When a lender “pulls” your credit report to determine whether or not to extend you credit, that is called a hard inquiry. Most people know that hard inquiries come from places like credit card applications and car loans. There are other areas, however, that will show up as hard inquiries on your credit report.

Asking for a credit line increase

If you request a credit line increase, it is considered a hard inquiry and will show up on your credit report as such.  On the other hand, if the company offers you the credit line increase first, it’s considered a soft inquiry and will not hurt your score.