Best Soft Pull Credit Cards in 2024 (2024)

Apr 12, 2024

Fact checked

Written by John S Kiernan

WalletHub Managing Editor

Fact Checked by Alina Comoreanu

WalletHub Senior Researcher

Soft pull credit cards let you check for pre-approval and request a credit limit increase without a hard credit inquiry. Most soft pull credit cards do not, however, allow you to open a new account without a hard inquiry. With the exception of a handful of secured credit cards that don’t check your credit at all when you apply, you can’t get a credit card without a hard inquiry.

Key Things to Remember

Soft credit inquiries, usually happen when you check your own credit or a lender does so for normal account maintenance. They don’t affect your credit standing.
A hard inquiry is when a lender reviews your credit history in response to your application for credit.
Each hard inquiry does a bit of temporary damage to your credit score, with the impact being most pronounced when you have numerous inquiries in a short period of time.
Most major credit card companies allow you to check which of their cards you can get pre-approved for, using just a soft pull.
Getting pre-approved for a credit card means you have a 90%+ chance of approval if you apply.

Opinions and ratings are our own. This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.

Table of Contents

Can You Get a Credit Card with a Soft Pull?2024's Best Credit Cards You Can Get Pre-Approved ForCan You Get a Credit Limit Increase with a Soft Pull?

Which Issuers Offer Credit Card Pre-Approval With a Soft Pull?

Credit Card Company	Online Pre-Approval Check?	Soft Pull?	Min. Credit Required
American Express	Yes	Yes	Good
Bank of America	Yes	Yes	Bad
Capital One	Yes	Yes	Bad
Chase	Yes	Yes	Good
Citibank	Yes	Yes	Limited
Discover	Yes	Yes	Bad
USAA	Yes (members only)	Yes	Bad
U.S. Bank	Yes (existing customers only)	Yes	Bad
Wells Fargo	Yes	Yes	Bad

The only downside to getting pre-approved for a credit card is that you have to do it issuer by issuer. If you don’t feel like doing that, you could check for pre-approval with one credit card company and then use the results to estimate your approval odds for cards from other issuers. For example, if you get pre-approved for a card that requires a minimum of good credit for approval, you should have a pretty good chance of getting other cards for people with good credit.

Alternatively, you can sign up for a free WalletHub account, and we’ll give you personalized recommendations for credit cards with high approval odds. These recommendations are based on your credit history and financial goals as well as our analysis of WalletHub application and approval data.

Get Your Personalized Credit Card Recommendations – 100% Free

Below, you can learn more about when hard and soft pulls are used for credit cards, including the case of credit limit increases.

Can You Get a Credit Card with a Soft Pull?

In almost all cases, you cannot get a credit card with a soft pull. The purpose of a hard inquiry is to tell other lenders that you are looking to borrow, which is why it leads to a bit of temporary credit score damage. Repeatedly applying for credit indicates that you’re desperate to borrow, which is a sign of financial difficulties, making it riskier to lend to you. However, a handful of secured credit cards are an exception to this rule. They don’t check applicants’ credit because there’s no need to. You have to place a refundable security deposit to open an account, and you can’t build up a balance bigger than the amount of that deposit. So there’s no risk for the issuer.

Soft Pull Credit Cards

First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card: $39 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit .
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card: $35 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit.
Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card: $48 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit.
First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card: $49 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit.

All four of these cards report to all three major credit bureaus on a monthly basis. So any of them can help you improve your credit score if you pay the bill on time every month. Their main requirements are that you have to be at least 18 years old with a U.S. mailing address, Social Security number, and enough money to place a deposit and make monthly minimum payments.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any unsecured soft pull credit cards. With no balance to protect them, issuers must thoroughly review applicants’ credit history to make sure people with a high likelihood of paying their bills on time get approved.

What Are the Best Credit Cards You Can Get Pre-Approved for in 2024?

To help you find the right credit card for your needs, WalletHub’s editors picked a handful of their favorite cards from issuers offering pre-approval with a soft pull. This includes a cash back credit card, a 0% credit card and a pair of travel rewards cards.

Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card	Citi Double Cash® Card	Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
4.5WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 4.5 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 5.0 User Reviews 3.8 Market Comparison 4.4 fees: 2.9 rewards: 4.8 cost: 5.0 Other Features: 0.0	4.9WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 4.9 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Improve Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 5.0 User Reviews 3.4 Market Comparison 5.0 fees: 5.0 rewards: 5.0 cost: 5.0 Other Features: 5.0	4.6WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 4.6 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Earn Rewards." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 5.0 User Reviews 3.9 Market Comparison 4.6 fees: 2.9 rewards: 4.8 cost: 5.0 Other Features: 5.0
(2,704)	(2,169)	(3,537)
annual fee$95	annual fee$0	annual fee$95
rewards rate Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day Earn 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options 2 - 5 miles / $1	rewards rate Earn 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases. To earn cash back, pay at least the minimum due on time. Plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24. 2% Cash Back	rewards rate Enjoy beneﬁts such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit, plus more. 1 - 5 points / $1
bonus offer Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel 75,000 miles	bonus offer Earn $200 cash back after you spend $1,500 on purchases in the first 6 months of account opening. This bonus offer will be fulfilled as 20,000 ThankYou® Points, which can be redeemed for $200 cash back. $200	bonus offer Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠. 60,000 points
Purchase Intro APRN/A	Purchase Intro APRN/A	Purchase Intro APRN/A
transfer intro aprN/A	transfer intro apr0% for 18 months Transfer Fee: 3% intro fee ($5 min) for each transfer in first 4 months, after that 5% ($5 min) for each transfer	transfer intro aprN/A
Regular APR19.99% - 29.99% (V)	Regular APR19.24% - 29.24% (V)	Regular APR21.49% - 28.49% (V)
SponsoredApply Now	SponsoredApply Now	SponsoredApply Now

These aren’t the only great offers, though. You can check out WalletHub’s best credit cards by category for more options to consider.

Can You Get a Credit Limit Increase with a Soft Pull?

Getting a higher credit limit on an existing credit card could involve either a soft pull or a hard pull. It varies by issuer as well as based on the circ*mstances. For example, some credit card companies use a soft inquiry to evaluate cardholders for automatic credit limit increases and a hard inquiry when a cardholder proactively requests a higher limit. You can find a breakdown of the biggest issuers’ policies below.

Credit Card Company	Soft Pull for Automatic Increase?	Soft Pull for Requested Increase?
American Express	Yes	Sometimes, depending on what their system decides
Bank of America	Yes	Sometimes, depending on what their system decides
Barclays	Yes	No
Capital One	Yes	Yes
Chase	Yes	No
Citibank	Sometimes, depending on what their system decides	Sometimes, depending on what their system decides
Discover	Yes (may ask to do hard for a closer look)	Yes (may ask to do hard for a closer look)
PNC	No automatic increases	No
Synchrony Bank	Yes	No
USAA	No automatic increases	No
U.S. Bank	No automatic increases	Sometimes depending on what their system decides
Wells Fargo	No automatic increases	Yes (may ask to do hard for a closer look)

For more tips and tricks, check out WalletHub’s guide to getting a higher credit card limit.

Soft Pull Credit Cards FAQ(10 questions)

Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. Please keep in mind that it is not a financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.In addition, WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.

Upvotes

What does pre-qualified mean for a credit card?

Chip Lupo, Credit Card Writer

@CLoop

Being pre-qualified for a credit card means the issuer has done a soft pull of your credit history and concluded that you are a good fit. It also means you have an 80%+ chance of acceptance if you decide to apply for the card in question. It's very similar to pre-approval in those regards.

The main difference between pre-qualification and pre-approval is who makes the first move. If a credit card company sends you an offer, it's probably pre-approval. But if you check yourself, on an issuer's website or by visiting a branch, it's pre-qualification. However, the distinction is small enough that people often use the terms interchangeably.

Some issuers let you check for pre-qualification online, while others only send offers in the mail. And if you don't want to get offers, you can opt not to receive them at OptOutPrescreen.com. But prequalification can be a big help in choosing which card to apply for, since it helps you limit applications to your most likely options.

Other Key Things to Know About Getting Pre-qualified for Credit Cards

American Express, Bank of America, Capital One, and Wells Fargo are among the issuers that let you check for pre-qualification online. You'll need to provide your full name and at least the last four digits of your Social Security number. You may also have to provide your birthday and home address. You'll then be shown which cards (if any) you prequalify for, along with an application link.
If you get a pre-approved offer in the mail, it will come with a code that you can use to respond to the offer on the credit card company's website. But they'll also send you a paper application that you can fill out and mail back if you prefer.
Whether you're pre-approved or pre-qualified, you still need to apply, and you aren't guaranteed acceptance. But you do have a very strong chance.

Getting pre-qualified for a credit card means you can apply knowing that you probably aren't wasting a hard inquiry on a long shot. And if you sign up for WalletHub, you'll get personalized credit analysis with card recommendations tailored to suit your circ*mstances as well.

Upvotes

Does getting pre-qualified hurt your credit score?

Mary Grace McCormick, Credit Writer

@mg_mccormick

Getting pre-qualified does not hurt your credit score. A pre-qualification only triggers a soft credit inquiry, so your credit report won't be fully pulled and analyzed, and your credit score will be unaffected.

However, once you apply for a specific credit card or mortgage, you will trigger a hard inquiry. Hard inquiries directly impact your credit score, lowering it by up to 5 - 10 points, but scores usually recover within a few months. Hard inquiries...

Is it good to accept pre-approved credit cards?

Theresa Chalfant, Writer

@theresa_chalfant

It's good to accept pre-approved credit cards when they will save you money, both overall and compared to other credit card offers you have a good shot of qualifying for. Before accepting a pre-approved credit card offer, compare it to cards with similar requirements to make sure you're not missing out on a better deal.

What Does Getting Pre-Approved Actually Mean?

Pre-approval doesn't guarantee that you'll be approved for the card, but it...

Upvotes

Where can I get a business credit card offer with no personal credit check?

Chip Lupo, Credit Card Writer

@CLoop

You can get a business credit card with no personal credit check by applying for a credit card such as the Brex Corporate Card for Startups and being approved. The Brex Credit Card won't do a personal credit check, though it does require applicants to have at least $100,000 in the bank to qualify.

The Brex Credit Card doesn't check your credit because it does not require a personal guarantee, so the issuer must verify that your business can pay back its debts. Business credit cards with...

Upvote

What are the best soft pull business credit cards?

Maria Adams, Credit Cards Moderator

@m_adams

You can't get any business credit cards with just a soft pull, but there are several issuers that allow you to check for pre-approval before applying. This is the next best thing, as checking for pre-approval results in a soft pull, and it is a good way to gauge your approval odds without damaging your credit. However, there will be a hard pull once you submit your application.

One good credit card that allows you to check for pre-approval and...

Upvotes

Does the Walmart Credit Card do a soft pull?

@onetray

No, the Walmart Credit Card will not do a soft pull. The Walmart Credit Card application will result in a hard inquiry. So, keep in mind that you will need at least fair credit (640+) to get the card. While the score is higher than what most store cards require, you will be able to use the card anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

More info regarding the Walmart Credit Card credit inquiry:

You can check if you prequalify for the...

Upvotes

Are there any soft pull store credit cards?

WalletHub

@WalletHub

No, there aren't anysoft pullstore credit card. Store credit cardsonly use soft pulls during the pre-approval process.

Things to know about the store cards pre-approval and application process:

When you receive a pre-approved offer for a store credit card, it means the issuer used a soft pull to do a preliminary check of your credit.
Getting pre-approved for a store card means the issuer determined that you were likely to...

Upvotes

Does Bank of America do a soft pull for their credit cards?

Brianne Larch, WalletHub Credit Card Analyst

@BrianneLarch

No, Bank of America doesn't do a soft pull for its credit cards; they will do a hard pull when you submit an application for any of their credit cards.

It is also worth noting, though, that you can prequalify for Bank of America credit cards on their pre-qualification page, which will not affect your credit score as it will result in a soft pull. However, if you do prequalify and want to get the card, you will need...

Upvotes

Are there any credit cards that don't do a hard inquiry?

Chip Lupo, Credit Card Writer

@CLoop

Yes, there are credit cards that don't do a hard inquiry on your credit report when you apply. These no-credit-check credit cards generally require a security deposit to open the account, usually in addition to an annual fee, and they are not common.

Many credit cards also let you check for pre-approval without doing a hard pull, but they will almost always require a hard pull if you decide to apply for the card after getting...

Upvotes

How do you get a credit card without checking your credit score?

Adam McCann, Financial Writer

@adam_mcan

To get a credit card without the issuer checking your credit score, you will need to apply for a no credit check credit card. These credit cards do not require a hard inquiry on your credit report when you apply, so applying won't hurt your credit score. Usually, a credit card requires a hard inquiry (also known as a hard pull) for approval, which is likely to knock some points off your credit score temporarily.

Best No Credit Check...

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* The information about the following cards has been independently collected by WalletHub: First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card, Sam's Club® Business Credit Card, Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured credit card, Valley Bank Visa® Secured Business Credit Card, Capital One Walmart Rewards® Mastercard®, and Secured Chime® Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card.