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What Credit Card Do I Qualify For?

6 min read

Last Updated: April 15, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

Your credit history usually impacts the type of credit cards you can get.
Credit card issuers will consider your income when deciding if you qualify for a credit card.
You can check whether you’re pre-approved with no harm to your credit.

If you have a good credit score, you may be able to qualify for a credit card with great rewards, like the Discover it^® Cash Back credit card.

Your credit score might be low because of you’ve missed payments, you have high debt, or there are other negative marks on your credit report. This might limit which credit cards you qualify for. If you don’t qualify for a traditional credit card due to a low credit score, you have other options, like a secured credit card.

One way to find out your odds of approval is to see if you have any pre-approval offers for a credit card before you apply.

Did you know?

If you’ve received a credit card offer that says “pre-approved”, your credit score and financial history match at least some of a card issuer’s criteria.

See If You’re Pre-Approved

How do I get pre-approved for a credit card?

You may receive a pre-approval offer in the mail. You can also use an online tool to find out what credit cards you may be qualified for before you apply. It’s important to know that pre-approval doesn’t guarantee final credit card approval.

Do pre-approvals hurt your credit score?

Pre-approvals use a soft inquiry to your credit history. A soft inquiry doesn’t affect your credit score because you haven’t applied for credit. Once you apply for credit, the lender will perform a hard inquiry on your credit file, which can affect your credit.

Why you should check if you’re pre-approved for a card

Pre-approval means the card issuer feels confident they can offer you a credit card. Pre-approval gives you these benefits:

You avoid hurting your credit score

Credit card issuers place a soft credit inquiry on your credit report when they check whether you're pre-approved. This doesn't affect your credit score. When you submit an actual application for a credit card, the lender places a hard credit inquiry on your credit file, which can impact your credit score.

You save time by applying only when you know you’re pre-approved for the card

If you receive a pre-approved credit card offer, your chances are good that you’ll get final approval. Note that if you have recent negative changes to your credit report and score this might be an obstacle.

You can receive unique credit card offers

Your pre-approval means a credit card company won’t hurt your credit score when you request offers. You can browse all the issuer’s card options. Now you can compare cards for the best perks, like 0% introductory APR, introductory bonuses, and cash back rewards.

How do lenders decide if I qualify for a credit card?

A credit card is a loan you get from a credit card issuer. Before approving you for a credit card, credit issuers look at your credit history to determine if you’re likely to pay your credit card bill. Here are examples of the types of information that a credit card company may review:

Credit score

Your credit score tells a lender how likely you are to repay your credit card balance on time. Most credit scores range from 300 to 850 and are calculated based on your unique credit history. Your credit score helps lenders decide what interest rates to offer you and what credit cards you can get. Things that affect your credit scores include missed credit card payments, how much available credit you use (credit utilization ratio), age of your credit accounts, and your credit mix.

If you have good scores, you’re seen as a lower-risk borrower for lenders, which makes you more likely to score favorable interest rates and bonuses on your next card. By contrast, you’ll have a hard time qualifying for the best benefits lenders have to offer if you have a lower credit score.

Income

A credit card issuer may use your income to determine whether you get a new credit card and, if so, how much credit they can give you.

There may be other factors such as housing information that an issuer may consider.

How do I find out if I’m pre-approved for a Discover^® Card?

The Discover pre-approval tool can help you see if you’re pre-approved with no harm to your credit score.¹ Since the request for pre-approval only results in a soft inquiry, there’s no impact to your credit score.

What credit cards can I get with Discover?

The credit cards you qualify for will depend on your credit score, your credit history, and your income. People with high credit scores, a positive credit history, and high income can typically qualify for more kinds of credit. While those with a low credit score, missed payments, and low income may be more limited in the type of card they can get.

Once you have an idea of the type of card you may qualify for, you can compare Discover cards to other industry-leading cards to find one that fits best with your spending habits.

Compare Credit Cards

What credit score do I need to get a credit card?

The minimum credit score to get a credit card depends on the card. There’s no exact number that your credit score must be to get a credit card.

If you have a low credit score or limited credit history, you still have options. For example, there’s no credit score required to apply for a Discover it^® Secured Credit Card. ² Generally, the minimum credit score needed for a secured card is lower than the minimum score you need to qualify for an unsecured credit card, or a credit score may not be required at all.

Similarly, student cards are made with students in mind who may have little or no credit history. There’s no credit score required to apply for Discover Student credit cards. ³

How can I get approval for a secured credit card?

With a secured credit card, you provide a deposit equal to your credit limit, depending on the issuer. This is less risky for the card issuer since they’ll use your deposit if you fail to make your payments. This means that your credit score doesn’t have to be as high to get this type of credit card as compared to an unsecured card.

With a Discover Secured Credit Card, you can get your deposit back after 6 consecutive on-time payments and maintaining good status on all your credit accounts.⁴

How can I help my chances of getting approved for a credit card?

Pay your bills on time

Credit card issuers want to see that you manage your money well, which means your payment history is crucial. Lenders want to make sure you can pay back your credit card debt.

Pay down your debt

Lowering your credit utilization ratio (the percentage of your available credit that’s in use) might help your credit score. Your credit utilization ratio is another very important influence on your credit card qualification. Track where your money is going and create a payment plan to help reduce debt.

Don’t apply for too many credit cards at once

Each credit card application generates a hard credit inquiry, which may hurt your credit score. Applying for too many credit cards at the same time can hurt your score enough that one or more card issuers may decide you don’t qualify for the card.

While pre-approval doesn’t impact your credit score because the creditor will place a soft inquiry on your credit report, a hard inquiry can hurt your score. Before you submit your application, you should make sure you want the credit card and you feel confident that you’ll get approved.

Important Information >

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