Best high-limit credit cards

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You may qualify for a high-limit credit card if you have a steady income and good to excellent credit. However, several factors dictate the credit limit for your new card, whether it has a high potential limit or not. For example, if you have a lot of existing credit card debt and your credit utilization is high, card issuers may not want to give you too much room to rack up more debt. Card issuers don’t typically share the specific requirements for credit card approval, nor do they readily share the highest limits they’ll offer. High-limit credit cards generally come with credit limits of $10,000 or more. Of course, what’s considered a high credit limit will vary depending on a person’s credit history, income and the card they’re interested in, among other factors. Issuers typically do not divulge the range of credit limits they extend to customers. However, generally speaking, if you want to apply for a card with a high credit limit, your best bets will be premium rewards cards and business credit cards. They may be able to offer outsize credit lines based on your or your company’s spending needs. Below, we’ll break down some of the top credit cards with the potential for high credit limits.

Comparing the best high-limit credit cards

Why you should get a high-limit card

High-limit credit cards can be more risky than your average credit card since they make it easy to rack up a higher level of credit card debt. The current average credit card APR is slightly over 20 percent, so you should be cautious of using a high-limit credit card to pile on debt as if it were a loan. However, high-limit credit cards make it easy to keep your credit utilization low, which is a key scoring metric. If you keep your credit utilization below 30 percent, you can keep your score on the rise. With this in mind, if you’re building credit then you might be especially interested in the Petal 2 card. But if you already have excellent credit and pay off your cards regularly, a high-limit card simply gives you more purchasing power.

How to choose a high-limit credit card

Decide if you want to earn rewards, as well as what type of rewards

If your goal is to earn rewards with a credit card, you should decide ahead of time which type of rewards you want to earn. Compare cards based on the type of rewards they offer to find the one that matches your spending and redeeming strategies.

Check for cardholder perks you’ll actually use

Make sure the cards you’re considering offer the perks you want. That might mean airport lounge access, travel or dining credits, no foreign transaction fees or a credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck — all popular credit card perks.

Compare annual fees

Keep in mind that the cards with the most perks and rewards tend to charge higher annual fees overall. If you want a card but it has a high annual fee, make sure that the benefits you receive will be worth it. You don’t want to get stuck with a costly membership you can’t justify.

Consider interest rates and 0% intro APR offers

You shouldn’t use a high credit limit to rack up debt. Make sure you understand your credit card’s interest rate and how it compares to the current national average, as well as how it compares to the interest rates of personal loans. If you know you need to carry a balance, you should look into a 0 percent intro APR credit card or one with a low ongoing APR. High-limit credit cards can be useful if you spend a lot each month, but long-term debt can hurt your credit score and curtail your lifestyle for years to come.

Bottom line

High-limit credit cards offer the potential for significant purchasing power, but it’s important to consider your credit history, income and spending habits before applying. However, it’s crucial to be mindful of your credit utilization and avoid accruing a mountain of debt simply because you have purchasing power. The tips outlined in this article can help choose a card that aligns with your needs, but you’ll want to research each card that interests you and how it compares with its closest alternatives. Remember, while the initial credit limit may not always be what you hoped for, you can always request an increase from your card issuer.

FAQs about high-limit credit cards

• What is a normal credit limit for a credit card?

  Although your income and credit score will help determine how much credit you qualify for, what’s considered “normal” largely depends on your credit history and cards you qualify for. For example, if you’re a student interested in your first credit card, a normal credit limit range might be $200 to $1,000. If you have bad to fair credit, that range might be $100 to $500. For good to very good credit, you might receive a credit limit of $2,500 to $10,000. And if you have excellent credit — and a high income — you could receive a credit limit that’s much higher than $10,000.

• What is the highest credit limit offered?

  If you have excellent credit, high income and low credit utilization among other variables, issuers may offer you a credit line of $30,000 to $50,000. However, it’s possible credit issuers offer a credit limit even higher than that.

• How high should your credit card limit be?

  To determine how high of a credit limit you’ll need — or would ideally like to have — you’ll need to pay attention to how much you spend each month. You’ll want a credit limit that’s at least three to four times your monthly spending since you should always keep your credit utilization below 30 percent. For example, if you have a credit limit of $10,000, you should keep your bill under $3,000 each month. If you need to charge more than $3,000 to your card, you can always pay part of your bill (or the entire bill) immediately to keep your credit utilization low. If you use a significant amount of the credit available to you, or max out your credit limit, you will likely experience a drop in your credit score.