NEW YORK–The nation’s biggest card issuers are making credit cards harder to get for some customers, but easier for others, even though the latter are least likely to need credit.

Lenders opened fewer cards in the second quarter, according to earnings reports from major issuers, noted the Wall Street Journal, adding those issuers raised qualification requirements for lower-end customers that tend to be at greater risk of missing payments.

It was a different story for higher-end consumers, according to the Journal, which pointed out, as the CU Daily has been reporting, that JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, American Express and others have been battling each other to introduce premium credit cards with even more perks—and higher annual fees.

The Heavy Spenders

“The highest, fastest-growing part of our card business has been with the heavier spenders,” Capital One Chief Executive Richard Fairbank told analysts on a call, the Journal reported

Capital One recently opened a new luxury lounge—complete with a cheesemonger station—in New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport for holders of its $395 a year Venture X card.

“But more banks have raised the bar for credit-card approvals this year than lowered it, reflecting growing caution, according to the Federal Reserve’s Senior Loan Officer Survey,” the Journal stated, noting that total new credit-card openings across four major lenders fell 5% in the second quarter, marking the first decline in more than a year.

AmEx Average Fee is Up

The report said that at American Express, new account openings fell 6% from a year earlier, but the average fee per card rose to $117 from $101 a year earlier, driven by stronger uptake of premium cards.

Lenders are also targeting consumers with higher credit scores, the Journal reported, stating that in April more than 87% of card-related mail volume was prescreened, meaning the offers were only sent to consumers who already had met certain credit criteria. That is the highest level in nearly three years, according to Competiscan, a marketing-analysis firm, the Journal said.

‘Struggling to Keep Up’

“Lower-end consumers, meanwhile, are struggling to keep up: Card balances are rising—a sign that many households are spending beyond their means,” the report added. That comes as the average interest rate on credit cards rose to 24.35% this month, according to LendingTree.