Best Soft Pull Credit Cards: Soft pull credit cards let you check for pre-approval and request a credit limit increase without a hard credit inquiry. Most soft pull credit cards do not, however, allow you to open a new account without a hard inquiry.
With the exception of a handful of secured credit cards that don’t check your credit at all when you apply,
you can’t get a credit card without a hard inquiry.
Best Soft Pull Credit Cards
A hard inquiry is when a lender reviews your credit history in response to your application for credit. And each one does a bit of temporary damage to your credit score, with the impact being most pronounced when you have numerous inquiries in a short period of time. So being rejected for a credit card will make it harder to get approved for your next choice, and you may need to wait a bit before applying again. Soft credit inquiries, on the other hand, usually happen when you check your own credit or a lender does so for normal account maintenance. They don’t affect your credit standing.
soft pull credit cards for fair credit?
That’s why it can be so helpful to see whether you have a good shot of getting a given card with just a soft pull before you put your credit standing at risk and apply for real. Getting pre-approved for a credit card, means you have a 90%+ chance of approval if you apply. And most major credit card companies allow you to check which of their cards you can get pre-approved for, using just a soft pull.
The Downside.
The only downside to getting pre-approved for a credit card is that you have to do it issuer by issuer. If you don’t feel like doing that, you could check for pre-approval with one credit card company and then use the results to estimate your approval odds for cards from other issuers. For example, if you get pre-approved for a card that requires a minimum of good credit for approval, you should have a pretty good chance of getting other cards for people with good credit.
soft pull credit cards meaning.
Alternatively, you can sign up for a free account, and we’ll give you personalized
recommendations for credit cards with high approval odds. These recommendations are based on your credit history and financial goals as well as our analysis of application and approval data. Get Your Personalized Credit Card Recommendations – 100% Free
Below, you can learn more about when hard and soft pulls are used for credit cards, including the case of
credit limit increases.
Sign up for a free : Can You Get a Credit Card with a Soft Pull? Tools YES!!
These issuers offer pre-approval with a soft pull for credit cards:
| Company |
Online Pre-Approval Check? |
Soft Pull? |
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? |
| Capital One |
Yes |
Yes |
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? Bad |
| Citibank |
Yes |
Yes |
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? Limited |
| Chase |
Yes |
Yes |
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? Good |
| Discover |
Yes |
Yes |
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? Bad |
| USAA |
Yes |
Yes |
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? Bad |
| U.S. Bank |
Yes |
No.
Existing customers only
|
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? Bad |
| Wells Fargo |
Yes |
Yes |
Min. Credit Required |
Credit Status? Bad |
In almost all cases, you cannot get a credit card with a soft pull. The purpose of a hard inquiry is to tell other lenders that you are looking to borrow, which is why it leads to a bit of temporary credit score damage. Repeatedly applying for credit indicates that you’re desperate to borrow, which is a sign of financial difficulties, making it riskier to lend to you. However, a handful of secured credit cards are an exception to this rule. They don’t check applicants’ credit because there’s no need to.
You have to place a refundable security deposit to open an account, and you can’t build up a balance bigger than the amount of that deposit. So there’s no risk for the issuer.
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Here are the only soft pull credit cards:
First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card: $39 annual fee. $200 minimum
deposit.
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card: $35 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit.
Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card: $48 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit.
First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card: $49 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit.
All four of these cards report to all three major credit bureaus on a monthly basis. So many of them can help you improve your credit score if you pay the bill on time every month. Their main requirements are that you
have to be at least 18 years old with a U.S. mailing address, Social Security number, and enough money to place a deposit and make monthly minimum payments.
Unfortunately, there aren’t any unsecured soft pull credit cards. With no balance to protect them, issuers must thoroughly review applicants’ credit history to make sure people with a high likelihood of paying their bills on time get approved.
2022’s Best Credit Cards You Can Get Pre-Approved For.
We looked for, discovered, and selected a few of our favorite credit cards from issuers giving pre-approval with a soft pull in order to assist you in finding the best card for your circumstances. This consists of a cashback credit cards, a card with 0% interest, and two cards with travel benefits.
Capital One®
Venture®
Rewards
Credit Card
The Amex
EveryDay®
Credit Card
from American
Express
Sponsored
Citi® Double
Cash Card –
18 month BT
offer
Sponsored
Chase
Sapphire
Preferred®
Card
Annual Fee $95 $0 $0 $95
Rewards 50,000 miles 10,000 points N/A 60,000 points
These aren’t the only great offers, though. You can check out ’s best credit cards by category for
more options to consider.
Capital One®
Venture®
Rewards
Credit Card
The Amex
EveryDay®
Credit Card
from American
Express
Sponsored
Citi® Double
Cash Card –
18 month BT
offer
Sponsored
Chase
Sapphire
Preferred®
Card
Bonus
Details, Rates
& Fees
Learn More Learn More
Rates & Fees
Terms Apply
Learn More Learn More
Winners
Capital One® Venture® Rewards
Credit Card
The Amex EveryDay® Credit
Card from American Express
Can You Get a Credit Limit Increase with a Soft Pull?
Getting a higher credit limit on an existing credit card could involve either a soft pull or a hard pull. It varies
by the issuer as well as based on the circumstances. For example, some credit card companies use a soft inquiry to evaluate cardholders for automatic credit limit increases and a hard inquiry when a cardholder proactively requests a higher limit. You can find a breakdown of the biggest issuers’ policies below. For more tips and tricks, check out ’s guide to getting a higher credit card limit.
Image by Kong Vector / Shutterstock
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Credit Card
Company Soft Pull for Automatic Increase? Soft Pull for Requested Increase?
American
Express Yes
Sometimes, depending on what
their system decides
Bank of
America Yes
Sometimes, depending on what
their system decides
Barclays Yes No
Capital One Yes Yes
Chase Yes No
Citibank Sometimes, depending on what
their system decides
Sometimes, depending on what
their system decides
Discover Yes (may ask to do hard for a
closer look)
Yes (may ask to do hard for a
closer look)
PNC No automatic increases No
Synchrony
Bank Yes No
USAA No automatic increases No
U.S. Bank No automatic increases Sometimes depending on what
their system decides
Wells Fargo No automatic increases Yes (may ask to do hard for a
closer look)
Yes No
Disclaimer: Editorial and user-generated content is not provided or commissioned by financial institutions.
Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and have not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any
financial institution, including those that are advertising partners. Our content is intended for
informational purposes only, and we encourage everyone to respect our content guidelines. Please keep in
mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.
Ad Disclosure: Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted
on an offer’s details page using the designation “Sponsored”, where applicable. Advertising may impact
how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At
we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services
companies or products. Noticed a few folks asking for pre-qualify / pre-approval options. Please add more if I missed any.
This is an attempt to help folks rebuild their credit so that you are NOT denied for “Too Many Inquiries” that you could have better used where you actually had a chance, and for the many who just need to scratch that app itch ….. scratch away!
Per response by MOD Remedios below, I have added links –
CREDIT CARDS
- BB&T (Equifax) – https://www.bbt.com/offers/checkOffers
- HSBC (Equifax) – https://apply.us.hsbc.com/apps/servlet/SmartForm.html?formCode=ccoprequal&promoid=RVQ&marketingcode=…
- Ikea Projekt Card by Comenity Bank (Experian and/or Equifax) – https://d.comenity.net/ikeaprojekt/pub/prequalify/Prequalify.xhtml?cmp=476_web_prequal_ikea
- BBVA (Experian Fico 9) – https://online.bbvausa.com/apply/credit-card-prequal
- Regions Bank (TransUnion) – https://apply.regions.com/creditcards/gettingstarted
(Update: only allowing existing customers to check for offers)
- Wayfair Card by Comenity Bank (Experian and/or Equifax) – https://www.wayfair.com/wayfaircard
(Update: No longer available)
- Dell Financial (Experian) – https://www.dell.com/Financing/Comm/PreQual?s=dhs&l=en&cs=19&c=us&dfsref=dfs&returnurl=https%3a%2f%2…
- Discover card (Experian and/or Equifax) – https://www.discovercard.com/application/website/prequal?ICMPGN=PUB_HDR_CARDS_PQ
- Citicards (Experian and Equifax) – https://www.citicards.com/cards/credit/application/flow.action?isInvitation=N
(Not working as of 8/10/20)
- American Express (Experian Fico 8) – https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/check-for-offers/?inav=menu_cards_prequal_offer
- Apple by Goldman Sachs (Transunion) – thru Apple Wallet on your device
- Toyota Card by Comenity Bank (Experian and/or Equifax) – https://d.comenity.net/toyotacreditcard/pub/prequalify/Prequalify.xhtml
- Capital One (Experian, Equifax, and Transunion) – https://www.capitalone.com/credit-cards/prequalify/
- Credit One Bank (Experian) – https://www.creditonebank.com/pre-qualification/data-entry/index?C1BSourceID=C1OX_SI_99&C1BDescripto…
- Merrick Bank (Experian) – https://onlineoffer.merrickbank.com/?code=home&_ga=2.198628326.899425127.1583267511-259444163.158326…
- HomeDepot by Citi (Experian and/or Equifax) – https://citiretailservices.citibankonline.com/CRS/acq/launch/index.action?app=PQ01&siteId=PLCN_HOMED…
- JP Morgan Chase (Experian & Equifax): https://www.chase.com/prequalified
- American Express Business Card Prequalifier (Experian) – https://www.americanexpress.com/us/credit-cards/business/prequalify-for-business-credit-card
- Kohls Credit Card issued by Capital One (Transunion) – https://www.kohls.com/feature/pre-qual/prequal_inquiry.jsp?icid=prequalfooter
- Jared Jewelers (Hard Pull Possible) Comenity Bank (Experian and/or Equifax) – https://www.jared.com/credit-landing
(Some members have reported getting a hard pull from Jared and Kay Jewelers when pre-qualifying)
- Kay Jewelers (Hard Pull Possible) Comenity Bank (Experian and/or Equifax) – https://www.kay.com/credit-landing
(Some members have reported getting a hard pull from Jared and Kay Jewelers when pre-qualifying)
- Upgrade Visa Card (TransUnion) – Will likely ask for Proof of Income – https://www.upgrade.com/upgrade-card/
- Petal Visa Card (Experian) – Can ask for bank statements – https://www.petalcard.com/
- Deserve Mastercard (Experian) – https://www.deserve.com/
(Prequalifying only available for Student Card)
- Avant Visa Card (Transunion or Experian) – https://www.avant.com
- USAlliance Financial Federal Credit Union (Experian) – https://www.usalliance.org/pre-qualification
- Tempur Pedic by WELLS FARGO (Transunion) – https://www.tempurpedic.com/finance-your-purchase/
- State Farm Credit Card (Transunion) – https://www.statefarm.com/finances/banking/credit-cards
(Not working as of 8/10/20)
- Bank Mobile Master Card (Transunion) – https://cards.bankmobile.upstart.com/prequal
- Yamaha Card by Web bank (Experian) – https://prequalify.yamahacard.com/financing-application.html
- Denver Community Credit Union (Experian) ONLY FOR COLORADO residents – https://denvercommunity.coop/experian
- Bob’s Discount Furniture by WELLS FARGO – (Transunion) – https://www.mybobs.com/financing-options
- Cocoon Sealy Mattress by WELLS FARGO (Transunion) – https://www.cocoonbysealy.com/financing/#terms_and_conditions
- Bob Mills Furniture Lite Card – Fortiva – www.fortivaloans.com/cf/bobmills/WEB#.
ACHTUNG! CAUTION! :
There are some really crappy cards such as Reflex, Surge, Indigo (Celtic Bank), and others such as Milestone by (The Bank of Missouri), Fortiva, etc. I have not added pre-qualifiers for these because getting these cards with their rip-off fees upon fees is really a disservice to our society. You would be better off getting a small secured card to do your rebuild than any of these.
EXCEPTION 1:
Did not include BofA because their option is more a recommendation/marketing ploy than a solid prequalification ! for those still wanting to try, here is the link: https://secure.bankofamerica.com/secure-offers/public/customizedOffers/?subchannel=ECHPLN&cm_sp=Cons…
- based on information on this forum, you have a better chance if you get an offer with a specific APR, i.e for example 12.9% rather than a range, i.e (12.9% to 24.9%) –
Express.com ( Shopping Cart Checkout Application with last four of you SS # ) Victoriasecrets.com ( Shopping Cart Checkout Application with last four of you SS # ) Sportsmansguide.com ( Shopping Cart Checkout Application with last four of you SS # ) Wayfair.com ( Shopping Cart Checkout Application with last four of you SS # )
PERSONAL LOANS
Discover – pulls Experian and/or Transunion – https://www.discover.com/personal-loans/
HSBC Personal Loan – pulls Equifax Only – https://personalloanapply.us.hsbc.com/apply/172294#!/personal
LendingClub – pulls Transunion – https://www.lendingclub.com/
Prosper – pulls Transunion – https://www.prosper.com/
Marcus by Goldman Sachs – pulls Transunion – https://www.marcus.com/us/en/personal-loans
Upgrade – pulls Transunion and also offers the Upgrade Visa card – https://www.upgrade.com/
Bestegg – pulls Experian and/or Transunion – https://www.bestegg.com/apply-now/
Sofi – offers personal, student, home loans, etc. – pulls Experian and/or Transunion – https://www.sofi.com/
Upstart – pulls Experian, Equifax, or Transunion – https://www.upstart.com/
FreedomPlus – https://www.freedomplus.com/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=freedomplus.com
Rocket Loans – pulls Experian and/or Transunion – https://www.rocketloans.com/
Payoff Loans – pulls Transunion – https://www.payoff.com/
Better.com – For Mortgage preapproval with a Transunion Soft-pull – https://better.com/
CONSUMER FINANCE ACCOUNTS
Affirm – Pulls Experian – https://www.affirm.com/
Sezzle – Pulls Experian – https://sezzle.com/
Klarna – Pulls Experian or Transunion – https://www.klarna.com/us/
Regional Finance – Pulls Equifax – https://www.regionalfinance.com/
Conn’s Home Plus (Pulls any 1 Bureau at random) – https://www.conns.com/yes-money-credit
List of Personal loan lenders with PREAPPROVAL links.
On @Girlzilla88’s advice in my previous post, here are pre-qualifying links for personal loans based on a soft-pull. Again, no point in wasting hard pull inquiries. Almost all lenders on the list below will give you an offer, or allow you to choose from multiple offers, and only when you pick one and decide to proceed, will there be a hard pull. As always, only put income that you can prove as there is a good chance that you will be asked for verification of income (via taxes or paystubs).
Lenders: Where to find money?
Links are to actual lenders, not aggregator sites. Please add more links to direct lenders (not aggregator sites, i.e. LendingTree is an aggregator side) – in your comments if I have missed any.
HSBC Personal Loan – pulls Equifax Only – https://personalloanapply.us.hsbc.com/apply/172294#!/personal
LendingClub – pulls Transunion – https://www.lendingclub.com/
Prosper – pulls Transunion – https://www.prosper.com/
Marcus by Goldman Sachs – pulls Transunion – https://www.marcus.com/us/en/personal-loans
Upgrade – pulls Transunion and also offers the Upgrade Visa card – https://www.upgrade.com/
Bestegg – pulls Experian and/or Transunion – https://www.bestegg.com/apply-now/
Sofi – offers personal, student, home loans, etc. – pulls Experian and/or Transunion – https://www.sofi.com/
Upstart – pulls Experian, Equifax, or Transunion – https://www.upstart.com/
FreedomPlus – https://www.freedomplus.com/?utm_medium=organic&utm_source=website&utm_campaign=freedomplus.com
Rocket Loans – pulls Experian and/or Transunion – https://www.rocketloans.com/
Payoff Loans – pulls Transunion – https://www.payoff.com/
better.com – For Mortgage preapproval with a Transunion Soft-pull – https://better.com/
Minimize Rejection: Check if You’re Prequalified for a Credit Card
Editorial Note: The content of this article is based on the author’s opinions and recommendations alone. It may not have been reviewed, commissioned, or otherwise endorsed by
any of our network partners.
Reviewed By Julie Sherrier
Updated on Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Are you avoiding a credit card application because you’re afraid of being rejected? Want to see if you can be approved for a credit card without having an inquiry hit your credit
score?
Some large banks give you the chance to see if you are prequalified for cards before you officially apply. You give a bit of personal information (name, address, typically the last four
digits of your Social Security number) and they will tell you if you are prequalified. This is the best way to see if you can get a credit card without hurting your credit score.
What does prequalified mean?
Prequalification typically utilizes a soft credit inquiry with a credit bureau (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion). A soft inquiry does not appear on your credit report, and thus will not harm
your credit score.
Banks also create prequalified lists by buying marketing lists every month from a credit bureau. They buy the names of people who would meet their credit criteria and keep that list.
When you see if you are prequalified, the bank is just checking to see if you are on their list.
A soft inquiry provides the bank with some basic credit information, including your score. Based upon the information from the credit bureau, the bank determines whether or not
you have been prequalified for a credit card.
If you are not prequalified, that does not mean you will be rejected if you apply for the card. When the credit card company pulls a full credit report, you may still be approved for the
card. Conversely, even if you are prequalified for the credit card, you can still ultimately be rejected. Why would this happen?
Even with these caveats, checking to see if you are prequalified is a great way to shop for a credit card without hurting your score.
Where can I see if I have been prequalified?
Many (but not all) banks have prequalification tools. Here are some banks that do offer online prequalification services:
Bank of America
Citibank
American Express
Discover
Chase
Consider a personal loan (No hard inquiry and lower rates)
When you complete a formal credit card application, you provide additional personal information, including your employment and salary. If you are unemployed, or if your salary
is too low relative to your debt, you could be rejected.
When a full credit bureau report is pulled, the bank gets more data. Some of that incremental data may also result in a rejection.
Your information may have changed. The bank may have prequalified you a week ago, but since then you have missed a debt payment. Final decisions are always made using
the most up-to-date information.
Personal loans without a hard inquiry.
If you need to borrow money, you may also want to consider a personal loan. A number of internet-only personal loan companies allow you to see if you are approved (and what
your interest rate and loan amount would be) without a hard inquiry. Personal loans may also feature lower interest rates than credit cards, although this isn’t always the case.
We recommend starting your personal loan shopping experience at LendingTree. By filling out one quick online form, dozens of lenders may compete for your business.
LendingTree uses a soft credit pull, and within minutes you will be able to see how much you qualify for – and the interest rate – without any harm to your credit score.
LendingTree is our parent company. LendingTree is unique in that you may be able to compare up to five personal loan offers within minutes. Everything is done online and you may be pre-qualified by
lenders without impacting your credit score. LendingTree is not a lender. Terms Apply. NMLS #1136