The Best High Limit Credit Cards For Your Credit Score

Are you looking to make a large purchase or consolidate credit debt into a new credit card? Taking advantage of high-limit credit cards may be the answer.

A potential downside is that these types of cards tend to be approved only for those who have good to excellent credit. If you’re looking to get a $10,000 credit card limit, you’ll have to have an excellent score — though there is no guarantee. Plus, you’ll want to consider if you can afford a high credit limit: Will you be tempted to spend more, or can you afford another payment given your other financial obligations?

Whatever your financial situation, there may be a credit card that’s best suited for you. Here, we’ve compiled a list of the best high-limit credit cards, based on your credit score.

The Best High-Limit Credit Cards For Your Credit Score

It’s difficult to find definitive information from credit card issuers about their maximum credit limits. To help you choose one based on your credit score, we looked at cards that indicated a clear target demographic. Then, we researched cards that may offer higher credit limits, according to various reports.

There may be credit cards that haven’t been reported to offer high credit limits that will do so for you. This list is designed to show you cards based on what’s available from issuers — the credit limit you’ll be offered will still depend on your existing credit.

To start, let’s take a look at cards for those who have excellent credit.

Best High-Limit Credit Cards For Those With Excellent Credit

To be considered as someone who has excellent credit, your credit score should generally be 800 or higher (though some credit card issuers may approve those who have a credit score of at least 750). Plus, those who are interested in the credit cards in this category tend to have a decent income and have proof of making on-time payments consistently. You’ll also most likely pay the lowest APR out of all the other categories, with many cards offering 0% introductory APRs to draw in customers.

Chase Sapphire Reserve

Annual fee: $550

Introductory APR: None

Regular APR: 16.99% – 23.99% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 5% of the amount transferred

There’s a very clear reason why the Chase Sapphire Reserve is at the top of our list for high-limit credit cards: it’s been reported to come with a minimum $10,000 credit limit while offering plenty of perks to offset the $550 annual fee.

New cardholders who spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months can earn 60,000 bonus points. You can use these toward a variety of rewards, though redeeming them for travel is your best bet. Points you use in the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal are worth 50% more if you use them toward travel.

Earning points is simple: get three points per dollar on travel, dining, or takeout, and one point per dollar on all other purchases. Other perks include a $300 travel credit, access to over 1,300 airport lounges globally, a $100 application fee credit toward Global Entry or TSA PreCheck, and one-to-one points transfer on airline and hotel partners.

Chase Sapphire Preferred

Annual fee: $95

Introductory APR: None

Regular APR: 15.99% – 22.99% Variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 5% of the amount transferred

Chase credit cards are known to be some of the best around, due in part to their generous rewards, high credit limits, and overall value. If you can’t stomach the large annual fee for the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a close second. You won’t get as many travel perks, but for $95, you can get as much value out of what you pay, if not more.

It’s been reported that you can get at least a $5,000 credit limit — again, the exact amount will depend on your individual financial situation. New card holders, after spending $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, can earn an impressive 80,000 bonus points. If you redeem these points for travel or statement credits in the Ultimate Rewards portal, they’re worth 25% more.

Other perks you’ll receive include getting up to $50 in statement credits toward purchases at grocery stores within the first year you have your account, trip cancellation insurance, a free DashPass membership, and no foreign transaction fee. You can earn two points per dollar spent on dining, takeout, and eligible delivery services and one point per dollar on all other purchases.

Wells Fargo Platinum Card

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: 0% on purchases and qualifying balance transfers for the first 18 months

Regular APR: 16.49% – 24.49% Variable

Balance transfer fee: 3% if done within 120 days of account opening; afterward the greater of $5 of 5% of amount transferred

You won’t get the outrageous number of benefits like you would with the Chase rewards cards, but for those who desire a 0% introductory APR on both purchases and balance transfers, this Wells Fargo card has them beat. For the first 18 months, you can make purchases and qualifying balance transfers at a 0% APR. Keep in mind that there is a balance transfer fee of 3% (if you do so within the first 120 days), but it’s much lower than their competitors. Plus, the $0 annual fee is pretty attractive. 

You will be able to check your FICO® credit score online when you use this Wells Fargo card, useful if you’re looking to build or maintain your credit score. The credit card also provides up to $600 in protection for your cell phone in case of damage or theft. To qualify, you’ll need to pay your monthly cell phone bill using this card and pay a $25 deductible whenever you make a claim.

Citi Prestige^® Card

Annual fee: $495

Introductory APR: none

Regular APR: 16.99% – 23.99% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 3% of the amount transferred

Another luxury travel rewards credit card is the Citi Prestige, offering similar perks to the Chase travel cards. First, if you spend at least $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months, you’ll receive 50,000 bonus points. You can use these points to book travel on Citi’s portal, or transfer them to their airline and hotel partners.

When this card shines is when you book a hotel stay. Whenever you book and pay for at least 4 nights through the Citi travel portal, you’ll get the 4th night free — the price or type of room doesn’t matter. This means if you book a luxury hotel room, you may be able to recoup the annual fee fairly quickly.

Other travel perks include a free Priority Pass Select membership, giving you access to lounges worldwide in the Priority Pass network. Plus, you also receive a credit up to $100 every 5 years to go toward your application for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck. Let’s not forget the $250 travel credit you get each year — and Citi’s definition of travel is fairly broad.

Cardholders can earn five points per dollar on airlines, travel agencies and restaurants. Purchases with cruise lines and hotels earn you three points per dollar, and all other purchases get you one point per dollar. Your points will expire within 3 years, so set yourself a reminder to use them up.

Citi Double Cash Card

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: 0% for the first 18 months for balance transfers

Regular APR: 13.99% – 23.99% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 3% of the amount transferred

Those who want a cash back rewards card will love that the Citi Double Cash offers decent earnings for everyday purchases without an annual fee. Though there is no sign-up bonus, cardholders can earn up to 2% back on all purchases, making it a great card for those who want a simple rewards structure.

How it works is that you’ll initially earn 1% back on your purchase, then an additional 1% cash back when you pay off the balance. If you’re also in the market for a 0% introductory APR for balance transfers, this card is a great contender.

Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: 0% for purchases and balance transfers for the first 15 months

Regular APR: 13.99% – 23.99% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $10 or 3% of the amount transferred

This card offers a sign-up bonus, perfect for those looking to maximize their cash-back rewards. To receive the $200 cash rewards bonus, cardholders will need to make a minimum of $1,000 in purchases within the first three months. Your rewards won’t expire, and if you’re a Bank of America Preferred Rewards member, you may be eligible for an additional 25% – 75% cash back on all purchases.

Rewards are a bit higher than what you’d get with the Citi Rewards card: get 3% cash back on a category of your choosing, 2% back at wholesale clubs and grocery stores (up to $2,500 per year), and 1% cash back on all other purchases. That being said, if you prefer a simple rewards earnings structure, this card may feel complicated.

Best High-Limit Credit Cards For Those With Good Credit

A good credit score is generally thought of as being 680 or above, though some might consider a score of at least 700. You might still have a good chance of getting 0% introductory APR offers, though regular APRs may be slightly higher compared to those with excellent credit.

Blue Cash Everyday Card from American Express

Annual fee: $0 for the first year; $95 afterwards

Introductory APR: 0% on purchases for the first 12 months.

Regular APR: 13.99% – 23.99% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $10 or 5% of the amount transferred

What we like about this cash-back card is that you can potentially earn a ton of rewards. That’s because it offers high cash-back earnings on everyday purchases. Cardholders can earn 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000), 6% cash back at qualifying U.S. streaming services, 3% cash back at U.S. gas stations and transportation services, and 1% back on all other purchases. This is in addition to a decent introductory APR on purchases — perfect if you want to pay off a big-ticket item over time.

There is also the matter of a sign-up bonus: once you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first 6 months, you'll earn a $150 cash bonus. You’ll also earn 20% cash back (up to $200) on Amazon.com purchases in the first 6 months. Not bad for a card that doesn't charge a huge annual fee.

Chase Freedom Unlimited

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: 0% for the first 15 months

Regular APR: 14.99% – 23.74% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 5% of the amount transferred

This cash back rewards credit card offers a ton of flexibility, typical of most Chase credit cards. For no annual fee, you can earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases, 5% on travel booked through the Chase portal, and 3% on drugstores and restaurants. Plus, if you make $500 in purchases within the first 3 months, you’ll earn a $200 cash bonus. Points can be redeemed for travel, cash back, gift cards and other perks.

Chase Freedom Flex

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: 0% for the first 15 months

Regular APR: 14.99% – 23.74% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 5% of the amount transferred

The newest addition to the Chase lineup, the Chase Freedom Flex is very similar to the Chase Freedom Unlimited — both offer no annual fees, 0% introductory APR, and the same regular APR. The difference lies in the way you earn rewards. The Chase Freedom Flex card allows you to earn 5% cash back, but on a rotating category of your choosing. This means you have more flexibility (hence the name of this credit card) in terms of how you want to earn rewards. Though categories will differ, you’ll have the potential to earn more rewards based on your spending habits. 

Best High Limit Credit Cards For Those With Average Credit

A fair credit score is 600 or above. APRs will be higher for these types of credit cards, though it won’t be an issue if you pay off your entire balance each month.

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Annual fee: $39

Introductory APR: None

Regular APR: 26.99% Variable

Balance transfer fee: None

The Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards card offers those with fair credit to access a higher credit limit — you’ll just need to make sure you make on-time payments 5 months in a row. This is much faster compared to other credit cards which offer to do the same, but within 12 months. The 1.5% cash back for all purchases is decent, though other cards also offer similar rewards.

While there is a small annual fee, you can break even as long as you spend enough money (and pay off the balance each month) in cash back rewards. Capital One also offers a feature called CreditWise, where you can check your credit profile and access your credit score. Both of these are useful if you’re looking to raise your credit score.

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: None

Regular APR: 26.99% Variable

Balance transfer fee: None

Cardholders won’t receive any rewards with the Capital One Platinum credit card, but there’s also no annual fee, which can be rare for cards offered to those with fair credit. What we also like is that you get access to CreditWise — a feature which monitors your credit profile — and you get your credit activity reported to all three credit bureaus. If you’re late on a payment, this card doesn’t have a penalty APR, which can be higher than the regular APR. In other words, if you’re late on a credit card payment, you won’t pay more in interest charges. Rewards also don’t expire as long as you’re a cardholder.

Petal 2 Visa Credit Card

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: none

Regular APR: 12.99% – 26.99% Variable

Balance transfer fee: None

The Petal 2 Visa Credit Card allows you to check to see if you’re preapproved, which won’t impact your credit score. However, this doesn’t guarantee you’ll be approved once you submit a full application, but it’s a fairly good indicator.

What we like is that this credit card tells you up front what their minimum and maximum credit limit is — from $500 to $10,000. This could mean you can ask for a limit increase while you’re also building up your credit (Petal reports to all three credit bureaus). 

Plus, you can also earn cash back rewards — 1% on all qualifying purchases. The cash back rate can go up to 1.5% if you make on-time payments for 12 months. You may be able to get 2% to 10% cash back from some retailers, though check the fine print to see where those places may be.  

Best High Limit Credit Cards For Those With Poor Credit

Those with poor credit generally have credit scores below 600. If that’s you, you may have a harder time being approved for a credit card, let alone one with a high credit limit. Still, here are some options for you below.

U.S. Bank Secured Visa Card

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: None

APR: 25.99% variable

Balance transfer fee: The greater of $5 or 3% of the amount transferred

Those who have poor credit or are applying for a credit card for the first time will like that the U.S. Bank Secured Visa card doesn't charge an annual fee unlike many other secure cards out there. You won’t earn rewards, but most secured credit cards don’t offer perks like these.

How a secured credit card works is that you'll have to make a deposit that'll serve as your credit limit — U.S. Bank lets you send a cashier's check, money order, or a deposit from your bank account. You'll need to deposit at minimum of $300 and in $100 increments up to $5,000. This money will be returned to you if you close the card or when you upgrade to an unsecured credit card. The money is held in a FDIC-insured account for safekeeping.

Some perks you'll receive include zero fraud liability, fraud protection, and the ability to choose your payment due date. This comes in handy if you want to make sure you're on top of your bill payment. U.S. Bank also gives you access to your credit score through their mobile app or online banking portal, helping you keep tabs on it more often.

Discover It Student Cash Back

Annual fee: $0

Introductory APR: 0% on purchases for the first 6 months; 10.99% for balance transfers for the first 6 months

Regular APR: 12.99% – 21.99% variable

Balance transfer fee: Up to 5% of amount transferred

Students who are looking to build their credit (and hopefully get a higher limit) may be able to do so with the Discover It Student Cash Back card. Cardholders can earn 5% cash back on quarterly rotating categories (examples include grocery stores and Amazon.com) and 1% cash back on all other purchases. There's also Cashback Match, where you can get a dollar-for-dollar match for all of the rewards you've earned within your first year.

This Discover card also offers Good Grade Rewards, where if you earn at least a 3.0 GPA each school year, you'll earn a $20 statement credit – you can earn this reward annually for up to 5 years. Plus, you can monitor your credit profile, set alerts (for things like fraud alerts), and choose a card design of your liking. Don’t forget the 0% introductory APR for your first 6 months, which could come in handy if you’re purchasing a bunch of textbooks or school supplies and want to pay it off over time.

What Are High-Limit Credit Cards?

High-limit credit cards are ones offering higher than average spending limits, such as a credit limit of $10,000. Many consumers are looking for high limit credit cards to finance big ticket purchases or to consolidate credit card debt.  For instance, you can purchase large electronics or home improvement items without worrying about reaching your credit limit.

Keep in mind that there isn’t a definitive answer for what a high limit might be — it’s subjective. For someone, a $5,000 credit limit is high, whereas someone would consider that $20,000 a high limit. Plus, credit card companies don’t offer specific cards that guarantee high credit limits.

Why High Limit Credit Cards?

Though financing large ticket items is a major reason to have a high limit credit card, there are several other reasons you may want to consider as well.

For The Convenience

Given the rise in no-contact payment methods, credit cards offer convenience that other payments methods don’t. Think about it: most retailers accept credit cards, alleviating the need to carry cash. Plus, high-income earners tend to love the idea that they can pay for anything and everything — especially high-ticket items — with a piece of plastic. If you link it to a mobile wallet, it becomes even more convenient.

The Allure Of Free Money (For The First 30 Days)

Credit cards offer a grace period for the first 30 days — think of it as a free loan as long as you pay off the entire balance when the statement period ends. For instance, if you want to pay for an item and only have enough cash for part of it, you can stick it on the credit card. Then, when payday rolls around, you can pay off the entire balance.

You may be able to extend this 30-day grace period if you get approved for a credit card with a 0% introductory period. Those with excellent credit are more likely to be approved, with introductory periods ranging from 6 – 18 months. As long as you pay off the balance well within this period, you won’t need to pay any interest — check the fine print to make sure.

Credit Card Rewards

There are plenty of rewards programs offering travel perks or cash back which are earned each time you swipe your credit card. Cardholders who want to maximize their points love high limit credit cards because they can earn as many points as possible. Redeeming these points can earn cardholders free flights, hotel rooms, gift cards and much more.

Popular rewards programs include Chase’s Ultimate Rewards program, where you can earn points toward cash back or travel perks. You can even transfer your points to airline and hotel partners, making it one of the most flexible programs out there. Others include American Express’ Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

Credit Utilization Ratio

A credit utilization ratio is one of the most important factors credit reporting bureaus use to calculate your credit score. This ratio looks at your available credit limit and compares it to the balance you have across your accounts.

To calculate your credit utilization ratio, take your current credit card balances and divide it by the credit limit for all your cards. For example, if you have a total balance of $3,000 and an overall credit limit of $10,000, your credit utilization ratio would be 30%. Ideally, the lower this ratio, the better.

What this means is that having a higher credit limit may make keeping your credit utilization low much easier, which shows you’re responsible with your credit. As long as you don’t rack up a large balance on your credit card and pay off your balance each month, you can maintain or boost your credit score.

How Do I Get A High-Limit Credit Card?

Getting a high limit credit card will depend on information from your application (such as your income and debt-to-income ratio), the issuer’s internal policies and your credit report. Some high limit credit cards are available to those with average and even poor credit, though again, “high limit” is relative.

Let’s say you don’t have a lot of debt payments and have a large income — a credit card issuer may take this as a sign you can handle a high limit credit card. Or if you’re someone who has excellent credit and consistently makes on-time payments, the issuer may either increase the limit on an existing credit card or when issuing you a new one.

Borrowers with poor credit histories can secure a credit card and make regular on-time payments, they can ask to increase their credit limits as they rebuild their credit. Those who are applying for credit cards for the first time might do better with a secured credit card.

The Bottom Line: Our Highs May Be Different, But We All Want Credit Available When We Need It

Even though different people will have differing opinions on what a high limit credit card will be, the commonality is that cardholders want access to credit. Whether it’s to fund a large purchase, maximize travel or cash back rewards, or consolidate multiple high-interest debts, applying for the right credit card will depend on your financial situation. The truth is that those with excellent credit will have an easier time being approved, whereas those who have poor credit may have limited choices.

If you want to learn more about building and rebuilding their credit, check out the Learning Center on RocketHQ^SM.