If your credit card application is declined (2024)

FAQs

If your credit card application is declined? ›

The lender's approval or rejection decision makes no difference to your credit scores. But if a rejection leads you to apply for more cards, that would mean more hard inquiries. And multiple hard inquiries over a short period could have more of an impact on credit scores.

The lender's approval or rejection decision makes no difference to your credit scores. But if a rejection leads you to apply for more cards, that would mean more hard inquiries. And multiple hard inquiries over a short period could have more of an impact on credit scores.

As a general rule of thumb, consider waiting around three to six months before reapplying. In the meantime, try to improve your creditworthiness, which might increase your chances of getting approved when you reapply.

If you were denied because of incorrect information in your credit report, get your credit report and dispute the errors that are in it. If you were denied because you have too many credit cards or too much outstanding debt, you can reapply after paying down your balances or closing some accounts.

Getting denied credit itself doesn't affect your credit score, but the hard inquiry from applying for credit could impact it slightly.

However, the higher your credit score, the more likely it will be for you to dance around these restrictions. All in all, waiting at least three months between credit card applications strikes a balance between both the risk and the rewards earned from applying and being approved for new travel credit cards.

Having a credit card declined can be embarrassing and inconvenient, but it won't affect your credit score. However, some issues that could cause a credit card to be declined, like late payments and high balances, do affect your credit. You can reduce the chances that you'll encounter this by: Paying balances on time.

Being denied for a credit card doesn't hurt your credit score. But the hard inquiry from submitting an application can cause your score to decrease.

Credit invisibility can make things like getting approved for a credit card or a loan more difficult or costly. It's possible to get a credit card with no credit. You might consider applying for a secured credit card, student credit card or retail store credit card to help establish and build your credit.

How long should I wait to apply for a credit card after being denied? It's generally considered best to wait three to six months before reapplying. The important thing is to try to improve your creditworthiness before applying again.

Can I dispute a denied credit card application? ›

If you apply for a credit card and get denied, you should receive a letter explaining the reasons for the denial. In some situations, you can ask the card issuer to reconsider its decision.

It's generally best to wait six months between credit card applications. That will prevent hard inquiries from making a significant negative impact on your credit score. At Experian, one of our priorities is consumer credit and finance education.