Best soft-pull credit cards for September 2024 (2024)

This content is created by AP Buyline in accordance with AP’s editorial guidelines and supervised and edited by AP staff. Our evaluations and opinions are not influenced by our advertising relationships, but we may earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content. Learn more about AP Buyline here.

Soft-pull credit cards give you an idea of how likely you are to be approved for a credit card and the interest rate you qualify for. By entering a few details into select credit card issuers’ websites, you can instantly see if the bank considers you a good candidate for their credit cards.

Prequalifying for a credit card doesn’t guarantee you’ll be approved, however. If you prequalify, you’ll often also get an idea of your account terms if you decide to formally apply.

Our top recommendations for the best soft-pull credit cards

card_name: Best premium travel card

card_name offers objectively more potential value than any other personal card on the market. You’ll receive perks like up to $200 in yearly Uber Cash, up to $240 in digital entertainment credits to offset subscriptions to Hulu, Disney+ and more, up to $200 in annual credit to offset prepaid hotels booked through Amex Travel, up to $200 in annual airline incidental fee credits and the list goes on.

The card also comes with some of the best travel-related benefits in the industry, including the most extensive airport lounge access and complimentary Gold Elite status with Marriott Bonvoy and Gold status with Hilton (after you enroll). You’ll get exclusive use of Amex Fine Hotels & Resorts, which offers several hundred dollars in value when booking over 1,500 luxury properties worldwide.

card_name: Best for cash back

card_name embarrasses most other cash-back credit cards with its 6% return rate at U.S. supermarkets — up to $6,000 in spending per year, then 1% — and on U.S. streaming subscriptions, as well as its 3% return at U.S. gas stations and common transit expenses. If you spend at least $500 on groceries each month, you’ll effortlessly achieve $360 in bonus cash back each year.

This card also comes with a $7 monthly statement credit when you use the card for an eligible Disney Bundle subscription costing at least $9.99 per month. If you already pay for the Disney Bundle, this credit will give you an annual $84 discount for spending you planned to make anyway.

card_name: Best for everyday spending

card_name just replaced the now defunct Citi Premier® Card as Citi’s best all-around travel credit card. It earns rewards at an incredible rate, with a 3x return for common purchases like restaurants, supermarkets and gas stations. You’ll also earn up to 10 points per dollar for eligible travel purchases.

This card earns Citi ThankYou points, which can be transferred to a large collection of airline and hotel programs, including Avianca, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, JetBlue and many more. However, you can also redeem rewards for cash at a rate of 1 cent each — effectively turning the Citi Strata Premier into a 3% cash-back credit card for your most common monthly purchases.

Discover it® Cash Back: Best for no annual fee

The Discover it® Cash Back publishes unique rotating bonus categories each quarter that earn 5% cash back — on up to $1,500 in spending, then 1% — after you activate. These categories are often very useful, typically including expenses such as supermarkets, restaurants, Amazon and gas stations. With a bit of strategy, you can earn hundreds of dollars in cash back with this no annual fee credit card.

During your first year as a cardholder, you’ll want to funnel as many purchases as you can through the card. That’s because Discover will match all the cash back you earn during your first cardmember year. In other words, the card effectively earns 10% back in rotating bonus categories and 2% on all other purchases during the first 12 months you hold the card. That’s hard to beat.

card_name: Best for airlines

The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® offers massive value to the frequent American Airlines flyer. Most impressively, you’ll get an American Airlines Admirals Club airport lounge membership, where you can often find free alcohol, hot meals and comfy seats to relax instead of being relegated to the noisy concourse. The Admirals Club otherwise costs up to $850 per year — so this benefit alone can justify the card’s $595 annual fee for those who value lounge access.

Other benefits include a series of statement credits totaling up to $360 for common travel purchases such as Lyft rides, Grubhub purchases and eligible Avis and Budget car rentals. And when traveling with American Airlines, you’ll receive the first checked bag free for you and up to eight companions on the same reservation, priority boarding, priority check-in and priority screening.

Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Best for hotel stays

The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card is perhaps the single most valuable hotel credit card on the market. Not only does it confer top-tier Hilton elite status, an annual free night award worth up to 150,000 points and hundreds of dollars in Hilton-specific statement credits each year, but it also offers perks that are completely unrelated to Hilton.

For example, you’ll get up to $50 per quarter in statement credits to reimburse you for airfare purchased directly with an airline or through Amex Travel; you’ll get up to $189 in annual credits to offset CLEAR® Plus membership fees; you’ll get complimentary National Car Rental Emerald Club Executive status. All to say, you don’t need to be a Hilton junkie to get value from this card, although it helps.

card_name: Best for students

Not only is the Capital One SavorOne Student Cash Rewards Credit Card one of the best student credit cards on the market, but it competes as one of the best all-around cash-back credit cards. The fact that those with no credit history are eligible is incredible.

You’ll earn 10% cash back for Uber and Uber Eats purchases through Nov. 14, 2024, 8% cash back through Capital One Entertainment, 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 3% cash back at grocery stores and for dining, entertainment and eligible streaming services.

U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa® Secured Card: Best for limited/poor credit

Many secured credit cards — or cards targeted toward those with bad credit — offer no return on spending. The U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa® Secured Card earns a whopping four points per dollar on dining including takeout and restaurant delivery and two points per dollar at grocery stores, streaming services and gas/EV charging stations. You’ll earn one point per dollar on all other purchases.

Another welcome feature is a $15 annual credit after charging eligible streaming subscriptions to your card for 11 consecutive months. That’s a rare feature for a no annual fee credit card.

Pros and cons of soft-pull credit cards

The advantages of soft-pull credit cards are clear: You can get an idea of your odds at qualifying for a card without any risk to your credit score. Only when you formally apply for a credit card will the issuer perform a hard inquiry on your credit, which temporarily lowers your credit score by a few points.

The ability to check if you’re preapproved for a credit card also gives you a peek at the terms of your loan if you decide to apply. For example, you may receive a proposed credit limit, as well as your interest rate.

On the other hand, checking for cards that you qualify for via a soft pull may mislead you into thinking you’re a shoo-in when you’re not. Just because you’re preapproved doesn’t mean you’re actually approved. If anything on your credit report has changed, or if you’ve accrued new debt between your preapproval and submitting your application, you may be denied.

Finally, submitting information to a bank for the purpose of prequalifying for a card may result in a barrage of targeted mailers inviting you to apply for other cards.

Qualifying criteria for soft-pull credit cards

Lenders don’t outline exactly how they make their decisions to approve or decline potential customers for credit cards. But when a soft credit pull is performed, they look at details like your credit score, payment history, current credit utilization and employment.

The entire purpose is to help the issuer assess how risky of a borrower you are. If you’ve got a streak of excellent credit habits and enough income to reasonably pay off your credit card each month, you’ll have a shot at approval.

How do soft-pull credit cards work?

Soft-pull credit cards are regular credit cards so they work the same as any other card. Again, the only difference is that they allow you to look behind the curtain on terms and conditions that you’d otherwise not know until you’re approved for a card.

You may solicit the issuer to perform a soft pull on your credit to prequalify for a card, or the issuer may have done so proactively to see if you’re a good candidate to target via email or snail mail.

How to choose a soft-pull credit card

Choosing a soft-pull credit card is largely the same as any other credit card, though there are some nuanced differences.

What are your goals?

As with any credit card, you’ll want to first determine what you want to achieve by opening a credit card. Are you trying to build your credit? Do you want to earn cash back and/or travel rewards? Are you looking for money-saving benefits with a specific hotel chain? Pinpointing your goals will help you to quickly narrow your search.

What’s your credit score?

You should keep your credit score top of mind when searching for a credit card to avoid applying above your credit profile. However, with soft-pull credit cards, there’s no harm in checking to see if you prequalify for a card you may have otherwise thought improbable.

Do the terms work for you?

Soft-pull credit cards allow you to rate shop without impacting your credit score. If you’re preapproved for multiple credit cards, you may be able to take a look at details like your proposed credit line with each card and decide which is the most generous.

Are you willing to pay an annual fee?

The best credit cards charge annual fees. A card that perfectly complements your lifestyle is often well worth its price tag. For example, if you pay for checked bag fees on American Airlines multiple times per year, an airline credit card that offers your first checked bag free can save you hundreds of dollars beyond its annual fee.

How to apply for soft-pull credit cards

You’ll typically apply for a soft-pull credit card in the same way that you’d apply for any other credit card — through the issuer's website by entering several personal details — think mailing address, Social Security number and income. However, there may be slight differences in the process after you’ve been successfully prequalified.

For example, you may be responding to a leaflet you received in the mail informing you that you’re prequalified for a specific card. These often come with unique codes that you can enter during the application process to let the issuer know you’re taking them up on their offer.

What is the difference between soft-pull credit cards vs. preapproved credit cards?

There isn’t a real difference between soft-pull credit cards and preapproved credit cards. “Soft pull” is the type of credit inquiry that the bank performs on your credit report to decide if you’re a good candidate for preapproval or prequalification.

Tips for maximizing rewards with soft-pull credit cards

When it comes to optimizing your earnings with credit cards, soft-pull or otherwise, it’s all about bonus categories. Credit cards all have a wheelhouse that, if used strategically, can exponentially increase your annual earnings. If necessary, put a sticky note to each card to remind you which expenses to funnel through which cards.

You should also have a catch-all credit card to be used for purchases that don’t fall into your other cards’ bonus categories. A flat 2% earner such as the Citi® Double Cash Card is a great option, as it earns 1% back when you make a purchase and 1% back when you pay off that purchase.

Alternatives to soft-pull credit cards

The biggest reason to limit your credit card applications to those that offer soft-pull prequalification is to ensure you’ll be approved without affecting your credit score. An alternative is to apply for credit cards that simply don’t run your credit. These are typically designed for those with limited or poor credit.

For example, the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card doesn’t pull your credit to approve you. Instead, it only looks at your monthly expenses alongside your income. You’ll also need to pony up a refundable security deposit to open an account.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

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

A select few credit cards don’t do a hard inquiry when approving you for a card, such as the Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card. These cards tend to come with other hoops, such as a required refundable security deposit and/or a linked checking and savings account.

What shows up on a soft credit pull?

When an issuer performs a soft credit pull on your account, it’ll be able to see your credit score, recent hard credit inquiries, current debt, payment history and other relevant details that help them to assess whether you’re a good candidate for its cards.

Is there a credit card that approves everyone?

There is no credit card that guarantees approval. Even those that don’t require a credit check may ask you to enter your debt-to-income ratio and decline your application if it senses a red flag.

Does a soft pull affect your credit?

A soft pull doesn’t affect your credit.

Are soft-pull credit cards worth it?

Soft-pull credit cards are absolutely worth it. Some of the best credit cards on the market participate in soft-pull prequalification.

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This content is created by AP Buyline in accordance with AP’s editorial guidelines and supervised and edited by AP staff. Our evaluations and opinions are not influenced by our advertising relationships, but we may earn commissions from our partners’ links in this content. Learn more about AP Buyline here.