I recently applied for an AA business card & had a slightly unusual experience.
Short version: If, after submitting your online application, you receive a message to the effect of "we are unable to approve your application at this time," it's not necessarily a denial. And if you call recon & they say they can't find your application, wait 48 hours & then call back.
Long version: I applied online Friday evening & got one of those ambiguously negative messages stating that Citi was unable to approve me. I called a couple different app status lines. The US rep claimed her system had real-time info, but was showing no application; overseas CSR also saw no new application, but advised waiting 24-48 hours for their system to update.
I checked again over the weekend; same answers. (At this point I triple-checked compliance with 8/65 rule -- all good -- and reconfirmed that I'd shut down the master account on my last business card.)
Called earlier today & US rep could not only see the app, but advised that I was approved. I was ready to close an older Citi Hilton card to reduce their exposure, but it never came to that.
I have to say I'm very surprised by the lag in application visibility. Some weeks ago I applied for a personal Citi Hilton card, got the "can't approve you" message, and called immediately. In that case, the recon specialist was able to see the application with no difficulty.
It's clear that Citi has separate systems for personal vs. business apps. (Phone rep confirmed that today.) Do we have other data points on whether business apps are invisible to recon for a few days after application?