Holly D. Johnson is an award-winning writer and personal finance expert who covers a variety of insurance topics as well as general personal finance. In addition to her articles in Forbes, her work has also been featured by Business Insider, Bankrate.
Holly Johnson ContributorHolly D. Johnson is an award-winning writer and personal finance expert who covers a variety of insurance topics as well as general personal finance. In addition to her articles in Forbes, her work has also been featured by Business Insider, Bankrate.
Written By Holly Johnson ContributorHolly D. Johnson is an award-winning writer and personal finance expert who covers a variety of insurance topics as well as general personal finance. In addition to her articles in Forbes, her work has also been featured by Business Insider, Bankrate.
Holly Johnson ContributorHolly D. Johnson is an award-winning writer and personal finance expert who covers a variety of insurance topics as well as general personal finance. In addition to her articles in Forbes, her work has also been featured by Business Insider, Bankrate.
Contributor Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
Dylan Pearl Credit Cards EditorOver a decade of editorial experience across a number of publications and more than 60 countries visited have given Dylan Pearl a wealth of travel knowledge, and the tools to effectively communicate that knowledge to others. Dylan has made it his mis.
| Credit Cards Editor
Updated: Dec 5, 2023, 3:56pm
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
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There are plenty of scenarios where it makes sense to sign up for a new credit card, including the pursuit of a lucrative bonus offer. Maybe you decide to switch to a credit card with reward categories that line up better with your spending, or perhaps you want a new card with better travel perks. If you’re angling to save money on interest or consolidate high-interest debt this year, pursuing a new credit card with a 0% APR offer can also pay off.
Credit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn an extra 1.5% on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) — worth up to $300 cash back. That's 6.5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 4.5% on dining and drugstores, and 3% on all other purchases.
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card On Wells Fargo's Website Welcome Bonus $200 Cash Rewards Annual Fee Credit Score Excellent, Good Regular APR 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99% Variable APRCredit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
Earn a $200 cash rewards bonus after spending $500 in purchases in the first 3 months Discover it® Cash Back On Discover's Website Welcome Bonus Cashback Match™ Annual Fee Credit Score Excellent/Good Regular APR 18.24% - 28.24% Variable APRCredit Score ranges are based on FICO® credit scoring. This is just one scoring method and a credit card issuer may use another method when considering your application. These are provided as guidelines only and approval is not guaranteed.
INTRO OFFER: Unlimited Cashback Match for all new cardmembers–only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
But what happens when you’re flat-out denied? This happens all the time, yet credit card denials don’t always happen to people with poor credit scores or low incomes. Similarly, it’s common for credit card applications to go into a pending status.
Credit card issuers have tightened up rules for consumer approvals across the board, and this includes people with good or excellent credit. With Chase credit cards, for example, you’ve probably heard of the unofficial 5/24 rule that limits new accounts for consumers who have had five or more new credit cards within the last 24 months.
American Express, on the other hand, limits welcome bonuses on some of its credit cards to “once per lifetime,” and Citi will only let you earn the welcome bonus on a new card within its family of brands (e.g. Citi ThankYou Rewards, co-branded American Airlines credit cards) every 24 or 48 months, depending on the specific card you sign up for.
But just because your credit card application is denied or pending doesn’t mean that you’ve violated one of these rules. If you really want that new credit card, it may make sense to call the bank’s credit card reconsideration line to find out if anything can be done to get your application approved.
While major rules from card issuers are usually pretty cut and dried, there are times when people are seemingly denied for no reason. There are also situations where a denial may seem like a mistake. In that case, you can always reach out to the card issuer that denied you one of their products to see if anything can be done.
It’s important to note that under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, you have the legal right to know why your credit card application was denied. You’ll receive this statement in the mail in the form of a formal notice, so you can use this information as a starting point in your negotiations.
When a consumer reaches out to inquire about a denied credit application, this process is known as credit card reconsideration. If the bank or issuer you’re looking to contact doesn’t have a published credit reconsideration phone line, we’d recommend contacting their card services or application line and ask for reconsideration to avoid calling a scam number. There’s no guarantee that calling a credit card reconsideration line will work, but it’s always worth a try if you believe you are eligible for a card that you really want.
Plus, what do you have to lose at that point? No matter what, the worst thing a card issuer can say is “no.” Since you already submitted an application and the hard inquiry on your credit report is already there, calling to ask why you were denied—and for the card issuer to reconsider—won’t have any further implications on your credit score.
If you applied for a credit card and didn’t get the answer you wanted to hear, you can wait until you receive your legally required letter from the bank with the reason for your credit card denial. These letters often contain a customer service number to call for reconsideration.
Alternatively, you can call the bank and request reconsideration. The numbers below are verified customer service phone numbers from banks that offer a reconsideration option, although they are only for those in the United States.
American Express 1-800-567-1083 Bank of America 1-866-866-2059 Ask to be connected to the credit analyst team. 1-877-523-0478 Capital One 1-800-625-7866 1-888-609-7805 Opt for credit card application queries. 1-800-695-5171 1-800-347-2683 Ask to speak to the credit reconsideration team. 1-800-947-1444 Wells Fargo 1-800-967-9521 Ask to speak to reconsideration services. See More See LessAccording to Experian, one of the three main credit bureaus, common reasons for credit card denials include:
While some of these issues are pretty non-negotiable and will probably prevent you from being reconsidered for the card you want, others might be easily overlooked. If you have had too many credit cards in the recent past but you can provide the card issuer with an explanation, for example, they might be willing to give your application another look. Similarly, if you have too much credit extended to you already, you may be able to transfer part of the credit line from an old card to your new one.
If the card issuer has insufficient information to approve you, then calling in to provide more details on your application could help push you over the edge as well.
Experian can help raise your FICO® Score based on bill payment like your phone, utilities and popular streaming services. Results may vary. See site for more details.
When you call your card issuer, you should have an arsenal of information ready and be prepared to make your case. At the very least, you should be willing to explain why you deserve a second chance and be willing to answer any questions they ask you as truthfully as you possibly can.
Here’s a script you may want to use to get the conversation going.
“Hello there. My name is and I was recently denied for the . I applied on and I received a credit card denial .”
If there is an obvious reason why you might have been denied, such as you mistyped your income information on the form, you recently moved or you forgot that you had your credit report frozen, you should mention that.
The representative will then review your application and may ask you additional questions. If a bank has already extended you a large amount of credit, it might ask if you’re willing to reallocate some of your credit lines. In every case, make sure that you answer questions truthfully. Many times, all an application needs is a human review to be approved.
If you are nervous on the phone or just want to see if you can get reconsideration while doing other tasks, online chat might be a more convenient contact option for you. Some banks offer an online chat option to prospective customers. For example, with Bank of America a chat option is available once you navigate to a credit card application page.
Not all banks offer online chat, but if you are an existing customer, there is a chance that online chat will be available once you log into your bank’s website. Some banks, like American Express, will give you the option to open a chat window from every page with a chat button in the bottom corner of your screen. Other banks may offer online chat as a customer support contact option. Search for your bank’s “contact us” or “customer support” pages to find any available chat options.
If your credit card application is denied, you will usually get a notification shortly after submitting your application that you’ll receive a letter within some time period (usually less than 30 days, but up to 60 days) with either a reason for your denial or more information. The letter contains an address and a telephone number of the credit reporting company used, and will also usually include a way to contact the lender for reconsideration. You can either call the number on the letter to inquire regarding reconsideration options or reply to the credit card denial letter via mail.
If you are leaning against calling a credit card reconsideration line or you called and were given a definitive “no” on your application, you still have options to consider. For example, you may want to look into upgrading or downgrading an existing card you have with the same issuer.
Let’s say, for example, you have the Chase Freedom Unlimited®, which earns 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3% cash back on eligible dining and drugstores and 1.5% on all other purchases, plus an additional 1.5% cash back on the first $20,000 in purchases the first year. You applied for the Chase Sapphire Reserve® because you want access to travel perks like airport lounge membership and a credit for Global Entry or TSA Precheck®, but you were denied for the Reserve. In that case, you could consider calling Chase to see if it will let you exchange one credit card for another in the form of an upgrade. Upgrading means you won’t be able to earn the welcome bonus, but you would gain access to all the perks this card offers right away.
The opposite situation is also a possibility. If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and applied for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® because you wanted a new Chase credit card with no annual fee, you could also call Chase about downgrading your card, though you would lose the perks associated with the Sapphire Reserve in this case.
Another option to consider is just waiting it out. If you were denied a credit card due to too many new accounts, too much debt or some other reason, you could give yourself some time to remedy the situation. Wait six or 12 months until some hard inquiries are no longer considered on new credit card applications, or pay down some debt in order to decrease your credit utilization and improve your credit score.
While waiting to apply for a new credit card can mean missing out on lucrative bonus offers for a while, this might be the best move to make over the long-term.
No single credit card is the best option for every family, every purchase or every budget. We've picked the best credit cards in a way designed to be the most helpful to the widest variety of readers.
