make Sure You Qualify for More Spending

Life changes could also mean a lower credit score. Like if you bought a house, and loaded up your credit cards buying stuff for the new digs. You are not only carrying a mortgage but could have maxed out your other cards, too. When you use all or most of your available credit, your score drops a bit—the ideal credit usage is 35% of the credit limit.

The J Crew Process—Asking for the Increase

Call J Crew customer service at (800) 562-0258 to ask for an increase—easy peasy. Just be sure you know your credit score first, as hard inquiries could lower your score. Credit score apps don't use the same algorithm as credit bureaus, and the free report you can get once a year doesn't always match what a creditor pulls.

DoNotPay Takes the Uncertainty Away

If you want a higher limit with J Crew but aren't sure of your credit score—especially after a couple of late payments—DoNotPay can help make sure you'll qualify. Our system asks whether you want a "hard pull"—an official inquiry that reports to the credit bureau for two years, and could lower your score—so if you're worried, that won't happen. You won't get a credit increase, but your credit score won't drop, either.

Here's how:

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.

DoNotPay Does Do a Lot More

We can not only help you keep your credit score clean, but we can also help you with:

Refunds or chargebacks for defective or fraudulent purchases.
File complaints on your behalf if you don't get a refund.
Another service we offer is researching the best credit cards for you—balance transfers, rewards, or whatever kind of card you need.

DoNotPay can pretty much do it all!