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Instant Use Credit Cards

You could get a virtual credit card instantly

Instantly access your credit and start using your new virtual card right away, if eligible. 2
Low Intro APR Credit Card

How do instant credit cards work?

An instant use credit card from Discover isn’t a special kind of Discover credit card: it’s a virtual card number that applicants could receive when they’re approved for a new Discover Card. That virtual card number connects to your new account, so you can shop and earn rewards right away. 3

How do instant credit cards work?

An instant use credit card from Discover isn’t a special kind of Discover credit card: it’s a virtual card number that applicants could receive when they’re approved for a new Discover Card. That virtual card number connects to your new account, so you can shop and earn rewards right away. 3

Instant credit card FAQs

Benefits that don’t just talk the talk

Fraud Liability Icon

$0 Fraud Liability

You’re never responsible for unauthorized purchases on your Discover Card. 3

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Free Social Security number alerts

Get an alert if we find your Social Security number on the dark web. 5 Sign up to activate this free benefit.

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Freeze your account

If you misplace your card, you can prevent new purchases and cash advances in seconds with the on/off switch on our mobile app and website. 6

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FICO® Score and more

It's free and checking your score doesn’t hurt your credit. 7

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Real human customer service 24/7

You can talk to a real human on our customer service team any time. 4

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Tap to pay

It’s fast and easy to pay with your contactless Discover Card. 8

Learn more about instant credit cards

Learn whether instantly approved credit card are the same as instant use credit cards, and how to access your new credit cards for immediate use.

Credit card approval depends on past credit history, income, and other financial factors. Here’s what you need to apply for a credit card online.

Learn how long it takes to get a credit card, including credit card approval times, how long it takes to receive a card in the mail, and why there may be delays.

The offer terms presented on this page (including, but not limited to, APR rates) may be different than offer terms displayed if you navigate away from this page. Check the terms of your specific offer before you move forward with submitting an application.

  1. Footnote 1:

    Decision times may vary based on system availability and in some cases, we need to verify or collect additional information from you.

  2. Footnote 2:

    Some customers will not be eligible to access a virtual card. If you are eligible, you must verify your identity before accessing your virtual card. In some cases, you will not be able to access your virtual card until approximately 30 days after account opening, and you may not have access to your full credit line until your physical card is activated. Web access is needed to manage your virtual card number online or in the Mobile app. Virtual cards may not be accepted by all stores. Virtual cards are not available for debit cards and some credit cards.

  3. Footnote 3:

    $0 Fraud Liability: An “unauthorized purchase” is a purchase where you have not given access to your card information to another person or a merchant for one-time or repeated charges. Unauthorized use and $0 fraud liability claims are subject to investigation and verification. Please use reasonable care to protect your card and do not share it with employees, relatives, or friends.

  4. Footnote 4:

    Customer service: Certain specialized customer service agents may not be available 24/7.

  5. Footnote 5:

    Alerts and CreditWise Terms: Eligible users who have signed up for CreditWise, a free credit monitoring service provided by Capital One, will get access to their TransUnion® credit report, FICO Score 8, credit monitoring alerts based on select changes to their TransUnion® and Experian® credit reports and information we find on the Dark Web, tools to help them understand their credit, offers, and more. The credit score provided in CreditWise is a FICO Score 8 based on TransUnion data. The FICO Score 8 gives you a good sense of your credit health but it may not be the same score model used by your lender or creditor. In order to enroll in CreditWise, you need to be over the age of 18 with a valid social security number that can be matched to a credit profile with TransUnion. The availability of the CreditWise tool and certain features in the tool depends on our ability to obtain your credit history from TransUnion and whether you have sufficient credit history to generate a FICO Score 8. Some monitoring and alerts may not be available to you if the information you enter at enrollment does not match the information in your credit file at (or you do not have a file at) one or more consumer reporting agencies. You do not need to have a Capital One account (which includes Discover card accounts) to sign up for CreditWise. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

  6. Footnote 6:

    When you freeze or lock your account, Capital One will decline new charges including, but not limited to: Purchases (including in-store, online, in-app and by phone) and cash advances. Any cards with the same number will also be locked. If you have authorized users, you need to lock their cards individually. Only the primary cardholder is able to unlock authorized users’ cards online. Some limitations may apply including but not limited to: (i) Service outages may occur and routine maintenance may result in downtime, during which the transactions might be approved; (ii) Some types of activity may continue, including but not limited to, returns, credits, dispute adjustments, payments, protection product fees, other account fees, interest, rewards redemptions and certain exempted transactions; (iii) If you have charges continuing from a previous card number that transferred to this card, those charges should continue since they’ve been authorized. You can remove merchants from your ‘Continued Charges’ list at any time; and (iv) Balance transfers may still be authorized. Capital One customers are responsible for regularly checking their account activity and making payments on locked cards.

  7. Footnote 7:

    FICO® Credit Score and CreditWise Terms: Eligible users who have signed up for CreditWise, a free credit monitoring service provided by Capital One, will get access to their TransUnion® credit report, FICO Score 8, credit monitoring alerts, tools to help them understand their credit, offers, and more. The credit score provided in CreditWise is a FICO Score 8 based on TransUnion data. The FICO Score 8 gives you a good sense of your credit health but it may not be the same score model used by your lender or creditor. In order to enroll in CreditWise, you need to be over the age of 18 with a valid social security number that can be matched to a credit profile with TransUnion. The availability of the CreditWise tool and certain features in the tool depends on our ability to obtain your credit history from TransUnion and whether you have sufficient credit history to generate a FICO Score 8. Some monitoring and alerts may not be available to you if the information you enter at enrollment does not match the information in your credit file at (or you do not have a file at) one or more consumer reporting agencies. You do not need to have a Capital One account (which includes Discover card accounts) to sign up for CreditWise. FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the United States and other countries.

  8. Footnote 8:

    You can use the tap to pay feature with your contactless card anywhere your Discover credit card is accepted, and you see the contactless symbol  at checkout. Not all merchants accept contactless payments. The Contactless Symbol is a trademark owned by and used with permission of EMVCo, LLC.

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