I’ve seen a lot of posts, blogs, and videos outlining their Citi denials with reasons along the lines of “low utilization” of their existing credit lines. These applications often have high FICO scores above 750, good income and strong credit history… so what gives?
As someone who has no more than 2% utilization, and has acquired multiple Citi cards in a short time frame (4 in 90 days, 2 of which I got approved 10 days from each other, pulling same bureau).
Here’s my theory on how to beat Citi denials.
Observe the 1/8, 2/65, 1/90 application rules:
Must wait 8 days after first Citi application before applying for another Citi card. I say 8 “business” days to be conservative.
No more than 2 Citi applications within 65 days.
Must wait 90 days between each business card applications. 1/90
See more info: https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citis-application-rule-explained-865-rule/
Report balances on your existing revolving tradelines:
I autopay my statement balances off each month, but lately I haven’t prioritized paying the TOTAL balance before the end of billing statement cycle. Therefore I have a bunch of cards showing small balances, but my utilization is still very low. I don’t have firm data points, but I do believe Citi’s internal scoring model favors seeing balances on your cards, rather than just high utilization.
Next time before you apply, allow your cards to show some balances (pay statement balances in full always of course)
Opening a Citi personal bank account, with an account bonus.
See Doctor of Credit for current offers and eligible methods to get a bank bonus:
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/citi-300-checking-bonus/
I opened a checking account, shortly before I applied and was approved for a new Citi card. I had applied for two Chase cards a week before my Citi approval, and again had those recent inquiries on the same Experian report that Citi pulled.
Anecdotally, I have seen folks who have had a hard time getting approved for Citi cards in the past or even getting a CL increase on their existing Citi cards, start accumulating new approvals quickly after they opened a bank account.
I’d go as far as to say you should open a bank account with any major lending issuer to get the bonus and increase chances of future credit approvals.
Recent inquiries aren’t as important as total inquiries in previous months.
I have been approved with an separate inquiry as recent as 1-2 weeks on Equifax from Citi. I think Citi looks at total recent inquiries in the last 6 months. I’d say no more than 3 in 6 months to be on the safe side. I was 3/6 on Experian when I got approved for my last personal Citi card.
Citi doesn’t appear to be sensitive to new accounts as people assume they are, unless you have a thin credit file, no reporting balances, or no history with Citi.
Check the Citi "Prescreen offer: https://online.citi.com/US/ag/cards/pre-screen
Not a golden ticket, but a safe bet. I got 2 of my current Citi cards by seeing them on the “prequalified” screen. Also was able to verify what bureau they were going to pull, since I only had one unlocked. My Equifax had no inquiries so I know that wouldn’t be a concern.
That said when I was approved for my Strata Premier and Citi Business AA, I didn’t any offers available before I applied. See previous points.
Bonus: Read the “48 month” in the terms and conditions on the application page, to make sure you are eligible for the welcome bonus.