Open to buy is the spending room still available on a revolving account after balances and other holds are counted.
Open to buy is the spending room still available on a revolving account after balances and other holds are counted. In many card settings, it is the practical amount the borrower can still charge right now.
Open to buy matters because it reflects real-time account flexibility better than the original line alone. A borrower may have a large Credit Line on paper but very little room left once current balances and pending activity are considered.
It also matters because shrinking open-to-buy room often signals rising utilization and thinner day-to-day flexibility. That can make ordinary card use harder even before the account reaches the formal limit.
Borrowers see open to buy most often in card apps, retail-card dashboards, and issuer account summaries. It is closely related to Available Credit and is often used as a practical card-management term for the room left under a Credit Line.
The concept matters most on a Credit Card or other Revolving Account because spending room keeps changing as purchases post, payments clear, and credits apply.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Credit line | $3,000 |
| Posted revolving balance | $900 |
| Temporary hold or pending activity | $150 |
| Open to buy | About $1,950 |
The account still has a $3,000 line, but the real remaining room to spend is smaller.
Open to buy is not the same as the total Credit Line. The line is the ceiling. Open to buy is the remaining room left under that ceiling right now.
It is also very close to Available Credit. In many practical consumer settings, the terms are used similarly, though open to buy is often the more transaction-focused card label.