The Wacky Reason I Was Denied for the Capital One Venture Card (and What I Plan to Do About It)

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Over the past year or so I’ve gotten a handful of targeted offers in the mail for the Capital One® Venture® Rewards Credit Card.  I held off on applying because I had other Chase cards I wanted, and I didn’t want to be restricted by Chase’s 5/24 rule.

But a few weeks ago I received yet another mailer, and this time the offer was for 60,000 Venture miles after meeting the card’s minimum spending requirement.

I have a couple of big expenses coming up, and I’ve always been intrigued by the ease of earning and using Venture miles.  So I decided to apply.

I’ve had a Capital One® Quicksilver® Cash Rewards Credit Card open for a long time, but I rarely use it because I now focus on earning miles & points with the other cards.

The Application Process

Filling out the application was simple and only took me a couple of minutes.  I submitted my application thinking that my approval was more or less guaranteed.  But then, the dreaded “we can’t approve you at this time…yadda yadda yadda” message appeared.  And I must admit, I was kind of offended!

How could I be denied for a card that they’d been pushing on me for so long?  I have a great credit score, so what’s going on?  Did I mistype something into the application?  This can’t be right!

I immediately got on the line with Capital One to figure out what was going on.  I’ve had applications go pending before, but I’ve never been outright denied.

Upon talking to a Capital One representative, they told me there was nothing they could do until I received a letter or email explaining the reason for my denial.  So I impatiently patiently waited for one.

The Reason for the Denial

About a week later I got both an email and letter stating that Capital One wouldn’t approve me for the Venture card because “too few or no revolving accounts have a balance.”

Yes, you read that right.  They’re denying me because I’m a responsible credit card holder and pay my bills on time.

I’m still in the process of following up with them to see if there’s anything I can do to get approved.  I plan on explaining how much spending I plan on putting on the card and reminding them of the fact that I’ve been a longtime Capital One customer.

Have you ever been denied for a card?  Were you eventually successful in getting approved after calling the bank’s reconsideration line?  Tell me about it in the comments!

Also, be sure to check out our review of the Capital One Venture card.  It’s our top pick for the easiest to redeem travel rewards.  And is a fantastic card for anyone looking to avoid the hassle of dealing with award charts, blackout dates, and bonus categories!