I Called Chase's Reconsideration Line to Get a Denial Overturned. Here's What Happened

For several years now, my credit score has been my pride and joy. It temporarily even sat at the oft-chased mark of perfection: 850. While my credit score is no longer perfect following a new card application last year and a new auto loan earlier this year, it's still in the 840s. Close enough, right?

Wrong, apparently. I was shocked when I recently applied for a Chase travel card (to take advantage of its generous new limited-time welcome bonus), only to find out I was denied.

I wasn't ready to give up so easily, however. So I decided to take a page out of Motley Fool Money's credit card handbook and try my luck with Chase's reconsideration line.

But first: Why was I denied?

Before contacting Chase, I decided to wait and see what reasons my denial letter would provide for Chase's decision. That letter was uploaded to my Chase account documents online just a couple days after I applied.

To be honest, the letter didn't say much. The only negative thing it was able to pull from my credit report was a history of some recent inquiries, which didn't seem reason enough to me to deny my application.

I had my own suspicions for why I was denied, though. See, I already have a handful of Chase credit cards with credit limits that are quite high. And while evidence suggests that Chase doesn't restrict the number of credit cards consumers can have (as long as you don't exceed Chase's 5/24 rule), it does restrict the total amount of credit it will extend based on your credit score, income, and other factors. I suspected I might already be at my Chase credit line maximum

Making the call

Armed with my denial letter and my own theories, I dialed the Chase reconsideration line at 888-270-2127. This is what happened.

Facing the automation

The line started out as an automated call, asking me to enter my Social Security number. After that, there was a recording telling me my application was being processed and I should receive a decision within seven to 10 days. This confused me, because I knew my application was already denied. So I did what every frustrated consumer calling an automated line does when they want to speak to a person: I pressed "0."

Appealing to a real human

I was transferred to a line answered by a real-live customer service agent. I quickly explained the reason for my call. The representative was sympathetic to my issue and placed me on a brief hold to "discuss with his team." He soon arrived back on the line to let me know he was going to transfer me to someone who could assist me further.

Appealing to a second real human

The second human I spoke to was ready to get into the nitty gritty. She explained that she'd be happy to take another look at the application and went over all of my personal information with me (my address, employment status, annual income, etc.) to verify it was correct before moving on. She also mentioned the recent credit inquiries on my account; I explained I had opened a new card last summer, and then my fiance and I had been shopping for an auto loan at the beginning of this year. She noted my response.

At this point, I tried explaining I had recently closed another Chase card that I no longer used, hoping that would clear up some credit limit for me to be approved for the new card. The rep advised that because I had done it so recently, the closure wasn't yet showing up on my credit report, and Chase is only able to use that current data to make its credit card application decisions.

Suddenly, it all made sense: Chase was still factoring in my recently closed account and the $30,000 line of credit attached to it when making its decision not to extend me more credit. That gave me an idea!

Making my offer

With this new information, I decided to tell the representative that I'd be happy to move some credit line from one of my other Chase accounts to the new card in order to open it. It turns out, those were the magic words. She kept me on the line just another couple minutes to go over what other credit limits I had available and how much I wanted to move to the new card. And voila! I was congratulated on my new Chase card and told I should receive it in the mail in just one to two business days.

My advice for calling a credit card reconsideration line

If, like me, you've recently applied for a credit card and didn't get the result that you wanted, I'm here to say that calling a credit card issuer's reconsideration line can be the solution. Take the time to have your reasoning prepared about why you want that particular card and include any other information that may be helpful to your case, such as recent developments that aren't on your credit report and rebuttals for any negative information that was found. Be prepared to negotiate, like I did.

There are no guarantees, but the process is relatively painless, and you just might come out on the other side with a brand new credit card and the opportunity to earn a hefty welcome bonus.