You can also check your credit score with a service like my fico Evaluate or get your estimate for free with any of these free credit monitoring services.
Once you know your credit score, you can avoid being rejected when buying a new credit card by choosing a card for which you have an above-average chance of approval.
Whether you go to the bank for a loan or apply for a credit card online, you have no idea what credit score is required for approval. So if you know your score is 665 (which is about average), it won’t help you if the credit card you’re applying for requires a credit score of 670.
Most credit card offers require very good credit
Let’s clear this up. Many people who apply for a credit card are denied. And if you get rejected too many times a year, it can further damage your credit history.
Most so-called “prime” and “super premium” credit cards are only available to applicants with a credit score of 750 or higher. These include most American Express, Chase, and Bank of America credit cards.
Even with a good credit history, there are other reasons why you may be rejected, such as too much total debt or even one recent late payment.
Read more: Why was my credit card application rejected?
To help you avoid this, let’s see what cards you can get with different credit scores. You can also view our complete list of the best credit cards. Each card has a minimum required credit quality category.
Excellent credit: 750+
Achieving excellent or super-prime credit often requires at least 10 years of on-time payments and a combination of credit accounts such as credit cards, student loans, and mortgages.
Even if you’ve used credit responsibly for up to five years, you can still be denied many cards simply because banks want customers with an even longer track record of timely payments.
If you’re in that range, you have a choice of any of the best credit cards, and you can take advantage of promotions where banks actually reward you with cash or travel rewards for opening and using a new credit card.
Read more: Best credit cards if your credit score is over 750 (excellent credit)