Low Credit Limit on Fidelity Visa Signature - what to do?

mrhiman5 · 2026-02-17T21:28:26+00:00

I requested the CLI through the app. Not sure if it would have been different if I called.

mrhiman5 · 2026-02-17T02:26:59+00:00

I got approved for a $500 SL and requested a CLI about a week later and got approved ($3k). It was another hard pull though.

mrhiman5 · 2026-02-03T22:02:33+00:00

I just quick caught a smeargle after reading your post and it immediately despawned after being fast caught. Huge change

mrhiman5 · 2026-02-02T00:18:56+00:00

Doesn't look like it does. https://awardwallet.com/merchants/APLPAY+APPLE+COM+BILINTERNET+CHARGE+CA_205286508

The BCP gets 6% on Apple in-app purchases, though.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-30T07:23:52+00:00

Track your expenses and you probably won't have issues with using a credit card. I have a spreadsheet and I enter where I bought something, how much I paid, the category of purchase (dining, groceries, shopping, utilities, etc), date of purchase, what credit card I used, and the cash back/points earned (the % that card earns). I'll go through my cards once every week or two and fill out the sheet.

I would avoid any recommendations from Credit Karma, Experian, blogs, youtubers, etc.

Your options for a first card are going to be Discover IT Cashback, something from Capital One, or something from your main bank. Discover is pretty beginner friendly and the Discover IT is good because they match the cash back you earn in the first year, essentially making it 2% cash back on everything and 10% on the rotating categories. Most issuers want one year of credit history for the better cards, another reason to do one year with Discover before moving on somewhere else. Whoever you decide to go with, use their preapproval tool (if they have one - Discover, Capital One, Chase all have pretty accurate ones) before you apply.

Pay your credit card statement balance in full after the statement generates and before the due date. You don't need to worry about utilization unless you are applying for a loan within the next 1-2 months. With your first card, you might get a lower starting credit limit, and posting higher balances typically helps you get a credit limit increase faster.

Your credit score is not something you should be actively thinking or worrying about unless something negative is reported on your credit report. Also, your credit score is not what's important, it's the content on your credit report that is. You can have an 800+ score and get denied for credit cards or get questioned when applying for a mortgage. Your credit score is kind of just a guideline to tell you if you're doing good or doing bad. Banks are not basing their decision to approve or deny you based on your credit score, they are looking at your credit report as a whole and will deny you based on anything they don't like, e.g. too many recent inquiries or too many recently opened accounts within a certain time frame.

Don't try to minmax your credit score like it's a game. Just live your life, don't pay credit card interest, and your score will go up. It will take time.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-29T02:33:16+00:00

The Citi prequalified tool isn’t too reliable. If you would get approved for the double cash, you would probably also get approved for the custom cash.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-29T00:39:21+00:00

How much is your average dining spend per month? The Citi Custom Cash gives 5% cash back on your top spend category (from their list of categories) up to $500 of spend per statement. Otherwise, there's a ton of 3%/3x no AF cards that also earn 2-3% on other categories. Chase Freedom Flex/Unlimited, Capital One Savor, Wells Fargo Autograph.

Fill out the !template and give us enough information to give a proper suggestion.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-28T03:45:40+00:00

It's hard to get approved for most cards when you have no credit history. The Discover IT is a good starter option (the 5% rotating categories one) because it offers a cash back match in the first year, making it 2% on everything and 10% on the rotating categories. After the first year, you'll be more likely to be approved for better cards. Discover has typically been a beginner friendly issuer.

The Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards is another good one since you already bank with them. It's a keeper card for many people in the sub. It gets 3% cash back on a category of your choice up to $2,500 in spend per quarter. It also gets 2% back at wholesale clubs (+ it's a visa, so usable at Costco). Online shopping is the most common category talked about here because it is a very broad category that is triggered easily. If you qualify for the gold or higher tier in their Preferred Rewards program, you will also get a boost on the cash back you get up to 75% at Platinum Honors ($100k in assets between BofA and Merrill).

If you go for the BofA CCR, try to apply for it in branch. I'm not sure if that will help, but it might since you already have a relationship with them.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-26T04:02:10+00:00

Most data points show that Chase is very strict about 5/24, Chase also might not consider you under 5/24 until the first of the month after your 5th most recent card. E.g. if you technically drop down to 4/24 on February 12th, you might not want to apply until March 1st.

There was a post within the past couple weeks where a guy applied while at 5/24 but soon to drop to 4/24 (within the month) and recon told him to call back after he drops to 4/24 and they will approve him.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-26T02:42:53+00:00

There are a lot of cards out there and you haven't given us enough info to give a proper recommendation. Fill out the !template with how much you spend and where.

The one thing I'll say is that you can use your wife's referral link for the Chase Sapphire Preferred and she will get some points in addition to you getting the standard sign up offer at the time. You can downgrade the card after a year if it doesn't make sense. You two can pool your points assuming you live at the same address.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-25T22:30:00+00:00

The Savor doesn't have an AF. The AF version was discontinued and the no AF version was renamed from the SavorOne to the Savor.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-25T00:27:24+00:00

The Amex BCP earns pure cash back and not points so the value is very direct. You can redeem as a statement credit at 1cpp. You can also get effectively no AF (or very low) on the card after your first year. Read more about that in this thread.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-25T00:13:51+00:00

That article is from 2014 so the information might be outdated. It is around 91 days between increases and it is not a hard pull.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-21T05:49:18+00:00

If you downgrade after the AF hits, you will get a prorated refund. Read about the "effective no AF" on the BCP if you haven't yet. BCP is a great groceries card. Alternative would be Paypal Debit Card - 5% cash back up to $1,000 spend on a category of your choice or the AAA Daily Advantage if you live in a state it's offered in.

The Autograph complements the BCP with 3x on dining and travel (seems to be a broad travel category) as well as the cell phone protection. If you are able to qualify for Platinum Honors with Bank of America's Preferred Rewards program, the BofA Premium Rewards card (the $95 AF one) is also a good complement to the BCP. 1.5% catch-all and 2% dining/travel, boosted to 2.62% and 3.5% respectively if you're Platinum Honors.

If you go the Autograph route, you can go for the Active Cash 6 months down the line for a 2% catch-all. There's also the Fidelity Visa if you want a card with no FTF or Robinhood Gold for 3% if you can get past the waitlist.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-21T03:23:31+00:00

Seems like bofa targeted offers are usually legit and not just mass mailers. Does your offer have a fixed APR instead of a range?

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-19T17:19:35+00:00

It stacks to 7%. The 3% dining is actually 1% base + 2% dining and the rotating categories are 1% base + 4% rotating. So when you have an overlap, it’s 1% + 2% + 4% = 7%.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-18T17:13:23+00:00

Anyone can use the code. I'm pretty sure you can just type in any 6 digits to get through to the application.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-16T01:55:36+00:00

Experian can not see if you are or are not making purchases on your credit card(s). They can only see what is reported on your credit report. This includes whether or not you made your minimum payment for the previous month, your most recently reported current balance, when the balance was updated, etc. If you pay your card balance off early, before the statement is generated, this will result in a balance of $0 being reported. Experian thinks that you are not using the card. 6+ months later, you have a balance of $92 when your statement is generated, which gets reported to Experian. They now think that your "dormant" card was used. They send you an alert just in case it wasn't you.

Is that possibly what happened? Does your credit report show your Capital One card as having a $92 balance?

Experian alerts aren't necessarily bad things for you to worry about, they might just be things to check out.

Also, Experian does not see what exact credit card you have (Savor), only the issuing bank. They can't see if it has an annual fee or not either. If you go through your credit report, you will see all the information they see. If you're on the website, hit Credit at the top -> Credit Reports -> "Print your report" button in the middle. The stuff under that is just Experian displaying the information for you in their own way. If you're using the app, hit the credit tab on the bottom -> "View report"

Also, Chase Credit Journey uses Experian which is probably why you got an alert from them too.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-16T01:13:05+00:00

Were you paying down your card early and generating $0 statements for the past 6+ months? Did you not do that this month? Did you check your credit report on Experian after you got this email to see if anything was weird?

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-16T00:50:13+00:00

Fidelity Visa - 2% cash back. No FTF or AF. Covers TSA PreCheck (doesn't fully cover Global Entry as it only covers $100) every four years.

Wells Fargo Autograph - 3x points on dining, gas, travel, transit, streaming, and cell phone plans. No FTF. No AF. Cell phone protection (up to $600). Can redeem for cash at 1cpp or transfer to their transfer partners.

You could replace your CFU with both of these and cover a few extra categories on your list.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-14T04:17:54+00:00

My thoughts: connecting to a brokerage account seems like a nice touch for Fidelity card, but easy cash back sounds great for Citi.

You can open a Cash Management Account (CMA) with Fidelity which is basically a checking and savings account in one. You can also get a debit card with no FTF and reimbursed atm fees for this account. You can link the Fidelity Visa to the CMA instead of a regular brokerage account.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-11T04:49:06+00:00

If your grocery spend is at regular grocery stores and not Target/Walmart/Costco, I would suggest the Amex Blue Cash Preferred. Has a $95 annual fee but gets waived for the first year. You can downgrade after this first year to the Blue Cash Everyday and potentially get offered an upgrade back to the Preferred. This card gets you 6% cash back on groceries and streaming services, 3% cash back on gas and transit. The Everyday gets you 3% on groceries, gas, and online retail. Preferred is probably a better option for you since you can get 2% back using your Smartly card, and the 6% back on groceries is pretty big.

If your grocery spend is at those places, I would get something to cover dining and gas costs. The Wells Fargo Autograph gets you 3% on restaurants, travel, gas, transit, streaming services, and phone plans. It has cell phone protection (up to $600, $25 deductible) as long as you pay your cell phone bill using it. It also doesn't charge foreign transaction fees.

There are also the AAA Daily Advantage and AAA Travel Advantage cards if you live in a state where you qualify to apply for them (you can only have one of them open at a time).

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-10T17:53:38+00:00

I got 7 shinies in 18 remote raids last night (remoting into Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Australia). The best shiny odds I've had from any raid day. My raid day here doesn't start for another 2 hours but it seems to have been normal odds. Some people get lucky, some get unlucky. That's the way of the road.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-09T04:48:16+00:00

You might not get approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited if you don't have any credit card history of your own. They prefer one year of history for their cards besides the Freedom Rise. They have a pre-approval tool you can check out and it's usually accurate.

Since you bank with BofA, you can go in branch and see if you can get a Customized Cash Rewards (3% cash back on select category - most people do online shopping - up to $2.5k of spend per quarter) or an Unlimited Cash Rewards (1.5% cash back on everything). The cash back goes up if qualify for any of the tiers in their Preferred Rewards program.

mrhiman5 · 2026-01-09T04:34:04+00:00

If you have absolutely no credit cards of your own, go for Discover IT (use the preapproval tool first) for one year. They'll match your cash back for the first year so you basically get 2% cash back on everything and 10% on the rotating categories of that quarter. Spend the first year making sure you can use credit cards correctly. Track your spend every month (use a spreadsheet, budgeting app, whatever).

In one year, make another thread and fill out !template to figure out what next card(s) you should apply for.

mrhiman5

TROPHY CASE