Credit scores are one of the biggest factors that affects credit card approval. Knowing what credit score you need to have to get approved would eliminate a lot of guesswork with credit card applications. You'd know whether it's worth it to apply for a specific credit card, whether you need to look elsewhere, or whether you should spend some time improving your credit score before you apply for any credit card.


There's good and bad news. First, the bad. The credit score you need to get approved for a credit card varies by credit card and unfortunately, it's not something that credit card issuers make public. Fortunately, there are credit cards for nearly every type of credit score from excellent scores (above 720) to average and even poor credit scores. The hard part is finding a credit card for your specific credit score, particularly if you have a low credit score. Generally, the lower your credit score, the fewer credit cards you qualify for and the higher the risk of having your application denied.

Applicants with low credit scores, e.g. below 620 are least likely to be approved for a credit card. But, there are a few subprime credit cards that are geared for this specific type of consumer. Granted, those subprime credit cards are the worst kinds of credit cards to have – because of their high interest rates, fees, and reputation for poor customer service – but they do serve the market of consumers with extremely damaged credit scores.

Some credit card issuers and credit card marketplace websites that list credit card offers include the type of credit you need to be approved for each specific credit card. Excellent offers are typically for those with high credit scores, above 720; Good, 680 to 720; Fair 620 to 680; Poor, 550 to 620; Bad credit, below 550. Keep mind these ranges are approximate and based on a 300 to 850 range. Credit card issuers may have a slightly different idea of what constitutes excellent, good, fair, etc. credit.

Keep in mind that credit card issuers often more than just credit scores when they're approving a credit card application. Non-credit factors like income, debt, and number of open accounts or recent collections also factor into the decision to grant a credit card. For that reason, a person with excellent credit could be turned down for a credit card that's geared toward applicants with excellent scores.