How Do I See If I’m Pre Approved for a Credit Card?

No, pre-approved doesn't mean no credit check. It simply means the issuer has already done a harmless, soft credit check and decided to make you an offer. If you decide to apply for the card, though, it is very likely that there will be a hard pull on your credit report.

Keep in mind that getting pre-approved for a card doesn't guarantee approval should you ultimately decide to submit a formal application. However, pre-approved applicants end up being approved in the vast majority of cases (90%).

Here's what happens when you submit an application:

If you decide to submit an application for the card you've been pre-approved for, the issuer will probably conduct a hard pull on your credit report.

A hard pull usually results in a slight decrease in an applicant's credit score, but the effect only lasts for a short period of time.

Being pre-qualified for a credit card means the issuer has done a soft pull of your credit history and concluded that you are a good fit. It also means you have an 80%+ chance of acceptance if you decide to apply for the card in question. It's very similar to pre-approval in those regards. The main difference is who makes the first move. If a credit card company sends you an offer, it's probably pre-approval. But if you check yourself, on an issuer's website or by visiting a branch, it's pre-qualification. However, the distinction is small enough that people often use the terms interchangeably.

Some issuers let you check of pre-qualification online, while others only send offers in the mail. And if you don't want to get offers, you can opt not to receive them at OptOutPrescreen.com But prequalification can be a big help in choosing which card to apply for, since it helps you limit applications to your most likely options.

Here's what getting pre-qualified for a credit card means for you:

• American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, Chase, Citibank, and Discover all let you check for prequalification online. You'll need to provide your full name and Social Security number. You may also have to provide your birthday and home address. You'll then be shown which cards (if any) you prequalify for, along with an application link.
• If you get a pre-approved offer in the mail, it will come with a code that you can use to respond to the offer on the credit card company's website. But they'll also send you a paper application that you can fill out and mail back if you prefer.
• Whether you're pre-approved or pre-qualified, you still need to apply, and you aren't guaranteed acceptance. But you do have a very strong chance.

Getting pre-qualified for a credit card means you can apply knowing that you probably aren't wasting a hard inquiry on a long shot. And if you sign up for WalletHub, you'll get personalized credit analysis with card recommendations tailored to suit your circumstances as well.

Pre-approval means that a credit card company has made you an offer for one of their cards, usually via mail or email. 

What you should know about credit card pre-approval:

Receiving a pre-approved offer means the issuer has done a soft pull on your credit report and concluded that you are a good fit. It also means you have high chances of acceptance if you decide to apply for the card in question. Unlike hard inquiries, which are done by issuers when you apply for a credit card, soft pulls don't hurt your credit score. But they don't guarantee approval, either.

While there are plenty of issuers that offer pre-approved credit cards, it's important to note that not all of them offer this feature. Also, until you actually apply for the card, you won't know for sure if you got approved for it.

The best 0% APR credit card that offers pre-approval is the Wells Fargo Reflect® Card. It offers an introductory rate of 0% for 21 months from account opening on new purchases and 0% for 21 months from account opening on qualifying balance transfers. Wells Fargo may send out pre-approved offers by mail, and existing Wells Fargo customers may receive offers via e-mail or through their card's online account. Plus, anyone can check their approval odds for this card and other Wells Fargo offers through the issuer's pre-qualification page.

Note that a pre-approved offer is technically not the same thing as a pre-qualified offer, even though the two terms are often used interchangeably. Pre-approved offers are initiated by the credit card issuer, whereas a potential customer will contact the issuer to see if they're pre-qualified for an offer. Checking for pre-qualification online does not affect your credit score, but if you respond to an offer, you almost always have to give the issuer permission to pull your credit report when you apply.

Best 0% APR Credit Cards That Offer Pre-Approval

Getting pre-approved for a 0% APR credit card means that your chances of being approved for a card are very high, if you decide to apply. Keep in mind that if you do apply, the issuer will conduct a hard inquiry into your credit history, which will lead to a slight dip in your credit score. The best 0% APR credit cards often require at least good or excellent credit to be approved, so check your latest credit score for free to gauge your odds of approval before you apply.

The best easy approval secured card is the Chime Credit Card because it does not require a credit check, it reports to the major credit bureaus, and it has a $0 annual fee. To qualify, you will need to be 18+ years old, earn enough income to pay the bill, and open a Chime checking account. That checking account must receive a payroll direct deposit of $200+ in the year before your credit card application.  

Secured credit card approval is pretty easy to come by, no matter which card you apply for. A secured card is the easiest type of credit card to get simply because you have to place a refundable security deposit, the amount of which usually becomes your spending limit. As a result, secured cards prevent you from spending more than you put down, making it less risky for credit card companies to approve people with damaged credit. And since you pretty much pre-pay for your purchases with a secured card, past payment problems should not keep you from getting approved.

Given their safeguards, you might assume that secured credit cards offer guaranteed approval. But that's not the case. There are certain requirements that anyone must satisfy to get a credit card.

Basic Secured Credit Card Approval Requirements

• 18+ years old
• $49-$200+ for a refundable security deposit
• Enough income for monthly bill payments
• U.S. mailing address
• Social Security number (ITIN or passport accepted in some cases)

Some secured credit cards are harder to get than others, though. Requirements vary by credit card company. And some issuers won't approve anyone with a non-discharged bankruptcy, a tax lien or certain other types of negative records on their credit report. 

But there's a flip side to that, too. Secured credit card approval is very easy to get if you choose the right offer. A handful of cards don't even do a credit check when you apply.

Best Easy Approval Secured Credit Cards

If you're less concerned with easy approval than getting the best terms, you should also consider the U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa® Secured Card and the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card. Neither charges an annual fee, and both offer pretty good rewards. Both are available to people with bad credit, too.

The best pre-approved secured credit card is the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card. You can check for pre-approval on the Capital One website. This card has a $0 annual fee. Plus, unlike many secured cards, the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Card also offers rewards. With this card you can earn 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, as well as 1.5% cash back on all other purchases. 

Keep in mind that getting pre-approved for a secured credit card doesn't mean guaranteed approval. But your chances of getting approved are very high if you apply. 

Some of the Best Pre-Approved Cecured Credit Cards 

Another good secured credit card is the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card. You can't check for pre-approval with this card. But since OpenSky doesn't require a credit check, there will be no impact on your credit score. The annual fee is $35, and the minimum deposit is $200.

The most common way to get pre-approved store cards is to receive an offer by mail or while shopping with a retailer online. One of the best pre-approved store card is the Kohl's Credit Card because you can easily check for pre-approval online. The Kohl's Credit Card has a $0 annual fee, gives a 35% discount on your first purchase, and earns you 7.5% in Rewards on every qualifying purchase made at Kohl as long as you enroll. Cardmembers also get special promotional events from time to time and account anniversary offers. Kohl's Credit Card usually requires at least fair credit for approval, which is standard for a store credit card. But the fact that you can initiate a pre-approval check on the Kohl's website is rare, as most store cards require you to shop and wait for a pop-up about pre-approval.

Some of the biggest issuers of store cards, like Synchrony, Comenity and TD Bank, don't let you check for pre-approval without shopping. But other major issuers, such as American Express and Capital One, do offer online pre-approval check tools, the results of which may include store cards. When you are unable to check for pre-approval directly, the best way to find pre-approved store cards is to shop on stores' websites. Signing up for a retailer's loyalty rewards program may also increase your chances of receiving a pre-approval offer while shopping online.

Most store cards require fair credit or better, so if you qualify, you shouldn't worry about pre-approval. You can simply apply for the store credit card of your choice as you'll have good odds of approval. Just know that applications trigger hard pulls of your credit which can temporarily lower your credit score, so make sure you know where you stand before applying. You can check your credit score for free, right here on WalletHub.

Whether or not you will get approved for a credit card depends on several factors. What kind of credit card you apply for, your credit history, and how much income you have relative to any debt you owe all come into play. 

How to check your chances of approval before applying for a card: 

• The most reliable way to tell whether you'll be approved for a credit card is to check for pre-qualification with the issuer. 
• Most major credit card issuers will let you see which cards you're likely to qualify for by entering some personal information into an online form (usually name, address, and Social Security number).
• You can also go into a branch and ask what cards you pre-qualify for. You might even receive pre-approved credit card offers in the mail.

If you want the highest credit card approval odds, check out our editor's picks for the easiest credit cards to get. Note that you're almost guaranteed to get approved if you apply for a secured credit card, especially if you have less than perfect credit. 

So, you can be pretty confident in finding some decent credit card to approve you, regardless of your credit score. However, you'll never be absolutely certain that you'll get approved for a specific credit card before you apply.

To get pre-approved for a balance transfer credit card, pick a credit card you want to apply for and check if its issuer offers an online pre-approval or pre-qualification tool. Many credit card issuers will let you know which of their credit cards you are likely to qualify for based on a soft pull on your credit report. To get pre-approved for a 0% APR balance transfer credit card, you will most likely need to have good credit or better.

It should be noted that pre-approval technically is not the same thing as pre-qualification. Pre-approval means the issuer proactively looks at someone's credit history and decides if they are a good candidate for a credit card. An example of pre-approval is when you get a credit card offer in the mail. There's not much you can do to usher in such offers, aside from maximizing your overall creditworthiness and making sure you haven't opted-out of receiving mail offers. Pre-qualification, on the other hand, means the applicant requests an assessment of their creditworthiness, which would be the case if you fill out a form on the issuer's website. For the sake of simplicity, the two terms are often used interchangeably, as is the case here.

How to Get Balance Transfer Card Pre-Approval

1. Choose a balance transfer credit card. There are many balance transfer credit card offers from different issuers currently available. To pick the best one for you, consider the length of the promotional APR period, the balance transfer fee, the regular APR and the card's credit score requirements.
2. Check if the credit card issuer offers pre-approval. Many credit card companies let you get pre-approved online. Some issuers will not let you check your odds of getting a specific credit card and will instead present several offers based on your creditworthiness. However, not all issuers offer pre-approval.
3. Fill in your personal information. If the issuer has a pre-approval tool, you will likely be asked to provide some personal information, such as your name and Social Security number. The credit card company will do a soft pull on your credit report, which won't affect your credit score.
4. See your pre-approval results. Credit card companies usually let you see pre-approval results instantly. If your balance transfer credit card is among the options, you know you will have great approval odds if you decide to apply.

Top Balance Transfer Credit Card Issuers That Offer Pre-Approval

• American Express
• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Chase (Only for existing Chase customers)
• Wells Fargo

It should be noted that while pre-approval indicates you have a good chance of getting the card, it does not represent a guarantee. You can learn more about how pre-approval works on WalletHub. You can also check out balance transfer credit card offers known for being easy to get.

You can get pre-approved for a Visa credit card by checking for Visa offers from banks or credit unions in the mail, online, or at a local branch. Visa credit card issuers will typically send pre-approved offers to people who have good approval odds based on a soft pull of their credit. In addition, most major credit card issuers allow you to pre-qualify on their website by providing your full name, address, birthday, and Social Security number.

Pre-qualification and pre-approval are similar, though pre-approval is technically initiated by card issuers, while you initiate pre-qualification. The benefit of getting pre-approved or pre-qualified for a Visa is that it can reassure you that your application is more likely to be approved. This means you won't waste a hard inquiry on your credit report – nor the temporary credit score hit that comes with it – applying for a card you aren't qualified for.

Popular Visa Credit Cards to Get Pre-Approved For in 2023

Visa is one of the largest credit card networks and supports a variety of very good credit cards, providing a range of valuable benefits. Many Visa cards offer you the chance to get pre-approved or pre-qualified before applying.   

While approval is much more likely if you have been pre-approved or pre-qualified, keep in mind that your credit card application could still be denied. You can learn more by checking out WalletHub's pre-approval guide. You can also compare the top Visa credit card offers available right now.