Why was my Chase Credit Card declined?

Your Chase credit card could have been declined for several reasons, such as the card not being activated or not having enough available credit. The best way to find out exactly why your card was declined is to give customer service a call at (800) 432-3117.

Common reasons why Chase credit cards get declined:

• The card is not activated: You can’t use your Chase credit card until you activate it.
• There’s not enough available credit: Your purchase might have exceeded the amount of money you’re allowed to spend on the card.
• Suspected fraud: If Chase’s system flags a transaction as suspicious and possibly fraudulent, they may prevent it from going through until you confirm that you authorized it.
• Delinquency: If you are very behind on paying your bills, Chase could stop your card from being used for any new purchases.
• The account is closed: If your card is declined, it could mean Chase closed your account, though they should have notified you if they did.

It is also possible that the reason your Chase credit card was declined isn’t the fault of either you or Chase. Your card could be broken or the merchant’s payment terminal could not be working properly. But no matter what the situation is, you’ll probably get the quickest answer by talking to customer service.

It’s worth pointing out that the word “declined” is also sometimes used to mean a credit card application being denied. If your Chase credit card application was declined, there are a number of possible reasons.

Reasons why your Chase credit card application was denied:

• Low credit score
• Insufficient income
• Too many recent applications
• Too many open Chase credit card accounts  
• Poor payment history

You should receive an e-mail detailing the reason(s) why your application was denied. And if you think the reason why your Chase card application was declined is not accurate, you could request a reconsideration of your application.