Just under 12 months ago I started to reconsider the cards I was holding. I applied for and received two different Amex cards (SPG and Gold), and requested and received a credit line increase on the SPG card.

I cancelled an existed (useless) Barclay's visa, and applied for a Chase visa. Chase denied me based on what they called "aggressive" acquisition of new credit. My credit score is pretty high (725+), and this was the first time I had been denied for anything credit related at all. At the time I did not know I could call, explain, and have the application reconsidered.

Now, +/- 6 months later (from the time I applied to chase) I still need to replace my old, crappy visa. I want to get the Chase Sapphire Preferred (a different card from the card I was denied for). In looking at the application the first question is "In your credit history, do you have any prior bankruptcies, current delinquent accounts or previous credit denials from Chase?" What are the implications of answering "yes" to this question? Does having a previous denial mean future applications are treated differently? Can I call directly to apply and bypass the wait-and-see game, perhaps explaining on the spot rather than calling for reconsideration? Any thoughts would be appreciated.