Homeowner asks for a 20k credit limit, gets lectured by an associate but stuns them by getting approved: '[She said] “Start out with a low limit, like $100, while [you] learn how credit cards work”

On the surface, this is just a story of a 30-something homeowner who walked into a credit union, asked for a 20k credit limit, and was told to start with 100 dollars until learning how credit works, right before being instantly approved. 

But my personal take on this is that there are two parts or two layers to this story, and I'm here to talk only about one of them. Because I'm in no position to talk about finances. I get by, don't get in trouble, and unlike many financial foxes out there, I have practically zero intuition or expertise on how to make the most of what I have, or as mentors online like to say, 'make my money work for me.'

But the other part of this story is something you don't need any skill for, and that we all, at some point, have met. And that is being underestimated, talked down to, or being treated like a toddler by bureaucrats and clerks. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is equally infuriating and, at least in my experience, an opportunity to lash out in some of the most creative, satisfying ways imaginable.

So to me, there are two parts to that story, but only one really matters. The financial side is fine and logical and full of balances and ratios, and good for anyone who actually understands it. Not everyone does, and that's fine too. But the other part doesn't require financial literacy,  just the patience to sit through a conversation where someone decides your face means you were born yesterday.

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  • Was cautioned to start out with a low credit limit on a new card while I “learned about credit”. I literally have a mortgage.

    Woman in a white shirt gestures dismissively while holding documents, in an office or bank setting with on-image quote saying she didn’t think approval was possible.
    via Elena Nichizhenova

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Being underestimated by bureaucrats has its own sting. It is the soft, smiling kind of disrespect that hides behind corporate procedure. The clerk isn’t cruel, just convinced you’re some lost soul who needs a pamphlet about budgeting. It’s condescension gated behind glass. Most people swallow it, nod politely, and move on. Others might find quiet joy in waiting for the moment when the computer screen reveals a mortgage, a perfect credit score, or ten years of payments that say everything the face apparently didn’t.  

  • This past year I moved to a new state and decided to open up a new account and credit card with my local credit union.
    via Soggy_Ticket_427

  • That moment changes the air in the room. The confidence drains out, the tone shifts, and politeness becomes reverence. It’s human theater, and it’s glorious. Because nothing humbles a self-assured gatekeeper faster than realizing their student was already running the class.  

  • I'm in my 30s but obviously don't look it. The associate helping me with the application and credit check was very pleasant, if a little over-explainy.
    via Soggy_Ticket_427
  • When she asked what credit limit I wanted to request I paused, my other cards just gave me a limit without asking but after thinking it over I asked for $20k.
    via Soggy_Ticket_427
  • This would make the new credit card the lowest limit of all my cards, but I don't need more I just like that it would raise my credit score a bit.
    via Soggy_Ticket_427
  • Woman in business attire signals refusal during aa conversation with another woman, possibly a customer, while holding a folder.
    via Elena Nichizhenova

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • She immediately shook her head and said she really didn't think I could possibly get approval for that high of an amount, and that most people "start out with a low limit- like $100- while they learn how credit cards work".
    via Soggy_Ticket_427
  • I kinda laughed and said that I typically spend that at the grocery store for one trip, so it wouldn't suit my needs to have a card with a limit that low.
    via Soggy_Ticket_427
  • She gave me another look like I was a bit off my rocker and then ran my credit... her eyes got huge when she saw I have a mortgage, multiple lines of credit, and a score that proved I've been building credit for 10+ years.
    via Soggy_Ticket_427
  • She verified everything with me and then allowed the request for a 20k limit. Guess who got approved no problem...
    via Soggy_Ticket_427
  • Woman in business attire points at documents while talking to another woman, lokking like she's impressed or surprised
    via Elena Nichizhenova

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Some victories don’t come with fireworks. Some just come with the soft sound of paperwork being refiled in embarrassed silence.

  • NoAdministration8006 Honestly, $100 is insulting even for someone who is new to credit. What the hell can you buy with that today?
    via u/NoAdministration8006
  • OP Soggy_Ticket_427 That's exactly what I thought! But I suppose a teen would have far less expenses, they're not shopping for a family of 4 at the grocery store
    via u/Soggy_Ticket_427
  • BooBoo_Cat Over 25 years ago, when I was a "young adult" entering college, the lowest limit credit card was $500, which was for new credit card users. I bought a bus pass, a movie ticket, and a couple of text books before I was nearly maxed out. (Now I know of course that you should never get to your limit, even if you can pay it off immediately.) $100 in today's money... if you want to remain under the 30% debt ratio.... you can buy... a couple of things at a grocery store, I guess.
    via u/BooBoo_Cat
  • wildchery86 When I went to my local credit union as a young newly married and pregnant person looking for a car loan for a used car, they laughed and suggested I move in with my in laws. I will never take a loan from that institution.
    via u/wildchery86
  • Intelligent-Try7918 Had a similar situation when I went in for a loan from a credit union I'd been with for 25 years to refinance my mom's truck so she didn't lose it. I only deposited a couple hundred a month there as an account to buy stuff for my hobby's, and I went in shorts and flip flops because it was a hot Florida afternoon. I told the lady i needed $4k and she condescendingly said "we'll see what we can do." After running my credit she was a lot more helpful and was trying to convince m
    via u/Intelligent-Try7918
  • RayEd29 $100? Did she think you were still in middle school? When I was in college back in the Mesozoic Era the absolute lowest limit you could get was $500. I got the credit card applications that said "Fill this out detailing your life. history and we'll think about giving you a card with a $500 limit." I threw those in the trash. I waited until they sent me one that said "Initial here and we WILL give you a card with a $1,500 limit." This was in the days when $1,500 was a stupid amount of deb
    via u/RayEd29
  • BlackCatFurry I thought the same, i have a student credit card (basically one that you can pretty much get just by proving that you are a student) and the lowest limit on that was 1.5k€, it did not allow a lower limit.
    via u/BlackCatFurry
  • H010CRON A tank of gas?
    via u/H010CRON
  • TrainerLoki That's more of a gas card at the low limit
    via u/TrainerLoki
  • Leonorati Oh wow! I'd love to have seen her face haha
    via u/Leonorati
  • ZKatze I spent more than that in the grocery store yesterday, and I didn't even buy that much.
    via u/ZKatze

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