Get preapproved for these 6 credit cards–without a hard credit pull

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Get preapproved for these 6 credit cards–without a hard credit pullBYJoseph HostetlerCredit Cards ExpertJoseph HostetlerCredit Cards Expert

Joseph Hostetler writes about credit cards, travel rewards, and card loyalty programs. After five years as an associate editor at Million Mile Secrets and The Points Guy, Joseph transitioned to the Business Insider as a staff credit cards writer. He is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF) with bylines at CNN, AP News, TIME, and USA Today.

SEE FULL BIOREVIEWED BYDia AdamsSenior Editor, Credit CardsDia AdamsSenior Editor, Credit Cards

Dia Adams is the senior editor leading the credit cards team at Fortune Recommends. Previously, Dia was a managing editor on the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. She has been featured on national television, radio, print, and online media as an expert in the realms of credit cards, points and miles, Disney and family travel.

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Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

You know those incessant credit card flyers that clutter your physical and virtual mailboxes? They fling around jargon like “preapproved” and “prequalified,” making it sound like the bank has already embossed your name across the front of the card–all you have to do is go through the formality of applying.

In reality, this is far from the case. Whether you’re pre-qualified or preapproved, you’re not guaranteed approval. The banks can’t know if you’re a good fit without a few more details only you can provide.

Preapprovals can be a great tool when searching for the perfect credit card. For example, you can find targeted welcome bonuses that are more generous than those publicly advertised. You can view specific credit card terms before applying. And you can get a general sense of whether the odds of approval lean in your favor.

Credit cards offering preapproval without a hard pull

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

• Top feature: Get top-tier travel insurance automatically when paying with the card.

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Intro bonus

60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

Learn More

at Cardratings.com

Our Take

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offers an impressive welcome bonus, bonus value on travel redemptions and several transfer partners. If you’re looking for luxury travel perks, however, the card may leave you wanting more.

Rewards

Rewards Rates

• 5x5x points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠ (excluding hotel purchases that qualify for the $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit)
• 3x3x points on dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery services
• 2x2x points on travel purchases not booked through Chase
• 1x1x points on other purchases
• 5x5x points on Lyft rides through March 31, 2025 (that's 3x points in addition to the 2x points you already earn on travel)

Card details

Additional perks: $50 annual hotel credit, trip cancelation/interruption insurance, auto rental collision damage waiver, complimentary Doordash and Instacart+ membership along with quarterly Instacart+ credits

Foreign transaction fee: None

Learn More

at Cardratings.com

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is an excellent credit card for those just beginning in the world of travel rewards. It earns rewards that are simple to redeem; its bonus spending categories are for everyday expenses; it charges a reasonable $95 annual fee. But its best (and easiest-to-use) feature is its travel insurance, which can save you thousands when your flight is canceled, your rental car gets dinged, your bags are delayed, and more. For more info, check out our review.

Capital One SavorOne Rewards Credit Card

• Top feature: Receive an excellent return for everyday purchases.

Capital One SavorOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Intro Bonus

Earn a one-time $200 cash bonus once you spend $500 on purchases within the first three months from account opening

View offer

at Cardratings.com

Rewards

Reward Rates

• 10×10% cash back on purchases made through Uber and Uber Eats, plus complimentary Uber One membership statement credits through November 14, 2024
• 8×8% cash back on Capital One Entertainment purchases
• 5xunlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (Terms apply)
• 3xunlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, popular streaming services, and at grocery stores (excluding superstores like Walmart® and Target®)
• 1×1% on all other purchases

Card Details

• • The SavorOne offers travel accident insurance, extended warranty protection, and exclusive access to events through Capital One Dining and Capital One Entertainment

View offer

at Cardratings.com

The Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card offers a confusingly high earning rate for a credit card with no annual fee. You’ll get 10% back with Uber/Uber Eats (ends Nov. 14, 2024), 8% back for Capital One Entertainment purchases, 5% back for hotels and car rentals reserved through Capital One Travel, 3% back on dining, eligible streaming, entertainment, and at grocery stores (excluding Walmart and Target), and 1% back on everything else. You’ll even receive a $200 welcome bonus after spending $500 on purchases within the first three months after opening your account. For more info check out our review.

Blue Cash EveryDay from American Express

• Top feature: Mitigate interest fees for large upcoming purchases with a generous 0% intro APR offer.

Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express

See Rates and Fees

Intro Bonus

Earn $200 statement credit after you spend $2,000 in purchases on your new card within the first 6 months

View offer

at Bankrate

Rewards

Reward Rates

• • 3%Earn 3% cash back at U.S. supermarkets, U.S. online retail and U.S. gas stations, on up to $6,000 per year in purchases per category (then 1%)
  • 1%Earn 1% cash back on other eligible purchases. Cash back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout
  • Cash Back is received in the form of Reward Dollars that can be redeemed as a statement credit or on Amazon.com at checkout.

Card Details

• The Everyday card comes with added travel protections such as car rental loss and damage insurance and a Global Assist hotline.

• 0% offer: 0% introductory APR for the first 15 months from the date of account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 19.24%–29.99%).

• Balance transfer offer: 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 15 months from the date of account opening on requests within 60 days of account opening (after that, the variable APR will be 19.24%–29.99%).

View offer

at Bankrate

The no annual fee card offers . If you’ve got an upcoming emergency expense or other large purchase that you don’t think you’ll be able to pay off in a few months, opening this card and utilizing the 0% APR intro period could save you a lot in fees. The card also offers a respectable return of and , so it’s a good option for big expenses. For more info, check out our review.

To view rates and fees of the Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express, see this page.

Quicksilver Secured from Capital One

• Top feature: If you’ve got limited (or bad) credit, you can use this card as a credit-building tool.

Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card

Who is this card good for?

The Capital One Quicksilver Secured card is good for those who are rebuilding from poor or fair credit and want a card that earns rewards with no foreign transaction fee.

View offer

at Cardratings.com

Because the Quicksilver Secured Card is–you guessed it–a secured credit card, it’s far more willing to approve those with limited credit history looking to bolster their credit profile. You must put down a refundable security deposit of $200 before using the card. You’ll then receive a credit line in the amount of your security deposit.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

• Top feature: Receive the best airport lounge access of any card on the market.

The Platinum Card® from American Express

See Rates and Fees

Intro bonus

Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $8,000 on purchases on the Card in your first 6 months of card membership

View Offer

at Bankrate

Our take

The Platinum Card® from American Express looks impressive when you pull it out of your wallet. Beyond good looks, the card grants access to a wide range of airport lounges and offers valuable credits and benefits, but you have to be willing to work it to get the most out of the perks.

Rewards

Reward Rates

• 5XEarn 5x Membership Rewards® Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel (up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year)
• 5XEarn 5x Membership Rewards® Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel
• 1XEarn 1x points on other eligible purchases

Other benefits

Other benefits

• Travel benefits including hotel and car rental chain statuses, car rental insurance, trip cancellation/interruption and travel delay protection
• Consumer protections including extended warranty and return protection

View offer at Bankrate

at Bankrate

The Amex Platinum Card comes with thousands of dollars in annual value thanks to various statement credits and memberships. Admittedly, some of them are quite niche–but frequent travelers should have no trouble recouping the card’s $695 annual fee (see rates) many times over. A crown jewel of the card is its ability to get you into more than 1,400 airport lounges worldwide, where you can enjoy perks like free hot meals and alcoholic drinks. For more info, check out our review.

For rates and fees of The Platinum Card® from American Express, click here.

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

• Top feature: Choose the bonus category that suits your spending each month.

Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card

Intro Bonus

Earn $200 online cash rewards bonus after you make at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days of account opening and a 0% intro APR for 15 billing cycles for purchases, and for any balance transfers made within the first 60 days of opening your account.

Our Take

The Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card is a solid option with customizable cash-back categories. It’s especially exciting for Bank of America Preferred Rewards members, who can earn a 25% to 75% bonus on their rewards. But the card requires active management if your bonus category spending changes frequently.

Rewards

Reward Rates

• 3% 3% cash back in the category of your choice (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases)
• 2% 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (up to $2,500 in combined choice category/grocery store/wholesale club quarterly purchases)
• 1% 1% cash back on all other purchases

3% and 2% cash back is earned on the first $2,500 in combined purchases each quarter in the choice category, and at grocery stores and wholesale clubs, then earn unlimited 1% thereafter.

Card Details

• Free FICO score, Balance Connect® for overdraft protection

The Bank of America Customized Cash comes with a $200 cash bonus after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days from account opening. This credit card offers particularly useful perks such as the ability to select your own bonus category each month. You can earn 3% cash back on the category of your choice and 2% cash back on grocery and wholesale club purchases, up to a combined $2,500 each quarter. For more info check out our review.

What is credit card preapproval?

While “preapproved” and “prequalified” are often interchangeable in common parlance, they are not the same.

The credit card issuers generally initiate preapproval. They may request a list of credit profiles that meet specific parameters from the credit bureaus–and use that list to send targeted offers to those physical and virtual addresses.

Prequalification, on the other hand, is something you can generate yourself. Enter a few innocuous details into a prequalification form on many bank websites, and you can see if you’re targeted for specific card offers.

So why is preapproval a big deal? In short, it gives you an idea of whether you’re a good candidate for a card without needing to submit an application. This can save your credit report from enduring a “hard inquiry,” which occurs when an issuer examines your credit to determine if you’re a good candidate for their card. A hard credit pull will temporarily lower your credit score, so if you’re going to receive one, you don’t want to squander it on a denied application.

How does credit card preapproval work if there’s no hard pull?

So how can a bank determine if you’re a good fit for their credit card if they don’t perform a hard inquiry on your credit?

Walt Levengood, VP of Sales and Business Development at NAV, offers a tip that may further increase your approval odds: “If you’re already banking with [a regional bank], they may be able to give you a firm approval because they’re seeing your banking going on in their institution.” If a bank has intimate details concerning your financial activity, they can make a more sound decision.

Does preapproval guarantee that I’ll get the card?

Again, whether you’re preapproved or prequalified, approval is not a sure thing. There’s some information that the bank needs that they can’t find from examining your credit. “Banks are not allowed to tell you they have a preapproval if, based on all the information they have, they wouldn’t approve you,” says Matthew Goldman, founder of consulting firm Totavi, LLC. He points out that banks are required by law to calculate your debt-to-income ratio to ensure you’ve got the means to repay a new card over time–and income is not included in your credit report. “It could be that you report an income that’s too low, either because you’re already over the threshold they’ve set in terms of that ratio. Or maybe it’s a high-end card that isn’t issued with a small credit limit. That’s a reason there’s a drop-off between preapproval and approval.”

Simple. There’s another type of credit pull called a “soft inquiry.” This gives the issuer virtually the same information, but it won’t affect your credit score. Soft inquiries are used to view your credit score for reasons other than applying for credit. For example, they can occur when:

• You check your own credit score
• Your potential employer is trying to learn about whether you’re a fit for the job
• You’ve applied to an apartment complex and they’re evaluating your financial health

Because you haven’t officially requested a line of credit, preapprovals and prequalifications only require a soft credit pull. It’s not until youformally submit a credit card application that an issuer performs a hard pull, signaling to credit bureaus that you’re applying for credit.

Using CardMatch to find cards that offer preapproval

The CardMatch tool is a handy way to find out which cards are more likely to approve you. When you provide CardMatch with some basic information it does a soft pull of your credit to offer you a selection of cards you have a good chance of getting if you choose to apply.

Card issuers with preapproval options

Below are some major card issuers that currently allow you to check for prequalified offers.

A glaring exception from the above list is Citi, which will not allow you to search for personalized offers. Still, you may be targeted for offers through email or snail mail.

It’s also worth noting that American Express has a genuinely excellent feature for current customers called “Apply With Confidence.” This allows you to fill out an application for a variety of Amex cards and receive a final decision before you officially submit it. If approved, you’ll see your offer and can choose to accept or decline. If denied, Amex won’t perform a hard inquiry on your credit. That’s incredibly customer-friendly.

The takeaway

Credit card preapprovals are as close as you can get to a firm approval without actually applying. It means a financial institution has looked at your credit and, based on all available data, would approve you for a card.

Remember that the information you enter during an application may change the bank’s mind. If you’re not approved, the bank will tell you why–and you can use that information to increase your chances of approval for next time.

Fortune Recommends™ has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Fortune Recommends™ and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.

Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Eligibility and Benefit level varies by Card. Terms, Conditions, and Limitations Apply. Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details. Underwritten by Amex Assurance Company.

Read more

Check out our ranking of the very best credit cards available on the market today.

If you want to earn more with every purchase, choose a cash back credit card.

Love to travel? You need one of the best travel cards.

The best airline credit cards can help you earn points and miles on every flight.

Frequent travelers should see our ranking of the best hotel credit cards.

Business credit cards are a great choice to optimize your business spending.

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About the contributors

Joseph HostetlerCredit Cards Expert

Joseph Hostetler writes about credit cards, travel rewards, and card loyalty programs. After five years as an associate editor at Million Mile Secrets and The Points Guy, Joseph transitioned to the Business Insider as a staff credit cards writer. He is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance (CEPF) with bylines at CNN, AP News, TIME, and USA Today.

SEE FULL BIODia AdamsSenior Editor, Credit Cards

Dia Adams is the senior editor leading the credit cards team at Fortune Recommends. Previously, Dia was a managing editor on the credit cards and travel rewards team at Forbes Advisor. She has been featured on national television, radio, print, and online media as an expert in the realms of credit cards, points and miles, Disney and family travel.

SEE FULL BIO

EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE: The advice, opinions, or rankings contained in this article are solely those of the Fortune Recommends™editorial team. This content has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of our affiliate partners or other third parties.

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