What Credit Score Do You Need for Popular Credit Cards?
The short answer: Most rewards credit cards want good credit, a score around 670 or higher, and premium travel cards generally want excellent credit, around 720 or higher. Secured and student cards are built for fair or new credit, around 580 or with no history at all. Below is the score each popular card typically needs, how issuers actually decide, and what to do if you are not there yet.
The short answer, by card type
Credit score requirements follow the card type closely. Secured cards, student cards, and other starter cards are designed for fair credit, roughly 580 and up, or no credit history at all, which is the whole point of them. Everyday cash-back cards generally want good credit, around 670 or higher. And premium travel and rewards cards, the ones with big bonuses and lounge access, generally want good-to-excellent credit, roughly 700 to 720 and up. So the better the rewards, the higher the bar. See your first credit card and how to build credit.
Credit score typically needed for popular cards
Here is the score each popular consumer card usually calls for, from the most accessible to the most demanding. These are typical guidelines, not guarantees, since approval depends on more than your score.
| Card | Credit score typically needed | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| Capital One Quicksilver Student | New to Credit (580+) | No annual fee |
| Capital One QuicksilverOne | Fair (580+) | $39 |
| Capital One SavorOne | Fair (580+) | $39 |
| Chase Freedom Rise® | New to Credit (580+) | No annual fee |
| Discover it® Student Cash Back | New to Credit (580+) | No annual fee |
| Discover it® Cash Back | Fair to Good (630+) | No annual fee |
| Discover it® Chrome | Fair to Good (630+) | No annual fee |
| Target Circle™ Card | Fair to Good (630+) | No annual fee |
| Apple Card | Fair to Good (640+) | No annual fee |
| ExxonMobil™ Smart Card+™ | Fair to Good (640+) | No annual fee |
| Ollo Everyday Rewards Mastercard® | Fair to Good (640+) | No annual fee |
| AAA Daily Advantage Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| AAA Travel Advantage Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| AARP® Essential Rewards Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| AARP® Travel Rewards Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Affinity Cash Rewards Visa® Signature Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Amazon Visa | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| American Express® Blue Cash Everyday | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| American Express® Blue Cash Preferred | Good (670+) | $95 |
| Amtrak Guest Rewards® Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| BJ's One+™ Mastercard® | Good (670+) | $110 |
| Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Bank of America® Unlimited Cash Rewards Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Bass Pro Shops CLUB / Cabela's CLUB Mastercard | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Bilt Blue | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Caesars Rewards® Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Capital One Quicksilver | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Capital One Savor | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Carnival® World Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Chase Freedom Flex℠ | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Chase Freedom Unlimited® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Citi Double Cash® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Citi Strata℠ | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Citizens Summit® World Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Coinbase One Card | Good (670+) | $50 |
| Credit One Bank® Omni Rewards American Express® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Disney® Premier Visa® Card | Good (670+) | $49 |
| Disney® Visa® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| DoorDash Rewards Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Evergreen® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Fidelity® Rewards Visa Signature® Card | Good to Excellent (670+) | No annual fee |
| Fifth Third 1.67% Cash/Back Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| GM Rewards™ Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Gemini Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| HSBC Premier World Mastercard® | Good (670+) | $95 |
| Huntington Cashback Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Huntington Voice Rewards Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Instacart Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Key Cashback Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Key2More Rewards Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| My Best Buy Visa® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Navy Federal GO REWARDS® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Navy Federal More Rewards American Express® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Navy Federal cashRewards Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Norwegian Cruise Line® World Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| One Key™ Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| OnePay CashRewards Mastercard | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| PNC Cash Rewards® Visa® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| PNC Cash Unlimited® Visa Signature® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| PNC points® Visa® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| PayPal Cashback Mastercard | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| PenFed Pathfinder® Rewards Visa Signature® Card | Good (670+) | $95 |
| PenFed Platinum Rewards Visa Signature® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| PenFed Power Cash Rewards Visa Signature® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| PlayStation® Visa® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Priceline VIP Rewards™ Visa® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Prime Visa | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Princess Cruises® Rewards Visa® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| REI Co-op Mastercard | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Rakuten American Express® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Regions Cash Rewards Visa® Signature® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Regions Prestige Visa® Signature® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Robinhood Gold Card | Good (670+) | $50 |
| Royal ONE™ Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| SDFCU Premium Cash Back+ Visa Signature® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Sam's Club® Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Samsung Galaxy Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Shell Performance Elite World Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| T-Mobile Visa® Signature Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| TD Cash Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| TD Double Up Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Techron Advantage® Visa® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Truist Enjoy Cash Visa® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Truist Enjoy Travel Visa® Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| U.S. Bank Altitude® Connect Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| U.S. Bank Altitude® Go Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| U.S. Bank Cash+® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| U.S. Bank Smartly™ Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| USAA Cashback Rewards Plus American Express® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| USAA Eagle Adapt™ Credit Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| USAA Preferred Cash Rewards Visa Signature® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Upgrade Cash Rewards Visa® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Upgrade Triple Cash Rewards Visa® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Venmo Visa® Signature Credit Card | Good to Excellent (670+) | No annual fee |
| Verizon Visa® Card | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Wells Fargo Active Cash® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Wells Fargo Autograph℠ | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| Xbox Mastercard® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| bp rewards Visa® | Good (670+) | No annual fee |
| American Express® Gold | Good to Excellent (700+) | $325 |
| American Express® Green | Good to Excellent (700+) | $150 |
| Amtrak Guest Rewards® Preferred Mastercard® | Good to Excellent (700+) | $99 |
| Bilt Obsidian | Good to Excellent (700+) | $95 |
| Caesars Rewards® Prestige Visa Signature® | Good to Excellent (700+) | $149 |
| Capital One Platinum Secured | New or rebuilding credit | No annual fee |
| Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards | New or rebuilding credit | No annual fee |
| Capital One Venture | Good to Excellent (700+) | $95 |
| Capital One VentureOne Rewards | Good to Excellent (700+) | No annual fee |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® | Good to Excellent (700+) | $95 |
| Chime Credit Builder Visa® | New or rebuilding credit | No annual fee |
| Citi Strata Premier℠ | Good to Excellent (700+) | $95 |
| Citi® Secured Mastercard® | New or rebuilding credit | No annual fee |
| Costco Anywhere Visa® | Good to Excellent (700+) | $65 |
| Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® | Fair or rebuilding credit | $99 |
| Crypto.com Icy White / Frosted Rose Gold | Good to Excellent (700+) | No annual fee |
| Crypto.com Midnight Blue | Good to Excellent (700+) | No annual fee |
| Crypto.com Obsidian | Good to Excellent (700+) | No annual fee |
| Crypto.com Royal Indigo / Jade Green | Good to Excellent (700+) | $300 |
| Crypto.com Ruby Steel | Good to Excellent (700+) | $50 |
| Destiny® Mastercard® | Poor or rebuilding credit | $99 |
| Discover it® Miles | Good to Excellent (700+) | No annual fee |
| Discover it® Secured Credit Card | New or rebuilding credit | No annual fee |
| Disney® Inspire Visa® Card | Good to Excellent (700+) | $149 |
| First PREMIER® Bank Mastercard® | Poor or rebuilding credit | $45 |
| Fortiva® Mastercard® | Poor or rebuilding credit | $49 |
| Indigo® Mastercard® | Poor or rebuilding credit | $99 |
| J.P. Morgan Reserve Card | By invitation (Private Bank clients) | $795 |
| Milestone® Mastercard® | Poor or rebuilding credit | $99 |
| Navy Federal Flagship Rewards Visa Signature® | Good to Excellent (700+) | $49 |
| Royal ONE Plus™ Visa Signature® | Good to Excellent (700+) | $99 |
| SoFi Credit Card (Unlimited 2%) | Good to Excellent (700+) | No annual fee |
| SoFi Everyday Cash Rewards Credit Card | Good to Excellent (700+) | No annual fee |
| Surge® Platinum Mastercard® | Poor or rebuilding credit | $96 |
| TD First Class℠ Visa Signature® Credit Card | Good to Excellent (700+) | $89 |
| The Centurion® Card from American Express | By invitation only | $5000 |
| Total Visa® Card | Poor or rebuilding credit | $48 |
| Truist Enjoy Beyond Visa® Credit Card | Good to Excellent (700+) | $95 |
| USAA Eagle Navigator® Visa Signature® | Good to Excellent (700+) | $95 |
| Wells Fargo Autograph Journey℠ | Good to Excellent (700+) | $95 |
| American Express® Platinum | Excellent (720+) | $895 |
| American Express® Platinum for Morgan Stanley | Excellent (720+) | $895 |
| American Express® Platinum for Schwab | Excellent (720+) | $895 |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Credit Card | Excellent (720+) | $95 |
| Bank of America® Premium Rewards® Elite Credit Card | Excellent (720+) | $550 |
| Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card | Excellent (720+) | No annual fee |
| Bilt Palladium | Excellent (720+) | $495 |
| Capital One Venture X | Excellent (720+) | $395 |
| Chase Sapphire Reserve® | Excellent (720+) | $795 |
| Citi Strata Elite℠ | Excellent (720+) | $595 |
| Citizens Summit Reserve® World Elite Mastercard® | Excellent (720+) | $295 |
| Fifth Third Preferred Cash/Back Card | Excellent (720+) | No annual fee |
| HSBC Elite World Elite Mastercard® | Excellent (720+) | $495 |
| One Key+™ Card | Excellent (720+) | $99 |
| Robinhood Platinum Card | Excellent (720+) | $695 |
It is not just your score
A good score gets you in the door, but it is not the only factor. Issuers also weigh your income and existing debt, your credit utilization, how many cards you have opened recently, and any derogatory marks like late payments or collections. Some have their own rules on top, most famously Chase 5/24, which usually declines you if you have opened five or more cards in 24 months, no matter how high your score. So a 740 score can still be denied for too many recent applications. See the 5/24 rule, how to get approved, and credit utilization.
What to do if your score is not there yet
If your score is below the card you want, do not burn a hard inquiry on a likely denial. Start with a secured or student card, put a few small charges on it, and pay in full and on time for six to twelve months while keeping utilization low. That builds the score, and many starter cards graduate you to a regular card. Once you are solidly in good-credit range, step up to a rewards card. Patience here is worth far more than a wasted application. See secured cards explained and what credit score you need.
Frequently asked questions
What credit score do you need for a rewards credit card?
Generally good credit, a score around 670 or higher, for an everyday cash-back or rewards card. The richest premium travel cards usually want excellent credit, around 720 or more. Below that, secured and student cards are the place to start.
What score do you need for a premium card like the Sapphire Reserve or Amex Platinum?
Typically excellent credit, around 720 or higher, plus enough income and a clean recent-application history. These premium cards have the highest bar, so they are best applied for once your credit is solidly established.
Can you get a credit card with fair or bad credit?
Yes. Secured cards, which use a refundable deposit, and student or starter cards are designed for fair credit, roughly 580 and up, or no credit history. They are the standard on-ramp to building the score you need for rewards cards.
Is your credit score the only thing that matters for approval?
No. Issuers also weigh income, existing debt and utilization, recent applications, and derogatory marks, plus their own rules like Chase 5/24. A high score can still be denied for too many recent cards, so the full picture matters.
What should I do if my score is too low for the card I want?
Build first, then apply. Use a secured or student card, pay in full and on time for six to twelve months with low utilization, and let your score rise into good range before stepping up to a rewards card, rather than risking a denial.
Related reading
Find this useful? Add Cardocrat as a preferred source on Google to see more of our honest, independent card analysis in Search.
