What are my Citi Secured Credit Card approval odds?

You need a credit score of at least 700 for a Citi credit card in most cases. That means applicants for Citi credit cards need at least good credit to be approved. But it really depends on which card you’re after. Some Citi credit cards require higher scores, and one accepts applicants with limited credit history.… read full answer

Below, you can see what Citi cards your credit score will allow you to pursue, along with other information about approval.

Citi credit score requirements:

• Limited History: For those with little or no credit history, the Citi Secured is a good option. A refundable security deposit of $200 is required. It doesn’t give any rewards, but it does offer a $0 annual fee and can help you rebuild your credit.
• Fair credit (640-699): With fair credit, you have a good shot at getting one of Citi’s various store cards. These cards can only be used at their associated store. Some examples of store cards issued by Citi that require at least fair credit are Office Depot Credit Card, Best Buy® Store Card and Goodyear Credit Card.
• Good credit (700-749): Good credit opens you up to some of Citi’s more attractive credit card offerings. You can get one of the best cashback cards on the market - Citi Double Cash Card - if you have at least good credit. Other cards that require at least good include Citi Simplicity Card, Citi Diamond Preferred and the Citi Rewards+ Card. And if you’re a frequent American Airlines flyer, the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard® also requires at least good credit while offering 2 miles / $1 spent at gas stations and restaurants and on America Airlines purchases (1 mile / $1 on all other purchases).
• Excellent credit (750 and up): You’ll be eligible for all of Citi’s cards with a score in this range, assuming your income and other information check out. But the only excellent-credit-only option is the Costco Credit Card (cash back oriented, offering 1 - 4% cash back on different spending categories).
• Other requirements: It takes more than just a good enough credit score to get Citi credit card approval. In particular, you need enough income to pay the monthly bills, along with your existing debts. You’ll also need a valid Social Security number (or ITIN) and U.S. mailing address.

If you’re not sure which Citi credit card you’ll be able to qualify for, it’s easy to get pre-qualified for a credit card online. Citi might also send a pre-qualified credit card offer to potential customers. But while this increases your chances for approval, it does not guarantee it. If you have received such an offer, visit Citi’s web page and enter your invitation code and last name to apply.

Also, keep in mind that applying for a Citi or any other credit card triggers hard inquiries and can temporarily lower your score - the more inquiries over a short period of time, the more damage to your score. So it’s best to know where you stand before applying for any credit card. You can check your credit score and track your progress for free, right here on WalletHub.

To qualify for a Citi Secured credit card graduation, you must have had your account open for at least 18 months. While there are no specific guidelines for how to ensure your Citi Secured graduates to an unsecured card, your credit performance will factor into it.

How to increase your chances of graduating with the Citi Secured:… read full answer

• Keep your account in good standing by paying your bills on time and in full.
• Keep your credit utilization below 30%.
• Monitor your credit score and review your credit reports frequently.

Unfortunately, you cannot request an earlier graduation date for the Citi Secured. You will have to wait until the maturity date. If your account is eligible for graduation, you will be notified by mail at least 30 days prior to reaching 18 months since account opening.

In the event that your account does not graduate, a letter informing you of this matter will be sent out to you 20-30 days before approaching 18-months of account opening. When a Citi Secured account does not pass graduation, it can either remain secured, or you can close it.

Yes, applying for a secured card does count as a hard inquiry most of the time. Nearly all secured credit cards will do a hard inquiry into applicants' credit reports to assess their creditworthiness, but there are exceptions such as the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card and the Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card. These secured credit cards with no credit check will not do a hard pull on your credit when you apply.… read full answer

A hard inquiry, also known as a hard pull, will likely drop your credit score by a few points temporarily. But if you haven’t had any hard pulls conducted on your credit report over the past six months and you don’t plan on applying for a sizable loan in the next few months, this shouldn’t be a problem. Your credit score should rebound from a hard inquiry within a few months.

Also, remember that even though your credit score may drop after you apply, responsible use of a secured card will ultimately help your score much more than the inquiry will hurt it. The hard pull will likely be worth it, in other words, especially since secured cards tend to be pretty easy to get approved for. You can track your progress with free daily credit score and report updates from WalletHub.