Update: If you still have questions, read this post.
Now that the Chase Sapphire Reserve is officially available, there are a lot of disappointed people because the Chase 5/24 rule applies to this card. One of the ways you can bypass this ‘rule’ is by receiving a pre-approval in branch for the card (you can literally just ask if you have any pre-approval offers). A lot of readers let us know they were successfully approved for the card when they did this:
I don’t think I’ve seen any denial data points (at least on this site) for people that were pre-approved.
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What If I’m Not Pre-Approved In Branch?
It looks like that pre-approval is really necessary, if you ask and they say you have no offers (or the Chase Sapphire Reserve is not pre-approved) then chances are you will be denied due to 5/24. Here are some data points:
I Already Applied Online and I Was Denied, What Can I do?
Thankfully for you, I bring you good news. Three readers also applied online and were denied, they then went in branch and asked if they were pre-approved for any cards (they were). All three of them were approved. You can read about their data points here, here and here.
What If You’re Not Instantly Approved?
I believe this depends on the reason you’re not approved, but you should be able to ask the banker that processed your application if there is any reason why you were denied/if there is anything you can do to get approved. Sometimes they might need to call in and then verify some information, or ask you to reallocate credit limits.
What If There Is No Branch Near Me?
Unfortunately you’re out of luck, the online pre-approval tool isn’t the same. I guess your best option would to be go into a branch next time you travel near one.
Final Thoughts
Personally I’d do this soon (like now) rather than later because you never know when Chase will change their policies. I know we’ve posted about this card an unhealthy amount recently, but I really do think it is kind of special for the first year and while it keeps this big sign up bonus. Share your experience in the comments below.
We’ve also written a Frequently Asked Questions on Chase in-branch approvals here.
