I recently applied for the Harris Teeter Rewards card, one of the varieties of the Kroger cards out there. I got the 7-10 day message but didn't see any alerts about a hard pull. I just got the letter in the mail today:
"We regret to inform you that we are not able to approve your application at this time because:
- Applicant's address outside of market area"
Has anyone else run into this before?
I live in NY, so there aren't any Krogers or Kroger-affiliated stores nearby. Harris Teeter is likely the closest, with stores in MD.
If this is a rule across all Kroger cards, I'll just cross it off my list - 5% mobile wallet would be great, but if I need to be within their footprint, well, it just is what it is. Gotta say, I do appreciate the lack of a hard pull!
Also posted on Reddit to see if I get any answers there, will update here if I do as well.
P2 
Chopped 
Replying to myself here, think the following info is worth the bump: I called the number supplied on the letter (800-947-1444) today and asked if the denial was because I was outside of US Bank's market area or Harris Teeter's market area. She immediately answered that decisions are based on the supermarket's market area. She confirmed having heard of automatic denials for other of the Kroger cards.
She also gave her own data point - she applied for a Smith's card while living in Missouri and was automatically denied, then moved to New Mexico and was able to actually apply. Since both MO and NM have US Bank locations, this is consistent with it being based on the supermarket's market area, not US Bank's.
This was the word of one representative, but she did seem very familiar with the matter, including personal experience. So, since there are no Krogers or Kroger-affiliated stores in NY, I'm officially crossing this card off the list.
Ouch. I was thinking of applying for one of the Kroger chain cards too. Likewise there are none of the chains around here in RI as far as I know. This puts a big wrench in my plans and no doubt many people in the community.
