TravelPhotographer

49 applies in 6+ years, but last 4 of 5 rejects – bummer;
current priority: spends triggering any US hotel bonus points;
am I victim of CCCC?? (cc climate change) seek advice what cc’s
now offer bonuses & have low approval threshhold
Must I sit out 6 mos. or year without applies?
my credit score ~812, always pay off monthly balances,
close all cc’s after 1 yr if AF due;
thanks in advance for any help that keeps me going!

1. Citi Executive® / AAdvantage® World EliteTMMasterCard® approved

2. Chase Ink Plus: applied 4/10/14 approved

3. BarclayCard Arrival(TM) World MasterCard® got 4/12/14 approved

4. Gold Delta SkyMiles ®Credit Card Amex approved, got 4/16/14

5. Chase Hyatt Visa approved got 4/16/14

6. 4/22/14: approved #1 again

7. BankAmericard TravelRewards approved got 5/31/14

8. REJECTED 5/2014: WELLS FARGO, BARCLAY US AIRWAYS, too many credit pulls

9. applied for 3rd citiAAExec 6/9/14 = REJECTED, too many credit pulls

10. Chase IHG MastCd approved

11. 8/16/14 citi HHonors approved

12. 8/21/14 USBank ClubCarlson PremierVisa REJECTED

13. 9/3/14 got citi #11 again

14. 10/3/14 Chase Ink Plus Busn, GOT

15. 10/27/14 approved Chase BritAir VISA Signature

16. 12/3/14 retried #12 REJECTED NEED MORE PAYMENTS ON NEW CARDS

17. 12/9/14: citi http://www.aa.com/i18n/AAdvantage/ea...e=citibusiness GOT

18. 12/19/14: Barclaycard US Airways MastCd

US Airways Dividend Miles MasterCard reconsid line approved 12/26/14

(became AA Aviator MC on 6/17/15)

19. 12/26/14: Ritz-Carlton Rewards instant approval

20. 3/18/15: citi Hilton HHonors churnable instant approval

21. 4/23/15: Citi ThankYou Premier Card instant approval

22. 5/22/15: http://thepointsguy.com/2015/05/wyndham-45000-points/ Barclay instant approved

23. 5/24/15: citi Hilton HHonors 50K pts $1K 4mos no annual; app language churnable

Citibank Online Consumer Card - Enter Information !instant approval!

24. 6/1/15: Chase MileagePlus approved

25. Gold Delta SkyMiles® Business American Express approved

26. 7/23/15: ChaseSapphirePreferred declined, only allows 5 total cc apps in 2yrs

27. 8/2/15: Capital One VentureOne approved

28. 2/16/16: MarriottRewardsVisa Personal Reconsideration Line approved

29. 3/8/16: Business Credit Card Reconsideration denied, 2nd decision in 2wks; approved

30. 3/25/16: Miles&MoreMCWorldEliteBarclaycard instant approved

31. 3/26/16: USBankCarlsonVisaBusn not instant recon 800-947-1444x1x2x0 3/28: no issues, approved

32. 4/3/16: USBankCarlsonPremierVisa approved

33. 4/3/16: my#14 again; ChaseBusnInk not instant busn recon 800-453-9719 approved

34. Amtrak Guest Rewards® World MasterCard, approved

35. 3/17/17 approved instantly IHG® Rewards Club Select

36. 3/22/17 approved citi HHonors

37. 10/25/17 approved instant Platinum Delta Amex personal

38. 10/25/17 approved instant Platinum Delta Amex Busn

39. 8/4/18 ChaseInkBusnPreferred approved

40. 10/3/18 CHASE INK BUSN CASH approved (start of MileValue advice)

41. 11/12/18 ChaseInkBusnUnlimited approved via Verif-Dept 888-204-8630

42. 2/25/19 Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Chase recon line approved

43. 4/4/19 World of Hyatt Chase recon line 877-470-9042 approved

44. 10/7/19 Chase MileagePlus Explorer Business recon line approved

45. 4/22/20 Amex Hilton Surpass denied due to apply activity

46. 4/22/20 Amex Hilton Surpass Busn denied due to apply activity

47. 4/27/20 Chase IHG Rewards Club Premier instant approval

48. 7/7/20 Capital One Venture Reward denied due to apply activity

49. 7/17/20 Bank of America Premium Rewards denied due to apply activity

50. cc with bonuses that rarely reject???

philemer

You need to take a break from applying for new cards. Wait a year and start again. Seriously.

hdporter

With all due respect, my gut tells me that your app history isn't the whole story. 8 credit apps per year, on average, isn't excessive ... especially if the related credit pulls have been spread over the 3 CRA's. The most recent app activity (2018/2019) is, by any measure, conservative. So, unless there are other hard credit inquiries not reflected in your cited history, it seems exceedingly unlikely that you were actually denied for your application activity.

To address your query directly, my wife and I haven't seen any such resistance to new card apps thus far this year, having each opened 2 new cards in 2020. Furthermore, on our existing cards, we've seen a decent number of credit line increase requests granted.'

Please don't confuse stated reasons as to why your credit score isn't higher (a standard part of a rejection notice) with a statement from the issuer as to the reason your application was rejected. If you're interested in more targeted input, reply back with the specific "denial reason" verbiage from your decline letters.

Dr_wanderlust

That is a pretty boring list of issuers. I'm surprised it took Chase, Citi, and Amex so long to catch on. If you insist on playing the churn game you need to move on to other issuers such as UBS, City National, and find CU bonuses. That said, I agree with philemer you need to let things cool off... and I say this as someone with over 30 cards. Your problem isn't too many cards it is that you are churning and burning by closing without really becoming a user of the card. good luck.

ETA: also note your recent failures are pandemic applications and these issuers may have tightened standards.

hdporter

You suggest that past churn with the issuers is to blame for current rejections?

You'll note that Chase apparently hasn't "caught on". Chase IHG was his sole 2020 success story. Citi? no recent denials there. And what's the explanation for Capital One's denial. That he churned them in 2015 (and they have a long memory?) I don't think so. And as far as Bank of America ... it's not listed as a prior card application (seems his instinct anticipated your advice to move on to greener fields and he was still shot down).

Look, my intent isn't to nitpick (could have fooled you, huh?)

I don't see his churn activity as being anywhere near sufficient explanation for the 2020 stream of declines. (I'll allow it may have been a factor with Amex, but that's a modest piece of the 2020 picture.)
I also don't see recent credit application activity (to the extent disclosed here) as being sufficient explanation to any extent at all.

So, I'm still of the mind that the recent for the recent declines has to do with some factor that hasn't been disclosed within this thread. (Just my opinion, of course ... but that reflects 40 years of credit history, and $800k in open credit lines. Take it for what it's worth. I'm very interested in seeing the actual decline verbiage on the recent FCRA rejection letters.)

Xavier110

We're in the middle of a recession and pandemic where lenders have tightened lending. This isn't rocket science.

hdporter

If we were talking about someone with a 720 credit score, who formerly would be approved for most any application, then I find your explanation plausible. But credit card lenders haven't cut off the spigot entirely and are still lapping up 800+ FICO applicants avidly. OP cites FICO of 812. (FWIW, spigot is turned wide open for wife and myself right now.)

I agree, "isn't rocket science". Credit decisions are, for the most part, cut and dried. However, I'll still suggest that the "cut and dried" part of the credit denials in question haven't been laid bare yet.

Dream of Flying

Looks like Chase still likes you

Often1

Just read the financial services trade press. Banks are increasing their underwriting standards until the fallout from the pandemic becomes more apparent. People making $400-500K in April, are making $0 today and have no prospect of finding anything soon. They may have had an 850 score, paid on time, and done all the right things. But, now they can't. There are also all manner of "freezes" in effect for mortgages, student loans and evictions. Courts have been largely closed except for priority matters. So collections reporting is way behind.

All of that means that you should put aside past practice and let things settle. Both the economy and your credit-seeking. Once there is a new reality, you can figure out where you fit into it. The suggestion of a year off make sense.

Orange County Commuter

Honestly does it really matter what people on here say. None of us can get you more credit cards for your shell game

The credit card companies are saying NO so obviously continuing to do what you have always done isn't going to help but I expect you won't like that response and will keep trying anyway.

TravelPhotographer

Thanks for responses, advice.
As to something else going on I didn't report -- NO NO NO !! AFAIKKK...
NEVER borrowed $$ or asked; 2018 & 2019 total self-employment income-investments up.
My profession is travel, pts-miles lower overhead, its not a game...
Have never NOT paid off monthly cc balances in full, no mortgages.
My wife's cc apply history parallels mine minus busn cc's, including recent surge in rejects.
Here is copy & paste related to Capital One recent reject:

"Thank you for applying for a credit card issued by Capital One®. Unfortunately, after reviewing your application and information obtained from your consumer credit report(s) from the agencies detailed on the back of this letter - we cannot approve your request at this time. The reason(s) for our decision are: · Based on your credit report from one or more of the agencies on the back of this letter, number of bank cards tradelines opened in the last 24 months If you feel we missed something or misread your information, then please write to us at P.O. Box 31290 Salt Lake City, UT 84130-0290 and include your Application ID number referenced above. (Please note: we recommend you contact the credit agencies first to ensure they have accurately reported your information to us. Contact information is provided on the back of this letter.) We know this isn't the answer you were hoping for, but we hope there is an opportunity to provide you new products and services in the future."
(backside of letter)
"Your Credit Score 792 Date: 2020-07-07 Source: Experian Consumer Relations Understanding Your Credit Score The range of scores Scores range from a low of 300 to a high of 850. Key factors that adversely affected your credit score Time since most recent account opening is too short Too many inquiries last 12 months Lack of recent installment loan information Length of time accounts have been established"

hdporter

The additional info is helpful. Apologies extended inasmuch as my phrasing re the likelihood of "other factors" in play does appear, on review, to suggest that there's something "nefarious" lurking in the shadows. What I really wanted to convey, and emphasize, is that your application history (alone) doesn't rationalize the sudden spate of credit rejections based upon my experience, and those reported by others on various credit groups.

Seeing the actual verbiage from Cap 1 is useful (although I'll note that of those creditors who've recently declined you, Cap 1 is notably more "flaky" in application of their credit standards in my experience, fwiw).

As others have suggested, your churn activity is most likely a significant factor. What I would read into the adverse action notice is that it's not only the application history itself that's a factor in the decline, and instead that a (likely) history of closing accounts within 2 years of opening has played a considerable role is "outing" you as a churner. (I qualify that statement as "likely" because I don't have direct evidence that you close the majority of your churn cards. However, it seems you've targeted a number of "premium" cards that likely have annual fees, leaving me to guess a majority of your new accounts are subsequently closed to avoid renewal fees.)

It's reasonable that, because of the significant cost involved, issuers are more vigilant than ever in attempting to screen out likely churners. Your recent experience with declines would leave me guessing that many issuers have recently acquired new screening tools. These tools may flag both closures and new accounts that show little charge activity beyond a likely initial bonus spend period. Your recent experience may flag what others can look to with a similar application/closure history.

I'm not an active churner (but I'm not biased against the activity). Where I apply for a card motivated mostly by the sign up bonus, I typically stick to non-fee cards. Where I leap at something like a Chase Sapphire Reserve, it's because the card features are suited to my charging and the application is with the intent to retain and actively use the card going forward.

That said, clearly all I can offer is mostly speculative. If my supposition here is on target, your likely success rate with future churn attempts may suffer a similar fate (and that others will find themselves in your same "boat"). At least you can lay claim to having gleaned some very handsome bonuses to date!

garykung

OP - IMO, you are not a victim of CCCC. Your credit report simply does not look good.

As of the time of posting, you have 10 HPs. So even banks are not scared of the new tradelines (i.e. accounts), they would still be scared about the high number of HPs. In fact, you have been rejected in the past due to too many HPs.

You should wait until at least 10/07/21 before getting a HP again (Note - HP disappears 2 years later).

While this may not happen at all, don't be surprised if Chase shuts down accounts.

Often1

Have you pulled your credit reports to assure that they are accurate? That doesn't appear to be the case because the letter roughly matches your OP, but the fact is that there is always the potential that there is something lurking out there.

TravelPhotographer

Agree with comments above:
I move on to new cc after triggering a bonus
I close cc year after opening to avoid AFs
Done this for years without issue, but now...
I reported score 812, Capital One then reported 792,
so an apply-score-pull might have "cost" 20 points...?
Both Capital One & BankAmerica rejects allow me
to send further-explanation letter last-chance reconsider.
My recon point would be different cc's offer different
benefits, all useful at some point in a year's time...
But it seems wait until 10/7/2021 is likely...
HP = ?