CITI = Worthless!

[nycsimone]

I kept getting in the mail offers from Citi for the AA Advantage card with 60,000 bonus miles. So I decided i'd get it. I go online, I apply and guess what...DENIED! Here's a little info about me: Credit score = 760-790 depending on credit bureau Income = $75,000 Monthly payments = $1,500 (including mortgage) Highest CC limit = $16,500 (total of about $30,000) with 1% utilization total Inquiries within the past 12 months = 4 (1 new CC, 1 student loan refi, 2 for a personal loan I got to remodel my bathroom) Negative info on credit report = None, nothing, zilch. Not a single 30 day late. Average length of open account = 3 years So of course I call the Citi recon number and they tell me they can't do anything until I get the letter from them. Huh? Why? That's idiotic...whatever. I get the letter and it says I was denied because of too many inquiries. Yes, 4 within the past 1 year (3 are within the past 90 days). I call them back and they tell me that they have to do another credit pull to make sure everything is right on my credit report...huh??? Everything is right on my credit report. She says she sees that my credit score is really high and the only problem is the 3 credit inquiries in the past 90 days. Seriously??? You deny someone because of that? None of those inquiries were with Citi btw. I try to see if there's someone there with a brain that can look over my app and make a manual decision...nope. No can do. Is it just me or is this ridiculous???????????? It's the Citi Advantage Platinum Master Card we're talking about here...not even a high end credit card. I'm done with those bozos at Citi.

[longtimelurker]

I would guess that 3 in the last 90 days PLUS some other factors on your CR, might be similar to a dangerous credit seeking pattern.   It's just not normal in the general population.

[nycsimone]

There were no other factors. Actually, they can see that I closed 3 credit cards during the past 6 months including a Citi card about 2 months ago with a $10,000 credit limit. Again, I have 1% util on my CC. I have a mortgage (2 years) and a student loan that i've been paying for about 8 years. Zero negative info, zero public records, just those credit inquiries. It's just odd to me that they won't even look at the app and review it manually. To them it was just...well the computer said no so...

[Anonymous]

The only bank I will ever Recon is Chase, and in my past Amex. If the other banks don't give me what I want it's best to just throw them the peace sign and walk away. Especially with someone in your case, I would think long and hard before attempting another recon... if they aren't willing to budge on this what will be different down the road, say when something goes wrong with your account. 

[nycsimone]

Oh trust me...they're done getting any business from me. I just wanted the 60,000 bonus miles on my AA account since they send me mail every week about it.

[wasCB14]

Exactly how old were the three recent inquiries at the time you applied? I have some very vague memories of others saying they were declined by Citi for one or two inquiries that were a few days old.

[Anonymous]

So you close a citi card that is years old with a $10k limit, and then apply for another, get denied, and then are confused?

In all seriousness I think you should be calling the executive office listed on the backdoor thread here.  They might be able to briefly reopen that closed account and then use the credit limit from that to leverage the opening of the new one.  What was the old card exactly?

What major credit (not store only) cards have you opened in the last 2 years?  If less than 5 you should be apping for the Chase Sapphire Reserve.

[nycsimone]

Why would me closing a Citi credit card and then applying for a different card warrant them denying me? It was the Thank You Preferred Credit Card. I don't have any credit cards opened in the past 2 years. I don't have any store cards either. This is what I have currently: Capital One = Opened in 2012 with a $16,500 credit limit Amex Platinum = Opened in 2013 (charge card) Chase Marriott (the black one) = Opened March of 2014 with a $7,000 credit limit Discover Card = Opened in 2012 with a $2,500 credit limit There's 3 other credit accounts open: 1) Mortgage from 2014 2) Car lease from 2014 3) Student loan from 2008 $1,500 total revolving payments for those 3 accounts.

[Anonymous]

I have Citi DC and Simplicity.  I never charge more than $100 a month on either.  Citi sent me three emails in three weeks calling me a loyal customer and telling me they wanted me to apply for the AA Advantage card.  It felt like a trap.  They know I am a low spending customer.  I have no idea why they want to ding people's credit reports just for the heck of it.

[Anonymous]

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@nycsimone wrote:
Why would me closing a Citi credit card and then applying for a different card warrant them denying me? It was the Thank You Preferred Credit Card. I don't have any credit cards opened in the past 2 years. I don't have any store cards either. This is what I have currently: Capital One = Opened in 2012 with a $16,500 credit limit Amex Platinum = Opened in 2013 (charge card) Chase Marriott (the black one) = Opened March of 2014 with a $7,000 credit limit Discover Card = Opened in 2012 with a $2,500 credit limit There's 3 other credit accounts open: 1) Mortgage from 2014 2) Car lease from 2014 3) Student loan from 2008 $1,500 total revolving payments for those 3 accounts.

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I would be hitting up chase right now. Go to their website and see if you are prequalified for any of their cards (but dont apply yet).  If you have multiple prescreened offers, that will be a nice sign, and I'd be apping for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you'd pay $450 the first year, but at 12 month downgrade to no AF version or freedom unlimited.

You'd get $300 automatically credited towards eligible travel purchases:

Link removed because it links to a website that has credit repair on it. Just google for the application link. -kenny

And you would get that $300 again jan 1!!

After spending 4k in 90 days you'd get the 100k bonus. Worth $1k cash or 1500 travel.  If you have a lot of mariott points, you know that 250,000 mariott points is enough for 7 nights at a category 1-5 mariott as well as 100k southwest miles, and if you did transfer your chase URs after jan 1, you would have the southwest companion pass for all of 2017 and 2018!  Unlimited free companion airfare for cash or point flights on southwest.

Of course this may not be the best use for your lifestyle.  I try to use points for experiences I wouldn't normally get to have.  www.reddit.com/r/awardtravel is agreat place to list your points or figure out a low cost vacation.

So if you do get approved for the CSR it will be a minimum credit line of 10k, then I would be applying the same day for a 2nd chase card, the chase sapphire preferred if you can manage the combined 8k in 90 day spending.  Then you would have $2850 towards travel (or 2400 less annual fee).

I think that chase should be your number one priority right now.