When it comes to applying for credit cards, I put us in the middle of the pack. My wife Sharon and I sign up for enough cards to provide points for most of our trips, but at least one of us is usually under 5/24.
I try to do as much as I can to keep bank interactions to a minimum. This is primarily because I don’t want to have Sharon get on the phone, which she hates (because she doesn’t know everything about the card she’s calling about and why she applied for it; that’s my job).
Getting to the point, this is why I usually don’t call the bank reconsideration line. For those unfamiliar with the term, this is the department within the bank that handles credit card applications. More specifically, these are the individuals who review applications that weren’t automatically approved by the bank’s system. If you fail one of the criteria but aren’t an immediate no-go, your application is reviewed by a human who examines your credit report, banking history, and other factors to determine whether you should be approved or denied.
Don’t Immediately Call
Many websites advise you to call the bank’s reconsideration line immediately if you don’t receive instant approval for a new card. I’m here to tell you you don’t have to.
While many of our cards get instant approval, occasionally our applications go into pending status. That’s almost expected, given the number of cards we have from American Express, Citi, and Chase.
And it’s not just Chase. Between us, we’ve had pending messages from nearly every major bank at some point. Here are two recent examples—one from Barclays for a JetBlue Business Card and another from Chase for an Ink Cash Business Card. Both ended up being approved without our ever having to pick up the phone.
Interestingly, American Express has even introduced a “pop-up” feature that screens applicants before they complete a card application. If Amex thinks you’re not eligible for the bonus or approval, you’ll see the message right away. That means you’ll avoid wasting a hard pull or sitting in limbo waiting for a decision.
Wait For It…
One example: when Sharon applied for a new Chase card, the application went pending. Instead of calling, I waited. A few days later, we received an email stating that the card had been approved, along with a message indicating that Chase had simply transferred part of our Sapphire Preferred credit limit to open the new card.
In that case, the delay wasn’t about being denied—it was just Chase managing how much total credit they were comfortable extending. If I had called, I might have asked for a larger credit shift, but waiting still worked out just fine.
Final Thought
The systems banks use to review applications are constantly changing—whether that’s new technology, extra verification, or features like Amex’s pop-up. However, my approach hasn’t really changed: I usually wait for the bank to make its decision before contacting them. That said, plenty of people take the opposite route and call immediately. Neither approach is wrong—it just depends on your comfort level and how quickly you need the card.
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