Denied AAdvantage with 747 FICO?!?!

Discussion in 'Credit Talk' started by Rain, Aug 10, 2001.

  1. Rain

    Rain Member

    Ok, now I am THOROUGHLY stumped! I checked my Equifax FICO score last week. It was 747. That same day, I applied for a Juniper card and Citi Platinum Select. DENIED BOTH. :( Called to find out why and was given a generic reason..."limited credit". Ok, oh well, guess I need to add a couple more lines of credit than my current 2. The 747 Fico didn't seem to matter at all with Citi, since they have their own scoring system.

    So, I figure maybe I should aim lower. A lot of you guys seemed to be having good luck with the silver Citi AAdvantage, so it seemed like a good one to try to get. I had seen some people saying they'd gotten approved for it with MUCH lower scores than 747, so it seemed like a good gamble.

    WRONG!

    DENIED!

    So, now I am just plain blank as to what the problem is. I can understand getting denied the Platinum, but why on Earth wouldn't they approve me for the plain Citi AAdvantage? They pulled Equifax, and my Equifax report is IMMACULATE. Not one single negative. I've got a 13 mth. old Cap 1 card and an Orchard Card. Both with excellent payment histories. Current balance to limit ratio is just 7%. $0 bal on the Cap 1 and a small balance on the Orchard. Income is 56K so that shouldn't have stopped me from getting the card. I'm lost on this one. Citi just confuses me. lol

    I went to Dell and applied for a line of credit, since I seem to need to buff up my report. They pulled Experian. My Experian report is identical to my Equifax. I was instantly approved for a $5000 loan, lowest interest rate, 90 days same as cash deal. I figure, ok, that'll look good on my credit report as I pay it off. THEN TO MY HORROR I find out that Dell doesn't report to the credit bureaus. So, I screwed that plan up.

    I sent Citi a letter via PlanetFeedback to try to get them to change their mind. I mean, I'm just trying to get my foot in the door with them. I don't get why I wouldn't AT THE VERY LEAST qualify for the AAdvantage card with some small limit. Citi's criteria are baffling to me.

    Does anyone have ANY idea what I might be doing wrong, or is this just a lost cause with them?Maybe George's dark cloud tracked me down. ;)

    Thanks for any insight,
    Rain
     
  2. sam

    sam Well-Known Member

    thats odd
    my gf had a cap 1 secured for like 7 months and a macy's for 6 months, and got citi AA instant approval

    btw, just because you are denied instantly, you can still get the card :) Call up the approval department ask why
     
  3. Mist

    Mist Well-Known Member

    I know for a fact that Juniper requires 3 current active OPEN lines of credit on your profile which are in good standing (no lates or other derogatories). If you only have two, try to add one for 3 to 6 months and then try again. Citibank may have the same requirement.
     
  4. breeze

    breeze Well-Known Member

    So sorry Rain. Citi is crazy, IMHO.

    breeze
     
  5. G. Fisher

    G. Fisher Banned

    Did you get the denials in writing?

    What, exactly, do they say?
     
  6. MikeG

    MikeG Well-Known Member

    Perhaps you and George would like compare notes. Great Scores and Denials :(
    Mike G.
     
  7. eddie

    eddie Well-Known Member

    Dell is reporting my two accounts on Experian.
     
  8. Geo

    Geo Well-Known Member

    Try Chase Classic. They approved me with only one account on my Report (Cap One Secure
    11 months). They pulled TransUnion
     
  9. dave

    dave Well-Known Member

    Rain--

    It must be length of credit history. You should try again at the 2 year mark on your Cap.1.
     
  10. SD

    SD Well-Known Member

    I just received a denial for the AAdvantage MC also. My score on Equifax is 614. They checked my Experian report.

    I have 4 bank revolving lines (one card is too new, hasn't started reporting yet) and 1 car loan. Oldest account opened 11/00. I also am close to my limits on 3 of the cards.
     
  11. SD

    SD Well-Known Member

    I was also denied the Chase Classic.
    Reasons?
    1. length of accounts established
    2. Balances to close to limit (not in those words).
     
  12. roni

    roni Well-Known Member

    People complain, complain, complain about how unfair credit scoring is.

    But when a bank uses something besides your scores you dont like that either.
     
  13. godaddyo

    godaddyo Well-Known Member

    Try to negotiate with theses companies so they will give you a card. Call and ask for a supervisor. Dont give up! I wouldnt keep applying all over the place for credit. It lowers your score and it is obvious to anyone who give your report a second look(besides the score) that you are trying desperately to get credit....
     
  14. breeze

    breeze Well-Known Member

    I want to know what they're using and how it works - whatever it is. This is like a game with only one side knowing the rules.


    breeze
     
  15. roni

    roni Well-Known Member

    well as for Citibank, they are obviously using recent payment history and not letting past bad credit prevent you from getting a card...unless that bad credit is a BK..

    They dont look at scores so much but I am sure they have a minimum. I think they look at income and balance ratios on other accounts, b/c they give such high limits. At least that makes since to me.

    Then maybe there is a little bug in the program which says be kind to the poor guys with bad credit but have kept their noses clean for the past 12-18 months. This person may actually work hard at keeping this account current if we give them one versus the guy who has perfect credit...who could have gotton it by lying and aquiring a whole new and clean credit file....i am digressing....
     
  16. breeze

    breeze Well-Known Member

    Really! ROFLMAO. Bad day at work??

    I think it's great that they are giving people a chance.

    But, Roni, seriously, they have their own scoring which does not make any sense at all. I don't really care at this point. I have plenty of credit, decent terms. I really wanted to dump Cap One with their stupid not reporting limits, and save some money with a nice BT offer which I honestly thought I would get. However, I do not tend to hang out where I'm not wanted, LOL. Their reps were rude to me, for whatever reason, and if it happens again, I will BT from their card and they won't make any money off me.

    I have options!! That may be what they don't want - people with options.

    However, I still think that if we're willing to play, they ought to make their rules clear. I can take my little red wagon home if I want to. I have run up a balance with them on purpose - waiting to see what they do.

    no smootchies???

    breeze
     
  17. Rain

    Rain Member

    No, Roni, we complain because their system for rating people is arbitrary and scewed. They tell us we're denied if our score is too low. They say, "you're credit looks ok, but the score is too low." So, we get our ducks in a row, and get high scores. Then, they tell us, "your score is great, but sorry."

    So, when I see people with BK's, charge-offs, late payments, etc. and low 600 score's getting Citi cards with $3K, $6K or higher limits, and I'm sitting here with SPOTLESS credit and a 747 score and can't even get a basic Citi card with even a $1K limit...

    Then, complain? HECK YEAH I'M GONNA COMPLAIN! I've complained to them on the phone, I've complained to them via PlanetFeedback, and I'll complain to them via certified registered mail if I have to, but SOMEBODY'S gonna hear my beef with them!

    Also, to answer Greg's question...Yes, I recieved a letter. Citi's letter didn't tell me any reason I was denied. It said the following:
    "If you would like a statement of specific reasons why your request for an account was denied, please contact us within 60 days of the date of this letter at 1-888-201-4523...or you may write the following address: P.O. Box 6020, Hagerstown, MD 21741-6020.
    At your request, we will provide you with a written statement of reasons within 30 days of our receiving your request."

    So, they didn't even give me a reason for denial. I had to call them to find out why I was denied. I had thought that they were required to give me a list of reason codes of some sort, but obviously I was mistaken on that point. Now, we have to call them or write them to request the reason for denial. Add that to my list of "complaints".


    Rain
     
  18. sam

    sam Well-Known Member

    citibank always told me when i called up why i was denied. They have a special department to handle application/status.

    Very nice folks..

    Maybe they read this board, and know whose doing what :)
     
  19. breeze

    breeze Well-Known Member

    I hope they're reading this, because they weren't nice to me.

    breeze
     
  20. roni

    roni Well-Known Member

    Seriously Breeze,

    Citibank has always been nice to me. They also opened doors for me by giving me $18,000 worth of credit in a weekend which totally changed my credit situation. I dont look a gifted horse in the mouth. Sorry!

    I dont see why everyone is tripping off citibank so much. As you said, you have options. I dont. I got turned down by every single bank on the planet except Citi and Chase. They have something cooked up to enhance their market. But their plan has helped so many people trying to recover their credit. I am sorry if their system is not air tight and has left out many who want their card. BUT DAMN with a score of 747 what in the world would you want with a AA card with a APR of minimal 13.9%.

    You guys have many, many banks to get approvals from. I know, I know, your credit score IS THE BOMB and it hurts getting denied (I know all about that). But this one just isnt to be explained.
     

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