Best high limit credit card for fair credit

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These offers are no longer available on our site: Chase Sapphire Reserve®, Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Getting a high-limit credit card is often a matter of having a positive credit history. But no matter where your credit scores fall, some cards might be more likely to give you a high credit limit. We’ve compiled some of our favorites below.

A high-limit credit card can increase your purchasing power, improve your credit and help bring financial peace of mind. At the same time, they can be hard to come by if you’re not sure where to look.

Read on for our picks for the best high-limit credit cards and tips on how to put yourself in the best position to get one.

• How we picked the best high-limit credit cards
• Which credit card offers the highest limit?
• What is considered a high credit card limit?
• What are the benefits of a high-limit credit card?
• What credit score is needed to get a high-limit credit card?

Best for premium travel: Chase Sapphire Reserve® — $10,000 minimum limit

Here’s why: The Chase Sapphire Reserve® comes with a high minimum credit limit of $10,000 and plenty of benefits to add value.

New cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after their account opens, and points are worth 50% more when redeemed for travel through the Chase Ultimate Rewards® portal. Plus, cardholders get a $300 annual travel credit.

The card comes with a $550 annual fee, but there are numerous other valuable perks that can help cover the cost.

Read more about this card in our review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve®.

Best for entry-level travel: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card — $5,000 minimum limit

Here’s why: The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card comes with a $5,000 minimum credit line, but we’ve seen claims that the credit limits for this card can be as high as $100,000. Just keep in mind that it’s rare to get a credit limit on the highest end of that spectrum.

Even without that super-high limit, you can get value out of the card’s impressive rewards. New cardholders can earn 60,000 bonus points when they spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after their account opens. According to Credit Karma’s point valuations, the bonus can be worth $1,308 when redeemed with a travel transfer partner.

The card comes with a $95 annual fee.

Read our review for more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

Best for simple cash back: Citi® Double Cash Card — $500 minimum limit

Here’s why: This card has a relatively low minimum credit limit of $500, but Credit Karma user reviews and reports elsewhere say you may be able to get limits closer to $10,000, or even $40,000 or higher, after credit limit increases.

No matter your credit limit, the Citi® Double Cash Card offers straightforward rewards with the ability to earn 2% back on all purchases — 1% when you use the card and 1% when you pay your bill. It also has a $0 annual fee.

Read more in our review of the Citi® Double Cash Card.

Best for bonus cash back: Chase Freedom Unlimited® — $500 minimum limit

Here’s why: The Chase Freedom Unlimited® offers a $500 minimum credit limit, but the limit is at least $5,000 if you’re approved for the Visa Signature® version of the card.

Beyond those minimum limits, this card offers plenty of opportunities to earn cash back. You can earn 5% back on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3% back on dining at restaurants and drugstore purchases, and 1.5% on all other purchases.

Plus, the card comes with a $0 annual fee that won’t cut into your earnings.

Read more about the Chase Freedom Unlimited® in our review.

Best for building credit: Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card — $300 to $10,000 limit

Here’s why: If you’re not sure you’ll be able to qualify for some of the rewards cards on this list, the Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card could help you build your credit while also providing a higher credit limit. This card lists both its minimum and maximum credit limits — if you’re approved, your limit will be anywhere between $300 and $10,000. Plus, you can see if you’re preapproved for the card on the Petal website without affecting your credit scores, though preapproval doesn’t guarantee you’ll be approved once you formally apply.

If you’re approved, this card offers the ability to build credit without paying any fees (apart from any interest that may add up if you carry a balance). You can also earn cash back — all cardholders earn at least 1% back on all eligible purchases, and that rate could go as high as 1.5% after making 12 on-time payments.

Check out our review to see what the Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card has to offer.

Best for rebuilding credit: U.S. Bank Secured Visa® Card — $300 to $5,000 limit

Here’s why: A secured credit card can be a useful way to build credit, but your limit is often determined by the size of your security deposit. With the U.S. Bank Secured Visa® Card, that deposit can be anywhere from $300 to $5,000 to set your credit line.

While the higher end of the range might not make sense for everyone looking to build credit, that high limit at least provides flexibility if you’re able to pay the deposit.

This card doesn’t offer many extra features, but it doesn’t charge an annual fee, and you’ll be able to choose your payment due date.

Read our U.S. Bank Secured Visa® Card review for more details.

Best for students: Discover it® Student Cash Back — $500 minimum limit

Here’s why: Students looking to start their credit journey who qualify for this card can get a minimum credit limit of $500. Student credit cards aren’t known for having the highest credit limits compared to other kinds of cards, but this card’s minimum limit at least gives you some clarity.

Those students who get approved for the Discover it® Student Cash Back can look forward to plenty of great features, too. The card charges a $0 annual fee and offers 5% back on up to $1,500 spent on purchases (then 1%) in quarterly rotating categories that must be activated. All other purchases earn 1% back.

Additionally, the Discover it® Student Cash Back waives the late fee on your first missed payment.

For more on this card, check out our member reviews.

How we picked the best high-limit credit cards

Most credit card issuers don’t reveal the specific minimum or maximum limits for their cards. When they do, they often only indicate a low minimum credit limit, like $300 to $500.

To help provide some clarity, we tried to pick cards that either shared a clear credit limit range or cards that must have certain credit limits based on network rules, like Visa Signature cards that must offer a minimum $5,000 limit. At the same time, we also wanted to pick cards that have been reported to offer high credit limits to cardholders in at least some cases.

Which credit card offers the highest limit?

On our list, the card with the highest reported limit is the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card, which some say offers a $100,000 limit. We’ve also seen an advertised maximum credit limit of $100,000 on the First Tech Odyssey Rewards™ World Elite Mastercard®, a credit union rewards card. But keep in mind that it’s difficult to say exactly which credit card offers the highest possible credit limit — most issuers don’t publicize their maximum credit lines.

What is considered a high credit card limit?

Your definition of a high credit limit may vary based on what you want from a credit card, but we consider a $5,000 to $10,000 limit to be a good starting point for the “high” range for rewards credit cards.

But there are some cards that might offer potential maximum credit limits of $100,000, and others with low initial credit limits of $500 could offer $40,000 or more to certain cardholders.

What are the benefits of a high-limit credit card?

The clearest benefits of a high-limit credit card are found in the increase in overall purchasing power and in potential benefit your credit score could see from an improved credit utilization ratio. Your credit limits don’t directly affect your credit scores, but the amount of available credit you use is one of the most important factors in the calculation of your scores. Credit bureaus will consider your credit utilization ratio, which looks at your total available credit compared to your most recently reported balances on revolving accounts.

That said, there can also be potential downsides to look out for with a high-limit credit card. A higher limit can mean the ability to get further into debt and paying more interest as a result. If you’re considering a high-limit card to make a big purchase, you may want to consider a lower-APR personal loan instead.

What credit score is needed to get a high-limit credit card?

Generally, the higher your credit score is, the greater the likelihood of approval would be on credit card applications, with cards with higher credit limits likely requiring higher credit scores. Credit card issuers determine your credit limit based on a variety of factors pulled from your application, credit reports and their own internal information. Your exact limit will likely depend on how the issuer weighs these factors.

For example, if you have a high income and low monthly housing payment, the issuer may feel more comfortable giving you a high limit. Similarly, if you have a history of paying your bills on time and have good or excellent credit scores as a result, that may increase your chances of getting a high limit card.

About the author: Louis DeNicola is a personal finance writer and has written for American Express, Discover and Nova Credit. In addition to being a contributing writer at Credit Karma, you can find his work on Business Insider, Cheapi… Read more.

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