Chase has some fantastic credit cards.
For a personal card, Chase Sapphire Preferred is strongest (or the Chase Sapphire Reserve if you want true luxury). You get 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after you spend $4,000 in purchases within the first three months. You also get 5x points on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards, 3x points on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on everything else (plus a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit). $95 annual fee.
For my business, I love the Chase Ink Business Preferred because of its generous rewards structure. If you do any advertising online, you need this credit card. This reward structure is on top of the 100,000 bonus points after you spend $8,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening in the .
With cards this good, and sign up bonuses this rich, everyone wants these cards.
But not everyone can get them.
If Chase rejects your credit card application, you can have it manually reviewed. Sometimes you don’t qualify. Sometimes they need more information. Read on to find out if there’s a way you can get them to reconsider your application.
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How Do You Know If You’re Rejected
Three things can happen after you submit your Chase credit card applications:
- You see a message that your application was approved – Congratulations!
- You see a message that your application was denied – sorry 🙁
- You see a message that your application is “under review” and you’ll hear back in 30 days.
Chase reviews ever application.
Sometimes approval is near instant. That’s when you get the approval message and can expect your card in the mail in about 7-10 days.
And sometimes the denial is near instant. That’s when you’ll want to prepare yourself for a phone call.
How to Check Application Status
If you weren’t insta-approved, you can check your “application status.” The quickest way is to log into your account. In the menu, there is an application status section.
If you prefer the phone, you can call the automated status line by dialing 800-436-7927.
If you call, Chase may direct you to speak to a representative. If this concerns you, don’t call to check. You can check by logging in and that will never result in a chat. 🙂
When to Call Chase Reconsideration
When I applied for a Southwest Rapid Rewards Business Credit Card, I was initially put into review. Chase called me to confirm a few business details before they approved my application.
I was never rejected. Being placed under review does not mean you’re denied. It means they need more time and information.
If Chase rejects your applications, you can call the reconsideration line.
Before you call, here are cases where a call will NOT WORK: (know this before you apply next time!)
- Chase “5/24 Rule” – For Chase credit cards, there’s a 5/24 Rule. They will not approve you for a new card if you have applied for 5 or more new cards in the last 24 months. They think you have too many credit cards!
- Chase “2/30 Rule” – Chase will only approve up to two credit cards every rolling thirty day period. If you try for a third, they will not approve it.
- No Duplicate Card Rule – You can’t get two of the same card. This applies to certain card types too, like the Chase Sapphire. You can’t get the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the Reserve, only one.
- 24-Month Sign Up Bonus Rule – This is a rule regarding sign up bonuses. You cannot get a sign up bonus more than one time every 24 month period. If you got it within the last 2 years, you will not be eligible to get it again. If you got the bonus over 2 years ago but still have the card, they will reject you until you cancel your active card. If you cancel, wait at least 60 days before applying again (we learned this from our Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards card strategy for Companion Pass).
- 48-Month Sign Up Bonus Rule – Sadly, some cards have increased their waiting period to 48 months. The Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is one of these cards with a 48 month waiting period, the terms and conditions state: “The product is not available to either (i) current cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card, or (ii) previous cardmembers of any Sapphire credit card who received a new cardmember bonus within the last 48 months.”
Sadly, there’s no getting around those rules.
What is the Chase Reconsideration Line?
The Chase reconsideration phone number line for Personal cards is 1-888-270-2127.
They’re open Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 10PM and Saturday to Sunday from 8 AM – 8 PM.
The Chase reconsideration phone number line for Business cards is 1-800-453-9719.
They’re open Monday to Friday from 1PM to 10PM. No weekends.
If you haven’t heard from them and want to talk to someone, you can call:
- Chase Customer Service: 800-432-3117
- Chase Application Status: 800-436-7927
What to Say on a Reconsideration Call
During a reconsideration call, you want to explain to the representative why you want this new card and give them a good reason. Maybe you like the benefits of the new card over your old cards. Maybe you signed up because of the partnership with an airline or hotel partner and you use them a lot, you want to increase your status or are planning a big trip.
They will also verify any information you provided on the application, like income. This is especially true for business cards. They want to make sure you have a legitimate business. Be prepared to answer questions about your business.
Finally, if things don’t appear to be going well, you can ask them what you need to do to get approved. They may tell you!
Here are some common strategies for getting approved:
- Move around your credit. If you have too high a total credit limit at Chase, they may balk at giving you more. Ask if you can shift your credit around to the new card.
- Improve your credit score. Perhaps your score is on the border of what they’d accept at this time, try these techniques for increasing your credit score and re-apply later. Ask them when you should try back.
More on the Chase 5/24 Rule
The Chase 5/24 is not written down anywhere. People first stumbled on it in the terms and conditions of a Chase card but it was later removed. It’s unwritten but well known.
The rule applies to personal and business cards. If you have 1 business card and 4 personal cards, Chase will not approve you for any other Chase cards. They’re want to avoid those applicants who are only collecting bonuses.
The last gotcha is that if you are an authorized user on a Chase card that card counts towards the five. If you’re a spouse or employee and authorized on that card, it counts.
The best way to find out your count is to look at your credit report. This will also tell you when you opened those accounts for the 24-month rule.
I use the Waterfall Method for monitoring my credit reports but there are some services where you can check your credit scores for free. Those services may list your cards and opening dates, so you don’t have to use up one of your free annual credit report checks.
Some Additional Tips
If the bonus on a card goes up within ~90 days, call and ask Chase to bump up your bonus to match the new offer.
They may not do it but we’ve read plenty of reports of folks who have had good success with this. Never hurts to ask!
Increasing the bonus may increase your spending requirements, to match the newer promotion, but it may mean more points!
If you want to get the card as soon as possible, cask Chase to overnight the card. They probably will.
Enjoy the new card and good luck!
