How to Request a Credit Limit Increase With Wells Fargo

When you first get approved for a credit card, you’ll be given a certain amount of spending power, known as your credit limit. In some cases, card issuers like Wells Fargo may increase your credit limit without you asking. If they don’t, you can request a credit limit increase from Wells Fargo by calling customer service at 800-642-4720.

However, asking for a credit limit increase doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get one. Cardholders with a reliable payment history and a healthy credit score are the most likely to receive a credit limit increase.

How to get a Wells Fargo credit limit increase

If you’ve kept your Wells Fargo credit card account in good standing for at least three to six months, and paid your bills on time each month, it could be worthwhile to request a credit limit increase. Some Wells Fargo cardholders have had more success by waiting at least a few months between requests.

Once you are connected with a representative and they have verified your identity, they will often ask questions to see if you qualify for a credit limit increase, such as your current income and rent or mortgage costs. You should be prepared to tell the representative the credit limit increase amount you’re looking for.

The Wells Fargo representative will most likely review your card history and other information via a soft credit pull. However, you should check with the representative to find out whether they will need to do a soft credit pull or a hard credit pull to see if you are eligible for a credit limit increase. In some cases, they may need to perform a hard pull of your credit report to see if you meet their internal criteria for a limit increase. Although a hard credit inquiry can lower your score by up to five points, it may be worth it if the increase will significantly improve your credit utilization.

Most people will receive a decision within a few minutes, but it may take a few weeks for the increase to show up on your credit reports. Note that even if you are approved, the increased amount may be different from what you requested.

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When does Wells Fargo increase credit limits?

Each card issuer has its own method for deciding how often credit limit increases are given, and how big of an increase is allowed. Many credit card companies won’t allow you to increase your credit limit until you’ve had your account for at least six months.

After that initial period, card issuers might automatically review accounts periodically to see if customers are eligible for an increase. If you don’t receive one, you may want to request a credit limit increase. In either case, there will typically be several months in between increases.

Some credit cards may have a maximum credit limit that they offer, but that is proprietary information that is not usually shared publicly.

Does Wells Fargo increase credit limits automatically?

Like most issuers, Wells Fargo sometimes gives customers automatic credit limit increases, but they don’t share specifics about how often it happens, or what type of account behavior is required for an automatic increase.

How much of a credit limit increase can I get from Wells Fargo?

Credit limit increase amounts will vary from person to person since they are affected by card account history, creditworthiness, and your current limit. Some consumers are successful in requesting a moderate increase like 10% to 25%. In some cases, you might just request a dollar amount increase.

For example, if you have a $10,000 limit, a 25% increase would be an additional $2,500. But if you are relatively new to credit cards and have a low credit limit to begin with, you might ask to go from $500 to $750, which is a 50% increase.

The key factors that Wells Fargo uses to determine how much of an increase to give you include:

• Your payment and spending history on your Wells Fargo card: What’s most important is that you’ve been on time with all of your monthly card payments, but it’s best if you’re an active cardholder who uses the card for at least a couple of purchases each month.
• Your current income situation: If your income has increased since you first applied for the card, that can help you get approved for a credit limit increase.
• If you have good credit overall: In addition to paying your Wells Fargo bill on time, having a healthy credit score is important. Wells Fargo may also look at your credit report to see if you’ve made any other recent applications for new credit.
• The date of your last credit limit increase: If Wells Fargo increased your credit limit recently, you may have to wait a bit longer for the next increase.

Does a credit limit increase affect my credit score?

Getting a credit limit increase can impact your credit score. One of the biggest factors in credit score calculations is credit utilization, which takes into account how much of your available credit is being used. To put it simply, if you have a $1,000 credit limit, and you’ve used $600 of that limit without paying it back, you are utilizing 60% of your credit line.

That’s because people who carry high balances relative to their credit limit may have more trouble making on-time payments, which makes them seem riskier to lenders. So even if you’re paying your bill on time every month, getting close to maxing out your card can show up as a red flag and may negatively impact your credit score.

Improving credit utilization

There are two ways to improve utilization. You can either reduce your amounts owed by paying some of your balance or increasing the amount of credit limit you have. Let’s say your credit limit increases from $1,000 to $1,500 but you still have the same balance of $600 on that card. Your credit utilization would go from 60% to 40%.

What to do if Wells Fargo doesn’t increase your credit

If you request a credit limit increase on a Wells Fargo card and are denied, there are few things you can do. Ask Wells Fargo why you weren’t able to get a credit limit increase, or see if you can figure out the reason on your own. One simple reason your request may be denied is if you had a credit limit increase too recently. Issuers typically space out credit limit increases by at least several months.

Think back over the past year or so of your card account activity. Have you missed any payments? Have you kept your balance low? Have you used the card at all? What about other payment and credit activity outside of this account?

If you know that you have had a misstep or two, then you might want to try again in a few months, after you’ve had some time to improve your credit history. In the meantime, you can:

• Check your credit score and credit reports to see which areas need improvement.
• Set up automatic payments so that you never miss a due date.
• Aim to keep your credit utilization below 30% at all times.
• If you have high balances, aim to pay more than the minimum payment due to make progress on the principal balances.

If you want more available credit right away, you can open a new credit card account. This will provide you with a whole new credit line. It can also help with your overall credit utilization since your total credit limit will be higher. However, opening a new account will cause your credit score to temporarily drop.