Preapproval | Credit Card Topics

15 Best Soft-Pull Credit Cards in 2018

By: Adam West, 1/26/2018

Almost every time you apply for new credit, the lender credit check will usually result in a hard credit inquiry being noted on your reports, which will likely cause a small ding to your credit score. That's because lenders see an application for new credit as a desire to take on more debt. Doesn't make sense? Think of it this way: if a married person were to sign up for an online dating site — whether or not they really intended to do anything wrong — their spouse would... read more »

2018 Guide: How to Get Pre-Approved & Pre-Qualify for Credit Cards

By: Ashley Dull, 9/5/2017

Of all the nonsensical concepts in the world of consumer credit, perhaps one of the least intuitive is that it can actually harm your credit score when creditors pull your credit. I mean, the very reason we have credit reports is for creditors to check them, right? Right. But that's not the whole story. In the eyes of future lenders, each one of those hard credit inquiries represents more than just a request for a new credit card or loan. To them, each hard credit pull is actually a... read more »

Chase Pre-Approval (Pre-Qualify for a Credit Card + 6 Best Offers)

By: Brittney Mayer, 5/2/2017

In the crowded field of credit cards, the Chase family of cards stands out to many as containing some of the best rewards out there. Not only does Chase's offering of cash back cards have solid rewards and good sign-up bonuses, but the Chase Ultimate rewards program has been lauded as one of the best for flexible travel rewards. Unfortunately, top cards come with top qualifications, and Chase has fairly stringent credit requirements for most of its cards. If you're unsure of your... read more »

3 Steps to Credit One Pre-Approval (How to Pre-Qualify + 5 Top Offers)

By: Brittney Mayer, 11/22/2016

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 24 months. A soft inquiry, on the other hand, does not affect your credit score or report, but it doesn't contain as much... read more »

Discover Card Pre-Approval — (How to Pre-Qualify & 4 Best Offers)

By: Brittney Mayer, 9/27/2016

The modern era is a lovely place, full of technology and convenience. Vacuums run themselves, the sofa plugs in, and there are televisions in the refrigerators. With all this digitization, it's hardly shocking that just about everything hits our inboxes instead of our mailboxes. So what's the surprising part? Anytime I check the mail, there always seems to be at least one letter from a credit card company. These pre-approval offers and pre-qualification notices are forever showing... read more »

Capital One® Pre-Approval Cards? – (4 Secrets to Pre-Qualifying)

By: Ashley Dull, 6/3/2016

On my 18th birthday, my mailbox became flooded with "pre-qualified" credit card offers from various issuers trying to get me to sign up for one of their cards. I didn’t necessarily know what pre-qualified meant at the time, but I sure knew what a credit card was, and that I wanted one. Pre-qualified simply meant the issuer (Capital One, Chase, Discover, etc.) had identified that I met a set of qualifying criteria for approval. Issuers find this information by working with credit... read more »