Reduce credit limit on old cards to maximise limit on new cards

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Just curious about the credit limit that would be available if I apply for a new 0% purchases CC. Say my limit on a barclaycard is £2000 but the 0% promotion ends soon, if I want to have a £2000 limit on a new CC, say from MBNA, shouldn't I be reducing my limit on the barclaycard? Ideally I want to keep the barclaycard to maintain a long relationship, which will be beneficial for mortgages/loans etc.
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Reducing the limit might even work against you. If you reduced your current credit card limit to say £500. Your new card provider might take the attitude that if your current card only trusts you with a £500 limit then we better not be too generous with our credit limit.
I closed the Nationwide CC account, and now wish I hadn't as I recalled the benefits of 'available credit' on my Experian score. I believe the guidance Experian give is 1/3rd of your available credit should be left
I've since applied for the Post Office Money 0% 16months (going 27months) and was given a limit of £5400 - slightly less than Halifax limit and had with NW - perhaps my score isn't as good with them.
My feeling is to keep as much available credit as possible, whilst a quick £15 to Experian will tell you if having a second, third, fourth card actually damages your score.
Surely it will if they're using Experian as the rating agency?
Experian is supposed to use similar criteria to others, so unless all lenders are wildly different in the things they care about, it's fair to rely on Experian as a good estimator.
No.
Every lender uses its own criteria. While the things that are highlighted as problems on a free Experian report really do matter (missed payments; not being on the electoral roll; frequent changes of address and job) anything beyond that will depend on a particular lender's business model.