Hi all, My Wife and I both have Click Citi cards as our only Citibank CC, mine has 12,000 limit, hers 9K. We've had these for around 3 years, perfect payment history, never carried a balance. We last had a no-inquiry CL increase around 4-5 months back via the web site, 33.3% increase each. What I'd like to do is jump on this excellent Citi Dividends rewards 0%/no fee/9 mo BT offer. Then, use as much of the line as won't substantially hurt our 700-770 fico scores until it expires. At that point, I'd pay it off in full, just prior to the due date. I'd then like to combine that line with our current Click Citi lines to increase our CL, then close the dividends cards. A few questions: -Does Citibank allow 2 cards per primary cardholder? If so, we should be able to do 2 of these BT offers, one for her and one for me, correct? -Am I likelier to get a big line if I have next to no balance outstanding on the two existing lines? In that case, I could wait until I pay this cycle's bill. -Any other tips on getting the largest credit line possbile, so as to make this BT especially worthwhile? I'm tempted to add part of the click lines to the Dividend lines, so as to have a lower % of the Divident CL used, if they'll let me do that. Other insights welcome too. Thanks, Dave
-Does Citibank allow 2 cards per primary cardholder? If so, we should be able to do 2 of these BT offers, one for her and one for me, correct? Yes. I think the maximum number of cards for each (primary) card member is three. But two is definitely not a problem. Both my parents, myself, and many people on Creditnet have had two or more cards. -Am I likelier to get a big line if I have next to no balance outstanding on the two existing lines? In that case, I could wait until I pay this cycle's bill. Their credit lines are very income sensitive, more so than debt burden sensitive. It may help to pay down an existing card, but with your excellent history - I really don't think you'll have a problem getting a credit line that you want, particularly if you have a decent income. But if you don't get it... -Any other tips on getting the largest credit line possbile, so as to make this BT especially worthwhile? I'm tempted to add part of the click lines to the Dividend lines, so as to have a lower % of the Divident CL used, if they'll let me do that. ... then it is worth your while to get the Dividend card, BT your click Citi balances to a *different* credit card company, combine your Dividend and Click Citi cards (and credit lines), and then BT the balance back to the Dividend card for the 0% promotion.
Citibank will NOT allow you to transfer from one card to another Citibank. Why not try for a Chase, then BT your citi to Chase then get the dividend Citi and BT back to that.
No, they won't. But Citibank WILL allow you to BT a check up to your credit limit to *yourself* for personal deposit, which you can spend however you want - including paying off another Citi card. I have had Citi reps tell me that I should do that in order to take advantage of a BT offer to get rid of another Citi balance. It's no secret.
Marci and all, Thanks for your very helpful replies! I should have clarified--I'm not worried about transferring the click balances to the Dividend card. (Of course, given Marci's point about the ability to transfer to a bank account, this seems moot anyway.) One follow up...our income was about $112K last year--any rough guesstimates of what we can expect for a line if we do this? TIA, Dave
About $10K or more - if you don't have a huge amount of available credit ($100K+) already (aka GEORGE). But as a safeguard, if you don't have any other credit cards than Citi - it is in your best interest (re negotiations and retention) to get another high end and high limit card from another company: MBNA (my personal preference - as every dept. acts like retention) Juniper Generations (has to be with a huge BT request, but doesn't report) Everbank State Farm Chase Platinum etc... You don't have to have a lot of cards - but you need at least one to keep Citi from holding your accounts hostage to their terms.
marci, Did you know Everbank report to the credit bureaus? I have the account for a month and I haven't seen mine showing up in any of my reports. Thanks. Ron.
Marci, you're a dear--thank you again. I do have a Farm Bureau Bank Via (2% cash back refund once you charge $35K over 3 years), along with several other high limit cards, so no worries hear. I appreciate the list of your preferreds all the same tho. D
Update: Called today, was approved for $5,600. I'm a little surprised that it wasn't closer to 10K or so. Perhaps it's time to inspect my credit record yet again (sigh...)
Update: got the new card in the mail today. Called about a BT, and the CSR didn't know of any way to patially move a credit limit from one citibank card to another with the same name, even though I did this very thing a couple of years back... Anyone know who to contact to make this happen? Or have they changed their policy since then? TIA, Dave
Did you call the number on your click card or the new card? I think you need a different service center. I have had a similar problem with click card service. They don't know how to do anything, it seems.
Thanks again breeze, I called the new card CSR line, but it's the same phone number as my own click (that's what I want to move around $10,000 in buying power from, so I can do a bigger BT.)
