What to do if you get rejected for a Chase credit card in 2020?

  • By Anthony Dominguez
  • Last Update: December 14, 2024

Chase Bank offers a wide range of credit cards. Some come with zero fees, like the Chase Freedom Unlimited, and others come with fees like the Chase Sapphire Preferred that charges $95 a year. All of them have appealing rewards.

But sometimes when you apply for a card with Chase, you’ll get rejected. In this article, I’m going to walk you through the process so that you know exactly what to do if this happens to you.

How Do You Know If You're Rejected?

Whenever you are rejected for a credit card, American law requires any card issuer to provide what’s called an adverse action notice. This will contain their reasons for rejecting your application. The notice can be provided either by word or in writing, but you can ask for a copy in print.

Some examples include having a low credit score, earning too little money, or lacking a credit history. Their feedback should allow you to improve the next time you apply because the bank will tell you what they disliked. That’s something you can work on.

But beware, because every credit card application you make lowers your credit score slightly. The notice will also include some other information that’s worth being aware of. You’ll be given the name and contact details of the credit reporting agency that was used by Chase.

You’ll be eligible to claim a free credit report within 60 days from that same agency. You’ll have the right to challenge the information that Chase made their decision with. And if it was relevant to their decision, you’ll be told your credit score.

If you are given your credit score, special ‘reason codes’ will be provided which will tell you why that score was not higher. There are dozens of these, and each category is given a different weighting. This means how important it is in terms of your overall score. You can find all the details on them here.

How to Check Application Status?

When you apply for a credit card at Chase Bank, you can do so on the Internet, over the phone, or by mail. The method you use will affect the time it takes to process your application, and anything that is done by physical mail traditionally takes longer than by phone or online.

But if you’re concerned about your application, or you haven’t heard back from Chase in quite a while, you can also check up on your application using these three ways:

  1. You can call Chase on their telephone number, which in the U.S. is 1-800-432-3117. There is no toll to pay and it is available 24 hours a day.
  2. You can log onto their website and do one of two things. Send them an encrypted email, or start a live chat with any available Chase representative.
  3. Or you can send a letter to Chase to the following address: Card Services, P.O. Box 15298, Wilmington, DE 19850.

But before you contact them, there may be some common reasons why your credit card application didn’t get approved immediately. You may have applied for too many credit cards, which violates their 5/24 rule that I’ll tell you more about in the next section.

If you’ve got a high amount of credit with Chase, you could be nearing your overall credit limit. And applying for a small business credit card generally takes more time than a personal card. Or, it could be the simplest reason of all – you might have made a small mistake on your application.

Chase Reconsideration Line

If you’re in the unfortunate position of having had your credit card application rejected, and you’ve received an adverse action notice as described above, you might want to ask Chase to think again rather than putting yourself through another application process.

Particularly if you’re concerned about your credit score. This is something you can attempt by calling the Chase reconsideration line. This is, in the U.S., 1-888-270-2127. It is open from 7 am to 10 pm EST Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 1 pm EST on Saturday, and from 9 am to 9 pm EST on Sunday. You should do so within 30 days of being rejected.

The reconsideration line given above is the one to call for all of the personal credit cards Chase offer, including the Chase Freedom Unlimited and Chase Sapphire Preferred. But if you want to contact the reconsideration line for a business card like the Ink Business Unlimited, the number is 1-800-453-9719 and the opening times are 1 pm to 10 pm EST Monday to Friday.

If you do choose to call the reconsideration line, there are a few things you should do to help your experience go as smoothly as possible:

  • Look for any errors on your application and mention them to the representative, so they can check if they’ve caused any misunderstandings.
  • Offer to reduce your credit limit on other credit cards to free up more credit for a new card. This can encourage Chase to see less risk for them if you get approved.
  • Mention why you’d like to have that specific card, such as any card offers and rewards.
  • Maintain a good attitude and don’t lose your temper. That way everything stays calm.

One thing you don’t want to mention is the sign-up bonus. A card issuer won’t want to provide a credit card to someone who only wants a free bonus.

Chase Rules and Messages

The Rules

Chase has four key rules that you should be aware of. These are the 5/24 rule, 2/30 rule, ‘One Sapphire’ rule, and the intro bonus rule. The 5/24 rule means that if you’ve had more than 5 new credit cards in the past 24 months, you will be rejected for any card in Chase’s personal range.

Business cards are exempt. The 2/30 rule means that you can only apply twice every 30 days or you’ll get rejected. And the ‘One Sapphire’ rule means that you can only have one Chase Sapphire card at any one time as of 2018

Lastly, the intro bonus rule specifies that you can only qualify once every 24 months for intro bonuses on cards from Chase, and once every 48 months for intro bonuses on Chase Sapphire cards.

The Messages

When you apply for a new card from Chase, you will receive some automated messages from Chase. Every applicant will usually receive a 30-day message, which tells you there should be a decision within 30 days. If you want to make sure everything is going well, you can call the automated status line on 1-800-432-3117.

This will provide extra information, so long as you wait at least a few days. Sometimes you might speak to a real person. If the automated call gives you another 30-day message, then you’ll have to keep checking.

If you receive a two-week message, it usually means you’ll get approved. If you receive a 7 to 10 day message, it usually means you’ll be rejected, but not always. If you do get denied, you can at this point call the reconsideration line.

Conclusion

You now know everything you need to do if you fail to get approved for a credit card with Chase. You’ll know when you’ve been rejected, how to check the application status, how to call the reconsideration line if you have not been approved, what rules and messages to look out for, and the answers to some frequently asked questions.

Related Posts
Like what you've read? Share it with your friends
Share on facebook
Facebook
Share on twitter
Twitter