Posted by: John S Kiernan

Most major credit card companies allow you to prequalify for at least some of their credit card offers (some cards are from WalletHub partners). This is a convenience that lets people gauge their approval odds without triggering a hard inquiry, which could lead to credit score damage. In many cases, they will take the first move by mailing you an invitation to apply, telling you that you’ve been preapproved and providing a special code or website to use when submitting your application. Other times, issuers will let you check which of their cards you pre-qualify for directly from their website.

In either case, credit card preapproval does not guarantee actual approval for an account. But it does give you dramatically higher odds than the average applicant. You can learn more about how the process works from WalletHub’s guide on preapproved credit card offers. If you have a WalletHub account, you can also get personalized credit card recommendations, tailored for your needs (and high approval odds).

View Your Personalized Credit Card Recommendations

Below, we’ll break down which of the top 10 credit card issuers offer preapproval and reveal our experts’ picks for the best cards available.

Which Top Issuers Offer Credit Card Preapproval?

Credit Card Company	Lets You Check for Preapproved Offers?	Mails Preapproved Offers?	Min. Credit Required
American Express	Yes	Yes	Good
Bank of America	Yes	Yes	Bad
Barclaycard	No	Yes	Limited
Capital One	Yes	Yes	Bad
Chase	Yes	Yes	Good
Citibank	Yes	Yes	Limited
Discover	Yes	Yes	Bad
PNC	No	Yes	Excellent
Synchrony Bank	No	Yes	Fair
USAA	Yes (members only)	Yes	Bad
U.S. Bank	Yes (existing customers only)	Yes	Bad
Wells Fargo	Yes	Yes	Bad

As you can see above, credit card companies offer different types of preapproved credit cards. All major issuers pre-screen consumers and mail preapproved offers to those who seem to meet the exact criteria they’re looking for. This is essentially an invitation to apply and a sign that you have very good odds of approval.

Credit card companies that allow you to take preapproval into your own hands are less common. But not by much. Seven of the 12 largest issuers allow anyone to check which cards they’re preapproved for online.

2017’s Best Preapproved Credit Cards

The best preapproved credit cards are simply the best overall credit cards that happen to offer preapproval. So they differ based on your credit standing as well as your spending and payment habits. WalletHub’s editors compared 1,000+ offers to find the best cards for people at each credit level. You can check out their picks below.

Here are 2017’s best credit cards with preapproval:

Best For…	Card Name	Offers Preapproval?	Min. Credit Required	Editor’s Rating
Rewards	Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard®	Yes	Excellent	5.0
0% Purchases	Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card	Yes	Good	5.0
Balance Transfers	Barclaycard Ring™ Mastercard®	Yes	Excellent	4.7
Fair Credit	Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card	Yes	Limited/Fair	4.7
Newcomers	Capital One® Platinum Credit Card	Yes	Limited	5.0
Students	Journey® Student Rewards from Capital One®	Yes	Limited	5.0
Bad Credit	Discover it® Secured Card - No Annual Fee	Yes	Bad	5.0
Business	Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business	Yes	Good	5.0

For a personalized recommendation, sign up for a free WalletHub account. We’ll tell you which credit cards offer the highest approval odds, based on your latest credit score and report. Only WalletHub offers free credit scores and reports that are updated on a daily basis.

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via Finance Xpress