Credit Card Limits

Discover our tips for staying within your credit limit to avoid fees and potential damage to your credit rating, if it's the right option for you, find out how to request a credit limit increase.

Before accepting your application, lenders will review your credit history, to ensure you can afford the credit limit they'll offer. To determine your card's limit, they'll assess:

• Your credit history. To understand if you're a reliable borrower, they'll check how you managed credit limits on other credit cards and if there are any missed or late payments.
• Your current credit limit to see how much you can borrow on other credit cards you own.
• Your income will show your lender how much you earn, and more specifically how much you have left each month after paying your bills.
• Existing debt such as mortgages, loans, overdrafts or other credit cards.

A higher credit limit may offer greater flexibility and convenience to meet your financial needs. However, it may also increase your risk of taking on too much debt, which could be costly, or take a long time to pay off. You should only borrow what you can afford to repay, so carefully consider the pros and cons.

Looking to cover a large purchase? Do the sums to confirm you can afford timely repayments before applying for an increase. Credit limit increases are subject to approval and therefore not guaranteed.

Increasing your limit in response to expense and repayment struggles could:

• Open you up to more debt.
• Prevent you from qualifying for important loans like mortgages - as potential lenders pay attention to the amount of credit you already have access to.

You can request to change your creidt limit at any time with American Express. If you'd like to request a credit limit increase (subject to approval), you can do this via your Online Account or by calling the number on the back of your Card.

Before you apply for an increase, consider your personal financial circumstances. We'll need to assess your capacity to repay the higher limit before we approve it, looking into things such as your credit history, reports and income level.

From time to time we may offer to increase your credit limit if you meet certain criteria. To manage how we send you offers, or to opt out of these communications, log into your Online Account or call the number on the back of your Card.

If your existing limit is higher than you need it to be, you can request a credit limit decrease - as long as it remains above the minimum limit and your total balance owing.

Yes, you can apply for a credit limit increase at any time. Approval will be subject to our approval criteria.

Know your credit limit

Knowing your credit limit is the first step to making sure your balance stays under control. You can reduce the risk of going over your limit by making regular payments through one of our many payment options.

Pay off as much as you can

Paying more than the minimum amount required will reduce the amount of interest you'll be charged and will help you pay your balance off faster.

Make use of our tools

You can log into your Online Account or download the American Express® App to keep track of your spending and more while you're on the go. 

If you exceed your credit card limit, your transactions may be declined. You'll also have to face consequences like paying fees which might affect your credit rating. This may also affect your future applications, showing you have financial problems and you're not able to repay when you borrow. In some cases, your lender may lower your limit or even close your account, meaning you'll have to repay the full amount you owe.

Your highest limit will depend on your financial circumstances as well as the Credit Card you choose.

A credit card will have a set credit limit and the ability to roll your balance onto the next month if the minimum payment is made. A charge card comes with no pre-set spending limit, meaning your spending limit can vary depending on a variety of factors. You'll also be required to pay the full closing balance on your Charge Card every month. No interest is charged on charge cards as balance is cleared every month. Interest is charged every month on credit cards. Creidt cards are protected by the consumer credit act which charge cards are not. This means that charge cards purchases are not protected by section 75 of CCA whereas, subject to some limitations, most credit card purchases are.

Be smart with your repayments

Make sure you know when your Credit Card repayments are due, and, if possible, pay off as much as your can to reduce interest.

Sign up for SMS and email alerts

Get informed instantly with text and email alerts. There's a range of useful notifications to help you avoid paying additional fees. Choose when you'd like to receive your alerts and whether you'd prefer to be contacted on mobile or email. You can also place your alerts on hold when you travel, or change the time zone they arrive in.

Track your expenses

Log into your Account regularly or download the Amex App to access your current statement and Account details.

For Cardmembers that have more than one type of personal American Express® Card, we offer the option of adjusting the credit limits on a Cardmember's Cards. The total approved limit is not changing, just the share of it on each product.

You can find out if this is an option for you here.