Chase Denied Me for the Sapphire Preferred, Then I Called the Reconsideration Line

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While the Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K sign-up offer is now behind us, I’m sure there’s a group of people, like me, who waited until the last few days to apply. I couldn’t resist the idea of earning another 100,000 Ultimate Rewards points, especially since I had just redeemed 100K points with United for two seats in premium economy for flights to London this fall.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t instantly approved.

This isn’t a new experience for me with Chase, since I already have several cards with them. Some people believe that you can figure out what’s wrong with your application based on the wording of the rejection message. It could be a typo, not meeting Chase’s eligibility rules (like being over 5/24), or something more serious, such as creditworthiness.

There’s also a debate about whether to call Chase immediately or wait. Some say you should contact them right away to try to fix the issue. I’m not in that group. I prefer to wait for the official denial letter, so I know the problem and can prepare before calling. I wrote more about that approach here: Why You Shouldn’t Call The Reconsideration Line When A Credit Card Isn’t Instantly Approved.

One of the downsides to waiting used to be that it could take several days to receive a letter in the mail. But if you already have a Chase account, the letter will also be delivered to your online account. That makes it much faster to find out what happened.

In my case, it took about a day and a half to get the letter. As expected, it wasn’t good news. My application had been denied. Still, the reason was about as encouraging as I could hope for.

Since I already have multiple Chase cards with large credit limits, I figured I might be able to convince them to move some of my existing credit over to the new card. But that would mean calling the reconsideration line.

Calling Chase

It had been a while since I last called a reconsideration line, so I did a little research to see what the current advice was. Not much has changed. You need to explain why you applied, have a reason beyond “I wanted the 100K points,” and know which cards have high limits from which you can shift credit. Most importantly, be polite and try to get the rep on your side.

The denial letter didn’t include a phone number, so I turned to several reputable sources: AwardWallet’s guide to reconsideration calls and MilesTalk’s Chase reconsideration line overview.

On my first call, I entered my Social Security number and the reference number from the letter, but all the system did was read the same denial message back to me. I called again, skipping the reference number, and was connected to a representative. She was friendly and asked if I was calling about the most recent denial letter, since a prior one still showed I had a Sapphire card.

Then she started repeating the language from the letter. I asked if there was a way to move around some credit lines, and she asked if I’d like to speak to the reconsideration department. I had assumed that’s who I was already speaking with, but apparently, there’s a first screening level. Next time, I’ll start the call by saying I received a denial letter and would like to speak directly to reconsideration.

Reconsideration

After a short hold, I was connected to someone in the reconsideration department. She verified my identity and reviewed the reason for my denial. After placing me on hold for a few minutes, she returned and mentioned that I already had a lot of available credit with Chase.

Without missing a beat, she asked if I’d be open to shifting credit from one of my other cards, like my IHG or Southwest card, to get the Sapphire approved. That sounded great to me. The credit lines on those cards are more than I realistically need.

She put me on hold for a while but checked back periodically. Then she started asking me to confirm information from the application, like my employer, income, how long I’d been at my job, housing status, and monthly rent or mortgage.

Success

Finally, she returned and let me know that my application was approved after moving some credit from my Southwest Priority card. I’d receive the card in 5 to 7 business days, but it was already available to add to Apple Pay or Google Pay in the Chase app.

Before I even hung up the phone, the approval email arrived.

Now all that’s left is to spend $5,000 in the first 3 months to earn those 100,000 points.

Final Thought

I’m not a fan of calling banks, but when it comes to application denials, calling the reconsideration line is low risk. The application has already been declined, so you’re not losing anything by trying. If you’ve been a good customer and have a history with the bank, there’s a good chance they’ll work with you. Worst case, they stand by the denial, and you’re no worse off.

What About You?

Have you ever had to call the reconsideration line with Chase or another bank? How did it go? 
Or were you one of the lucky ones who got in on the 100K Sapphire Preferred offer before it disappeared?
Let us know in the comments — we’d love to hear your experience!

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This post first appeared on Your Mileage May Vary