We all want to get approved for Chase’s credit cards, yet most cards fall under the notorious 5/24 rule, and are difficult for us to get.
One prime method people are using to bypass 5/24 is getting pre-approvals in a Chase branch.
When we posted earlier today about pre-approvals on the Sapphire Reserve card there were lots of questions that came up so here’s an FAQ about Chase Preapprovals as I understand it.
Which cards can get pre-approvals in a Chase branch?
We’ve usually hear of Chase’s own non-branded cards getting preapprovals (Freedom, Unlimited, Sapphire Preferred, Reserve, INK), not co-branded cards.
People are also reporting United pre-approvals showing up.
Can I get a pre-approval on a Chase business credit card?
Sure.
As an example, many people have gone into a Chase branch to open a business checking account, and they were told they are preapproved for the INK card. This got them past the 5/24 hurdle.
Do I have to ask for business card preapprovals separately or do they come together with personal?
According to a Chase banker, you have to ask for business preapprovals separately. They do not come up along with your personal preapprovals.
If I’m pre-approved in a Chase branch, am I certain to be approved for the card?
No. But it should get you past 5/24, and there’s a good chance of approval. (With regards to the Sapphire Reserve card in particular, most preapproved applicants were approved but not all.)
How do I ask for a preapproval?
“Can you check if the system shows me as being preapproved for any credit cards?”
They may also ask for your ID, income, and mother’s maiden name.
Should I ask for a specific card (e.g. Sapphire Reserve) or just ask if I’m pre-approved?
I’d recommend asking generally. The banker is simply reading your preapprovals from a screen; no reason to specify.
Hey, if you aren’t preapproved for one card, there might be another tempting offer.
Can I be preapproved for more than one card? Can I apply for more than one at the same time?
Many people are told that they have more than one preapproval; for example, Sapphire and Freedom, or whatever.
Multiple reports indicate that once you apply for one preapproved offer, all other preapprovals disappear, so pick the best one.
A friend reports being preapproved for INK and Sapphire Reserve; after applying for INK, the Reserve card was gone. This is very surprising since business and personal come up separately in their system.
Banker Says I’m preapproved, but s/he doesn’t know for which card?
The cards that are preapproved are green on the screen; some bankers might not know how to read the preapprovals properly.
They tell me I’m not pre-approved. How can I get Chase to pre-approve me?
I don’t know, but here are some ideas being floated:
- Several data points indicate that updating your income on the Chase website helps trigger preapprovals (1, 2). We can’t know for certain that this is what triggered the preapproval, though.
- There’s a rumor that preapprovals come out at the beginning of each calendar month so try again later.
- One banker claimed that you only get pre-approved if you haven’t gotten any Chase cards in the past six months, but lots of data points in the comments here contradict this theory.
- Another banker said that if you an authorized user on someone’s card, you won’t be preapproved to get the card yourself.
They tell me I’m not pre-approved. Should I apply in-branch anyway or just apply online?
It’s possible that branch applications are better, and the banker might be able to call up right away and try to push it through (they have incentive to do so). Probably not a major difference.
If you are past 5/24, I don’t think applying in-branch will help.
What if I’m not ‘pre-approved’ but I’m ‘invited’ or some other word? How do I know for sure that I’m preapproved?
If you were “invited,” you’re probably out of luck. Seems like ‘preapproval’ is the system word (or possibly ‘prequalified’); anything else is just the banker being nice.
There’s also an awesome tactic discovered on Reddit to know whether or not you are actually preapproved. If the offer has a fixed APR that means they are specifying the offer for you and it’s a real preapproval. If the offer has a variable APR it’s not a real preapproval, even if the banker says it is. Update: This might not be relevant anymore.
Can’t I just use the online system to find out if I’m pre-approved?
Unfortunately, no. The online pre-approval just confirms that you’re a match with the card, it doesn’t help much in actually getting approved.
In-branch pre-approvals are a completely different animal. They work to bypass 5/24, and generally seem to help with approval odds.
Instead of driving 142 miles to the nearest Chase branch, can’t I just call in to find out if I’m pre-approved first?
Some people have had success with the phone or even with an email address of a banker they once used (1, 2, 3). However, there is reportedly a checkbox that the banker needs to select ‘Is the person in branch? Yes/No?, and if the banker selects no it will not show any pre-approved offers.
Can I apply by phone?
No this isn’t possible, you have to apply in branch. More information:
People can’t call a branch to apply over the phone because they have to initial two copies of a form a banker prints. Technically, the forms must be completed before the banker hits “submit.” If the banker doesn’t secure the initials, the form won’t properly scan when he/she tries to scan it because the scanner will detect the blank box. Also, bankers couldn’t offer to mail or PDF the form because it must be scanned same day. This would be a fairly major CARD act violation (as Chase interprets it), and the banker would get in serious trouble, so there’s no way around this. The banker would probably direct the caller to apply online if they couldn’t get to a branch.
Can I go into a Chase branch out of my home state?
That’s fine. Any Chase branch will be able to help you.
I already applied online and got denied. Can I go into a branch and get a pre-approval?
Yes, many have done this with success.
Tip: go the same day to get the inquires combined.
Do I need a banking relationship (e.g. checking, savings) with Chase to get a preapproval?
No, so long as you have any Chase relationship, e.g. a credit card, you can go into a branch and see if you are preapproved.
It might be that banking customers have better odds.
Can I get preapproved if my credit is frozen?
They probably have to soft pull in order to preapproved, so I’d guess no. One report indicates the same while another reader reports being able to get preapprovals despite frozen credit reports.
Can I get preapproved if I have a fraud alert on my credit reports?
Are Chase Private Clients always pre-approved?
Nope.
While I’m there asking for a preapproval, can I also do a bank bonus at the same time?
Sure, knock yourself out! It won’t hurt, and who knows – it may even help.
When should I expect a pre-approval?
We aren’t exactly sure, but there is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that you need to wait six months in between applying for a Chase card and getting a pre-approval. Datapoints: 1.
I opted out of chase credit card offers years ago, any idea if this means I will have no pre-approval offers in branch?
One report indicates that you can’t get preapprovals if you opted out.
By default, you are opted in for offers. If you’ve previously opted out, here’s how to opt back in.