How to Lower a Credit Card's Available Credit Line

Do you wonder how to lower your credit card's available credit line? Credit card credit lines are in place to help consumers manage their spending. Banks also modify consumer credit lines to minimize the bank's exposure to risk. Lending institutions will periodically review credit card histories to determine if a change is necessary, and they may raise or lower a credit line. You can learn how to lower a credit card's available credit line to become proactive in the management of your credit profiles.

2
Find your current credit card balance, if any.
- Lenders will not lower credit line available limits below the current balance.
3
Estimate the total amount of credit you would like available for this credit card.
- Be certain of your decision to lower your credit line limit, because the process to restore or increase the limit can be more complicated and time-consuming.
- When requesting a credit card limit increase, a bank will reevaluate your account to determine if your credit history fits its current lending guidelines. The bank's guidelines may differ from the guidelines previously used to evaluate your credit worthiness.
4
Contact the bank to request that it lower your credit line limit.
- This can be accomplished by phone, email, or standard mail.
- Once you have properly verified that you are authorized to make changes on this account, the credit card credit line will be lowered effective immediately.
5
Determine if the bank has an automatic account adjustment program.
- It is important to proactively "opt-out" of the bank's account review program that will routinely evaluate every account to determine if a change is required. If you fail to alert the bank as to your desire to "opt-out," it is possible that the credit line will be increased in the future should your account warrant this change.
- If this happens, you can request a lower credit line using the same technique you used to request the first credit card credit line limit chan