Other Customer Service Support

[Goku9281]

For anyone who may be considering a CitiBank Best Buy Credit Limit Increase. They do a hard inquiry at CitiBank.I just got off the phone with them. You need to call them at 1-888-574-1301 if you want to hear it from them. Don't bother with the CitiBank / Best Buy chat. It's just a bunch of copy and paste human robots.

[jdogg836]

Yes, if you request them to pull your credit in an effort to increase your limit...this would most certainly be a hard inquiry.  If your credit/purchase history has led to them extending your credit line without pulling your credit, ths would not count as a hard inquiry.

Examples of hard and soft credit inquiries

The difference between a hard and soft inquiry generally boils down to whether you gave the lender permission to check your credit. If you did, it may be reported as a hard inquiry. If you didn’t, it should be reported as a soft inquiry.

Let’s look at some examples of when a hard inquiry or a soft inquiry might be placed on your credit reports. Note: The following lists are not exhaustive and should be treated as a general guide.

Common hard inquiries

• Mortgage applications
• Auto loan applications
• Credit card applications
• Student loan applications
• Personal loan applications
• Apartment rental applications

Common soft inquiries

• Checking your credit score online
• “Prequalified” credit card offers
• “Prequalified” insurance quotes
• Employment verification (i.e., background check)

[Goku9281]

Thanks for your reply, jdogg836!

I understand what you are saying but there is a difference between applying for a credit card and requesting an increase. Once you are approved for a credit card, the lender will continuously monitor your credit report with soft inquiries and adjust your credit limit according to your shifting score. I'm an avid consumer and always try to share the knowledge I gain on forums that obscure their answers. Capital One is open about their limit increase process {removed per forum guidelines}. Too bad other lenders don't adopt this practice and prefer to remain obscure.