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called-the-reconsideration-line-workedIf you are a credit card churner, then you probably know the feeling you get when you apply for a credit card, only to get a message saying something along the lines of:

Thank you for applying!  We need to review your account before we can make a final decision on your application

It’s the dreaded…. PENDING… review.  Sometimes they give you a phone number to call in, or sometimes the bank / credit card issuer will just tell you they’ll get back to you in the next few days / weeks.

(SEE ALSO: Citi reconsideration phone number and website)

(SEE ALSO: Bank of America reconsideration phone number and website)

Generally I DON’T call the reconsideration line

For awhile, it was pretty straight forward that you almost always wanted to just call into the bank, answer a few questions and you would generally be approved.  But recently, banks and credit card issuers have started really clamping down on credit card churners (people who open / close lots of accounts in a short amount of time).  Chase has implemented something called the 5/24 rule, where any applicants that have applied for more than 5 cards in the past 24 months will NOT be approved for the Chase Sapphire or Chase Freedom cards.  Soon the Chase Ink will also be included in the 5/24 rule!

So many of these reconsideration line phone calls have proven to be pretty tough.  When I posted about a letter I received for a recent Chase Marriott business card application, one commenter suggested

“Send docs and avoid call at all costs. I didn’t wait for that option and called. Worst recon call ever. I finally got approved after 25 min. of grilling about why so many apps, credit cards, etc. Same qs over and over, put on hold about 3 or 4 times”

For that reason, my general rule of thumb is to NOT call the reconsideration line and just wait for the application process to play itself out.  I’ve found that usually you’ll get approved after a few weeks and get a surprise credit card in the mail!

(SEE ALSO: Not calling the reconsideration line works again!)

This time though, I DID call

I recently applied for a Citi Hilton Reserve card, which gives 2 free weekend nights after meeting the minimum spend.  The $95 annual fee is NOT waived the first year, but in exchange for the $95, I will save nearly $500 for a 2 night stay

singapore-hilton-price

Well, really I’m saving 120,000 Hilton points since I’d probably have used that, but still plenty worth it IMO

For my last few Citibank applications, I have gotten the pending message and in the end, it was just due to reaching the maximum available credit limit that Citi wanted to give me.  I have 5 existing Citi cards, so my total credit is pretty substantial.  So I called in – and this time it was no different.  When I called in, after a few pleasant questions, the agent said she could give me a $4,000 limit on my Reserve card, and we agreed to transfer $5,000 over, and I was approved over the phone

If you would like to apply for this Citi Hilton Reserve card (or any other cards) and support Points With a Crew, I appreciate it!

Readers what say you?  Any tips for when or when NOT to call the reconsideration line?


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