Instant Approval Credit Cards You Can Use Right Away

Instant approval vs. instant use vs. guaranteed approval credit cards

While instant-use credit cards are typically instant approval cards, these are two different things, and neither means you’re guaranteed approval.

Instant approval credit cards

Instant approval refers to the practice of letting you know immediately — usually within seconds or minutes — whether you are approved for a credit card. Almost all card issuers provide instant approval today. However, not every application can be instantly approved.

In some cases, the creditor needs additional information to approve your account. You are typically notified in seconds that this is the case and provided instructions for providing that information. The creditor may need documentation regarding your income, for example. In these situations, approval can take a few days or weeks.

Instant use credit cards

Instant-use credit cards can be used immediately after you are approved. You are provided with a virtual credit card number or another option, such as an app, to make purchases before your physical card arrives in the mail.

Not all credit cards come with this benefit and not all credit card accounts that are instantly approved offer instant use numbers.

Guaranteed approval cards

Guaranteed approval credit cards are cards you’re certain to be approved for. Unfortunately, these don’t exist— no credit card has 100% guaranteed approval.

Many credit card issuers offer pre-qualification or pre-approval to help you gauge your chances of approval for their cards. Sometimes these come via targeted offers through mail or e-mail. Other times, these can be initiated by you through the issuer’s website.

If you receive a pre-approval offer through the mail, you’re almost guaranteed approval for that card as they’re considered “firm offers of credit” under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The only grounds for denial would be if your credit changed drastically since the offer was made.

Some issuers offer a pre-approval screening tool through their website. This allows you to enter your personal information and the issuer may initiate a soft credit pull to determine your eligibility (this won’t affect your credit score). While you may be “pre-approved” through this tool, that still does not guarantee approval.

Which issuers offer access to instant credit card numbers after approval?

A growing number of banks and credit card issuers are providing instant credit card numbers to cardholders. This is not an exhaustive list below; other banks and issuers offer this benefit. Almost all retail co-branded cards or store-only credit cards can also be used instantly at the register or in the online shopping card upon approval.

The issuers below offer at least one credit card with this benefit.

1. American Express

Amex offers this benefit on most, if not all, of its cards. You can use your instant use card number with Amazon Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit Pay, PayPal, Samsung Pay, and Apple Pay. This benefit is available based on Amex’s ability to authenticate your identity.

2. Capital One

Capital One offers this option on select cards and to select applicants. The easiest way to use a Capital One virtual credit card is via the Capital One assistant, Eno, which is a browser extension.

3. Chase

Many Chase credit cards come with an option to Spend Instantly. This is supported via a virtual card number that can be loaded into digital wallets. This option is available on most Chase Visa credit cards, except for some of their co-branded Visa cards. It also excludes cards in the Mastercard network and business cards.

4. Citi

Some Citi credit cards provide a temporary credit card number you can use on the application approval page. You can also enroll in the virtual credit card option via your Citi online account.

5. U.S. Bank

U.S. Bank offers instant-use digital cards for some approved cardholders. You can download the digital card into a compatible digital wallet and use it to make purchases before you get your physical card — or even after.

6. Discover

Discover offers an instant-use token option that can be used with digital wallets and virtual credit card numbers. However, this option isn’t available for all card types or applicants.

How do instant-use credit card numbers work?

Instant virtual credit card numbers work similarly to your regular credit card, but there are a few limitations. You won’t have a physical card you can swipe at registers, so your ability to shop in stores can be limited by each retailer’s payment policies and your own comfort with payment apps and digital wallets, for example.

The exact process for using an instant access credit card number depends on the card you get and the issuer’s policies. You can see some examples of different approaches in our list of example credit cards with this benefit above.

However, the general concept of instant approval credit card numbers works like this:

• You apply for the card and are, hopefully, approved instantly. Approval depends on your creditworthiness and other factors.
• The card issuer provides you with an instant-use credit card number. Whether you receive this benefit may also depend on your credit score and other factors. Card issuers may also require a special identification process before they provide an instant credit card number for you to use.
• The instant access credit card number is either a temporary card number, your actual account number, or an app-based dynamic number that is created for each purchase.
• You may need to download the credit card company’s app to access your instant-use card number. In other cases, you are provided with the information via a secure email, and you can add the card number to your digital wallet or enter it manually when making online payments.
• In some cases, you don’t have access to your entire credit line via an instant-use card. You may only have access to a percentage of your credit line until you get your physical card. This is a security measure some credit card issuers take to protect cardholders from potential fraud.

One important consideration when using a virtual credit card of any type — instant or otherwise — is that the card number you use may not match the card number that’s on your actual credit card. This can be an obstacle when you make purchases that require you to swipe or show your card later.

For instance, some hotels require that you present the card you used to make the booking when you check-in. If the credit card numbers don’t match, there can be some confusion or hassle. The same is true when renting a car or purchasing event tickets in advance. It’s best to be aware of the requirements in these types of scenarios so you can use your physical credit card and its matching number when necessary.

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