Discover Credit Score Requirements by Card in 2024 (2024)

FAQs

Discover Credit Score Requirements by Card in 2024? ›

Minimum Credit Score Needed for Each Discover Card

Good to excellent credit. Discover recommends that applicants for most of its cards have good or excellent credit. To clarify, a good credit score is a FICO® Score of 670 or above. In this case, it makes sense to go for one of the most valuable Discover credit cards.

Discover may pull from any of three major credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, but it appears based on consumer-reported data the bank leans heavily on Equifax to source many credit reports, followed by Experian and TransUnion.

The Discover it® Cash Back credit limit is at least $500 for all cardholders. It has the potential to be higher, too. Discover does not disclose a maximum credit limit, but there are reports of some cardholders receiving credit limits between $2,000 and $11,000.

Those with strong credit histories, high credit scores, will not find it difficult to get a Discover credit card. Those with poor histories will find it difficult.

Lower credit score requirements

No credit score is required to apply for Discover it^® Student Cash Back, Discover it^® Student Chrome, and Discover it^® Secured Credit Card. Discover will consider information you include on your application and provided by others to determine your eligibility.

While not everyone may qualify for a secured card, credit score requirements are usually less strict for secured vs. unsecured credit cards, which means a poor credit score may not stop you from getting approved. At Discover®, there's no credit score required to apply.

90% of top lenders use FICO^® Credit Scores, including Discover. That's why Discover provides a FICO^® Score, as opposed to another type of credit score.

The Discover FICO score is a “real” FICO score. It uses FICO 8 and TransUnion. So _the score presented is 100% accurate with any FICO 8 score generated from the same TransUnion report_. There are, however, many “versions” of FICO that perform calculations slightly differently.

When you decide on your best credit card offer, your full application will include a hard inquiry that could affect your credit score.

What is the lowest Discover card limit? ›

Discover credit card limits will always be at least $500, and there's no disclosed maximum. How much you get is determined by your creditworthiness. The only exception is if you have Discover it® Secured Credit Card.

As with all secured cards, the credit limit on the Discover it® Secured Credit Card is tied directly to the amount of a deposit. The minimum deposit amount is $200 and the maximum is $2,500. To increase the credit limit on the Discover it® Secured Credit Card, a cardholder can increase the deposit amount.

If you're just starting out, a good credit limit for your first card might be around $1,000. If you have built up a solid credit history, a steady income and a good credit score, your credit limit may increase to $5,000 or $10,000 or more — plenty of credit to ensure you can purchase big ticket items.

Discover has credit card options for just about everybody, from people who are building or rebuilding credit to those who have a high credit score already.

Common reasons applicants are denied credit cards include low credit scores, no credit history, inadequate ratio of income vs. expenses, and not meeting minimum age requirements.

Visa, one of the biggest differences you'll find is that Discover is both a credit card issuer and a card network while Visa is only a network. Visa is more widely accepted, too, and it has more supplemental benefits as well as more cards to choose from.

The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards card provides the best of both worlds for someone with a 650 credit score. Cardholders earn 1.5% cash back on all purchases. Plus—because it reports to all three major credit bureaus—you'll have the opportunity to improve your credit score with good payment history.

One of the best credit cards for a 550 credit score is the OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card because it has a $0 annual fee and there's no credit check when you apply, so approval is almost guaranteed. You just need $300 for a refundable security deposit and enough income to make monthly payments.

If you have an average credit score (around 650), you may have more options than someone with no credit history. You may be able to get approval for premium cards—which have additional perks and benefits—but these could come with a lower credit limit and higher interest rates.