How To Check Credit Card Application Status- See All You Need To Know

You need to know how to check your credit card application status after applying for it. issuers of credit. Credit card issuers have their processes, they can decide to instantly approve or disapprove your application or even deny your many applications based on your income and credit reports. There are some situations that will warrant the lender to go through the details of your application more closely. If you didn’t get an instant reply when you applied for a credit card, you have other options on how to check your credit card application status.

This article has made the process of knowing how to check credit card application status very easy by providing phone numbers, online tools and this article on how to check credit card application status for the major credit card issuers. This article has also provided tips on what to do if your application is denied.

Read Also: How To Check Your Citizens Bank Credit Card Application Status- See Details Now

How To Check Credit Card Application Status Online Or by Using A Phone Number

In case you want to find out how to check credit card application status, the card issuers must have a phone number or any other online tool with which they can use in checking application status. See the list below:

Credit Card Issuer Phone Number Can you check application status online?
Capital One800-903-9177No
PNC800-762-0974No
Discover800-347-2683Yes
Citizens Bank866-991-0101No
USAA800-531-8722Yes for current customers
Citi888-201-4523
877-343-4118 for Costco Citi cardsYes
American Express866-314-0237Yes
Bank of America800-432-1000Yes
Chase888-338-2586Yes for current customers
Barclays866-928-8598Yes

If you call on the phone to check your credit card application status online, The customer service representative will ask you some questions. Such questions include the following;

  • Your Name
  • Your birthday date
  • Your Social Security number
  • Your Email address and
  • Your user ID and your password if you are a current customer.

What Is The Meaning Of Credit Card Application Status?

Apart from having feedback of approved or denied on your credit card application status, you may also see another status your credit card status like the ones below:

Pending Application

If your credit card application has not been approved or denied, the application process or status may be regarded as pending. Some situations may make the lender examine your identity, income, debt, payments, recent application, credit history and your business in detail. The credit card issuers or lenders may send you a letter requesting for more information and the need to return the requested documentation.

Under Review

This means that your application has not been approved or denied. It can also be regarded as a pending application. At this level, it may require a human being to look at it and determine if your application is approved. There are some reasons why your application may require to be reviewed. The reasons include:

Having Too Many Credit Inquiries: When you have several new credit inquiries, it can become a problem for the credit card issuers because they may not be able to signify a stolen identity or credit trouble. because of this, the credit card issuer may instruct an employee to review your credit.

To Verify Information: This may happen if the credit card issuer wants an employer to verify your information. For instance, if you go by the name “Dave” and “David” or you just went through a recent process of change in your address, the credit card issuer’s algorithm may not automatically approve your application.

Suspected Fraud: Your credit card application may be under review if the new credit inquiries can be a sign of identity theft. Credit card issuers want to prevent this as much as possible, and because of that, they may need additional time to ensure that you are who you say you are.

Note: It is important to note that the reason why your credit card application is placed under review may be different from the reason why a credit card application is denied. Such reasons include:

  • Having too much debt
  • Having a low credit score
  • Been a bankrupt
  • Having an account in collections
  • Having Insufficient Income

What Happens Next If My Credit Card Application Is Approved?

After applying for a credit card, and your application is approved, you will receive a new card in your email within 10 to 14 business days. Some credit card issuers will make a way for you to use your credit immediately. If your identity can be authenticated immediately by your credit issuer and there is instant credit available, you will be able to use your credit card number to make purchases immediately. The following is how the process works.


Step 1: You must apply for an eligible card. It is not all credit cards that can offer you instant credit, so it is important you know the option that will give you instant credit if you want such.
Step 2: You need to add the account number to your digital wallet after your credit is approved.
Step 3: The next step is to shop online or anywhere that the digital wallet is accepted.

In case you want to make large purchases, it will be necessary for you to call the credit card issuers before the time to make inquireies about the optiona available to you.

What To Do If Your Credit Card Application Is Denied

If the credit card issuer does not approve your credit card application after review, you may use one of the following options to find out why your application was denied:

Call The Reconsideration Line

This is a process where you call a line to request that a customer service representative should review your credit application again. You can move credit over from one credit card or offer some explanations taht will help the company to make a better decision with respect to offering you a credit. Every effective negotiator knows that you don’t need to take the first “NO” as an answer. It is possible that when you push forward a bit, you can still get your credit to be approved if you have a good reason even after you have been denied approval the first time you applied.

Find Out The ReasonsWhy Your Application Was Denied

It is a statutory requirement under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) that credit card issuers tell you the specific reason why your application was denied. If the reason why the lenders denied your application was based on your credit report, then they must give you the following:

  • Your credit score.
  • The name of the credit reporting bureau that reported the score.
  • The information about where to obtain a free copy of your credit report.
  • An explanation about how to correct the errors that were found in your report.

How To Improve Your Credit Score

If your credit card application was denied due to your credit card score, you can make efforts to improve it. The following are the ways you can improve your credit card scores.

  • Automate your bills to get a clean credit payment history.
  • Pay down your balances so as to improve your debt-to-income ratio.
  • Correct errors
  • Settle disputes or collections accounts.
  • Diversify your credit.
  • Keep older accounts open, and limit new accounts to show a steady credit history

You Can Find Alternative Financing

Most times we apply for credit cards because we want to use it to make specific purchases, and when such an application is denied, you must find an alternative means to raise finance to pay for such expenses. The alternative finances you can consider include:

Obtaining a personal loan: Getting a personal loan will enable you to get a fixed amount and repay it back instalmentally over a period. This can be an alternative and effective way of getting flexible and fast funds.

Home Equity Loan: This is only obtainable by people who have a home with significant equity, This loan takes time to get and it is secured with your home. But the interest accruing to that loan is often lower compared with a credit card or personal loan.

Private Loan: A private loan is a loan you get from friends or family. They can be flexible but may have so many stings attached.
Wait To Apply For Another Credit Card; If you find out that some specific recent events have reduced your credit score. For things like too many recent hard inquiries, you may need to wait to apply for another credit card in future.

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