If you’re making a large purchase that costs thousands of dollars, you don’t want to risk your card getting declined because you don’t have sufficient credit available. But which credit cards offer the highest limits on the market?
Before we begin, it’s important to note that credit limits are highly subjective to the cardholder, and are usually reserved for those who have good to excellent credit scores. When you apply for a new card, issuers will analyze several factors not only to approve you for the card, but to grant you a given credit limit.
Ultimately, it’s an algorithm that varies from person-to-person, dependent on income, previous credit history, and more. So while the maximum amount might vary, these are generally among the top credit cards that will come with the highest credit limits — and we’ve given ballpark estimates of what you can expect.
What’s Ahead:
What kind of cards offer the highest credit limits?
If you’re looking for a credit card with a high limit (we’re talking $5,000 to $20,000+), you’ll need to search for one of the following options:
- “No preset spending limit” cards
- Premium rewards credit cards
- Business credit cards
Unlike a traditional credit card, a “no preset spending limit” card does not offer a defined credit limit. Instead, cardholders are given flexibile spending power that varies per purchase and statement period.
Among the major card issuers, American Express is the only one to offer no preset spending limits — but only on certain cards.
And don’t be mistaken: a “no preset spending limit” card doesn’t mean there’s no credit limit. There’s still a limit, but it will fluctuate and adapt based on the purchase and your payment and credit history. The more on-time payments you make, the more likely the issuer will approve those expensive purchases on your card.
Read more: Are Amex cards worth it?
On the other hand, premium rewards cards come with high credit limits, but also tend to have high annual fees. Premium credit cards require a higher credit score to qualify, so cardholders will also be afforded a higher credit limit in return.
Finally, business credit cards will usually offer high credit limits. No matter if you’re an independent contractor, own a small shop, or manage a sizable company, these credit cards come with higher maximums to provide the most flexibility for business owners.
Read more: Best business credit cards for young entrepreneurs
A final note: some cards may fall into multiple categories, as we’ll mention below. However, since issuers generally don’t publish their credit limits online, it helps to be aware of the types of credit cards that offer the highest limits.
Read more: How credit card limits work
Overview of the best high-limit credit cards
| Card | Best for | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| American Express® Gold Card | Maximizing restaurant and grocery purchases | $250 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | Affordable travel rewards card | $95 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card | Luxury travel perks | $550 |
| Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card | Business owners | $95 |
| Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card | Redeeming points toward travel purchases | $395 |
The 5 best high-limit credit cards
These five credit cards make our top picks — not only because they offer cardholders a high credit limit, but because they come with various other worthwhile benefits.
American Express® Gold Card
The American Express® Gold Card is among the few cards offered with the benefit of no preset spending limit. Best of all, American Express offers cardholders a “Check Spending Power tool” that you can use before making a large purchase, to find out in advance whether or not the issuer will approve the charge.
In terms of best practices, you should always use your card regularly, pay off your balance in full before the end of your statement period, and maintain other good credit habits to increase your flexible spending capacity.
While the $250 annual fee seems expensive at first, the Amex Gold comes with a suite of perks to offset this cost every year:
- Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 or more in the first three months of account opening.
- Exceptional rewards rate: Earn 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (on up to the first $25,000 spent annually) and restaurants worldwide, 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com and 1x point on all other eligible purchases.
- Up to $120 annual Uber Cash credit: Get up to $10 in Uber Cash credit every month that you can put toward UberEats orders or Uber rides in the U.S.
- Up to $120 annual dining credit: Get up to $10 in statement credits toward participating dining partners such as Grubhub, Seamless, The Cheesecake Factory, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Boxed, and participating Shake Shack locations.
- Other benefits: No foreign transaction fees, secondary car rental insurance, and more.
If you’re able to use up those annual statement credits, your out-of-pocket annual fee comes down to just $10. Not to mention, with any large purchases you put on the card, you can be protected with extended warranty and purchase protection benefits.
Read more: Amex Gold vs. Chase Sapphire Preferred Card: which travel rewards card is right for you?
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is already a sure choice for starter travel rewards, but it also grants cardholders a high credit limit. It’s a Visa Signature-branded card, so the minimum credit limit starts around $5,000 — but the higher your income and credit score, the higher your credit limit should be.
It’s also easy to justify paying the $95 annual fee after reviewing the long list of benefits that come with this popular travel credit card:
- Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 toward travel when redeemed through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Great rewards rate: Earn 5x points on travel booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x points on dining, online grocery store purchases, and select streaming services, 2x points on all other travel, and 1x point on everything else.
- Up to $50 annual hotel credit: For hotel reservations made through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, you’ll receive a statement credit of up to $50.
- Other benefits: No foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary rental car insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, and more.
Your purchases are also covered with purchase protection and extended warranty benefits thanks to the Visa Signature program, making this an all-around great pick for a credit card with a high limit.
Apply for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card or read our full review.
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
For even more premium perks, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card has long been recognized as one of the best travel cards out there. It’s a Visa Infinite card — which is much rarer than the Visa Signature program — meaning that cardholders can expect higher credit limits (think $10,000, minimum.)
There’s a $550 annual fee, but frequent travelers will want to add this card to their wallet for a multitude of reasons:
- Sign-up bonus: Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $900 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Up to $300 annual travel credit: Automatically applies as a statement credit for up to $300 on all travel-related purchases on your card.
- Solid rewards rate: Earn 10x points on hotels and car rentals booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 5x points on flights booked through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x points on other travel and dining purchases, and 1x point on everything else.
- Global Entry, TSA PreCheck®, or Nexus credit: Receive reimbursement as a statement credit when you apply for any of these trusted traveler programs, once every four years.
- Complimentary airport lounge access: Visit more than 1,200 Priority Pass lounges worldwide, for you and up to two guests.
- Other benefits: No foreign transaction fees, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, primary rental car insurance, baggage delay insurance, trip delay reimbursement, purchase protection, and more.
The Chase Sapphire Reserve® offers higher limits on trip cancellation and interruption insurance and primary rental car insurance, making this a stellar card for high spenders.
Read more: Chase Sapphire Preferred® vs Reserve® Card: Which one is right for you?
Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
The Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card is a popular option for all sorts of business owners. It’s a Visa Signature Business credit card, so you can expect higher credit limits than non-business cards.
For $95 per year, you can expect the following benefits, good for both business travel and everyday purchases:
- Sign-up bonus: Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months after account opening. That's $1,000 cash back or $1,250 toward travel rewards when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Expansive rewards rate: Earn 3x points on the first $150,000 spent in the combined categories of shipping, advertising (made through social media and search engines), internet, cable, and phone services, and travel purchases. Earn 1x point on everything else.
- Other benefits: No foreign transaction fees, cellphone protection, trip cancellation and interruption insurance, roadside dispatch, primary rental car insurance, purchase protection, extended warranty, and more.
The unique features of the Ink Business Preferred® Card include roadside dispatch for car emergencies and cellphone protection, among other important coverages that will protect expensive purchases.
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is one of the newest premium travel cards on the market, and it boasts some luxury travel perks at a fraction of the cost.
Still, the $395 annual fee may seem daunting for many. Here are the benefits that could help you offset the cost — and for frequent travelers, exceed the value of the ongoing annual fee:
- Sign-up bonus: Earn 75,000 bonus miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first 3 months from account opening.
- Up to $300 annual travel credit: Provided as a statement credit toward travel bookings made through the Capital One Travel portal.
- Valuable rewards rate: Earn 10x miles on hotels and car rentals booked through the Capital One Travel portal, 5x miles on flights booked through the Capital One Travel portal, and 2x miles on all other purchases.
- Airport lounge access: You and two guests can visit the Capital One and 1,300+ Priority Pass lounges worldwide.
- Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® credit: Receive up to $100 in statement credit toward your application.
- Other benefits: 10,000 anniversary bonus miles, Hertz President’s Circle car rental elite status*, no foreign transaction fees, cellphone protection, return protection, extended warranty, and more.
To sum it up, the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card is seriously worth considering if you travel often and want to make the most of these purchases.
Apply for the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card or read our full review.
The bottom line
As you can see, all the cards that made this list come with annual fees of $95 or greater. That doesn’t necessarily mean your no annual fee cash back card won’t offer you a high credit limit. But if you’re approved, these five credit cards will reliably offer you high credit limits of at least $5,000 or more.
Once you pick a card, we recommend you stick with it and practice responsible credit habits. Over time, you can request a higher credit limit — or even better, your issuer may automatically offer you a higher credit limit.
Featured image: Song_about_summer/Shutterstock.com
For Capital One products listed on this page, some of the above benefits are provided by Visa® or Mastercard® and may vary by product. See the respective Guide to Benefits for details, as terms and exclusions apply.
*Upon enrollment, accessible through the Capital One website or mobile app, eligible cardholders will remain at upgraded status level through December 31, 2024. Please note, enrolling through the normal Hertz Gold Plus Rewards enrollment process (e.g. at Hertz.com) will not automatically detect a cardholder as being eligible for the program and cardholders will not be automatically upgraded to the applicable status tier. Additional terms apply.