Originally Posted by
Tiki
Until I started trying for mileage earning ccs, I had one B of A Visa with a $5000 limit for 23 years with 100% on time payments. Even if I lived in the USA, this would be more than enough to support my everyday expenses. I had one other card that's still on my record but was cancelled about 18 years ago when they started charging a fee. Never had a mortgage or car loan in the USA. Never had bankruptcies, late payments, defaults or anything bad on my report. Now I have 3 cards, the B of A Visa, the Barclays US Mastercard and the Chase Priority Select, all of which have had transactions within the last 3 months. I charged something to the Chase card quickly to trigger the bonus before the statement goes out. There is nothing in my record to indicate that I wouldn't pay my bills on time, that is why it is so frustrating Citi won't even give me the minimum $1000 limit that I saw others getting.
What the banks want to see is a history with active usage of credits (preferably a mix of different kinds of credits) OVER TIME. Your profile is too "thin" with only 1 card over 20 years.
I understand your frustration. We are those who own the home free and clear, no car loan and only "revolving credit" type of credit history on our reports, pay in full every month. Yet, too often our friends who have loads of debts actually have higher credit scores than we do. (though ours are in the high 700's.) This is just how the system works unfortunately.