> Before anyone says: yes, I have cleaned the USB port out. Cutting a triangle off a credit card and using the corner worked the best in my experience.

Are you sure you got all of the lint out?

I'm asking, because I thought I had, and my phone still wouldn't charge reliably.

As a hail Mary (I was ready to buy a new phone anyway) I tried a thin metal needle. I couldn't believe the amount of gunk I got out of the port.

In my attempts to get it charging I had compressed the lint so hard that none of the other softer tools I'd tried before could get it out.

While I didn't try your method specifically, I'm quite sure a credit card would've be too thick and soft to do it.