By Ben Luthi
Edited by Peggy BennettDoes Applying for Credit Cards Hurt Your Credit?
By Ben LuthiEdited by Peggy Bennett
Quick Answer
Applying for a credit card can impact your credit score, especially if you apply for multiple cards in a short period. Additionally, opening a new account can impact your credit score, though responsible use can ultimately help your score improve.
Applying for a credit card can temporarily lower your credit score by a few points. However, if you apply for and open multiple cards in a short period of time, your score may take a larger hit. Here's what you need to know about how credit card applications can impact your credit and how to apply responsibly.
Does Applying for a Credit Card Hurt Your Credit?
When you apply for a credit card, the card issuer will typically run a hard inquiry on one or more of your credit reports. These inquiries can have a temporary negative impact on your credit, though the impact of a single inquiry is usually negligible. The real problem happens when you have multiple hard inquiries in a short period of time.
To minimize the potential impact of hard inquiries, look for opportunities to get prequalified before you apply. Many card issuers offer prequalification tools that can give you an idea of your approval odds using just a soft inquiry, which doesn't affect your credit score. Some issuers may even send you a preapproved offer in the mail based on a soft inquiry.
Best credit cards of 2026
Compare cards from our partners with intro bonuses, cash back or points offers, and annual fees as low as $0.
Offers from our partners
Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:As High As $200 Cash Back. Find Out Your Offer.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 15 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 3% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Wells Fargo Reflect® Card
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 21 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Ongoing APR:17.49%, 23.99%, or 28.24% Variable APR
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$0
Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
Intro APR:0% for 21 months on Balance Transfers and 12 months on Purchases
Ongoing APR:16.49% - 27.24% (Variable)
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$0
American Express Platinum Card®
Intro bonus:As high as 175,000 points. Find out your offer.
Ongoing APR:See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards:1x - 5x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$895
Wells Fargo Active Cash® Card
Intro bonus:$200
Intro APR:0% intro APR for 12 months from account opening on purchases and qualifying balance transfers
Ongoing APR:18.49%, 24.49%, or 28.49% Variable APR
Rewards:2% (Cash Rewards)
Annual Fee:$0
FIT™ Platinum Mastercard® - $400 Credit Limit
Ongoing APR:35.90% Fixed
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$99 first year; $125 thereafter
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:29.99%*
Rewards:2% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0*
The opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:23.89% Variable
Rewards:10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$35
Credit One Bank American Express® Card for Rebuilding Credit
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75 First year. $99 thereafter, billed monthly at $8.25
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Intro bonus:As High As $300 Cash Back. Find Out Your Offer.
Intro APR:0% on Purchases and Balance Transfers for 12 months
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 6% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95.
Reflex® Platinum Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.90% Fixed
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:$75 - $125
American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp® Card
Intro APR:0% for 15 months on Balance Transfers
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Credit One Bank® Secured Card
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi Strata Premier® Card
Intro bonus:60,000 Points
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 27.49% (Variable)
Rewards:1x - 10x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$95
Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
Ongoing APR:18.74% - 26.74% (Variable)
Rewards:1% - 5% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
American Express® Gold Card
Intro bonus:As high as 100,000 points. Find out your offer.
Ongoing APR:See Pay Over Time APR
Rewards:1x - 4x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$325
First Latitude Secured Mastercard® Cash Back Rewards
Ongoing APR:27.49% Variable
Rewards:1% - 10% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0
Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:2x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$99, waived for first 12 months
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75*
Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:19.49% - 29.49% (Variable)
Rewards:1x - 6x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$350
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39*
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa®
Ongoing APR:29.74% Variable
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$39
Hilton Honors American Express Card
Intro bonus:80,000 Points
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:3x - 7x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$0
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
Intro bonus:200,000 Points
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:2x - 6x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$650
Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
Intro bonus:As High As 100,000 Bonus Miles. Find Out Your Offer.
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:1x - 3x (Miles per dollar)
Annual Fee:$650
Hilton Honors American Express Surpass® Card
Intro bonus:130,000 Points
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:3x - 12x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$150
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card
Intro bonus:175,000 Points
Ongoing APR:19.49%-28.49% Variable
Rewards:2x - 6x (Points per dollar)
Annual Fee:$250
PREMIER Bankcard® Mastercard® Credit Card
Ongoing APR:See Rates & Fees
Rewards:N/A*
Annual Fee:See Rates & Fees
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$0*
Avant® Cashback Rewards Mastercard®
Ongoing APR:35.99%*
Rewards:1% (cash back)
Annual Fee:$75*
See all our best credit cards for 2026.
How Much Does a Hard Inquiry Affect Your Credit Score?
The impact of a hard inquiry on your credit score is usually minor. According to FICO, a single hard inquiry will typically knock fewer than five points off your score. In many cases, the impact is even smaller, depending on the overall strength of your credit profile.
But while a single application is unlikely to do lasting damage, multiple inquiries in a short window can add up. This is because FICO data shows that people with six or more hard inquiries on their credit reports can be as much as eight times more likely to declare bankruptcy.
That's why spacing out credit applications and using prequalification when available can help protect your score over time.
Does Opening a New Credit Card Hurt Your Credit Score?
Getting approved for a credit card means your account will be opened automatically. From that point, the card can affect your credit score in a couple of ways:
- Length of credit history: The new account will lower the average age of your accounts. That may not be a big issue if you have a long credit history, but if you're relatively new to credit, it can have a more significant impact on your score.
- Credit utilization: With a new credit card, your total available credit will increase, which can help lower your credit utilization rate—the percentage of available credit you're using at a given time. However, if you start racking up debt on the new card, it could increase your utilization rate, damaging your score.
The good news is that the impact on your credit score for both of these factors is generally temporary in nature. Paying your bills on time and maintaining low balances can make it possible for you to improve your credit over time with a new card.
Learn more: How Credit Cards Can Affect Your Credit Score
Does Being Denied a Credit Card Hurt Your Credit Score?
If you apply for a credit card and get denied, there's no additional impact on your credit score beyond the initial hard inquiry.
Remember, though, that multiple hard inquiries in a short period can compound that impact, so it's still worth making sure you're looking at credit cards that match your credit profile.
Tip: If a card issuer denies your application based on your credit, you have the right to request a free copy of your credit report.
How a New Credit Card Can Help Your Credit Score
While there are some temporary negative effects when you apply for and open a new credit card, you can ultimately use the new card to improve your credit score over time. The following scoring factors come into play here.
Payment History
Your payment history is the most important factor in your credit score, and paying an additional debt account on time every month can help you improve your credit history over time.
Credit Utilization Rate
If the new card helps you maintain or reduce your credit utilization rate, it could have a positive impact on your credit. To find your utilization rate on your credit cards, divide your total balances by the cards' total credit limits, then multiply by 100 to get a percentage.
For example, let's say you have two credit cards and want to add a third. Here are their current balances:
| Balance | Credit Limit | |
|---|---|---|
| Card 1 | $2,000 | $5,000 |
| Card 2 | $3,000 | $10,000 |
| Card 3 | $0 | $7,500 |
With the first two credit cards, your combined utilization rate is roughly 33%. However, adding the third card will lower your combined rate to approximately 22%. As long as you keep your overall spending roughly the same, it can help boost your score.
How to Minimize Impact When Applying for New Credit Cards
There's nothing wrong with using multiple credit cards to maximize rewards and benefits, but a responsible approach can help protect your credit score in the process. Here are some steps you can take:
- Get prequalified. Prequalification tools typically only use a soft inquiry to evaluate your approval odds. While there's no guarantee that you'll get approved for a card after passing prequalification, it can help minimize your chances of getting denied.
- Don't open too many cards in a short period. While it may be tempting to open multiple cards quickly to take advantage of welcome bonuses and other new-cardholder perks, try to space out your applications by at least six months to lessen the impact on your credit score.
- Don't open new accounts before applying for a loan. If you're planning to apply for a mortgage or car loan, it's best to avoid applying for credit cards in the months leading up to your loan application. The temporary credit score dip and a potential increase in your debt-to-income ratio can impact your loan approval odds.
- Manage newly opened cards responsibly. Each time you get a new card, it's important to ensure that your spending doesn't change. Racking up a balance on the new card can increase your utilization rate and make it more difficult to keep up with all of your monthly debt payments.
Learn more: How to Use a Credit Card Responsibly
Frequently Asked Questions
Monitor Changes in Your Credit Score
Reviewing your credit score before applying for a credit card is a good way to minimize the chances you'll get denied. With Experian, you can get free access to your credit report and FICO® ScoreΘ, making it easy to evaluate your credit card options and identify areas of your credit profile where you can improve. Plus, you can see your progress over time and get alerts about changes to your credit.
Don’t apply blindly
Apply for credit cards confidently with personalized offers based on your credit profile. Get started with your FICO® Score for free.
See your offers
About the author
Ben Luthi
Ben Luthi has worked in financial planning, banking and auto finance, and writes about all aspects of money. His work has appeared in Time, Success, USA Today, Credit Karma, NerdWallet, Wirecutter and more.
Read more from Ben