Writer: Brittney Mayer
Editor: Lillian Guevara-Castro
Reviewer: Ashley Fricker
Disclosure: When you apply through links on our site, we may earn a referral fee from our partners. For more, see our ad disclosure and review policy.
Although the average American has credit card limits in the $30,000 range, single-card limits tend to be lower, and that figure drops exponentially for consumers with low credit scores. The average subprime credit card offers a limit of around $500.
Many personal credit card users can likely get by with a modest limit, but low spending limits may start to get in the way when it comes to large purchases like replacing your appliances or paying for a family vacation. Similarly, a typical small business has a number of regular expenses — such as quarterly taxes — that can easily stress a small spending limit.
Depending on your qualifications and needs, having one or two credit cards with no spending limit may be a smart way to cover those large purchases that pop up. But do credit cards with no spending limit actually exist?
As with many finance-related issues, the answer isn’t that simple. But we’ll explore the answers in the article below. Both personal and business cards can be found with flexible credit limits or with no preset spending limits.
Personal Cards with No Limit
Technically, all credit cards have limits on how much credit you can use at any given time. That being said, those spending limits are rarely set in stone, and they can go up — and down — at any given time at the issuer’s discretion. They can also, in some cases, be exceeded — also at the issuer’s discretion.
If a credit card allows you to go over your limit, it’s generally considered to be a flexible spending credit card. Alternatively, you can have a charge card with no preset spending limit (NPSL), which means you have a variable limit that can be extended for large purchases.
One thing to keep in mind is that cards with flexible limits or NPSL will be a lot like most high-limit cards when it comes to approval; in other words, you’ll typically need excellent credit to qualify for a high credit limit at all, and especially to get a high limit that you can then spend over.
Top Personal Credit Cards with Flexible Spending Limits
Personal credit cards are an ideal way to make purchases for many people, offering security, convenience, and — arguably the best part — purchase rewards. But, credit card spending limits can limit (pun intended) the utility of some cards, especially for consumers who make a lot of large purchases.
The solution may be a credit card with flexible limits. A number of issuers offer credit cards that, while they have set spending limits — limits typically disclosed to you when you open your account — they may approve some transactions that would put you over your limit.
Flexible spending credit cards don’t always let you go over your limit, however. Transactions are approved on a case-by-case basis, and the decision will depend on your credit card account history, your credit, and your income at the time you make the transaction.
4.8
- Earn 100,000 bonus points + $500 Chase Travel℠ promo credit after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- Get more than $2,700 in annual value with Sapphire Reserve.
- Earn 8x points on all purchases through Chase Travel℠, including The Edit℠ and 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct. Plus, earn 3x points on dining worldwide & 1x points on all other purchases
- $300 annual travel credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Access over 1,300 airport lounges worldwide with a complimentary Priority Pass™ Select membership, plus every Chase Sapphire Lounge® by The Club with two guests. Plus, up to $120 towards Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck® every 4 years
- Get up to $150 in statement credits every six months for a maximum of $300 annually for dining at restaurants that are part of Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables.
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
20.24% - 28.74% Variable
|
$795
|
Good/Excellent
|
A popular travel rewards card, this pick earns 3X Ultimate Rewards® points per dollar on travel and dining purchases, with an unlimited 1X point per dollar on everything else. Users also receive an annual $300 travel credit, airport lounge access, and a competitive signup bonus.
4.9
- Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day
- Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options
- Miles won't expire for the life of the account and there's no limit to how many you can earn
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®
- Use your miles to get reimbursed for any travel purchase—or redeem by booking a trip through Capital One Travel
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
19.99% - 29.24% (Variable)
|
$95
|
Excellent, Good
|
Cardholders like this flexible travel rewards card for its unlimited 2X Venture Miles per dollar, miles that can be redeemed for a statement credit to cover travel expenses or be transferred to a partner airline frequent flyer program. The card does have an annual fee, but the signup bonus can be quite valuable and offset that first year’s fee.
4.9
- New offer! Earn 6% cash back for the first year in the category of your choice: gas and EV charging stations; online shopping, including cable, internet, phone plans and streaming; dining; travel; drug stores and pharmacies; or home improvement and furnishings. You’ll automatically earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases. After the first year from account opening, you’ll earn 3% cash back on purchases in your choice category.
- Earn 6% and 2% cash back on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter in the choice category, and at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, then earn unlimited 1% thereafter. After the 3% first-year bonus offer ends, you will earn 3% and 2% cash back on these purchases up to the quarterly maximum.
- $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening.
- With the Bank of America Preferred Rewards® program, members can earn 25%-75% more cash back on every purchase. That means the 3% choice category could go up to 3.75%-5.25%. The Preferred Rewards bonus is not applied to the 3% first-year bonus.
- No annual fee and cash rewards don’t expire as long as your account remains open.
- 0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days. After the Intro APR offer ends, a Variable APR that’s currently 18.24% - 28.24% will apply. A 3% Intro balance transfer fee will apply for the first 60 days your account is open. After the Intro balance transfer fee offer ends, the fee for future balance transfers is 4%. Balance transfers may not be used to pay any account provided by Bank of America.
- Contactless Cards - The security of a chip card, with the convenience of a tap.
- This online only offer may not be available if you leave this page or if you visit a Bank of America financial center. You can take advantage of this offer when you apply now.
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
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Regular APR
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Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases
|
0% Intro APR for 15 billing cycles for any balance transfers made in the first 60 days (Balance Transfer Fee 3% for 60 days from account opening, then 4%)
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18.24% - 28.24% Variable APR on purchases and balance transfers
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$0
|
Excellent/Good
|
Additional Disclosure: Bank of America is a CardRates advertiser.
This card is a decent pick for an everyday cash back card thanks to its user-selected cash back category that gives cardholders a choice of earning extra rewards in one of these categories: gas, online shopping, dining, travel, drug stores, or home improvement/furnishings. Cardholders also earn 2% cash back at grocery stores and wholesale clubs and 1% on everything else. The higher cash back tiers are subject to a quarterly spending limit of $2,500 — purchases exceeding this limit earn 1%.
Top Personal Charge Cards with No Preset Spending Limit
Credit cards with revolving credit lines are the standard these days, but the charge card was once the norm. Unlike credit cards, which allow you to carry a balance from month to month, charge cards are strict credit lines that require you to pay off your balance in full each billing cycle.
Since charge cards are paid in full each month, issuers don’t have to worry (as much) about how much debt you carry over. As a result, most charge cards have no preset spending limit (NPSL), instead offering a variable limit that can change from transaction to transaction based on your account history and other factors.
American Express is the main issuer of personal charge cards, which is good from a customer service standpoint — Amex frequently ranks first or second in customer service. But Amex is also well-known for its high applicant standards, which means you’ll need excellent credit for the best chances of approval.
4.9
- Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new card to make $8,000 in purchases in your first 6 months of Card Membership
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points for flights booked directly through airlines or American Express Travel, on up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. Also earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on prepaid hotels on AmexTravel.com. Earn 1X points on all other purchases.
- $200 annual hotel credit, $200 annual airline fee credit, $15 monthly Uber cash credit, $50 bi-annual Saks Fifth Avenue credit, and more.
- Platinum Card Members have unlimited complimentary access to all locations of The Global Lounge Collection®, including 1,400 airport lounges across 140 countries.
- Automatic Marriott Bonvoy Gold Elite Status and Hilton Honors Gold Status. Enrollment required.
- Choose among three card designs
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Intro (Purchases)
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Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
20.24% – 29.24% Pay Over Time
|
$695
|
Excellent
|
The high annual fee that comes with The Platinum Card® can be well worth paying for those who can maximize the card’s perks, including the 5X Membership Rewards® points per dollar on travel booked through amextavel.com.
While the rewards are nice, the perks are what draw most users. Cardholders receive a monthly Uber credit, an annual airline fee credit, and an annual hotel credit.
4.8
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new card in your first 6 months of card membership.
- Earn 4X Points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $25,000 per calendar year in purchases. Also earn 4X Points at restaurants on up to $50,000 per year in purchases, including takeout and delivery, 3X points on flights when booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com, and 2X points on prepaid hotels and other eligible travel purchases, booked through AmexTravel.com. All other eligible purchases earn 1X point.
- No foreign transaction fees
- Earn up to a total of $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the Gold Card at participating partners. This can be an annual savings of up to $120. Enrollment required.
- Book two nights or more with The Hotel Collection through AmexTravel.com and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges.
- $325 Annual Fee
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Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
20.24% – 29.24% Pay Over Time
|
$325
|
Excellent
|
The American Express® Gold Card is a decent choice for an everyday card, providing 4X points per dollar at U.S. restaurants and grocery stores, plus triple points on travel booked through amextravel.com and 1X point per dollar on everything else.
In addition to purchase rewards, new cardholders can earn a large Membership Rewards® points bonus, with the size of the bonus varying.
4.7
- Earn 40,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $3,000 on purchases on your new card in your first 6 months of card membership
- Earn 3X points on restaurants, including takeout and delivery, and 3X points on transit and travel — all other purchases earn 1X point per $1 spent
- Use the American Express Green Card® and get up to $199 back per calendar year on your CLEAR® Plus Membership (subject to auto-renewal)
- Find out if you Pre-Qualify for the American Express Green Card® or other offers in as little as 30 seconds.
- Card Members can enjoy presale and special ticket access to select can’t miss events through Events with Amex™
- No foreign transaction fees
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Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
20.24% – 28.24% Pay Over Time
|
$150
|
Good/Excellent
|
The American Express Green Card® can be a good card for everyday use, earning 3X Membership Rewards® Points per dollar on restaurants, transit, and travel, and an unlimited 1X point per dollar on all other purchases.
This card has a $150 annual fee, but a big Membership Rewards® Points bonus is available for qualified spending in the first six months.
Business Cards with No Limit
Business credit cards are a highly useful tool for nearly any business, no matter its size. Not only do business cards help you keep your business expenses separate from your personal ones, but many business cards also offer bonus purchase rewards in business-centered categories neglected by personal credit cards.
As in the consumer card world, business cards can be found that are either revolving credit lines — cards that let you carry a balance from month to month — or charge cards that generally need to be paid in full each month. Both types of cards can have variable credit limits, though charge cards tend to have the most variability.
Top Business Credit Cards with Flexible Spending Limits
Although most business credit cards with revolving credit lines do have set credit limits, that’s not the end of the story for some. Some issuers may allow cardholders to spend above their credit limits, typically on a case-by-case basis, with the decision to allow a transaction based on the cardholder’s payment history and credit.
If you have a business credit card with a flexible credit limit, you may want to consider checking with your issuer before making a purchase that would go above your limit. This can help you ensure your purchase is approved and prevent any issues with the transaction.
4.6
- Earn 90k bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 cash back or $1,125 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Travel℠
- Earn 3 points per $1 on the first $150,000 spent on travel and select business categories each account anniversary year. Earn 1 point per $1 on all other purchases
- Round-the-clock monitoring for unusual credit card purchases
- With Zero Liability you won't be held responsible for unauthorized charges made with your card or account information.
- Redeem points for cash back, gift cards, travel and more - your points don't expire as long as your account is open
- Points are worth more when you redeem for travel through Chase Travel℠
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
20.24% - 26.24% Variable
|
$95
|
Good/Excellent
|
This card is a top pick for many small business owners, offering 3X rewards points per dollar in several useful business categories, including travel, shipping, internet and phone services, and select advertising (limited to the first $150,000 in category purchases each year).
4.6
- Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your Card in your first 3 months.
- Earn 2% cash back on all eligible purchases on up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1%. Cash back earned is automatically credited to your statement.
- Buy above your credit limit with Expanded Buying Power. Make business purchases over your credit limit with no penalty or enrollments, and still earn cash back on those purchases. Terms apply.
- 0% introductory APR on purchases for 12 months from the date of account opening, then a variable APR applies
- Get an application decision in as little as 30 seconds
- $0 Annual Fee
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% for 12 months
|
N/A
|
17.49% – 27.49% Variable
|
$0
|
Good/Excellent
|
The Blue Business Cash™ Card is a regular revolving credit card with a flexible spending limit that is great for businesses that want straightforward rewards. Cardholders earn 2% cash back on every purchase, regardless of category, on up to $50,000 in purchases each year.
That cash back is automatically credited to your statement. This card also offers Expanded Buying Power that gives business owners the flexibility to make purchases above their credit limit.
Top Business Charge Cards with No Preset Spending Limit
When it comes to spending, charge cards are a lot like flexible spending credit cards; you probably have a general credit limit that you were assigned at approval, but you can typically spend over that limit — so long as the bank approves the transaction, which will depend on your account history, revenue and credit profile.
The main difference, then, is that charge cards aren’t revolving credit lines, meaning your business can’t (generally) carry a balance on the card from month to month. Instead, the balance will usually need to be paid in full within 30 to 60 days.
Some issuers may allow certain purchases to carry over beyond the due date. For instance, most business charge cards are offered by American Express, an issuer who offers a Pay Over Time feature for its business (and personal) charge cards on purchases over $100 that allows cardholders to carry over a balance while paying interest.
4.6
- Earn 150,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $20,000 on eligible purchases with your Card within the first 3 months of card membership
- Earn 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels on amextravel.com, 1.5X points on business categories and purchases of $5,000 or more on up to $2 million per calendar year, and 1X point for each dollar you spend on other purchases.
- Get up to $400 back per year toward U.S. purchases with Dell Technologies, up to $360 back per year for purchases with Indeed, and $120 back per year for wireless telephone service purchases on the Business Platinum Card, plus additional credits. Enrollment is required for all.
- Access to more than 1,400 lounges across 140 countries and counting with the American Express Global Lounge Collection®
- Select one qualifying airline and then receive up to $200 in statement credits per calendar year when incidental fees, such as checked bags and in-flight refreshments, are charged by the airline to your Business Platinum Card® Account.
- $695 Annual Fee
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
18.49% – 27.49% Pay Over Time
|
$695
|
Excellent
|
The The Business Platinum Card® may be pricey with its $695 annual fee, but it comes with a lot of perks for that price. It starts with 5X Membership Rewards® points per dollar on flights and prepaid hotels booked through amextravel.com. Users also receive 1.5X points per dollar for purchases of $5,000 or more.
4.5
- Earn 100,000 Membership Rewards® points after you spend $15,000 on eligible purchases with the Business Gold Card within the first 3 months of card membership
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points on the 2 categories where your business spends the most each billing cycle, including U.S. purchases for advertising in select media (online, TV, radio), U.S. purchases made directly from select technology providers of computer hardware, software, and cloud solutions, and U.S. purchases at gas stations, restaurants, or for shipping. Applies to the first $150,000 in combined purchases from these 2 categories each calendar year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points on flights and prepaid hotels and prepaid flight + hotel packages booked on AmexTravel.com using your Business Gold Card.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® points on other purchases
- $375 Annual Fee
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
0% Intro APR for 6 months
|
N/A
|
18.49% – 27.49% Pay Over Time
|
$375
|
Excellent
|
The Business Gold Card gives business owners a way to maximize rewards without a lot of effort and a $375 annual fee. It offers users 4X Membership Rewards® on the two categories they spend the most each billing cycle from a list that includes things like advertising, gas stations, and shipping.
4.0
- Earn 15,000 Membership Rewards® Points when you spend $3,000 on eligible purchases within your first 3 months of Card Membership
- Earn 2X points on flights and prepaid hotels booked on AmexTravel.com
- Earn 1X points on all other eligible purchases made using your Business Green Card
- No Preset Spending Limit means your spending limit is flexible and adapts based on factors such as your purchase, payment, and credit history
- Expense Management Tools including free employee cards, QuickBooks integration, Vendor Pay by Bill.com, Account Manager, and more
- $95 Annual Fee
|
Intro (Purchases)
|
Intro (Transfers)
|
Regular APR
|
Annual Fee
|
Credit Needed
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
N/A
|
N/A
|
18.49% – 27.49% Pay Over Time
|
$95
|
Good/Excellent
|
The Business Green Rewards Card is another charge card, this one with 2X points per dollar on purchases through amextravel.com, so it could be a good pick for business owners who have a lot of travel expenses and an affinity for Amex’s Membership Rewards® points.
The card’s annual fee is waived the first year, and $3,000 worth of eligible purchases in the first three months unlocks a 15,000 Membership Rewards® Points bonus.
Do All Credit Cards Have Spending Limits?
One of the greatest misconceptions about top-tier credit and charge cards is that they are entirely without limits. This notion is — understandably — fueled by the persistent stories of people making million-dollar purchases with their trusty plastic payment cards (well, alright, trusty metal payment cards).
Despite popular opinion, however, all credit and charge cards do have limits — even if those limits have nine digits.
Of course, big-ticket buys larger than most people make in a decade aren’t purchased with just any credit card. Most stories involving jaw-dropping card purchases occur on charge cards with no preset spending limit (NPSL). Instead, each transaction is approved on a case-by-case basis.
The decision of whether to allow a particular charge card transaction is influenced by factors such as the cardholder’s income and payment history — essentially, the same factors that go into deciding your credit limit on a regular credit card.
While those factors are the same, however, the weight given to them does vary. For example, a typical consumer applying for a top-tier travel card may be granted a high credit limit even with a modest income thanks to a great credit score. But even a perfect credit score likely won’t unlock a six-figure spending limit if you don’t have the income to back it up.
So How Does a Card with No Limit Impact Your Credit Scores?
Basically, if your flexible spending credit card or NPSL charge card doesn’t report a credit limit to the credit bureaus, then the majority of scoring models will simply exclude that card from the utilization calculations.
Although the specific factors — and their respective weights — influencing your credit scores vary based on the scoring model used, in general, there are five basic categories that go into calculating credit scores:
- Payment History — 35%
- Amounts Owed — 30%
- Length of Credit History — 15%
- New Accounts — 10%
- Credit Mix — 10%
Each of these five factors encompasses multiple bits of data. The Length of Credit History factor, for instance, looks at both the overall age of your credit history and the average age of all of your credit accounts.
Similarly, your Amounts Owed category looks at how much debt you have, the types of debt you carry, and how much debt you could have based on your available credit lines. This category is where your credit limits come into play.
One way scoring models look at your debt potential is by calculating your utilization rate, which is a ratio of how much debt you carry over how much credit is available. For example, if you have $1,000 in credit card debt and a total of $4,000 in available credit on your cards, then your utilization rate would be: $1,000 / $4,000 = 0.25 = 25%.
Scoring models will calculate an overall utilization rate for all of your credit cards, as well as an individual utilization rate for each one of your credit cards. They do this by dividing your most recent reported credit card balance by the credit limit reported for that card.
So, what happens if your card doesn’t have a credit limit? It typically gets ignored. Because, after all, you can’t divide by zero.
The implications of this exclusion are two-fold. On the one hand, since these cards won’t be included in your utilization calculations, they generally can’t help your overall utilization rate. On the other hand, this also means they can’t hurt your utilization rate, so large purchases made with an NPSL card are unlikely to drag down your credit scores.
What Card Has the Highest Credit Limit?
Anytime we hear about another headline-snagging story about a multimillion-dollar credit card purchase, it seems to inevitably be followed with questions about which credit cards have the highest limits — and how we can get them ourselves.
But, as we’ve discussed above, the credit cards that celebrities and the ultrawealthy use for those headline-snagging purchases aren’t really credit cards at all. Instead, they’re usually NPSL charge cards, like the infamous Amex Centurion Card (aka, The Black Card), with limits that vary from transaction to transaction.
What’s more, these seemingly limitless card limits aren’t available to just anyone. Not only do these cards require an income and payment history capable of supporting such outlandish purchases, but many of these exclusive cards also require an invitation just to apply.
Despite the limitations on luxury NPSL charge cards, the rest of us aren’t necessarily relegated to basic credit cards and tiny spending limits. Many of the credit cards available to the general public have been known to offer some pretty substantial credit limits — at least substantial in terms of the typical consumer’s spending needs.
For example, no matter how large your family, you can likely fit your entire vacation onto the popular Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which can reportedly offer a credit limit as high as $50,000 for qualifying cardholders.
And think of the Ultimate Rewards® points you could earn if you used even a portion of the $100,000 credit limit that reports say can be obtained with the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.
What is the Average Credit Card Limit?
While we saw in the section above that even regular consumer credit cards can have five- or six-figure spending limits, it’s important to keep in mind that the highest credit card limits will not be available to just anyone. Your credit limit is based on a variety of factors, and the average credit limits are much lower than those extreme examples.
For a typical consumer credit card, the credit limit offered to an applicant at approval will be primarily based on the applicant’s credit history and income, though the former tends to play a larger role than the latter. For example, two consumers with identical income levels could get very different credit limits if one consumer has a greater credit risk than the other.
This fact is also reflected in the statistics. Experian data shows that consumers with prime or super prime credit are generally offered significantly higher credit lines than consumers with subprime or deep subprime credit.
In fact, the average credit limit for a super prime cardholder is more than six times higher than the average for a cardholder with credit in the deep subprime range. As one might expect, these numbers fairly well reflect the types of credit cards available to each credit demographic.
Super prime cardholders, for instance, would be the most likely to qualify for top-tier cards more likely to have high base limits, such as cards with a Visa Infinite® logo that reportedly have minimum credit limits of $10,000.
On the other end of the spectrum, subprime consumers are more likely to be relegated to subprime credit cards that have typical limits in the $300 to $500 range.
How Can You Get a Higher Credit Limit?
Although there are certainly reports of people getting huge spending limits from credit cards they’ve just opened, most consumers aren’t going to start out with the maximum limit for any given card, even with good credit and a solid income.
However, receiving a low credit limit at approval doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to always have a low limit on that card account because most credit cards will offer ways to access a higher credit limit.
The exceptions here are secured credit cards — since your credit limit is typically based on your deposit amount — and subprime cards, which rarely offer credit limit increases.
The simplest way to increase your card’s credit limit is to just wait for an automatic increase. The majority of card issuers will monitor your card use, credit risk, and income updates to see if you’re eligible for a larger credit line.
If you meet the issuer’s criteria, your credit limit will be increased without any action necessary on your part (and, in some cases, without any notification from the issuer).
Automatic increases are most likely to occur when you use your card frequently and keep your account in good standing. You may also be eligible for an increase if your income improves, and you update your credit card account with your new income.
Because you’re not requesting the credit, automatic increases won’t involve a hard credit pull that could harm your credit scores.
If patience isn’t your strong suit, or you need a larger credit line for an upcoming purchase, you can attempt to fast-track the process by proactively asking for a credit limit increase. This can usually be done by phone or, depending on the bank, through your online banking account or mobile app.
This method is less desirable than waiting for an automatic increase because of the potential credit score impact. Directly requesting a credit limit increase is often seen in the same light as any other request for credit, meaning many issuers will go through a hard credit inquiry to determine whether to increase your credit line.
You may have a third option to increase your credit line on a specific card if you have multiple cards with one issuer. Many issuers will allow you to reallocate (i.e., move) part of your credit line from one card to another card from the same issuer.
For example, suppose Imaginary Irving has two cards from the same bank: Card A, with a $2,000 limit, and Card B, with a $5,000 limit, as shown in the table above. If Irving wants a higher credit line for Card A, he could move $1,500 worth of credit from Card B to Card A, which would give him a credit limit of $3,500 on Card A and $3,500 on Card B.
Reallocation is a good idea if you use a particular card more frequently than the other cards, such as when one card has higher reward rates. It can also be a good tool for low-interest credit cards to which you want to transfer higher-interest credit card balances.
The Sky’s the Limit
When just starting on your credit journey, you’ll deal with a lot of things that you won’t have to face later on, from higher interest rates to lower credit limits. Rather than rail against low limits, however, consider your first few low-limit cards as training tools to help you optimally manage your utilization rate and payment habits.
As your credit history and income grow — which tends to happen naturally as we age — so, too, will the size of your credit lines and the quality of the credit you’re offered. With time, a reasonable income, and an excellent credit history, the sky may very well be the limit on how much you can charge to your trusty plastic payment card.
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