Are you stuck with a credit card having low credit limit? Are you planning to buy an item using credit card but the limit is too low to make the purchase? Are you trying to improve your credit utilization ratio without hassles of getting a new credit card? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you have landed on the right webpage.
In this article, I have jotted down 6 ways to increase the limit on your credit card which actually work. I will also be telling about my personal experience with some of the cards for which I was able to increase credit limit by employing these methods. So without further ado, let’s look into these methods in detail.
Methods to increase Credit Card Limit
Following methods will help you increase credit limit on your Credit Card:
Spend more on Card
If you constantly hit the limit on your credit card and pay off before the due date, it proves that you are more creditworthy. Try to put all spends on credit card and try to minimize the usage of debit card and cash. E-wallets can rescue you in case of smaller merchants who don’t have swipe machines. Continue doing this for 6 months and you should be getting an automatic limit upgrade. If not, then call the bank and ask them to increase the limit as current limit is not sufficient and tell them you need to spend even more in the near future. There are high chances that bank will approve a higher credit limit on your card.
Show improved Income
If your income has increased considerably (> 30%) in recent times, forward your 3 months salary slip or income tax returns to the bank and ask them to review your limit. This is the best way to get an increase in credit limit and most of the time you can get a decent increase if your increment is good and is coupled with a good spending history on the card.
Show reduced Liabilities
You might be having an active home, vehicle or personal loan at the time you applied for the card. If you closed any of those loans recently, send the loan closure letter to bank. Tell the bank that since you have closed the loan, you have better spending power and hence you want a better limit. Since your liability has reduced, bank will take it in a positive manner and may enhance the limit on your card.
Show better limit on other Cards
If you have a card with better credit limit, send the statement of that card to other bank highlighting the higher limit. Ask the bank to provide equal or better limit based on this. Most of the time bank will consider this request and may increase the limit on the card.
Upgrade your Card
Many a times, upgrading to a next tier card is accompanied by a limit increase. However with upgrade, you might have to shell out extra money in the form of annual fees. If you’re eligible for an upgraded card, go for it as most of the times you’ll get more benefits than the previous card.
Avail EMIs or use for Foreign Travel
EMI interests and Forex Markup Fees are two major sources of income for credit card companies. They love it when you spend on these categories. Note that many a times, merchants provides an option of no-cost EMI wherein interest is borne by the merchants and you just end up paying GST on interest which is relatively low. Opt for no-cost EMIs on your card for some of the purchases and it may trigger a limit increase.
Personal Experience
Below are some of my experiences with credit limit increase on some of the credit cards owned by me:
HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank loves it when you spend online especially e-commerce sites like Flipkart & Amazon. I used my HDFC Regalia Credit Card for online shopping frequently and was granted a credit limit increase in tunes of 30%-50% every quarter. Even though most of the times I didn’t need this, I always accepted the increased limit. This helped me in reducing my credit utilization ratio thereby improving my credit (CIBIL) score.
ICICI Bank
I hold an ICICI Platinum Credit Card for last 11 years and till last year, my credit limit was mere Rs. 85,000 as was not spending even a penny on that. However there was a no cost EMI offer for iPhone last year on ICICI Bank Credit Cards and I utilized the same. I was surprised to see that ICICI Bank increased my limit by more than 500% in just one year. Though I ended up paying GST on interest, I feel it was worthwhile as later I got Amazon Pay ICICI Bank Credit Card with the same higher limit.
Yes Bank
I acquired Yes First Exclusive Credit Card based on my HDFC Regalia and was provided a limit 50% of the latter. This card was my primary driver until the rewards were reduced. At one time, I maxed out the limit on this card and Yes Bank promptly provided a limit increase of 50% next month. Last year I used this card extensively on my trip to Thailand since this has lowest forex markup. Next month again I was awarded a limit increase of around 40% on this card. Even though I am not using this card actively now, Yes Bank keeps on sending me limit enhancement offers now and then, which I accept.
Axis Bank
Axis Bank is most generous in awarding the credit limit on their cards. Even without any prior relationship with them, I was issued an Axis Bank My Zone credit card with a limit close to ~ Rs. 3 Lakhs which kept on increasing periodically. I used this card mostly for availing online offers, especially on MakeMyTrip for flight bookings. I saw a limit enhancement by 20-30% every time they granted one.
Citi Bank
Citi Bank is a little stingy in providing the credit limit on their new cards. I was awarded a limit 50% of my take home salary when I got the Citi Cashback Credit Card. I registered this card on their utility bill payment platform to pay my electricity bill to get 5% cashback. Citi has been constantly awarding me a limit enhancement ~50% each year though, which I feel is pretty decent.
Standard Chartered
I have mixed experience with Standard Chartered (SC) Bank credit cards. I am holding their Manhattan Credit Card for the last 10 years and I was awarded a limit twice my in-hand monthly salary at that time. This was my primary driver for some time as SC used to award me a decent increment in credit limit, almost 30-50%. However when I stopped using it, the offers for credit limit enhancement also dried up.
At one time, I was in pursuit of Standard Chartered Ultimate Credit Card which required a credit limit of Rs. 3 Lakh or more on present card. I was fulfilling the eligibility criteria for a fresh card, however due to low limit on my Manhattan Card, I was unqualified. I sent my salary slips to SC and they increased my limit only till 60% of my in-hand salary which was a disaster. I left the pursuit of Ultimate and decided not to use the SC card for any transaction unless there was an offer. Only reason I didn’t cancel the current card is that it’s life time free for me.
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Kotak has been most generous in awarding credit limit on my Royale Credit Card. I started the banking and credit card relationship with Kotak 3 years back and I was parking my emergency fund in Kotak Mahindra Bank due to 6% interest they provide on their savings account. I never used Royale Credit Card actively, even though they kept on increasing the limit. I feel it’s mostly due to the money lying idle in the savings account. Currently my credit limit on Royale Credit Card matches with my HDFC Infinia Credit Card.
RBL Bank
RBL Bank has been most miser in providing the credit limit on my RBL Bank Fun+ Credit Card. I regularly use this card up to Rs. 5,000 for BookMyShow tickets worth Rs. 500. However with regular use, RBL never provided me a credit limit enhancement. I sent my salary documents to them and they provided me a limit equal to my in-hand salary which was quite sufficient for me. However, to my surprise, this year they provided a credit limit enhancement of 50% which I accepted happily.
SBI Card
SBI Card has also been generous with me and provided me a credit limit twice my in-hand monthly salary on SimplyCLICK Credit Card. I sporadically use this card for online offers on Amazon and Flipkart. SBI Card never offer me a limit enhancement, nor I felt the need of it as existing limit is quite good.
IndusInd Bank
IndusInd Bank provided me a limit twice the in-hand monthly salary on Aura Credit Card. I infrequently use this card for online shopping if there is any offer and IndusInd Bank has been providing me a limit increase in tunes of ~30% yearly. I feel this is quite apt as the initial limit itself is quite good and I don’t use this card regularly.
HSBC Bank
HSBC Bank is little cautious in providing the limits on their credit cards. They provided me a limit equal to my in-hand salary when I got their Platinum Visa Credit Card. I use this card mostly on Cleartrip for flight bookings because of the Friday offer they have. I was awarded a credit limit increase of around 50%-100% every year. I feel this is mostly because of my prompt payments and frequent usage.
American Express
I presently hold an Amex Gold Charge Card which doesn’t have any pre-set limit. However, within Amex portal, you can simulate if a transaction of given amount would go through the card or not. I recently tried this and I was able to charge Rs. 10 Lakhs on my card successfully. Amex approves or denies a charge on card based on the usage pattern. I believe a spotless payment history coupled with frequent usage goes a long way in approval of high value transactions.
Bottomline
Having a good credit limit is a sign of financial wellbeing. It reflects that you’re financially disciplined and are more credit worthy. Though a good credit limit will tempt you to spend more, don’t get overboard and spend only what you can repay in next billing cycle.
How has been your experience with credit limit enhancements? Do you have any other tip or trick to share regarding the same? Either way, leave a quick comment below to let me know.
