Best Guaranteed Approval Credit Cards

Secured credit cards are the easiest credit cards to get approved for when you have bad credit or no credit. These cards have annual fees as low as $0, report monthly to the 3 major credit bureaus, and often give rewards of 1% or more. To help people with no credit or bad credit maximize their odds of approval for a credit card, WalletHub’s editors compared the approval requirements for more than 1,500 credit card offers, along with their fees, rates and rewards.

Easiest Credit Cards to Get Approved For

This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of an issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer. Please keep in mind that while some offers may come from WalletHub advertising partners, sponsorship status played no role in card selection. 

View entire answer

Some of the best instant approval department store cards include those from big-name retailers like TJX Store Card, Kohl's Credit Card and Amazon.com Store Card.  Aside from potentially offering instant approval, they also offer rewards at the retailers they're affiliated with.

Most store cards, including the ones affiliated with department stores, can offer instant approval. When you apply online, there’s always a chance you will be instantly approved (or denied). Many stores also allow customers to apply in-store and receive a decision right away. Sometimes, the retailer will even let the new cardholder use the card immediately to pay for that day’s purchase. The cashier at your favorite retailer should be able to give you more information.

Best instant approval department store credit cards:

Most department store cards require fair credit or better (a credit score of 640+) for good odds of approval. In case you don’t know where you stand, you can check your credit score or free, right here on WalletHub.

There are loads more department store credit cards to check out. But while it’s common to receive an instant decision for a store card, it’s not guaranteed. Your application might take longer to process if you’re right on the edge of meeting the card’s requirements, or if you make a mistake and accidentally give incorrect information on the application.

Guaranteed approval credit cards with $10,000 limits for bad credit don’t really exist. A secured credit card that allows you to place a very sizable deposit is the closest thing you’ll find. For example, the Chime Credit Card allows you to put down as much as $10,000 and offers nearly guaranteed approval. But your spending limit equals the amount of your deposit, so it won’t help you buy something that you can’t already afford in cash.

There are a couple of important reasons why guaranteed approval credit cards with $10,000 limits for bad credit are not available. For starters, no credit card offers 100% guaranteed approval. There’s always some sort of minimum eligibility requirement that you must meet. That’s even true with secured credit cards.

Furthermore, credit cards for people with bad credit tend to have spending limits that are far below $10,000. Most unsecured cards for bad credit give you a starting limit of around $300, and fees eat into a lot of that early on. So, if you have bad credit, you’re not going to find a credit card capable of financing a big-ticket purchase.

Some Easy High Limit Credit Cards to Get with Bad Credit

• Chime Credit Card: No pre-set minimum limit – $10,000 limit (same as the amount you transfer from your Chime Spending Account)
• Harley-Davidson® Secured Credit Card: $300 - $5,000 limit (same as the deposit amount)
• First National Bank of Omaha Secured Visa® Card: $300 - $5,000 limit (same as the deposit amount)
• OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card: $200 - $3,000 limit (same as the deposit amount)
• First Progress Platinum Elite Mastercard® Secured Credit Card: $200 - $2,000 limit (same as the deposit amount)

At the end of the day, getting a credit card with a specific spending limit should not be your top priority when you have bad credit. You’re unlikely to get an unsecured card with a $10,000 limit until you have excellent credit. So, rebuilding your credit as inexpensively as possible is the best approach in the long run. Above all else, that means getting approved for a credit card as quickly as possible and paying your bill on time every month.

These offers are among WalletHub’s picks for the best secured credit cards. They all can make shopping more convenient. And as long as you pay your monthly bills on time, they’ll help you improve your credit score. If you’d like some tips for how to speed up the credit-rebuilding process, you can get personalized credit-improvement advice by signing up for a free WalletHub account.

The best guaranteed approval unsecured credit card for bad credit is the Fingerhut Credit Account, because it has a $0 annual fee, fast application process and a 90% approval rate. There is no credit card with absolutely guaranteed approval. But some unsecured cards, like the Fingerhut Credit Account, give you high odds of approval.

The problem with many unsecured credit cards for bad credit is they tend to be expensive. Many have annual fees and some have one-time fees or monthly fees, too. That’s on top of a high APR.

Best Unsecured Credit Cards for Bad Credit with High Approval Rates in 2023

Overall, the closest you can get to guaranteed approval for a credit card is with secured credit cards, which require an up-front security deposit. Secured cards aren’t going to provide an emergency loan, but they do help rebuild credit.

If you need a credit card today, you should apply for either an American Express card, a Capital One card or one of the store cards that offer instant use. While it’s pretty common to get approved for a credit card the same day if you apply online, you’ll still usually have to wait another 7-10 business days before your card comes to use it.

All American Express cards give you the potential for an instant card number after approval, which will give you access to part of your credit line until your card arrives. Capital One cards also provide instant use through the Capital One app, but that’s only possible if you’re an existing Capital One cardholder. Store cards, such as the Target Credit Card, may give you an instant number or code to use as a temporary version of your card.

Some of the Best Credit Cards You Can Get Today

The Amex Blue Cash Everyday offers $200 statement credit after spending $2,000 in the first 6 months. The card also gives 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. gas stations and on U.S. online retail purchases (up to $6,000 spent per year in each category), as well as 1% back on all other purchases, earned as statement credits. This card has a $0 annual fee.

The Costco Credit Card offers 4% cash back on eligible gas and and EV charging purchases (up to $7,000 spent per year), 3% back on restaurants and travel, 2% back on Costco and Costco.com purchases, and 1% back on all other purchases. This card has a $0 annual fee but you must be a Costco member to get it. Th card gives a temporary code to scan at checkout until the actual card arrives.

The Capital One QuicksilverOne offers 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, as well as 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. This card has a $39 annual fee. Must be an existing Capital One customer to see your card information through the app.

The Capital One Platinum Secured card requires a minimum security deposit of $49, $99 or $200. Your credit line will always be at least $200. This card doesn’t offer rewards. Capital One Platinum Secured has a $0 annual fee. Must be an existing Capital One customer to see your card information through the app.

The Target Credit Card offers 5% discount at Target and Target.com. The card has a $0 annual fee. Target Credit Card gives a temporary number after approval to use until your card comes.

While there’s no guarantee these options will get you a credit card today, they’ll certainly give you your best chance. Don’t forget that if you get approved for a Capital One card you’ll need to both already have another Capital One card open and have downloaded the app. Unfortunately, this option isn’t available to every Capital One customer, but Capital One doesn’t disclose who is eligible for instant card information. In the same way, all Amex cards give the potential for instant numbers, but aren’t guaranteed to give you one.

And if you’re interested in a store card, make sure to ask if they offer instant use first. Lastly, when your physical card arrives by mail in 7-10 business days, be sure to activate it right away.

The best credit card for bad credit with no deposit and nearly guaranteed approval is the Indigo Credit Card because it accepts applicants with a credit score as low as 300. The Indigo Credit Card comes with a starting credit limit of $300 and charges $0 - $99 in annual fees. Indigo Credit Card applicants can also check for pre-approval, which lets them know how likely they are to get the card.

No credit card offers 100% guaranteed approval, as there is always some criteria applicants must meet. At a minimum, they must be at least 18 years old and have enough income to afford monthly credit card payments. And you won’t be able to get the Indigo Credit Card if you had another Indigo Credit Card account that was charged-off due to delinquency.

Credit Cards for Bad Credit with No Deposit & Good Approval Odds

Even if you’ve had credit trouble in the past, there are plenty of credit cards with no deposit that offer high approval odds. You can compare the best unsecured credit cards for bad credit of 2023 on WalletHub.

There is no way to get guaranteed credit card approval with a high limit. That’s because no credit card issuer guarantees approval – they make a decision based upon your credit, income, debt load and many other factors. In addition, credit cards with the highest starting limits require good credit (score of 700+) or excellent credit (score of 750+). So, only people with a long history of responsibility can get them.

How to Get Good Approval Odds and a High Limit

Your best chance for nearly guaranteed approval and a high limit is with a secured card. Secured credit cards require a security deposit, and they’re the easiest type of credit card to get. Unless you have no income or a currently pending bankruptcy, your odds of rejection are very low.

On secured cards, your credit limit is equal to your deposit. So, the more you deposit, the higher your credit limit becomes. Issuers tend to set upper limits, but if you have a lot of cash on hand, there are several cards that allow users to deposit quite a bit. Your deposit is refundable once you pay any balance owed and close the account.

If you happen to have good or excellent credit history, make sure to take a look at WalletHub’s picks for the best high limit credit cards overall.