Best Instant Approval Credit Cards
WalletHub makes it easy to find the best instant approval credit card for you.
The best instant approval credit cards can save you money with good rewards, low interest promotions and low fees, as well as help you build credit (some offers are from WalletHub partners).... show more... show more
5 Best Instant Approval Credit Cards (May 2024)
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- No annual or monthly fees
- Starting credit line $200
- Great for credit-building
- No rewards
- Higher-than-average interest rate
- Qualify with limited or no credit history
- Does not require security deposit
- One-time fees
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
- Great rewards
- No annual fee
- Relatively low minimum deposit
- Qualify with limited credit history
- High interest rate
- Qualify with bad credit
- Does not require security deposit
- High membership fees
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
- High rewards rate
- Bonus rewards categories
- Qualify with bad credit
- Does not require security deposit
- High membership fees
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
- No annual or monthly fees & No fees for account opening
- Up to 2% cash back
- First-year rewards doubled
- Relatively low minimum deposit
- High regular APR
- Qualify with bad credit
- Does not require security deposit
- $89 one-time program fee
- $75 annual fee for the first year
- $147 in fees starting year two
- High APR
- Qualify with bad credit
- Does not require security deposit
- High membership fees
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
- 1% cash back on eligible purchases
- Available to people with bad credit
- Automatic credit-line increase reviews
- Annual fee of $75 intro 1st yr, $99 after
- High APR
- Low credit limit
- Qualify with bad credit
- Does not require security deposit
- High membership fees
- High regular APR
- Foreign fee
Our picks for the best instant approval credit cards
OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card
Why We Like It: The OpenSky Plus Credit Card is the best instant approval credit card for bad credit because it has no credit check and no annual fee. OpenSky just has to validate your identity, income and a few other details.
As a result, the OpenSky Plus Card allows people with poor credit or no credit to get instant approval and begin improving their credit standing at a low cost. OpenSky also reports account information to all three major credit bureaus monthly.
What We Don’t Like: You have to place a security deposit of $300+. In addition, there is a $0 annual fee.
Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the OpenSky® Plus Secured Visa® Credit Card if you want the chance to be approved instantly despite having bad credit. It’s particularly good for people whose top priority is credit improvement.
Alternatives to Consider: The First Progress Platinum Elite is another good option with no credit check.
Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Why We Like It: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is one of the best rewards credit cards that offers most applicants a good chance of getting approved instantly. The card offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants (up to $1,000 spent each quarter combined), and 1% back on all other purchases, and does not charge an annual fee. All the rewards you earn during the first 12 months as a new cardmember also get doubled after your first account anniversary.
What We Don’t Like: You have to place a security deposit of $200+, and the amount you put down becomes your spending limit.
Who Should Get It: Consider applying for this card if you have limited or bad credit, don’t mind placing a refundable security deposit, and will be able to take full advantage of the card’s bonus rewards.
Alternatives to Consider: The Capital One Quicksilver Secured offers very good rewards too.
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card
Why We Like It: The best instant approval credit card for bad credit is the Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card (see Rates & Fees). It’s meant for people with limited-to-bad credit history, so your approval odds should be high, and you could get instant approval if your online application is complete and everything checks out on Capital One’s end.
Having this card can help you build positive credit history, as it reports to the three major credit bureaus monthly. The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card also offers good rewards and has no annual fee.
What We Don’t Like: You have to place a refundable security deposit, the amount of which will be your spending limit.
Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Capital One Quicksilver Secured if you want to build credit at a low cost and earn rewards along the way.
Alternatives to Consider: Discover it Secured Credit Card offers very good rewards to people with limited or bad credit.
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
Why We Like It: Capital One Quicksilver (see Rates & Fees) offers the chance for instant approval when you apply online, has a $0 annual fee, and rewards cardholders handsomely. The rewards start with an initial bonus of $200 for spending $500 in the first 3 months and continue with 5% cash back on hotel and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, as well as 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.
Plus, new cardholders enjoy an introductory APR of 0% for 15 months.
What We Don’t Like: The card’s regular APR - 19.99% - 29.99% (V) - will make carrying a balance from month to month quite expensive after the intro APR promotion expires. Plus, the card has a balance transfer fee of 3% for the first 15 months, 4% at a promo APR that Capital One may offer you at any other time.
Who Should Get It: People with good-to-excellent credit should consider applying for the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card if its rewards suit their spending habits.
Alternatives to Consider: Wells Fargo Active Cash is another great cash back credit card that you could get instantly approved for if you apply online.
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit
Why We Like It: The Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit is the best unsecured credit card for people with bad credit who want instant approval. The Credit One Visa certainly is not cheap, but it could help you afford minor emergency expenses as well as improve your credit standing, if used responsibly. And if you apply online, you could be instantly approved.
What We Don’t Like: The Credit One Visa is pretty expensive, charging up to $99 in annual fees ($75 the first year) as well as an APR of 29.74% (V). You won’t be able to borrow too much, either, as the card’s minimum credit limit is just $300.
Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the Credit One Visa if you have bad credit and need to borrow a small amount of money for an emergency expense.
Alternatives to Consider: If you don’t need to borrow for an emergency, consider a secured card like the Capital One Quicksilver Secured. Otherwise, find the least expensive unsecured card for bad credit.
Bottom Line:
All credit cards offer instant approval, at least when you apply online. They just don’t offer it to everyone. You need to be an ideal applicant. And the higher a card’s approval requirements are, the fewer ideal applicants there will be.
So if you really want instant approval, the trick is to pick a conservative target. One way to do that is to apply for a credit card whose minimum credit requirement is one level below your credit standing. For example, if you have good credit, consider applying for a fair-credit credit card. You can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub.
For your convenience, we’ll also recap WalletHub’s editors’ picks for the best credit cards for instant approval right now, which were selected from 1,000+ offers due to their standout terms and the possibility for quick application decisions. You can find them grouped by category below.
Best Instant Approval Credit Cards Comparison
Credit Card | Best For | Annual Fee | Min. Credit Required |
Discover it® Secured Credit Card | Rewards | $0 | Bad |
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card (see Rates & Fees) | Bad Credit | $0 | Bad |
Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card (see Rates & Fees) | Good Credit | $0 | Good |
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card | No Credit Check Approval | $35 | Bad |
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit | No Deposit | $75 intro 1st yr, $99 after | Bad |
If you’re still not sure which credit card is right for you, check out WalletHub’s guide on how to choose the best credit card for some helpful tips and info.
How we picked the best instant approval credit cards
To identify the best instant approval credit cards, WalletHub’s editors regularly compare more than 1,500 credit card offers. After ruling out any cards that do not offer the possibility of instant approval, we compare the remaining cards based on their fees, rewards, interest rates and approval requirements.
Specifically, we calculate how much each card is likely to save or cost cardholders over two years of use, before selecting the cards with the most potential savings and the highest likelihood of instant approval. In doing so, we focus primarily on cards available to applicants with poor credit, as they are likely to offer instant approval to the most people. Plus, people typically seek out instant approval credit cards when they’re concerned about their chances of getting a card.
Sources
WalletHub actively maintains a database of 1,500+ credit card offers, from which we select the best instant approval credit cards for different applicants as well as derive market-wide takeaways and trends. The underlying data is compiled from credit card company websites or provided directly by the credit card issuers. We also leverage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to develop cardholder profiles, used to estimate cards’ potential savings.
Instant Approval Credit Cards FAQ
Comparing instant approval credit cards can be tough. But you’ve got the knowledgeable WalletHub community on your side. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge while respecting our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not the financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered. WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.show more
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Expert Opinions
- How do credit card companies decide whether or not to “instantly approve” an online applicant?
- When does it make sense to worry about getting instant credit card approval?
- If a credit card applicant is not approved instantly, what should he or she do while waiting to hear back?
Important Disclosures
We work hard to show you up-to-date product terms, however, this information does not originate from us and thus, we do not guarantee its accuracy. Actual terms may vary. Before submitting an application, always verify all terms and conditions with the offering institution. Please let us know if you notice any differences.
† Approval Odds are WalletHub estimates intended to gauge your likelihood of approval for a particular product. Approval Odds are based on WalletHub data and are not provided or endorsed by the lender. Approval Odds are not meant to imply or guarantee that you will be approved by the lender or that credit will be extended. WalletHub may share your information with third-parties in order to show personalized offers, as well as enable you to interact more easily with pre-fill forms or applications. You can opt-out of sharing your personal info here.
Ad Disclosure Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products.
Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer.
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