Updated
Sep 21, 2021 You’re in the market for a new credit card, but you’re not sure which ones you’re qualified for. After all, every card has different credit requirements, and these details are not always available online. Luckily, you can prequalify for some credit cards without submitting a full application.
Credit card prequalification is a great way to find out which cards you’re eligible for, so you can narrow your options and avoid incurring multiple hard inquiries on your credit report.
To prequalify, you’ll need to provide credit card companies with some basic personal info, and they’ll run a soft inquiry into your credit report to see if you are likely to be approved for a given card. They’ll also tell you about other cards that would be a good fit for your financial situation.
This page will show how to get prequalified for credit cards.
On this page:
- Prequalified vs Pre-Approved Credit Cards: What’s the Difference?
- Banks That Allow You to Prequalify for Credit Cards
Prequalified vs Pre-Approved Credit Cards: What’s the Difference?
While many people throw these words around interchangeably, they don’t mean the same thing. Pre-qualification is when you provide a credit card company with some basic info to see what cards you’re likely to get approved for. Pre-approved credit cards are the cards that companies invite you to apply for—after they’ve run a soft inquiry into your credit report and determined that you qualify.
Finding credit card offers you’re prequalified for is a great way to quickly get a new credit card, and it prevents you from hurting your credit score. For example, you don’t want to apply for one of the most exclusive credit cards when you really should be applying for a credit card for people with bad credit.
Just remember, even if you prequalify for a credit card, that’s not a guarantee that you’ll be approved after you complete the full credit card application. It always helps to check your own credit score to have an idea of what it is and therefore the types of cards you should apply for.
>> Read More: How to apply for a credit card
Banks That Allow You to Prequalify for Credit Cards
Most major banks allow you to prequalify for credit cards. If you’re already a customer of the bank, you can typically see a list of cards you’re pre-approved for after logging in to your account. If you see a card you’re interested in from a bank at which you don’t have an account, the bank will usually offer a pre-qualification survey where you enter some basic information, such as your name, address, income, and credit score.
Some banks even require you to enter your social security number, but they don’t use it for a hard credit check. Just make sure to read the fine print to determine that the form you’re submitting is a prequalification form and not an official application.
Here are some major banks that allow you to prequalify for credit cards.
Chase Prequalify Offers
Chase offers some of the best travel credit cards thanks to the flexible Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. You can see if you prequalify for the best Chase cards by submitting the Chase Prequalify form. Just enter your name, address, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number.
Citibank Prequalify Offers
Citibank credit cards offer a number of great perks and rewards that might suit your needs. To see which Citi cards you prequalify for, you just need to enter your name, address, the last four digits of your Social Security number, and the types of credit card benefits you’re looking for in the Citi prequalify form, so Citi knows which cards to recommend.
Discover Prequalify Offers
There aren’t as many Discover credit cards as cards from other banks. However, Discover is known for its great customer support, and the cards it does offer are often among the best of their class. To see which cards you prequalify for, you have to enter your name, address, income information, and rent or mortgage expenses, as well as what you’re looking for in a credit card on the Discover prequalify form.
American Express Prequalify Offers
Many people regard Amex credit cards as status symbols because of how exclusive some of their cards are. That doesn’t mean you can’t qualify for them with less-than-perfect credit, though. To find out if you qualify, just enter your name, income, address, and the last four digits of your SSN in the Amex prequalify form to see if you’re eligible.
Capital One Prequalify Offers
Capital One credit cards are competitive both in the travel and cash back categories. Capital One offers a user-friendly mobile app, free credit score updates, and virtual credit card numbers, so you can protect yourself when shopping online. You can find out if you prequalify for a card by entering your address, social security number, name, and what type of cards you’re looking for on the Capital One prequalify form.
Bottom Line: Which Prequalified Credit Card Is Right for You?
If you’re in the market for a new credit card, it’s easy to save time—and your credit score—by figuring out how to prequalify for credit cards. Just visit a credit card issuer’s prequalify form and once you know what you qualify for, you can get pre-approval for the credit card or complete a full application.