With only 7 months credit history the companies are not likely to give you high limits. I would wait until you credit history is 1 year and you have no credit inquiries for six months and then apply for a new card from a new bank. You said that you have applied for a number of cards "that you can actually use". Have you considered that most premier cards have minimum credit limits of $5,000, and thus out of your range for a few more years. Next time you apply make sure that the card doesn't have minimum limits. This rules out most affinity cards that typically are Visa Signature or Matercard World cards, e.g., United Explorer, etc. As your second card I would recommend cards such as Chase Freedom or the Amex blue family, and remember you want to keep these cards long term, so make sure there are no fees for maintaining them. With your credit history and income I would not apply for the big cards until your credit history is at least two or three years old.

You might want to pay your bill in FULL each month. This could be why Cap 1 is not increasing your limit.

Let me explain

Hypothetically speaking, say I use 500 out of 750 halfway through the month, meaning I have 250 left in credit. I pay off 200-300 at that point, then keep spending. That way I never really have more than 650-650 as a balance at any given time.

Toward the end of the billing cycle, let's say I have around 365 as a balance. What I do is I pay about 300 right then and there, so I get 65 as my end of cycle balance. When I statement comes in, I pay it off right away

First of all, pay your bill in full each month. I don't know where you got the idea that not doing so will help you. In fact, it will do exactly the opposite. If you can't afford to pay your bill each month with a low limit, how can they give you a higher limit? Not to mention, taking advantage of the revolving credit is going to cost you a lot in interest.

I would say wait until you have a year of credit history. Then, when all your balances are paid in full, contact Capital One and ask for an increase.

If that fails, then try Discover, I have heard that they are more willing to gamble on people with short credit histories. Credit unions may do so as well.

No more than one or two applications every few months.

Unfortunately there is no quick fix for your particular situation (I know, I was there once too!). Spending a lot (but not near to your limit before paying down) and paying it off quickly may help (one way is paying all your bills with the card that you'd normally pay by check/debit). In particular, if you can demonstrate the ability to pay off more than your current credit limit for several months, in my experience that has often triggered limit increases.

For example, you'd charge $500 on the 1st of the month and on the same day schedule a payment for say the 5th. Then on the 8th of the month, spend another $500, and pay that off by the 12th. Repeat two more times and you've spent $2000 on the card that month and end up with no balance.

That's a perfect end-of-month for the credit card company: you've spent much more than they ever put at risk (since at any given time you were capped at $750); you generated higher transaction fees than most of your cohort with that same card/limit; and finally since you have no balance you are at zero risk of default.

If you legitimately need the kind of higher limit you're looking for, you should have no trouble spending like that (and if you don't spend like that, you don't need the higher limit), and after 3-6 months of doing just that, I bet Capital One will up your limit automatically.

You just need to wait a while. Sounds like you got a solid job/income but no history and you really got screwed with all those hard pulls. That stays on your report for 2 years. With no credit history you should have built up for a while instead of shooting for the big cards right away.

Also you should know the free credit scores you're getting are no good. Get a real FICO score. You'll have to pay for this or get a free trial of some kind. I use ID guard through Costco to get all 3 credit agency scores and 3 credit agency reports each month. There may be cheaper out there but I like this service. They also send alerts every time something happens on your report like hard inquiries, new accounts, etc.

Could be your actual FICO scores are lower than 700 which will definitely affect your ability to get a good rewards card. You should be at 740 minimum for the best cards, ideally 760-770 or higher.

Also see if you can convince a parent/relative/friend who has an Amex card to add you as an authorized user. You inherit their card history from the date they opened it and it goes on your credit report and shows as part of your available credit.

Your reports also show all hard inquiries so you know how many pulls you have for each agency. If you've been trying to get Chase and Amex cards you should have no pulls for Transunion unless they did secondary pulls from there when you called for reconsideration. So if you really want a card now your best bet may be to get an entry-level card from an issuer who pulls from Transunion.

Have you pulled copies of your actual credit reports? Are there educational loans? Are there any accounts reported that you do not recognize?

I am not sure where you're getting the idea that I can't afford it. I used to pay off the entire balance in full by the end of the cycle so that it came out to zero every month, but I read that it might not be a good idea since it'll report as you having not used the card, which doesn't show responsible use.

Isn't that what I'm pretty much already doing? I do spend way more than my limit each month, but the actual balance at any given time is always under the limit. The key difference is that I leave a little bit on the balance (7%) at the end of the month to purposefully show utilization on the credit reports, then pay it off once it posts.

By doing that, I think I achieve a few things. Like you mentioned, it shows Capital One I use the card a lot, but it shows some utilization on my reports, as well as being paid in full and on-time. Am I missing something?

Maybe you might want to try some of the lesser known cards in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/credi...tion-fees.html

I have a feeling you could get one of them to approve you. That'd give you your no-FX card, and through responsible usage, and gradual accumulation of credit, you'd be able to take a shot at the Chase cards like the Sapphire down the line.

If you're focusing on increasing your limit with Capital One, it may not matter as much to leave a balance each month. Either way, it sounds like you're doing the right thing and just need to keep doing it. Seven months is a really short credit history.

Perhaps you'd consider talking to your bank to obtain a secured credit card (bring your pay stub with you if you can). Do mention your existing card and your need to have a higher limit for routine spending and travel. Ofter to setup 2k or 3k cash deposit aside to "secure" the credit card. This way, you'd be sure to have your routine spending covered without having to juggle with multiple payments during the month. It would also be helpful to have >1 card on your credit file when you apply for a better reward card in another 6 or 9 month.

I actually was just approved for a Discover Card with a 4k limit. I will continue to use the CapOne card where it makes sense (travel, intl spending) but everything else will be going on the Discover Card when possible.

Good things all around? I increase my number of accounts and credit, and might have a bargaining chip to get my other limit increased. Further down the line, maybe I can get a "grown up" card

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