"Apply with No Impact to Your Credit"

Discussion / Conversation Forum
1

Noticed a lot of cards doing this now, what changed?

I don’t mean a soft pull either. The latest one I was emailed about said a hard inquiry would only show up IF approved.

2

They want everyone to try and get a credit card without scaring them. More credit cards mean more money.

3

Yani said:
They want everyone to try and get a credit card without scaring them. More credit cards mean more money.

Agree, and I actually don’t dislike this trend. It’s more transparent.

4

@Graydon
Nothing to dislike about it; it’s honestly great. Some companies are borderline scamming. Citi advertises their cards for balance transfers, and I know someone with a long credit history who applied for one of them and got a $1500 credit line.

5

@jordansmith
I have a very dim opinion of Citi. On paper — strong earners. In practice, it’s still Citi.

6

Graydon said:
@jordansmith
I have a very dim opinion of Citi. On paper — strong earners. In practice, it’s still Citi.

True, though if they actually add American Airlines as a transfer partner, I might have to dip my toes in.

7

@Chance
My eyes are watchful for that, let’s put it that way. Doctor of Credit’s article claims that’s a done deal, but they cite the press release which I didn’t read the same way. It seems like the obvious endpoint, though — and whether it brings devaluations remains to be seen.

8

Yep, soft pulls. Amex, a few Goldman Sachs offerings, Venmo, etc. Hard comes after one accepts. I’m a fan. Nothing is 100% guaranteed till the hard, obviously.

I had a CU offer me a 20k card last year with explicitly no hard pull at all. Been with them a while though, and they do a lot of softs.

9

@Maverick
I am pretty sure Amex is guaranteed acceptance from a soft pull. It isn’t a ‘preapproval.’

10

Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think these are doing soft pulls, otherwise they wouldn’t have enough information to make a determination on your application. Only once you accept the offer do they do the hard pull to comply with credit reporting rules.

11

@Zaren
Are you sure a soft pull doesn’t give more info than a hard pull? The credit score report soft pulled into Amex app has all the details, at least enough to make a decision.

12

Besides the Apple card, which cards can you apply for and not get an inquiry?

13

jordansmith said:
Besides the Apple card, which cards can you apply for and not get an inquiry?

All American Express Cards.