My income should be sufficient.
After submitting the online application form, I wasn't instantly rejected. The page asked to call. I did, and then I was rejected, no questions asked. I was polite and hang up.
After that, I called the regular recon number 800-695-5171, but the person really didn't budge and said to wait for the letter. I asked her why I had to wait for the letter as it simply states the reason in 1 sentence, which can obviously just as well be given by telephone... But she said it was company policy. I didn't try calling again because, honestly, I was a bit pissed and thought I'd just wait for the damn letter 
.
The full back story:
I initially applied for the Citi Prestige on March 9.
I got rejected because "Too few satisfactory credit references were recorded on your credit bureau report."
I got a copy of my Experian report and it did mention this as a weakspot... Not that I had missed any payment recently, it was simply that I only had 2 credit cards and no installment loans / other accounts on there (despite 7+ years history on 1 of those 2 cards + high limit).
I spoke with Citi who confirmed this was the reason. I said, OK, so you want me to get more credit cards so I can eventually get this credit card? How ridiculous as it sounds, they basically said yes.
So, the next day, I applied for a CSP. I got instantly approved and a credit line of 20k. Neat 
!
But, as the Citi Prestige is the real card I wanted... I waited a month.. Till my new account fully posted and showed up (and also removed the notice that "I have too few accounts that are in good standing" from my Experian hurting score factors).
So, yesterday, April 6, I applied again. My original application was just less than a month ago (March 9), but the person I spoke with at Citi before re-applying mentioned this wouldn't be an issue, as my total inquiries over the last 3 months, including that original application, were 3 (apparently what mattered was that they were below 5).
Because I basically "fixed" the original issue, I hoped things would be OK now.
But, alas, there's still an issue... Who knows... Maybe it's still the same "too few references" and they want me to get 4 or more cards before I apply again. Lol.
I haven't called the "Executive Office" yet at 605-331-1698. I plan on doing so, but am awaiting the letter to make sure I have the "official reason" first.
Perhaps I just have to wait till my new CSP account becomes more "seasoned" and then try again...
I'm also thinking of applying for a more "simple" Citi card, so they can see I do, in fact, always make my monthly payments...!
@Anonymous wrote:My income should be sufficient.
I am self employed, but the level is >100k. Not a million or something like that, but this is not the Centurion card either...
After submitting the online application form, I wasn't instantly rejected. The page asked to call. I did, and then I was rejected, no questions asked. I was polite and hang up.
After that, I called the regular recon number 800-695-5171, but the person really didn't budge and said to wait for the letter. I asked her why I had to wait for the letter as it simply states the reason in 1 sentence, which can obviously just as well be given by telephone... But she said it was company policy. I didn't try calling again because, honestly, I was a bit pissed and thought I'd just wait for the damn letter
The full back story:
I initially applied for the Citi Prestige on March 9.
I got rejected because "Too few satisfactory credit references were recorded on your credit bureau report."
I got a copy of my Experian report and it did mention this as a weakspot... Not that I had missed any payment recently, it was simply that I only had 2 credit cards and no installment loans / other accounts on there (despite 7+ years history on 1 of those 2 cards + high limit).
I spoke with Citi who confirmed this was the reason. I said, OK, so you want me to get more credit cards so I can eventually get this credit card? How ridiculous as it sounds, they basically said yes.
So, the next day, I applied for a CSP. I got instantly approved and a credit line of 20k. Neat
But, as the Citi Prestige is the real card I wanted... I waited a month.. Till my new account fully posted and showed up (and also removed the notice that "I have too few accounts that are in good standing" from my Experian hurting score factors).
So, yesterday, April 6, I applied again. My original application was just less than a month ago (March 9), but the person I spoke with at Citi before re-applying mentioned this wouldn't be an issue, as my total inquiries over the last 3 months, including that original application, were 3 (apparently what mattered was that they were below 5).
Because I basically "fixed" the original issue, I hoped things would be OK now.
But, alas, there's still an issue... Who knows... Maybe it's still the same "too few references" and they want me to get 4 or more cards before I apply again. Lol.
I haven't called the "Executive Office" yet at 605-331-1698. I plan on doing so, but am awaiting the letter to make sure I have the "official reason" first.
Perhaps I just have to wait till my new CSP account becomes more "seasoned" and then try again...
I'm also thinking of applying for a more "simple" Citi card, so they can see I do, in fact, always make my monthly payments...!
I hope you meet with success when you call the EO but it was unrealistic on your part to think that adding a single card for one month was going to address their concerns about not enough accounts. You need to let that account age for a minimum of 6 months for it to really address their concerns.