In 2024, the top 5 credit cards that provide pre-approval or pre-qualification are:

American Express offers various benefits and promotions. Visit their website for more information.

When applying for a credit card, the issuer conducts a hard pull or hard inquiry, which negatively impacts your credit score. However, it's crucial to minimize unnecessary hard inquiries since they can remain on your credit report for up to two years. To avoid this, you can go through a card issuer's pre-approval or pre-qualification process before submitting your application.

A pre-approved offer for a credit card doesn't guarantee approval, but it can provide a better estimate of your chances with no hard inquiry. Your credit score won't be affected until you submit an application.

Not all credit card issuers provide pre-approval or pre-qualification. CNBC Select has compiled a list of the top credit cards that typically offer these features and how they work. (For more information on our methodology, please refer to our guidelines.)

Best for no annual fee

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card offers a welcome bonus, intro-APR offer, and a flat-rate rewards structure, all without an annual fee.

Unlimited 2% cash rewards on every purchase with this card simplify the process of maximizing credit card returns.

To begin the Wells Fargo pre-approval process, complete this pre-qualification form with your name, address, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number (SSN). If you have a Wells Fargo online account, you can log in to speed up the process.

Best for balance transfers

This card is suitable for individuals looking for a high introductory APR on balance transfers while also earning valuable rewards.

An intro 0% APR applies to eligible balance transfers for the first 18 months, followed by a variable APR of 19.24% to 29.24%. An intro balance transfer fee of 3% of each transfer completed in the first four months ($5 minimum) is charged, while the standard balance transfer fee of 5% of each transfer ($5 minimum) applies thereafter.

Citi pre-approval process: Discover the credit card offers you're pre-qualified for by filling out this form. Simply enter your name, email, address, and the last four digits of your SSN.

Best for travel rewards

The American Express® Gold Card is ideal for earning travel rewards due to its generous bonuses on frequent spending categories such as dining and groceries.

The Amex Gold Card offers up to $120 in annual dining credit and up to $120 in Uber Cash to cardholders. To receive the benefits, enrollment is required and the Amex Gold Card must be added as a payment method in the Uber app.

To discover the American Express card that you may be eligible for, fill out this form with your name, address, last four digits of your SSN, and annual income. If you already have an Amex account, you may need to open the form in incognito mode or clear your browser's cache to access the page.

Best for cash-back

This cash-back card is easy to obtain, has no annual fee, and offers rotating bonus categories.

The Discover card offers a unique welcome bonus that doubles cash-back earnings in the first year. Additionally, the card does not charge foreign transaction fees.

To determine your eligibility for credit card offers, fill out this Discover pre-approval form with your personal information, housing payment, student status, and gross income. If you don't qualify for an unsecured card, a secured credit card like the Discover it® Secured Card may be a suitable option.

Best for premium perks

This credit card is designed for individuals seeking luxury perks such as airport lounge access, annual travel credits, and various travel and shopping protections.

Capital One Venture X Card members receive up to $300 in travel credits annually and 10,000-anniversary bonus miles, which can offset the card's $395 annual fee.

Capital One pre-approval form: Fill out this form to see which Capital One cards you're pre-approved for. You'll need to provide your name, address, email address, phone number, employment status, education, income, housing payment, date of birth, SSN, and bank account types.

More on our top credit cards that offer pre-approval or pre-qualification

Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card

The Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card is a no-annual-fee card that offers cash rewards and money-saving benefits.

Rewards

• Unlimited 2% cash rewards on all purchases

Welcome bonus

After three months of opening an account, you will receive $200 in cash rewards for spending $500 on purchases.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

When paying monthly cell phone bills with a card, cardholders can benefit from cell phone insurance that covers damage, theft, and loss of the phone, with a $25 deductible. Up to two claims can be reimbursed per 12 months, with a maximum of $600 per claim.

The card offers an intro APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases and eligible balance transfers, followed by a variable rate of 20.24%, 25.24%, or 29.99%. To qualify for the intro APR, balance transfers must be completed within 120 days of opening the account. There is an intro balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount of each transfer ($5 minimum), which increases to 5% after the intro period.

Citi Double Cash® Card

The Citi Double Cash® Card earns cash back in the form of Citi ThankYou points, which can be redeemed for various rewards, including transferring them to travel partners.

Rewards

• Through December 31, 2024, Citi customers can receive 5% cash back on travel bookings.
• 1% cash back on all purchases: 1% back at the time of purchase and 1% back as payments are made.

Welcome bonus

After opening an account and spending $1,500 on purchases within the first six months, you will receive a $200 cash bonus.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

Points earned with ThankYou® cards can be redeemed for cash back, gift cards, and travel at a rate of one cent per point. Cardholders also have access to a limited number of Citi's travel partners, including Wyndham, Choice, and JetBlue. If you have a Citi card that allows for full transfers, such as the Citi Premier® Card, you can combine your points with Double Cash and then transfer those points to all of Citi's partner hotel and airline loyalty programs.

Citi Entertainment℠ is a special cardmember program that offers first access to purchase tickets for thousands of concerts and events, while also providing access to Citi® Identity Theft Solutions, a service that assists cardholders in case of identity theft.

American Express® Gold Card

The American Express Gold Card offers numerous benefits that make the annual fee worthwhile, and its Amex Membership Rewards points are highly valuable since they can be transferred to various airline or hotel partners. (See rates and fees)

Rewards

• 4X points at restaurants (plus takeout and delivery in the U.S.)
• U.S. supermarkets offer rewards programs that provide 4X points for purchases up to $25,000 per calendar year, and 1X points for purchases beyond that amount.
• 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on Amextravel.com
• 1X points on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

After six months of card membership, you will earn 60,000 points for every $6,000 spent on eligible purchases.

Annual fee

$250 (see rates and fees)

Notable perks

You can receive up to $120 in dining credit annually ($10 per month) at participating partners and up to $120 in Uber Cash annually ($10 per month) after linking your Amex Gold Card as a payment method in the Uber app. Additionally, the card offers no foreign transaction fees (see rates and fees), baggage insurance, rental car coverage (secondary), extended warranty, purchase protection, and trip delay insurance.

The eligibility and benefit level vary depending on the type of card. Please review the terms, conditions, and limitations before applying.

Please visit americanexpress.com/benefitsguide for more details.

Underwritten by New Hampshire Insurance Company, an AIG Company.

Discover it® Cash Back

The Discover it® Cash Back card offers a 5% cash-back rate on rotating spending categories without an annual fee.

Rewards

• Discover offers 5% cash back on the first $1,500 in purchases in rotating categories each quarter, followed by 1% cash back. Check out their 5% cash-back calendar.
• 1% cash back on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

You will receive a cash back match at the end of the first year.

Annual fee

$0

Notable perks

New card members receive a 0% APR introductory rate on purchases and eligible balance transfers for 15 months, followed by a variable rate of 17.24% to 28.24%. An introductory balance transfer fee of 3% of the amount transferred applies to eligible transfers, while the standard transfer fee on future balance transfers is up to 5% of the amount transferred. (See rates and fees)

When traveling abroad, you can save money by using a card that does not charge any fees for foreign transactions.

Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card offers a simple rewards structure, numerous benefits, and a lower annual fee compared to other high-end cards with similar features. (See rates and fees)

Rewards

• Booking hotels and rental cars through Capital One Travel portal offers 10X miles per dollar.
• 5X miles per dollar on flights booked through Capital One Travel
• 5X miles on Capital One Entertainment purchases (through Dec. 31, 2025)
• 2X miles on all other purchases

Welcome bonus

After opening an account and spending $4,000 on purchases within the first three months, you will earn 75,000 bonus miles.

Annual fee

$395

Notable perks

The Capital One Venture X Card offers airport lounge access for the primary cardholder and up to four authorized users, including access to Priority Pass, Plaza Premium, and Capital One Lounges.

Other benefits include:

• Hertz Presidents Circle status (enrollment required)
• No foreign transaction fees
• Global Entry/TSA PreCheck® application fee credit (worth up to $100)
• Cell phone protection
• Visa Infinite Concierge
• Rental car collision damage waiver (primary)
• Trip cancellation and interruption coverage
• Trip delay reimbursement
• Lost luggage reimbursement
• Return protection

Bottom line

Although getting a pre-approved, pre-qualified or pre-screened credit card offer doesn't guarantee approval, it's easy to check and doesn't require a hard credit pull. Therefore, it's worth exploring the offers you may qualify for.

Why trust CNBC Select?

Our mission at CNBC Select is to deliver top-notch service journalism and in-depth consumer advice to our readers, enabling them to make well-informed decisions when it comes to managing their finances. Each credit card article we publish is the result of extensive research by our team of expert writers and editors, who possess a wealth of knowledge about credit card products. At CNBC Select, we are committed to maintaining our journalistic standards and ethics, even when it comes to earning a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links. Our methodology outlines the process we use to select the best business credit cards for LLCs, ensuring that our readers have access to the most reliable and trustworthy information available.

Our methodology

CNBC Select analyzed the most popular credit cards in the US market that have a publicly available pre-approval or pre-qualification process. We compared each card based on various features, including annual fees, employee card fees, rewards, welcome bonuses, introductory and standard APRs, and foreign transaction fees. Additionally, we considered the application process and ease of redeeming points.

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For rates and fees of the American Express® Gold Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the  Discover it® Cash Back, click here.

To learn about the rates and fees for the Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card, please visit this link.