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How Often Should You Apply for a Credit Card?

6 min read

Last Updated: May 9, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

You can apply for more than one credit card at a time, but it’s not always the best idea.
Every credit card application results in a new hard inquiry on your credit report, which may impact your credit score.
It may be best to spread out applications for new credit cards by several months.

Credit cards can provide a helpful tool for managing your money. Whether you plan on having a few or several credit cards, it’s important to know how often you should apply for a credit card.

Can you apply for more than one credit card at once?

You can apply for multiple cards at once. However, it’s typically a better idea to wait between credit card applications.

When you apply for a credit card, the card issuer conducts a hard inquiry into your credit report, which may have a temporary negative impact. Applying for multiple credit cards in a short period of time may hurt your credit score and make you appear risky to lenders. Some credit card issuers may also have rules on how soon after account opening you can apply for a similar credit card and the number of accounts you can have with the same issuer.

How applying for a new card affects your credit

Whether a new card will ultimately hurt or boost your credit score depends on your situation. Consider possible changes in the following credit score elements:

New credit

When you submit a new credit card application, the credit card issuer typically conducts a hard credit inquiry for more insight into your credit habits and payment history. Your credit report helps lenders evaluate your application and determine your eligibility, interest rate, and credit limits. When a credit bureau receives information about a hard inquiry, it appears on your credit report.

Applying for multiple credit cards at the same time can impact your credit score. Since a higher credit score could help you qualify for credit cards with lower interest rates and more rewards, it may be best not to apply for multiple offers.

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Credit utilization ratio

New lines of credit may influence your credit utilization ratio, which is your outstanding balance compared to your total available credit. When you open a new credit card account, your available credit generally increases based on your additional credit limits, which can help your score. But it’s important to resist any urge to overspend on your new cards. Try to keep your balances low on new credit cards to minimize your credit utilization. A lower credit utilization ratio may increase your chance of credit approval or a credit limit increase in the future.

Average account age

New credit cards also bring down the average age of your accounts, which may affect your credit score. If you have an extensive credit history, a small change in the age of your accounts may not make a huge difference. But if you’ve only recently started building credit history, the impact of your accounts’ average age may be more significant.

Credit mix

Before you apply for a new card, you may also want to consider your credit mix. Typically, lenders want to see that you can manage both revolving credit—like a credit card—and installment credit. If you already have one or more credit cards, opening a new account won’t improve your credit mix. But if you have mostly installment credit, like personal loans, student loans, or auto loans, a new credit card account could improve your score by increasing your credit mix.

Card issuers may limit how often you can open a new credit card account

Each card issuer has its own set of rules to determine eligibility for their cards, including how often you can apply for a credit card, how many credit cards you can obtain within a set time period, and even how many total accounts you can have.

Some may require you to wait a year after one account opening before you open a second account and may also limit you to two accounts with them.

To find out how often you can apply for a credit card, contact the card issuer for specific details.

What to consider before applying for a new credit card

Before you apply for an additional credit card, you should consider a few factors that might influence your decision.

Your credit score. Your credit score influences the credit cards you may qualify for, as well as your credit limit and interest rate. If you’ve worked to build an excellent credit history, you may want to consider an additional card that meets your needs. However, if your score isn’t where you’d like it to be, you may not be in the best position to manage multiple credit cards.
Existing credit card debt. You shouldn’t take on more credit card debt than you can manage. If you’re struggling to cover an existing balance, you may not want to take on another card until you’ve repaid your debts.
Other financial factors. While your credit history is important, it’s not the only financial factor that might influence your decision. For example, if you’ve recently gotten a raise, you may want a new credit card to increase your available credit. On the other hand, if you’re planning to apply for a mortgage or another major loan soon, you might want to delay your credit card application.
Rewards. You may want a new rewards credit card with perks that your current card doesn’t offer. For example, maybe you have a credit card that offers travel rewards on eligible purchases. You might want to apply for a card that rewards other everyday purchases, too.

Did you know?

With the Discover it^® Cash Back Credit Card, earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places you shop each quarter, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. Plus, earn 1% cash back on all other purchases – automatically.

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The bottom line

There's no set guideline for how long you should wait between applying for new credit cards. It depends on your personal situation. If your credit score is healthy and your financial situation is stable, you may not need to wait at all.

However, if you plan on applying for a loan, mortgage, or refinancing, you should consider spacing out your credit inquiries by several months. Even if a credit card issuer has recently denied your application, it’s worthwhile to wait before applying for another card if you’re working on rebuilding your credit.

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