by Lyle Daly | Jan. 19, 2021
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To improve your odds of getting a Capital One card, you should know about the other factors that could affect your application.
With competitive rewards and zero-interest offers, Capital One credit cards are popular with consumers. If you've found one you like and have excellent credit, you may think you won't have any trouble getting the card.
That's not always the case. It's true that a credit score of 800 is more than enough for any Capital One card. In fact, you can qualify for the card issuer's best rewards credit cards with a score of 670 or higher.
However, there's more to the application process than that. Capital One could deny you for reasons that have nothing to do with your credit score. To avoid wasting your time, it's important to know what these reasons are.
There's one Capital One application rule that applies to all its credit cards: You can't make more than one application every six months.
After you apply for a Capital One card, you need to wait at least six months before applying for another, regardless of whether Capital One approved you or not. A high credit score won't get you around this restriction.
Capital One also has rules about the maximum number of Capital One cards you can have and the minimum income requirements for its cards. The tricky part is these rules vary depending on the Capital One card you want.
Here's what this means:
You can find the exact rules for the card you want on Capital One's site. Just visit the card's page, go to the "Rate and fee information" section, and then scroll down to "Additional Disclosures & Terms and Conditions."
You'll see a list of what can disqualify you from getting that Capital One credit card. If there are any credit card limits or income requirements, you'll find out here. Like the application rule, you can't get around these restrictions, regardless of your credit score. You need to pass these rules for Capital One to approve you.
If you couldn't open a Capital One card because of its application rules, the only way to get approved is by correcting the problem. How you do that will depend on what the problem was.
Those aren't the only reasons Capital One would deny your credit card application. Even when you have a great credit score, there could be other reasons, such as too many recent applications for other credit cards.
If the denial was not due to Capital One's application rules, you can try calling for a reconsideration. The best number to call is 1-800-625-7866, which is Capital One's application services line.
When you call, ask the representative if they could reconsider your denied application. It can help to point out that you've handled credit well in the past (and have an excellent credit score to show for it). Depending on why you were denied and the representative you speak to, you could end up getting your application approved after all.
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