What are the Citi Secured requirements for approval?

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.

Your Citi Secured approval odds are good if you have limited credit (less than 3 years of credit history). Approval odds for the Citi Secured will also be influenced by your annual income and existing debts. In addition, every applicant will need to be 18+ years old with a U.S. mailing address and an SSN or ITIN.

What You Need for Good Citi Secured Approval Odds… read full answer

• less than 3 years of credit history
• Enough income to pay credit card bills
• Low debt relative to income
• Low housing costs relative to income
• U.S. mailing address
• Age of 18+
• Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number

Keep in mind that many of these are guidelines rather than requirements. For example, you may have a low annual income with no debts and still get approved. To get a better sense of your approval odds before applying for a Citi Secured, you can check to see if you’re pre-qualified for any offers on the Citibank website. Pre-qualifying does not guarantee approval, but it does indicate that you have pretty good odds of getting approved for certain cards, and it won’t affect your credit score.

If you want to enhance your application by improving your credit score, WalletHub’s free credit analysis can tell you what steps to take.

Yes, the Citi Secured will do a hard pull. You can apply for it with bad credit though.

There is no way to get pre-approved for the Citi Secured. A hard pull usually causes an applicant's credit score to drop by 5-10 points. Most people’s scores bounce back within 3-6 months with responsible credit management, but it can take up to 12 months. You can learn more about how to minimize the credit score damage … read full answerhere.