Does the Citi Rewards+ Card have pre-approval?

The easiest Citi card to get is the Citi® Secured Mastercard®. This is the only Citi card that will accept applicants with limited credit (less than 3 years of credit history). This card requires a $200 refundable security deposit, but has a $0 annual fee. It also helps you build credit history with monthly reporting to all three ... read full answermajor credit bureaus (TransUnion, Equifax, and Experian).

Other things to know about the Citi credit cards:

Aside from the Citi Secured, nearly all other Citi credit cards require good credit or better (a credit score of 700+) for good odds of approval. Some of these cards include the Citi® Double Cash Card – 18 month BT offer and the Citi Premier® Card.

However, there are a number of store cards that also make it among the easiest Citi cards to get. Citi store cards require at least fair credit (a credit score of 640+) for approval. But purchases are limited to the affiliated merchant or its website.

What to know before getting a Citi credit card:

The easiest Citi cards to get come with limitations. They offer low minimum credit limits, high interest rates and few rewards and benefits. Also, with the Citi store cards, beware of deferred interest promotions. Deferred interest means that there’s 0% interest as long as the balance gets paid in full by the end of the promotion. If it’s not paid in full, Citibank charges interest on the original purchase amount from the date of purchase, at the card’s regular APR.

It may also be beneficial to look outside of Citibank to some of the easiest cards to get from other issuers. Aside from lenient approval requirements, some of these also offer rewards and have no annual fees. Also, they report to the three major credit bureaus. So, if you use them responsibly, you'll be able to build or rebuild your credit. You’ll then have future access to some of the best Citi credit cards, or other excellent options from different issuers.

No, Citi cannot pre-qualify you for a credit card at the moment. Citi does have an online pre-qualification page, however, this tool is not currently working. While this seems like a temporary measure due to COVID-19, you’ll need to apply for Citi cards without getting pre-qualified until the page is functioning again. In the meantime, you can check if you get a “... read full answerpre-selected” offer, which means you fit some general criteria established by Citi and have around a 70% chance of approval.

When the pre-qualification page is working again, you can see if you pre-qualify for any Citibank credit cards by providing some personal information, such as your name, your mailing address, and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Citibank will then conduct a soft inquiry on your credit score, which won’t hurt your credit in any way, before showing which cards you prequalify for.

How to Check Which Citi Cards You Pre-Qualify For

1. Go to Citi’s pre-qualification page.
2. Enter your name, address, and the last 4 digits of your Social Security number.
3. Select which card benefit, if any, matters most to you from the dropdown menu.
4. Check the box acknowledging you know this isn’t a credit card application and won’t affect your credit score.
5. Click “See your card offer.”

You’ll find out which Citi cards you have good approval odds for almost immediately after you submit your information. If you’d like, you can apply for one of those cards right away. Pre-qualification doesn’t guarantee approval, but it does give you around a 90% chance of approval if you choose to apply.

Citi might also mail you a pre-qualified credit card offer. The downside to this is that you only get an offer for one card as opposed to the potential for several online. If you received your offer by mail, you can either fill out the enclosed application and mail it back, or type in the invitation number on the “Respond to a mail offer” tab of the pre-qualification page.

Pre-approved and pre-qualified credit card offers both indicate that a potential applicant is likely to be approved, but they are used in slightly different situations. Being pre-approved means the issuer sent you an offer, while pre-qualification usually means you checked your approval odds through the issuer’s website. However, the terms are often used interchangeably.... read full answer

Both pre-approved and pre-qualified credit card offers have no effect on your credit standing, as issuers only use a soft pull to gauge your eligibility. But if you decide to apply after being pre-qualified or pre-approved, the issuer will do a hard pull of your credit, which will temporarily lower your score.

Pre-Approved Vs. Pre-Qualified Credit Cards

Top 7 Issuers That Offer an Online Pre-qualification Tool

• American Express
• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Chase
• Citibank
• Navy Federal Credit Union
• Wells Fargo

Pre-approved and pre-qualified offers generally provide an 80% - 90% chance of approval. On the other hand, if you get a “pre-selected” offer, it means you fit some general criteria established by the issuer and have around a 70% chance of approval. Lastly, an “invitation to apply” gets sent out based on demographics, not your credit. Such offers have lower acceptance rates because they’re sent to large groups of people and are not as targeted.