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How to Get Approved for a Credit Card

7 min read

Last Updated: February 3, 2026

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

Your credit history and income influence the credit card offers you may receive.
Good credit habits, like paying down your debts and making on-time payments, may improve your odds of credit approval.
Credit card pre-approval may help you identify the credit card offers you’ll receive without hurting your credit score.

A credit card is often a powerful financial tool. As long as you use your card responsibly, you may earn rewards, help build a credit history, and enjoy more flexibility when you shop. But before you enjoy the benefits of a new card, you have to find the right fit and get approved.

Qualifying for a credit card may seem intimidating, especially if you’re new to credit. However, you may be able to improve your chances of approval for the credit card you want by taking the time to understand the factors that credit card issuers prioritize.

How do lenders decide if you qualify for a credit card?

Lenders decide whether you qualify for a credit card offer by reviewing financial information from your application and your credit history to judge your creditworthiness, or likelihood of repaying your debt. Typically, credit card issuers determine your creditworthiness based on your credit score and income.

Credit score

After you apply for a credit card, the issuer typically reviews your credit score to understand your experience managing debt. Some factors that influence your credit score include your payment history and credit utilization ratio, the portion of your available credit in use at one time.

There are several credit scoring models, but most credit scores range from 300 to 850. A high credit score shows the lender that you’re likely to repay your debt on time.

If you have a strong credit score, you may qualify for the broader range of credit cards with benefits and favorable terms, as long as you meet other requirements. But you may have fewer options if you have a low credit score or no credit history.

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Income

When you fill out a credit card application, you typically have to provide your monthly income, employment status, and housing costs. Credit card companies request financial information to make sure you have enough consistent income to manage your credit card payments each month. If you don’t have much money left over after paying your rent or mortgage, you may fall behind on your credit card bills or even default.

A credit card company likewise uses your income information to help determine your credit limit. If your income increases, your lender may offer you a higher credit line.

How can I help my chances of getting approved for a credit card?

While approval for a new credit card is never guaranteed, you may improve your chances by practicing the following good credit habits.

Pay your bills on time

Your payment history plays a major role in your credit score. Make sure you pay your loan and credit card bills by the due date every month to show lenders you manage your debt responsibly. If you have trouble remembering your due date, consider setting up automatic payments.

Pay down your debt

If you already have a lot of debt, a credit card company may be hesitant to offer you additional credit. Pay down your existing balances to reduce your credit utilization ratio, which may increase your credit score. Plus, reducing your balances may help you save money on interest payments.

Repaying other types of debt, like loans, may also improve your chances of credit approval by reducing your debt-to-income ratio.

Don’t apply for too many credit cards at once

You might think that applying for multiple credit cards at once may help you get approved faster. However, doing so may actually have a negative effect on your credit score. Each credit card application usually leads to a hard credit inquiry, which lowers your credit score. Submitting multiple credit card applications close together may bring your credit score down further and signal financial instability.

Instead of applying for multiple credit cards, you may want to look for pre-approved or pre-qualified credit card offers. Credit card pre-approval gives you an idea of the cards and rates you may qualify for before you apply.

How do I get pre-approved for a credit card?

To figure out what credit card offers you’re pre-qualified for, determine whether the credit card company has an online tool for pre-approval. You may also receive pre-approved credit card offers in the mail or your email inbox. It’s important to know that pre-approval doesn’t guarantee final credit card approval. Pre-approval and pre-qualification just mean you meet the basic requirements for a credit card.

Do pre-approvals hurt your credit score?

No, credit card pre-approval doesn’t usually hurt your credit score. The pre-approval or pre-qualification process usually involves a soft credit check (also called a “soft credit inquiry”), which allows lenders to review your credit report. A soft inquiry doesn’t affect your credit score because you haven’t applied for credit.

Once you apply for credit, the lender performs a hard inquiry to access your credit file, which may affect your credit score.

Why you should check if you’re pre-approved for a card

Checking your pre-approved credit card options before you jump into the application process might make your search for a new card smoother in the following ways.

Avoid hurting your credit score

Submitting a credit card application triggers a hard credit inquiry, which may lower your score. Seeking credit card pre-approval first might help you avoid an unnecessary hard credit check. Even multiple soft credit checks generally won’t hurt your credit score.

Save time

Getting rejected for a credit card after you’ve taken the time to gather the necessary documents and complete the application process may be discouraging. With credit card pre-approval, you don’t have to waste time applying for cards you’re unlikely to qualify for.

Compare personalized credit card offers

Credit card preapproval makes it easier to compare cards for the best perks, like low introductory annual percentage rates (APR), credit card rewards, and welcome offers.

What credit cards can I get with Discover®?

The credit cards you qualify for from Discover depend on your credit history and financial circumstances. If you have a strong credit score, consistent income, and minimal debt, you may qualify for the widest selection of rewards credit cards. With Discover, you earn rewards on all purchases every time you use your card, automatically.

If your credit score is lower than you’d like or you’re just beginning your credit journey, you may still have options, like a secured credit card.

How can I get approval for a secured credit card?

To open a secured credit card account, you provide a refundable deposit that backs your credit limit. The deposit reduces the risk to the credit card issuer, since the company may keep the deposit if you default. Because the risk may be lower, the minimum credit score required for a secured card is lower than the minimum score needed to qualify for an unsecured credit card.

In some cases, a credit score may not be required at all. For example, there’s no credit score required to apply for a Discover it^® Secured Credit Card. ¹

Did you know?

If you’re in college and have limited credit history, you may qualify for a student credit card. A student credit card from Discover may help you build your credit history with responsible use.²

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How do I find out if I’m pre-approved for a Discover® Card?

The Discover pre-approval tool can help you see if you’re pre-approved with no harm to your credit score.³ Since the request for pre-approval only results in a soft inquiry, there’s no impact on your credit score.

The bottom line

There’s no guaranteed special trick to getting approved for a credit card. Instead, you may improve your chances of credit card approval by practicing responsible financial habits. If you don’t qualify for the card you want right away, you may apply again after you work to build a stronger credit history.

Important Information >

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