When you receive a preapproved credit card offer, you essentially receive an invitation to apply for a credit card you'll likely be approved for. You can also look for credit cards that offer prequalification or preapproval online.
When you apply for a credit card with prequalification, you submit a preliminary application where you provide some basic information like your name, date of birth, social security number, and income. The issuer then uses this information to perform a soft inquiry and see whether you qualify for the offer or not.
Preapproval (or prequalification) does not guarantee actual approval. Thus, when you are preapproved, you will need to fill out a full application form to complete the application process. The issuers may still reject you at this step as they may perform a hard pull and more thorough credit check to see if you meet their approval criteria. Here's what you should know about preapproved credit cards at a glance:
