Preapproved Chase Credit Cards: How to Qualify
A preapproved credit card offer can be a good way to get your foot in the door with Chase. Chase credit cards are typically reserved for people with good or excellent credit — meaning a credit score of 670 or higher. Particularly if you think your credit is on the fence, checking if you’re preapproved will help you apply with confidence or spare you unnecessary damage to your credit.
What is a preapproved offer?
A preapproved credit card offer occurs when a credit card company does a basic review of your credit and finds that you may qualify for a card. You may receive a mailer from the company with a personalized invitation to apply, or you can check if you’re preapproved for some credit cards on the issuer’s website.
If you’re preapproved and choose to follow up by officially applying, you’re likely to be approved for the card.
How to get preapproved for a Chase credit card
Your credit score will play a role in determining whether you’re eligible for preapproval, and preapproval is only available for some Chase cards. If preapproval isn’t offered, you can check your credit score for free ahead of time. If your credit score is around 670 or higher, your approval chances will be better.
If your credit score is lower, you can improve it by making loan and credit card payments on time, paying off other balances and monitoring your credit report. To solicit preapproval, you can either contact a local Chase branch or check Chase’s website. Either way, you’ll need to submit basic personal information like your name, address and last four digits of your Social Security number.
Does getting a preapproved Chase card offer impact my credit score?
No. Preapproved credit card offers will not affect your credit score because creditors don’t do a full credit check to determine eligibility.
Preapproval only requires a “soft pull”, which means your credit score won’t be affected. A soft credit pull doesn’t give lenders all of the details of your credit history, with the tradeoff that lenders don’t need your permission to run this report. However, if you choose to submit a formal application after receiving preapproval, your credit score may be affected.
Applying for a credit card requires a hard credit check, or pull, which gets recorded to your credit report. The effect is temporary and typically negligible. Preapproved offers are sometimes referred to more accurately as “prescreened.” A prescreened offer will be sent out after a soft inquiry indicates that you’re a good prospect for additional credit.
If you apply based on the offer, the lender may make a hard inquiry before issuing the credit. You can also improve your chances of getting preapproved by keeping tabs on your credit score, making payments on time and avoiding piling on more debt.
The bottom line
Note that depending on the credit card issuer, preapproval may be referred to as prequalification or prescreening. Many issuers offer preapproval as a way to encourage applications, but it’s not available for every credit card.
Seeking preapproval for a Chase credit card can help you pick the best credit card for your situation. If you’re denied preapproval, you can improve your credit in as little as a few months with good credit behavior. You can also work your way up by applying for credit cards for people with bad credit or credit cards for people with no credit.
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