It’s thrilling to earn a huge welcome bonus on a new credit card. And it can be crushing to get denied for a credit card. That’s what happened to me. I recently applied for a Chase Credit Card and got rejected.
That sucks… but only for a hot minute because I was able to call the Chase Reconsideration Line and get the decision reversed!
While my application was for a Chase business card, the same process applies if you’ve been denied for a personal (consumer) credit card.
If you get rejected for a personal credit card from Chase, call the Chase Consumer Reconsideration line.
Here’s how I used the Chase Business Reconsideration Line to successfully get the card.
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What is the Chase Reconsideration Line?
The Chase Reconsideration Line is a dedicated customer service line that applicants can call when they’ve been denied a Chase card.
Since applying for a Chase credit card is a totally automated process, this is your opportunity to appeal to a real person when your app for a new card doesn’t get the green light right away.
Personal Reconsideration Line
For personal cards, like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (our pick for best credit card), the reconsideration process tends to be pretty straightforward.
Calls usually revolve around confirming information on your credit card application. The representative might ask about income sources, employment status, or details about recent credit inquiries. It’s typically a friendly chat, aimed at clearing up any uncertainties that might have led to your application being flagged.
Chase Business Reconsideration Line
On the other hand, reconsideration for business cards like the Chase Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card can be a little more detailed.
The Business Reconsideration Department agent may dive deeper into your business operation and financial metrics. They’re interested in understanding your business’s revenue, operating costs, years in operation, and why the specific card suits your business needs.
If you can’t easily answer questions about your business, don’t expect the call to go well.
I’ve read of some people who’ve had very adversarial reconsideration calls. That was not what happened to me so YMMV.
In my experience, it helped to be prepared to discuss my business and how the new card would support my operations and growth.
When and How to Call the Chase Reconsideration Line
Choosing the right time to call the Chase Reconsideration Line can be just as important as preparing for the call itself.
After receiving a denial, it’s common to want to address it immediately. But how soon should you call and how long can you wait?
I think you should wait until you receive the official denial letter in your Chase dashboard or by snail mail. This letter provides you with written reasons for denial, equipping you with valuable information to make your case during the reconsideration call.
But don’t wait more than 30 days after you’ve applied. You run the risk of having to reapply for the card and that can lead to another hard pull of your credit report.
In my case, there was a limited time welcome offer for a TON of Chase points: enough for Zuzu and me to take a free $4k vacation at a Hyatt all inclusive resort!
That same deal may or may not have been available if I had waited more than 30 days.
Read our Ultimate Guide to Chase and Hyatt Points!
Chase Reconsideration Department Hours
For business cards, the Reconsideration Department operates from 8 AM till 8 PM Eastern time, Monday through Friday, and on the weekends, with slightly shorter hours.
- Monday – Friday: 8am – 8pm EST
- Saturday: 9am – 6pm EST
- Sunday: 11am – 5pm EST
I was told that the hours for the consumer card reconsideration department are the same.
Reconsideration Line Phone Numbers
The Chase reconsideration line for personal cards is 888-270-2127. The Chase reconsideration line for business cards is 800-453-9719.
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My Reconsideration Call Experience
My call to the Chase business reconsideration line started with a routine chat with a customer service representative. He was just a gatekeeper who read aloud the two reason for denial. I already knew these since I’d read the application rejection letter.
Why Chase Denied my Credit Card Application
Since I didn’t call until I received the rejection letter, I was prepared to address these two (really three) reasons that were listed.
- You have too many active accounts or too much available credit
- New Chase business card recently opened
Too many active accounts
At the time of application, I had 6 Chase Business Cards and 3 Personal Cards. While that might seem like alot to some people, I know of many people with more. And since I’m current on all my cards, I didn’t think this was the problem.
Spoiler alert: Too many credit cards was NOT the problem.
Too Much Available Credit
In some ways, high available credit is good. It offers the freedom to manage large purchases and handle unexpected expenses. It can also help your credit score by leading to a low credit utilization ratio.
OTOH, lenders like Chase may view too much available credit as a potential liability. You could quickly accumulate more debt than you can repay.
Having too much available credit is a widely known reason for getting a Chase card application declined. Before my call, I totaled up my available business credit limit and it was around $50k. In case this was the problem, I planned out how much I could reduce each of my existing biz cards.
btw, your personal credit limit is entirely separate from your business credit limit. Chase Business doesn’t really care about your credit limit on Chase consumer cards and vice versa.
New Chase business card recently opened
It’s widely known that Chase has rules that can lead to rejections like the Chase 5/24 rule (you can’t open more than 5 personal cards in less than 24 months) and the lesser known 2/30 and 2/90 rules. However, it had been over 90 days since my last Chase business card and I’m at 1/24. I didn’t think the rejection was going to be an issue with too many recently opened cards.
Spoiler alert: Recently opened credit cards was NOT the problem.
After I told the gatekeeper that I was interested in lowering my credit limit on other Chase cards and asked about a “reconsideration,” he transferred me to Sandra, the reconsideration specialist.
Chase Business Reconsideration Agent
Since I was pretty sure that “Too Much Available Credit” (reason 1.b. from the denial letter) was the problem, I had done my homework. I was prepared with:
- The current credit limit for each card
- How much credit I really needed on each card
- How much I could reduce the credit limit on each card, if necessary to clear up credit limit for this new card
Sandra was great – friendly, professional, and ready to help. I explained our situation and asked if a lowered credit limit would make a difference in application approval.
She said yes, it would.
She did ask a handful of questions about my business like, “How long have you been in business?” and “Was any of your income non-taxable?” There might have been a few more questions but I had already volunteered that my web design and marketing agency used separate credit cards to manage our client’s Google Ad spend.
fyi, the Chase Ink Business Preferred is the best credit card for spending on Google Ads.
Together, we went through my business cards, lowering the limits on four. A total credit limit reduction of $16,000 later, Sandra confirmed my rejection had been reversed!
I was now approved for the Chase Ink Business Preferred card!
Expedited Shipping of the new Card
Once approved, Sandra said the business card and welcome packet would arrive separately in 5 to 7 business days. I asked Sandra if there was any way to expedite shipping since I had several invoices I wanted to pay with this new card.
Again, Sandra said yes and transferred me to regular customer service. As she transferred the call, she advised me to ignore the automated prompts that followed and assured me that a real person would be on the line.
True to her word, I was soon speaking with Mike from customer service. He confirmed my identity and quickly agreed to overnight ship the card.
My new Chase credit card arrived by UPS Express overnight shipping just 2 business days after my reconsideration call!
How Long Did my Chase Reconsideration Call Take?
The entire call, from start to finish, took just 28 minutes to get my application approved by the Chase Reconsideration Department.
- 4 minutes: Customer Service Gatekeeper
- 20 minutes: Sandra the Reconsideration Agent
- 4 minutes: Mike to get expedited shipping
Credit Score
One other note, there are minimum credit scores required for Chase credit cards. Even though that was not listed as a potential reason in my denial letter, I was still wondering if my credit score was a rejection factor.
When I asked, Sandra said I had the 2nd highest credit score that she’s seen! No idea if she had been working in the Chase Reconsideration Department for a short or long time, but that was nice to hear!
It’s a myth that too many credit cards are bad for your credit score.
How to Get Approved for Chase Business Cards
In hindsight, I could have avoided the whole rejection and reconsideration process if I had first reduced the credit limits on my existing Chase credit cards. In the end, the agent and I reduced my total credit limit by $16,000 and then I was approved for a $16,000 credit limit on the new card.
Since the minimum credit limit of the Chase Ink Business Preferred card is $5,000 (since it’s a Visa Signature Business card), I could have probably reduced one or more of my cards by $5,000 and avoided the initial application rejection.
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