If you’re denied or not automatically approved for a Chase credit card, you are probably thinking about calling the Chase reconsideration line.

But before you ever give them a call, read this article!

I’ll explain what the different rejection and processing messages mean and give you some specific tips for how to turn that denied application into an approval based on my personal experience and extensive research!

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What is the Chase reconsideration line?

The Chase reconsideration line is a special phone line you call that offers you a chance to persuade a Chase representative to overturn a rejection or denied credit card application. The phone number is 1 (800) 453-9719 and the hours of operation are usually:

• 7am to 10pm EST Monday through Friday
• 8am to 1pm EST Saturday
• 9am to 9pm EST on Sunday

You should call this line for all personal credit cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve, Chase Sapphire Preferred, Chase Freedom, Chase Southwest Premier Card, etc.

But if you’re calling reconsideration for a business credit card like the Chase Ink Preferred or Chase Ink Unlimited then you’ll want to call in to the business reconsideration line.

The Chase business reconsideration line phone number is 1-800-453-9719 and it is usually open 1pm to 10pm Monday through Friday.

See my special tips for business calls further below.

Do I always need to call reconsideration?

You don’t always need to call reconsideration. Depending on the message that you receive after submitting your application, you may or may not need to call reconsideration.

I’ll walk you through some of the messages that you might receive whenever your credit card application is not automatically approved and give you some guidance on what route you should take based on the message you receive.

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Chase application messages

Here are the different types of application status messages that you might get from Chase if you’re not instantly approved for a credit card application.

We’ll notify you “within the next 30 days” message

If your Chase credit card application is not auto approved, you will almost certainly get a message via email stating that you will be notified “within the next 30 days” about the decision of your application. It should look something like this.

This message just means that your credit card application is being processed — it does not mean you will be rejected or even that you have to call in to reconsideration. Basically, your credit card application is still in limbo.

Chase automated status line

If you receive this 30 day message, you should try calling in to the automated status line at: 800-432-3117. 

Note that some times when you call to check on your status they might transfer you to a live human being who will review your application. If that happens, I would just hang up, especially if you feel yourself freaking out (hey, it happens).

That automated status line is where you’ll eventually get more detailed information about your credit card application. Your status could be updated in a matter of hours or it could take a couple of weeks, so try not to drive yourself insane with checking it every minute of every hour.

There are a few different messages you might receive regarding your application status and they can signal that very different outcomes are on their way.

Another 30 day message

If you call in to the automatic status checker and hear that you’ll be notified within 30 days, that just means that your application is still in limbo. I would recommend you keep checking every day or every other day. At this point, you still don’t have to call Chase reconsideration.

Two week message

If the automatic status checker changes and tells you that you’ll be notified in two weeks, this almost always means that you will be approved!

7 to 10 day message

If the automatic status checker changes and tells you that you’ll be notified in 7 to 10 days, this almost always means that you will be denied. At this point, you may want to go ahead and call into Chase reconsideration line at: 1 (800) 453-9719.

You don’t have to call recon at that point, though. Some people still get approved even after receiving the 7 to 10 day message (usually by verifying their ID), so you could wait until you’re officially denied before calling in.

Calling into the Chase reconsideration line

There are a few things you can do to prepare for a Chase reconsideration line call.

If you’re just applying for a personal credit card, this will be easier than if you were calling about a business credit card, but you should still be prepared.

• If you are applying for a business credit card like the Ink Business Preferred, the reconsideration call could be much more rigorous — read my tips on surviving a business reconsideration phone call here.

Lowering credit limits (before applying)

This is something you might do before you even apply for a Chase credit card in order to avoid reconsideration. It’s generally recommended for people who have a lot of inquiries because those people will probably not be auto-approved.

What you do is lower your credit limit on a given Chase credit card or even on multiple Chase cards so that you free up some credit line for a new card. This will typically be around $5,000 to $10,000 but could vary depending on your credit limits.

Freeing up credit lines might increase the odds that Chase will auto-approve you since they already approved you in the past for that same amount of credit. This doesn’t always work so you need to consider how lowering your credit lines will affect your utilization.

Check on the Chase credit card application rules

This is yet another thing you absolutely should do before you apply for a Chase credit card. You need to know about all of the different Chase credit card application rules like 5/24, 2/30, 24 month rule, etc. But even if you’ve already applied, it’s a good idea to review them to see where you may have gone wrong. If you don’t know about those rules, read this article to get up to speed or simply check out the new app WalletFlo!

If you discover that you were violating any of those rules like the 2/30 rule, it’s best to wait until you’re no longer violating them to call back in to reconsideration if that’s possible.

Put spend on your other credit cards

Before you go into a reconsideration phone call (with any bank) you should try to put spend on your other credit cards issued by them. It looks really bad in recon when you have a hand full of dormant cards from an issuer.

What to say in a Chase reconsideration phone call

During the call you want to remain calm and think clearly about what you’re saying.

At the end of the day, you’re just talking to a credit analyst in private phone conversation so there’s really no need to be nervous. Many of these analysts can be quite friendly (though they sometimes play hardball in business reconsideration calls).

Verify your details

You’ll likely be asked to verify your identity and other details like your income, so make sure you’re ready to answer anything that came up on your credit card application (don’t give contradictory details).

They might also ask you about how much you plan on spending each month/year on the card and what kind of credit line you want. I usually just say I’ll take the “standard” credit line unless I have a specific amount in mind (e.g., $5,000).

Give a legit reason for wanting the product

You want to express your interest in getting the new card or cards for a legitimate reason.

Generally, this does not mean that you’re “just interested in getting the great sign-up bonus.” Try to dig a little deeper in your interests/motivations.

Here are some examples of legitimate reasons for getting new credit cards:

• You need the credit card(s) to help segregate your expenses for some reason (e.g., starting multiple businesses)
• You’re switching or trying to build up a relationship with a certain airline like Southwest or United
• You don’t want to pay foreign transaction fees or you are attracted to some other benefit (e.g., primary rental car insurance)
• You prefer one interest rate (APR) over another (especially when dealing with balance transfers)
• I think it’s even okay to tell them that you’re trying to build up a more robust credit profile and earn some decent rewards while in the process.

Typically, a recon call will involve a bit of back and forth.

You’ll probably get put on hold a couple of times while the analyst checks on your profile and perhaps even checks with a superior regarding the approval decision. Sometimes those superiors will override the decision of the analyst, so wait until the end of the call to get excited about anything.

If you have opened a lot of new accounts in the past few months, you should be ready to try to explain yourself (and hopefully you’re not at “lol/24” and can do that with a straight face).

Shifting credit

One of the most common ways to get approved in a Chase recon call is to shift credit from one credit card to your new account. You can proactively suggest this as a solution or you can wait until the analyst suggests it (though they may not always offer that option to you).

This is the one drawback to lowering your credit limits before you apply. If you lower them too much, you may not have any credit to shift around for your approval.

Note: Chase no longer allows you to shift credit between business and personal credit cards.

What if Chase recon denies me?

If your conversation with the Chase reconsideration line does not go your way then you should try to call back later that day or another day to see if you have any luck with another analyst.

Sometimes another credit analyst will view your application more favorably. But note that these agents can usually see the last time you called in and the notes on that conversation.

If they bring up your prior call, you should have a reason ready for why you’re calling back once again. Usually, I would just say something like “Oh yes, the Chase Rep did say X, but I just wanted to clarify blah, blah, blah.”

At a certain point, you’ll just have to accept defeat if multiple calls don’t work, though.

How long can you wait to call reconsideration?

You can usually wait up to 30 days to call into reconsideration about your application but I do not recommend waiting that long. There are plenty of reports of Chase pulling your credit report again if you wait near that long.

So I would call in as soon as I got a rejection or the 7 to 10 day message.

Other reconsideration lines

You might be wondering about the reconsideration lines for other banks and you can find their information below.

American Express Reconsideration Line

American Express doesn’t have a true reconsideration line but you can still call them up and speak to a credit analyst if your application is not approved or is still pending.

Here are the phone numbers you might try:

• Current Customers: 866-314-0237
• New Customers: 877-399-3083

Compare American Express cards here.

Barclays Reconsideration Line

There are multiple numbers you can call for Barclays reconsideration. In my experience, they are pretty accommodating but can be inquiry sensitive and they like to see that you’re actually using their credit cards.

• Barclays Reconsideration Line: 866-408-4064
• Card Services: 888-232-0780

You can also check your application status online here.

Capital One Reconsideration Line

Capital One is another issuers that doesn’t have a true reconsideration line but you can still contact their customer service line and inquire about your application status.

Sometimes Capital One will tell you that they won’t review your application until you’ve received a response (email or mailer) from them which can be highly annoying.

• General Customer Service: 1-800-951-6951

If you want to check on your application status, you can call in to the number below (there’s not currently a way to check it online).

• Application Status Checker: 800-933-5182

Citibank Reconsideration Line

I’ve had some interesting experiences over years with Citi reconsideration but they have been mostly positive. Here is their number:

• Inquiries: 800-763-9795

Some people will contact the Citi Executive Review Department at CitiBank Executive Review Department, P.O. Box 6000, Sioux Falls, SD, 57117. I’ve never done this but apparently others have had success. 

You can check your Citi credit card application status by checking it online or calling the number below:

• Citi Application Status Number: 1-800-695-5171

Discover Reconsideration Line

Discover reconsideration is notoriously difficult since they don’t often overturn decisions but you can give it a got at the following numbers:

• Application Services Number: 888-676-3695
• Customer Service: 1-800-Discover

You can also check your application status online.

Final word

Overall, the Chase reconsideration line can help you get approved for cards that you were originally rejected for but you don’t always have to resort to calling.

It’s good to know about when you should call versus when you should just wait it out. You never know what Chase is going to do with your credit card application but it surely helps to know how to navigate through the post-application process.