The Ultimate Guide to Credit Cards
Thursday, March 28, 2024

3 Steps to Credit One Pre-Approval (March 2024)

Credit One Pre Approval
Brittney Mayer

Written by: Brittney Mayer

Brittney Mayer
Brittney Mayer

Brittney is a Credit Strategist and Finance Expert who has spent years honing her knowledge of the credit industry both personally and professionally. Brittney applies her more than a decade of research experience to crafting in-depth consumer guides designed to help CardRates readers make better, more informed financial decisions.

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Edited by: Lillian Guevara-Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro
Lillian Guevara-Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to the CardRates team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct journalism instructor at the University of Florida. Today, Lillian edits all CardRates content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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Reviewed by: Ashley Fricker

Ashley Fricker
Ashley Fricker

Ashley Fricker has more than a decade of experience as a finance contributor and editor, and has specialized in the credit card industry since 2015. Her credit card commentary is featured on national media outlets that include CNBC, MarketWatch, Investopedia, and Reader's Digest, among many others. She has worked closely with the world’s largest banks and financial institutions, up-and-coming fintech companies, and press and news outlets to curate comprehensive content and media. Ashley holds a bachelor's degree in multimedia journalism from Florida Atlantic University.

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Advertiser Disclosure

Checking to see if you qualify for Credit One pre-approval can be easily accomplished by following the steps detailed below. When companies check your credit report, there are two ways it can be done: through a hard inquiry or a soft inquiry.

A hard inquiry, or pull, generally involves a lender (or another party) requesting your complete credit report. A hard pull will usually leave a small negative mark on your report that comes with a matching decrease in your credit score for up to 12 months.

A soft inquiry, on the other hand, does not affect your credit score or report, but it doesn’t provide the lender as much information as a hard pull. Soft inquiries are often made during background checks, but can also be used by credit card companies to pre-qualify, or pre-approve, a credit applicant.

Pre-qualification is a great way to test the credit waters and determine the likelihood of being approved by an issuer. For a Credit One Bank credit card, the fast, easy pre-approval process can be completed entirely online.

1: Go Online | 2: Enter Information | 3: Get Offers | 4. Alternatives

Step 1. Go Online to the Credit One Bank® Website

Everyone who applies for a Credit One credit card goes through pre-approval, particularly in light of the fact that Credit One specializes in subprime — bad credit — consumers. This helps ensure that everyone who applies for a credit card meets at least the minimum standards for approval. The pre-qualification process starts by heading to the Credit One website.

You can start the pre-approval process by clicking the link above, then moving on to Step 2. If you’ve already received a Credit One credit card pre-approval offer in the mail, you can skip the next step and instead use this link to enter your approval code.

Step 2. Enter Your Information Into the Pre-Approval Form

The straightforward pre-approval form takes just minutes to complete. You’ll be asked all the basics, including your name, address, and phone number, as well as your annual income and Social Security number.

Credit One Prequalification Form
The Credit One pre-approval form is simple, asking for basic information such as address and income.

Make sure that the information you enter is accurate; any missing or incorrect information could lead to a false rejection, making you think you don’t qualify for a particular card when you really do.

It could also lead to an incorrect pre-approval, causing you to apply for a credit card — and endure a hard credit pull — for which you don’t actually meet the minimum requirements.

Step 3. See Your Pre-Qualified Credit Card Offers

After you’ve completed the pre-qualification form, simply press the “See Card Offers” button to, well, see your card offers. The pre-approval process generally only takes minutes and will reveal the best Credit One cards for your credit history.

Credit One has unsecured credit card offers with cash back rewards on all purchases as well as a secured card with 1% cash back on select eligible purchases. It does not offer any business credit cards.

Once you’ve selected the pre-approval offer that suits your needs, you can complete the official application. Keep in mind that this application will result in a hard credit check, which may affect your credit score.

Top Credit One Alternatives

If you decide that Credit One isn’t the right credit card company for you, we have chosen similar cards for less-than-perfect credit scores that can help with building credit (or rebuilding credit). Among the options are a secured credit card that requires a deposit for approval and a student credit card for anyone enrolled in school.

Surge® Platinum Mastercard® Review

at Continental Finance'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★

4.1

OVERALL RATING

  • Up to $1,000 credit limit doubles up to $2,000! (Simply make your first 6 monthly minimum payments on time)
  • All credit types welcome to apply!
  • Monthly Credit Score – Sign up for electronic statements, and get your Vantage 3.0 Score Credit Score From Experian
  • Initial Credit Limit of $300 – $1,000 (subject to available credit)
  • Monthly reporting to the three major credit bureaus
  • See if you’re Pre-Qualified without impacting your credit score
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
See website for Details
See website for Details
29.99% APR (Variable)
$75 - $125
See website for Details*

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★

4.0

OVERALL RATING

  • No annual or hidden fees, and you can earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day. See if you're approved in seconds
  • Put down a refundable $200 security deposit to get a $200 initial credit line
  • Building your credit? Using a card like this responsibly could help
  • Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability so that you won't be responsible for unauthorized charges
  • You could earn back your security deposit as a statement credit when you use your card responsibly, like making payments on time
  • Be automatically considered for a higher credit line in as little as 6 months with no additional deposit needed
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
N/A
N/A
30.74% (Variable)
$0
Limited, Bad
Total Visa® Card Review

at Total Card'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★

3.8

OVERALL RATING

  • Earn 1% cash back rewards on payments made to your Total Credit Card
  • Checking Account Required
  • $300 credit limit (subject to available credit)
  • No security deposit, simply pay a one-time $95 program fee to open your account.*
  • User friendly Mobile App.
  • *See Rates, Fees, Costs & Limitations for complete offer details
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
N/A
N/A
35.99%
$75.00 1st year, $48.00 after
Fair, Bad Credit
Indigo® Mastercard® for Less than Perfect Credit Review

at Indigo® Mastercard®'ssecure website

BEST OVERALL RATING

★★★★

3.8

OVERALL RATING

  • Now with higher credit limits
  • Increase your access to available credit
  • Higher limit than before, still no security deposit required!
  • Greater access to credit than before
  • Less than perfect credit is okay
  • Mobile account access at any time
Intro (Purchases)
Intro (Transfers)
Regular APR
Annual Fee
Credit Needed
N/A
N/A
35.9%
$175 - $199
Bad, Poor Credit

Each credit card has different terms and fees associated with it, so make sure you read the cardholder agreement before choosing the best credit card for you.

Things to Keep in Mind Before You Apply

While pre-qualification can be a great way to check whether you’ll be approved for a credit card without affecting your credit score, you should always remember that pre-approval does not guarantee approval once you apply. Your complete report may reveal additional risk factors, or your income may not meet the qualifications.

Additionally, keep in mind that the Credit One Bank credit cards are generally designed for those with poor credit or fair credit, so the fees and interest rates will be higher than those for cards that require higher credit scores. The specific terms you are offered will depend on your credit score and income level.

Nevertheless, if you use the card responsibly, it can be a good way to rebuild your credit.

Advertiser Disclosure

CardRates.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation for referrals for many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across CardRates.com (including, for example, the order in which they appear). CardRates.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.