Credit Card FAQs - What If I'm Turned Down?

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

So, you?ve filled out the application and are waiting for your brand new, shiny credit card to arrive in the mail. But when the letter finally arrives, you?re not greeted with a new credit card, but a denial letter instead. What to do? Read the fact below and determine your next steps.

1. What are some of the reasons that I can get turned down for a credit card?

There are many reasons that people are turned down when they apply for credit cards. Every credit card company has its own rules and guidelines - and in many cases, those guidelines vary from credit card to credit card issued by the same company. Some of the reasons that you might get turned down for a credit card include:

a) Insufficient income. If your income is $25,000 a year, be sure that you apply for a credit card that will accept someone with a $25,000 annual income.

b) You've been recently rejected by too many other companies

c) Your credit history is poor. It will show if you've missed payments or made them late, or if you've defaulted on a loan in the past. Some lenders will overlook bad credit and offer you a credit card with a higher interest rate, or a secured credit card.

d) You don't have a credit history. If you have no credit history, many lenders won't consider giving you a credit card because they have no way of judging whether or not you'll pay them back.

e) Your credit report may have mistakes in it.

f) Your available credit may already be higher than the credit card issuer is comfortable with. Remember, the more credit card debt or availability that you're carrying, the thinner your income must be spread to pay them all off.

2. What can I do if I get rejected by a credit card company?

Anytime you're rejected for credit, the credit card company is required by law to tell you the reasons on which they based their decision. They must also tell you which credit reporting agency they got their information from. If you've been rejected, you can write to, call or email the credit reporting agency that they contacted and request a copy of your credit card report for free. Look it over carefully to make sure there are no errors.

3. After I checked my credit history because I was turned down by a credit card company, I found that there were mistakes on it. What can I do to fix them?

Immediately write to the credit reporting agency from which you got your report and ask them to correct the mistakes. The more proof you provide to back up your claim of error, the better your chances of having the error completely expunged, but the credit reporting agency is required to at least note that you have asked for the report to be corrected.

4. If one credit card company turned me down, can I apply to another?

You can not only apply to another credit card company, you can apply for a different credit card product with the same company. Every credit card has different guidelines for acceptance. Just be sure to shop around and only apply for the one or two cards that you feel you have the best chance of being accepted for. Too many rejections in your credit history can hurt you when you're looking for a loan for something important.