Holy Cow! That Was a Long Wait for a Credit Card Approval

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Last month, I wrote a post about how I applied for the new Chase Aeroplan card. I applied through an email I received for being on the card’s special wait list, and as such I would get an extra 10,000 bonus points on top of the 100k regular sign-up bonus. My application went to pending status. Finally, I’m here to report on the outcome.

Jumping Through Hoops for Chase Aeroplan Card Approval

I applied for the card on February 7. The email response I received said I would be notified within 30 days. I figured I’d wait to see what the response was and call the Chase reconsideration line if necessary.

Fast forward to last week, and I realized I never received a response. I couldn’t see my application in my online Chase account. When I called Chase to check on my application, the message said it was still pending. Since it had been over 30 days, I waited on the phone to speak with a representative.

Once I was connected to a live person, she couldn’t find my application. After a few times on hold, she finally found it. Apparently, I was denied because Chase already extended the maximum amount of credit line dollars to me over my other credit cards. The representative could not figure out why I was never notified.

When I asked if I could reduce the credit limit of another Chase card, the representative told me I would need to re-apply for the card since it had been over 30 days. After re-applying, she instructed me to call back and ask to move around credit limits.

So the next day, I re-applied through my email invitation (thankfully, the offer with the extra 10k bonus had been extended through March 31). I waited 30 minutes, and called. This representative told me my application was still pending and there was nothing she could do. Try back in 3-5 days, she said.

So I called back a few days later. Unfortunately, a different representative told me the same thing. Still pending. She could not change my credit limits on cards, but I could wait on hold to talk to another department about that. She transferred me, but after being on hold for a while, I gave up. Instead, I sent Chase a secure online message requesting to reduce the credit limit on one of my existing cards.

The next day, I received a message that I was approved for the new Aeroplan card! My new card was visible in my online account. Inexplicably, my credit limit on my other card was not reduced to make room for this new card. Persistence pays off. Or, maybe Chase got sick of hearing from me.

Bottom Line

It took seven weeks and three calls to Chase reconsideration to get approved for the new Chase Aeroplan card. You must have grit to succeed in this hobby.

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