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Pre-approved credit cards are offers made by credit card companies that indicate you will have a high likelihood of approval if you apply. In addition to pre-approved offers, which are sent by mail or email, most major credit card companies allow people to pre-qualify for their cards.
Best Pre-Approved Credit Cards for 2024
| Card Name | Best For | Issuer Offers Pre-approval | Min. Credit Required | Editor’s Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Platinum Credit Card | Newcomers | Yes | Limited History | 5/5 |
| Discover it® Secured Credit Card | Bad Credit | Yes | Bad | 5/5 |
| Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card | Fair Credit | Yes | Limited History | 4.7/5 |
| Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card | Students | Yes | Limited History | 4.7/5 |
| Citi Simplicity® Card | 0% Purchases | Yes | Good | 3.7/5 |
The best pre-approved credit cards are simply the best overall credit cards that happen to offer pre-approval. So they differ based on your credit standing as well as your spending and payment habits. WalletHub’s editors compared 1,500+ offers to find the best cards for people at each credit level.
For a personalized recommendation, sign up for a free WalletHub account. We’ll tell you which credit cards offer the highest approval odds, based on your latest credit score and report. Only WalletHub offers free credit scores and reports that are updated on a daily basis.
Issuers Offering Credit Card Pre-approval
| Credit Card Company | Lets You Check for Pre-approved Offers? | Min. Credit Required |
|---|---|---|
| American Express | Yes | Good |
| Bank of America | Yes | Bad |
| Barclays | No | Limited |
| Capital One | Yes | Bad |
| Chase | Yes | Good |
| Citibank | Yes | Limited |
| Discover | Yes | Bad |
| PNC | No | Excellent |
| Synchrony Bank | No | Fair |
| USAA | Yes (members only) | Bad |
| U.S. Bank | Yes (existing customers only) | Bad |
| Wells Fargo | Yes | Bad |
Note: Min. Credit Required refers to the easiest credit card to get from each issuer.
The main difference between getting pre-approved for a credit card and checking to see if you’re pre-qualified is who makes the first move. With pre-approval, it’s the credit card company. With pre-qualification, it’s the potential applicant. But receiving either means your odds of approval are 80%+, and neither will have any impact on your credit score.
You can learn more about how the credit card pre-approval process works below. You can also get personalized recommendations for credit cards with high approval odds by signing up for a free WalletHub account.
View Your Personalized Credit Card Recommendations
As you can see above, credit card companies offer different types of pre-approved credit cards. All major issuers pre-screen consumers and mail pre-approved offers to those who seem to meet the exact criteria they’re looking for. This is essentially an invitation to apply and a sign that you have very good odds of approval.
Credit card companies that allow you to take pre-approval into your own hands are less common. But not by much. Seven of the 12 largest issuers allow anyone to check which cards they’re pre-approved for online.
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Important Disclosures
* WalletHub is committed to transparency and editorial independence. The information about the following cards has been independently collected by WalletHub: Citi Simplicity® Card, Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card, and Neiman Marcus Credit Card
