Credit card preapproval isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be approved for a credit card when you apply, but it’s an indication that the odds are in your favor. Getting preapproved involves a “soft pull” on your credit (versus a hard pull) and won’t hurt your credit. Some credit cards offer the convenience of online preapproval so you can figure out if it’s worth going on to complete the full application. Applying in full for any credit card entails a real credit check (a hard pull) and a ding to your credit score.
Alternatively, some credit card issuers actively solicit potential new cardholders via preapproved offers through the mail. The picks below offer some form of preapproval if you’re hesitant to apply for a new card or worried about impacting your credit score.
- Intro Offer
-
Earn an Additional 1.5% Cash Back Intro Offer: Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) – worth up to $300 cash back!
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 19.49% – 28.24% Variable
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1.5% – 5% Enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, our premier rewards program that lets you redeem rewards for cash back, travel, gift cards and more; 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service; 1.5% on all other purchases
With a long list of opportunities to earn cash back, the Chase Freedom Unlimited may be the best of the preapproval credit cards for everyday use. There’s no annual fee to eat into your cash-back earnings, the welcome bonus is competitive and the 1.5% cash back -- in addition to the other rewards rates -- is better than the 1% flat-rate offer by most credit cards.
Keep in mind that Chase credit cards may have a special 5/24 rule for applicants: It may not approve you if you’ve opened five new credit cards in the past 24 months, even if you’re preapproved.
For more information, see our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 19.49% – 28.24% Variable
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
With a long list of opportunities to earn cash back, the Chase Freedom Unlimited may be the best of the preapproval credit cards for everyday use. There’s no annual fee to eat into your cash-back earnings, the welcome bonus is competitive and the 1.5% cash back -- in addition to the other rewards rates -- is better than the 1% flat-rate offer by most credit cards.
Keep in mind that Chase credit cards may have a special 5/24 rule for applicants: It may not approve you if you’ve opened five new credit cards in the past 24 months, even if you’re preapproved.
For more information, see our full review of the Chase Freedom Unlimited.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% Intro APR on Balance Transfers for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% Intro APR on Purchases for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 19.49% – 28.24% Variable
- Balance Transfer Fee
- Either $5 or 5% of the amount of each transfer, whichever is greater.
- Intro Offer
-
Cashback Match™ Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. You could turn $150 cash back into $300.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 5% Earn 5% cash back on everyday purchases at different places each quarter like Amazon.com, grocery stores, restaurants, and gas stations, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate. ; Earn 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
The Discover it® Cash Back* credit card offers an Unlimited Cashback Match as the welcome bonus. Discover will essentially double your cash back earned over your first year at its conclusion. Remember, you have to activate the rotating rewards category manually from your account each quarter.
Check out our full review of the Discover it Cash Back for more details.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
The Discover it® Cash Back* credit card offers an Unlimited Cashback Match as the welcome bonus. Discover will essentially double your cash back earned over your first year at its conclusion. Remember, you have to activate the rotating rewards category manually from your account each quarter.
Check out our full review of the Discover it Cash Back for more details.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
- Intro Offer
-
Discover Match® Unlimited Bonus: Only Discover gives you an unlimited match of all the Miles you’ve earned at the end of your first year. For example, if you earn 35,000 Miles, you get 70,000 Miles. There’s no signing up, no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a Miles-for-Miles match.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1.5x Automatically earn unlimited 1.5x Miles on every dollar of every purchase – with no annual fee.
With the Discover it® Miles* card, you earn 1.5x miles per dollar on all of your purchases. Miles can be redeemed for cash or a statement credit against travel purchases. This is a solid flat rewards rate particularly when paired with the Discover Match welcome bonus. At the end of your first anniversary year, Discover will match your miles earned and deposit them into your account. This means you’ll effectively earn 3x miles per dollar on all of your purchases in the first year.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
With the Discover it® Miles* card, you earn 1.5x miles per dollar on all of your purchases. Miles can be redeemed for cash or a statement credit against travel purchases. This is a solid flat rewards rate particularly when paired with the Discover Match welcome bonus. At the end of your first anniversary year, Discover will match your miles earned and deposit them into your account. This means you’ll effectively earn 3x miles per dollar on all of your purchases in the first year.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% Intro APR for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
- Intro Offer
-
Cashback Match™ Intro Offer: Unlimited Cashback Match – only from Discover. Discover will automatically match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year! There’s no minimum spending or maximum rewards. Just a dollar-for-dollar match.
- Annual fee
- $0
- APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Recommended Credit A credit score is used to indicate an applicant’s credit worthiness and may provide guidance about account eligibility. It does not necessarily guarantee approval for any financial product.
-
670 – 850
Good – Excellent
- Rewards rate
-
1% – 2% Earn cash back on your next road trip with 2% cash back at Gas Stations and Restaurants on up to $1,000 in combined purchases each quarter.; Earn 1% unlimited cash back on all other purchases – automatically.
As with the other Discover cards on this list, the Unlimited Cashback Match makes the Discover it® chrome* stand out among preapproval credit cards. Since Discover matches your earned cash at the end of your first year, you’ll effectively earn a 4% return at gas stations and restaurants -- but remember that this only applies to the first $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter (then 1%). This rate is competitive with some of the best restaurant credit cards and best gas credit cards, though only for the first year.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
As with the other Discover cards on this list, the Unlimited Cashback Match makes the Discover it® chrome* stand out among preapproval credit cards. Since Discover matches your earned cash at the end of your first year, you’ll effectively earn a 4% return at gas stations and restaurants -- but remember that this only applies to the first $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter (then 1%). This rate is competitive with some of the best restaurant credit cards and best gas credit cards, though only for the first year.
- Intro Balance Transfer APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Intro Purchase APR
- 0% for 15 months
- Regular APR
- 16.49% – 27.49% Variable APR
- Balance Transfer Fee
- 3% intro balance transfer fee, up to 5% fee on future balance transfers (see terms)*
FAQs
Preapproval and prequalification are similar. They both suggest you have good odds to get the card you applied for but that there are no absolute guarantees. Prequalified cards can mean that the issuer has found you are the type of consumer that’s a good fit. Preapproval means the card company has taken a deeper look at your credit history and income and feels confident you’ll receive an approval if you apply.
Getting preapproved is typically done online. You’ll need to provide your annual income and identifying information, such as your name and address, as well as the last four digits of your Social Security number. You’ll receive personalized offers based on the card issuer’s initial findings.
There is no commitment required during the preapproval process. Your credit score won’t be affected either, since only a soft pull is performed on your credit. If you decide to move forward with an application, the card provider will do a hard credit check.
A credit card soft inquiry won’t affect your credit, but doesn’t do an in-depth search into your credit history. A preapproval isn’t a guarantee that you’ll be approved for a credit card when you apply. See it more as an invitation to apply with good odds of approval.
Pick the Best Credit Card
- Best Credit Cards
- Best Cash-Back Credit Cards
- Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards
- Best Travel Credit Cards
- Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit
Our methodology
CNET reviews credit cards by exhaustively comparing them across set criteria developed for each major category, including cash-back, welcome bonus, travel rewards and balance transfer. We take into consideration the typical spending behavior of a range of consumer profiles -- with the understanding that everyone’s financial situation is different -- and the designated function of a card.
*All information about the Discover it Cash Back, Discover it Miles, and Discover it chrome has been collected independently by CNET and has not been reviewed by the issuer.
The editorial content on this page is based solely on objective, independent assessments by our writers and is not influenced by advertising or partnerships. It has not been provided or commissioned by any third party. However, we may receive compensation when you click on links to products or services offered by our partners.
