It seems that we regularly get posts on our message board asking about high limit cards, so I thought I would dedicate a blog post to them. Before I list my recommendations, there are three things you should keep in mind.

1. Banks are now more conservative with giving out credit
Before the “great recession” it wasn’t uncommon for middle class, average income folks with good credit to have limits of $30k to $50k or more, per card. Nowadays, you just won’t see that. Even a high income and FICO score won’t guarantee high limit credit card offers.

2. You may have to work harder at getting a high credit limit
Apply for the best cards you can get (cards that are known for giving generous limits) and then having the limit periodically raised every few months or so. It’s still possible to get a high limit, but you probably will have to work harder to get there.

3. Your chances may be better going with a different issuer
Banks will only allocate so much risk to a customer. For example, let’s say you already have a card or two with Bank of America. If you apply for yet another BofA card in hopes of getting a high credit limit, it probably won’t happen. Instead, they will probably give you a small limit and if you want it any higher, you will have to re-allocate credit from your other card(s) you have with them. That being said, combining the limits of all your cards from one issuer is definitely a method of obtaining a high limit credit card. However the big drawback with that technique is that your other cards will be left with tiny limits.

The big benefit of applying for a credit card from a new issuer (that you don’t currently have cards with) is that you basically have a blank slate. There are no other cards taking a slice of that credit pie, therefore they might be more likely to give you a larger credit limit.

Here are my current picks. I will regularly update this post with my recommendations for the best high limit credit cards.

For Good Credit:

1. Chase Sapphire – The card is reportedly aimed at those with income in the top 15%, so naturally, many report getting a high credit limit on it.
2. Citi ThankYou Preferred – Citi seems to dole out good credit limits and I can’t complain with what they gave me on my last card I got from them.
3. Starwood Amex – I’ve heard of people getting big limits on this card, but I must warn you, AmEx became more conservative with limits after the recession even if you have a good credit score.

For Average Credit:

To be perfectly honest, it seems those with average credit aren’t getting high limits from any issuer (at least on unsecured cards). I will update this one as soon as I hear differently.

For Bad Credit:

1. Secured Credit Cards – As you can imagine, high limit unsecured cards for bad credit are basically impossible to come by these days. But if you’re interested in a secured card, there are some that will give you a credit line of up to $5,000 with a deposit.