when a credit card is issued it comes with a maximum amount that can be utilized this threshold is different for every individual and depends primarily on the customer s credit history 
for example person a with a good credit history applies for a credit card and has a maximum spend limit of 10 000 person b on the other hand with poor credit history applies for the same credit card and has a maximum spend limit of 2 000 these limits are in place to minimize the risk of the credit card company it s important to check your credit card statement often to know where your current balance is and how close you are to your threshold over limit fees are charged whenever the balance goes above the threshold regardless of if the increased amount was due to a purchase interest charge late fee or any other fee it is safer to not opt in to be able to exceed your credit limit and be charged a fee this avoids any unwanted costs if you do not opt in and exceed your credit limit then your transaction will be denied this is a good way to avoid fees and to be made aware that you are at your credit limit it s also worth noting that if you do not opt in and your credit card company allows a transaction to go through then they cannot charge you an over limit fee in this instance if you notice a fee on your statement notify your credit card company to remove it 