Does American Express have pre-approval?

It's generally harder to get an American Express card than it is to get a credit card from many other major issuers simply because all of Amex's credit card offers require good or excellent credit for approval. But American Express isn't the only credit card company to target people in the highest tiers of the credit score scale. Barclaycard and Chase do too, for example. And if you're fortunate enough to have good credit or better, an American Express credit card will be no harder to get than any other credit card.… read full answer

The easiest American Express cards to get are those that require a minimum of good credit for approval, as opposed to excellent credit only. You may also want to target cards that are co-branded with companies such as Delta and Hilton as well as offers with lower annual fees. Co-branded cards often have relatively high approval rates to accommodate more fans of the brand (e.g. Hilton) in question. And some of Amex's premium cards for big-spenders, which can be relatively difficult to get, have high fees.

Easiest American Express Cards to Get

• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
• The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card
• Hilton Honors American Express Card

Of course, American Express also evaluates each applicant's income and debt obligations to make sure they can afford monthly bill payments on a new line of credit. But there isn't much information available about Amex's standards in those regards, and you shouldn't expect them to differ too much from other credit card companies' policies.

You can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub and then track your progress with free daily updates.

American Express uses all three major credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax and Experian) in order to assess your creditworthiness. Credit reports, however, don’t differ that much from bureau to bureau. So, there’s a huge overlap between the contents of each major credit report.

However, make sure all of your reports are in order. Remember that you are entitled to one free report from each of the three major credit bureaus every 12 months. This will provide an opportunity to check for any incorrect or outdated information on your credit report. Alternatively, you can also … read full answerget your full report and score for free, right here on WalletHub.

The American Express credit score requirement is 700 or above, depending on the card. That means people with good to excellent credit are eligible to be approved for an American Express credit card.

If your credit score is below the threshold needed for a credit card from American Express, it’s best to wait to apply until you meet the credit score requirement. You can … read full answercheck your credit score for free on WalletHub.

American Express Credit Score Requirements by Card

• The Platinum Card® from American Express: 700 (Good credit)
• Centurion® Card from American Express: 750 (Excellent credit)
• Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express: 700 (Good credit)
• American Express Cash Magnet® Card: 700 (Good credit)*
• Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express: 700 (Good credit)
• American Express® Gold Card: 700 (Good credit)
• Hilton Honors American Express Card: 700 (Good credit)
• Delta SkyMiles® Blue American Express Card: 700 (Good credit)
• Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card: 700 (Good credit)
• USAA Classic American Express®: less than 3 years of credit history (Limited History credit)

You should note that while your credit score is an important factor, there are plenty of other things that will impact your chances of being approved for an American Express credit card, too. Some other key criteria include your income, existing debt load, number of open accounts, recent credit inquiries, employment status, and housing status.

*All information about the American Express Cash Magnet® Card has been collected independently by WalletHub. The American Express Cash Magnet® Card is no longer available to new applicants through WalletHub, but may be available on the American Express website.