You just applied for a credit card with a huge sign-up bonus and the screen says pending or denied. Don’t worry. The next step is to hop on the phone and call the reconsideration line. Here are some tips to help you prepare for a reconsideration phone call. Recon phone numbers of major credit card banks are below.
1. Call immediately: If you wait a few weeks or longer, you will need to apply again, resulting in another hard credit pull. Be sure to call the credit card reconsideration number less than a week after applying. I recommend calling minutes after you apply.
2. Know your credit score and history: Before getting on the phone, check your credit score for free at CreditKarma.com. If your score is above 700, make sure you tell them that. Even though the operator most likely knows your credit score, politely saying “My score is 758 which is considered excellent. I believe I am qualified for this credit card and would appreciate your help in doing anything in your power to approve me” has helped me and many clients.
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3. Know your history with the bank: Make sure you know all the cards you currently have open with the bank whose reconsideration line you are calling. Know when you opened them and any issues with any of them. Hopefully, there aren’t any late payments. Another line to say is “I have been an excellent customer with BANK for NUMBER of years. I have had zero issues with late payments and have been an ideal customer. I believe I am deserving of NAME OF CREDIT CARD.” When saying these lines, you must be polite as possible. Remember, they are the person responsible for approving. If you are rude or demanding, they can deny.
4. Avoid closing any existing credit cards before the call: Make sure you don’t close any credit cards from that bank before the call. Actually, you shouldn’t close any credit cards before applying for the credit card(s).
5. Have good reasons for applying for the new card: NEVER say “I really like the current bonus mile/point offer”. This statement is a big red flag and they may think you are taking advantage. Its best not to mention anything about the sign-up bonus.
Some good reasons to apply may be:
- “The no foreign transaction fee is important to me, as I do a lot of international traveling, and/or buy things from foreign-based companies that would otherwise incur foreign transaction fees.”
- “The 2x points for dining is such a great benefit, since I dine out a lot and entertain clients often.”
- “I travel frequently and the 3x points for airline spend is a great fit for my needs.”
- “I travel a lot using AIRLINE and I would love to earn AIRLINE points on everyday purchases.”
- “My spouse/friend has this card and highly recommended it to me.”
6. Volunteer to reduce credit on another card: It’s usually harder to get approved for additional credit rather than moving credit from an existing credit card you currently have with the bank. So you can say something like “I was wondering if you might be able to approve me for this card, by moving some of the credit from other Credit Card.” This is usually an easy fix.
7. Be polite: Regardless of the outcome, never lose your cool. Don’t ever raise your voice and be rude. Try to remain positive and polite. If the representative still denies you, thank them for their help and end the call on a good note. You can always call back later and see if a different representative will approve you. Personally, I usually call at least three times and speak with three different representatives.
If you are rude, they may create negative notes about you and there may be no coming back from that. Imagine as if you were asking for money. In theory, that’s actually what you are doing. If you applied for the Barclay Arrival Plus Card offering 50,000 points sign up bonus, essentially you are asking for $500 plus in travel. Be super nice.
8. Be patient: Even after getting approved, it can still take some time for the approval to show up online (allow 1 week) and could take up to 2 weeks to get the actual card. If you need the card sooner to make some large purchases, ask nicely if they would be willing to expedite the card to you.
Reconsideration Phone Numbers
1. Chase Credit Card Reconsideration
- 888-270-2127 (personal credit analyst, 7am-10pm EST M-F; 8am-10pm EST Sat. and 9am-9pm Sun.)
- 800-453-9719 (business credit analyst, 8am-10pm EST M-F)
2. American Express Credit Card Reconsideration
- 800-567-1083 (application status)
- 877-399-3083 (new accounts; can forward you to reconsideration reps) 8am-midnight EST M-F, 10am-6:30pm Saturday
3. Citibank Credit Card Reconsideration
- 800-695-5171 or 888-201-4523 (credit analyst) 7am – midnight ET (6am – 11pm CT) daily
- 800-763-9795 (personal and business card application status) 7am-midnight EST 7 days a week; can transfer you to a credit analyst
- Note that if you are denied, you’ll need to write snail mail to Ken Stork, Office of the President, P.O. Box 6000, Sioux Falls, SD 57117 for reconsideration.
4. Bank of America / Bank of Hawaii Credit Card Reconsideration
- 800-545-7899(personal credit analyst)
- 800-421-2110
- 888-663-6262 (business credit analyst)
- 800-481-8277 (business credit card application status; will transfer you to a business credit analyst)
- 877-721-9405 (application status; press 3 then enter your SSN)
- Bank of America Online Application Status Check to check the status of a credit card application
5. Barclaycard Credit Card Reconsideration
- 866-408-4064. (credit analyst) 8am-5pm EST Monday to Friday
- 888-232-0780 (personal credit analyst)
- Barclaycard Online Application Status Check to check the status of a credit card application.
Have you ever been denied or have pending application and been approved by calling reconsideration number?
So a denied credit card applications can be approved?
This is a great resource. I am bookmarking this post just for all the phone numbers.
Hey very interesting blog!