Chase credit card pre-approvals are very easy to check but there are some additional things you need to know about these offers. I’m going to first show you how to check for basic Chase credit card pre-qualified offers and then get into more advanced discussion about what a Chase credit card pre-approval is since that topic is less clear.
I’ll also give some tips on how to get some of these offers by taking specific actions.
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Where to find Chase credit card pre-qualified offers
You can try this link or this link to check your pre-qualified offers from Chase’s official website. Simply enter your name, address, and the last four digits of your social security number and it should pull up any of your offers.
You can also try the CardMatch tool to see if any Chase pre-qualified offers pop up there.
Being pre-qualified does not mean that you can get around the 5/24 Rule (more on that below) and it also does not mean that you will be auto-approved. Your odds of approval are probably high (some say around 90% though that sounds high to me) but it will not guarantee you an approval.
Also, these offers are entirely separate from qualifying for a Chase pre-approval mortgage.
What Chase cards can I get pre-qualified for?
Chase has been known to offer pre-qualified offers for the:
(Keep reading below about pre-approval for other co-branded cards, such as the Southwest and United cards).
What if I’m not pre-qualified?
You can still get approved for a Chase credit card even if you are not pre-qualified for it. This is not uncommon so don’t sweat it if you’re not pre-qualified.
Does checking for Chase pre-qualified offers affect my credit?
No, Chase will perform a “soft-pull” which will not affect your credit score. A soft pull just means that your credit report is looked at but there are no hard inquiries performed that will reflect on your personal credit report. This is in contrast to a hard pull on your credit report which will affect your credit score — usually dropping your score a three to five points temporally.
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Let the confusion begin…
If you’re only concerned with checking pre-qualified offers, you’ve got all the info you need at this point. But if you want to find out about Chase credit card pre-approval offers (which might allow you to bypass 5/24) then keep reading.
The Chase 5/24 Rule
In case you’re not aware….
The Chase 5/24 Rule prevents you from being approved for certain Chase cards if you have opened up 5 or more accounts within the past 24 months. This can be a major hurdle for getting the some of best Chase cards like the Sapphire Preferred.
Some pre-approvals may allow you to bypass 5/24 so it’s a major thing to consider. If you’re trying to maximize credit card rewards, then checking for pre-approval offers with Chase is a must!
Note: In addition to 5/24, there are other important restrictions to know about when applying for Chase credit cards. You can read more about those here.
Chase credit card pre-approval vs. pre-qualified
Pre-qualified offers are those offers that you can find by checking the official Chase website link posted above. These offers could also show up when you log in to your Chase account or you could possibly receive an offer in the mail or via email.
Note that some people use the terms “pre-approval” and “pre-qualified” interchangeably. I like to use pre-approvals to describe offers that may allow you to get around the 5/24 rule. Meanwhile, pre-qualified offers are just those usually found online or in mailers.
Also, these are completely different from referral link offers that can be generated via the Chase refer a friend program. To learn more about how those referrals work click here.
Chase credit card pre-approval offers
Chase credit card pre-approval offers are those that are typically given in-branch but you can also receive mailers with pre-approvals. Pre-approvals differ from pre-qualified offers because they can allow you to get around the Chase 5/24 rule.
You will typically need to go into an actual Chase branch (even if it’s our of your state) and be physically present to receive these pre-approvals. If you have a great relationship with a banker they might be able to do it for you remotely but that’s the exception.
Below are the various forms that pre-approvals have been found.
“Selected For You” offers
“Selected For You” offers are those found in in your Chase account when you log-in. These used to allow you to bypass the 5/24 rule and get approved. But this is no longer seems to be the case.
Instead, I think these now act more like standard pre-qualified offers.
Update: The Selected For You Offers do appear to still bypass 5/24.
Mailers
If a mailer is for a pre-approval, you should see see an invitation number in the top right corner of the document (or somewhere on the document). If that’s the case, you might be able to get around 5/24 but it’s still not a guarantee. However, if you’re not given a specific number or code then you will most certainly be subject to the 5/24 rule.
Don’t get these confused with generic mailers that come in for cards like the Chase Southwest card. Those type of generic marketing mailers don’t do anything to get you around 5/24. Receiving them might mean your odds of approval are slightly better in some cases but it does not mean that you’ll be approved even if you are under 5/24.
In-branch pre-approvals
To receive an in-branch pre-approval visit a local Chase branch and ask a banker about pre-approval offers. If you’re already a customer you can just swipe a debit or credit card to bring up your account but you’ll probably need your driver’s license/ID if you’re new to Chase.
When you’re told that you’ve been pre-approved for an offer, request to see the terms of the pre-approval. If there is a single APR interest rate listed on the documents they give you, then you have been pre-approved for that card. But if they give you an APR range, that’s just a standard pre-qualified offer.
For example, if they print out a document with an APR range of 14.4% to 18.3% that’s not a pre-approved offer. But if they give you a document with a specific number (APR of 13.4%), then that means you are pre-approved. This is significant because a fixed interest rate pre-approval usually means you can get around the 5/24 Rule for that card.
But note: There are mixed data points recently emerging and it’s possible that these fixed interest rate in-branch pre-approvals won’t always allow you to circumvent the 5/24 rule.
How to get pre-approval and pre-qualified offers
I don’t think anyone knows for sure who receives these offers. There are sporadic data points and accounts found in various forms and blogs that offer ideas about why you might receive a pre-approval. I’m not sure how valid some of these are but I don’t see a lot of downside to trying out some of these.
Opt-in
One thing you need to make sure that you have done is opt-in to receiving pre-screened offers. If you’re currently opted out there’s a chance you may have missed offers. You can opt-in by clicking here.
No recent Chase cards
There’s been speculation that if you’ve recently opened up new Chase cards within the past few months that your odds of being pre-approved go down significantly. Generally, it’s said that you should wait until 6 months after your latest Chase card approval before expecting a pre-approval though it could come sooner.
Update income
Some state that if you update your income when you log-in to your Chase account that you might trigger something in Chase’s system to activate a pre-approval.
Obviously, an update that goes up rather than down is probably going to increase your oddd best.
Authorized users
Some advise you to remove yourself as an authorized user of a Chase card if you’re hoping for a pre-approval for that same card.
Open a Chase bank account
It never hurts to keep a healthy bank account with a credit card issuer. In this case, having a checking or savings account with Chase might help to trigger an offer.
Large withdrawal
There’s also a “trick” that some swear by to get pre-approvals. With this trick you must withdraw a substantial sum of funds from a Chase account, such as around $30,000. After doing this, it’s thought that this kicks in a retention offer of sorts so Chase will send you an offer.
There may be a degree of validity to some of these but ultimately I think it depends a lot on your personal luck.
What cards can I get pre-qualified for?
Generally, pre-qualified offers and pre-approved offers only come around for Chase-branded credit cards. These are cards like the:
- Chase Sapphire Preferred
- Chase Freedom
- Chase Freedom Unlimited and
- Chase Slate.
You can also get pre-approved for some of the United credit cards and for business cards such as the Chase Ink (but you need to inquire specifically about business credit cards).
The Chase Sapphire Reserve used to have pre-approval in-branch but Chase took those away (though they should be coming back at some point). Also, I don’t believe that Chase offers pre-approvals for other co-branded cards, such as the Southwest credit cards.
One great thing about these pre-approvals is that sometimes they come with ever higher sign-up bonuses so it’s always worth giving them a shot.
Of course these things could always change.
Will offers disappear?
If you apply for a pre-approval offer, all of your other pre-approvals will likely vanish. You might see them again within a few months but you may not. If you’re over 5/24, then you need to really make sure that you’re making an informed choice of your pre-approval offer since you may not see it again.
Final word
Chase credit card pre-qualified and pre-approval offers are easy to check, whether online or in-branch. They generally mean you stand pretty good odds of being approved but it’s no guarantee and many are still subject to the 5/24 rule. And while there may be some ways to trigger for your pre-approval offer, it usually just comes down to luck so try not to stress over finding these offers.
Daniel Gillaspia is the Founder of UponArriving.com and the credit card app, WalletFlo. He is a former attorney turned travel expert covering destinations along with TSA, airline, and hotel policies. Since 2014, his content has been featured in publications such as National Geographic, Smithsonian Magazine, and CNBC. Read my bio.
Currently at 7/24 (will be 4/24 in April 2020). I already have a personal Chase checking account, as well as a few of their personal CCs (CSR, CFU, CF)
Today I went into a branch to open up a Chase business checking account.
The banker mentioned that to me that since I’m opening a business checking account, I’m pre-approved for the business credit cards as well. I was happy to see a single APR interest rate.
Crossing my fingers that the app gets approved & I receive my CIP sometime soon.
In the meanwhile, is there anything I should or should not do to check status on my app or up my chances of the business credit card application?
Never mind, I just checked my new Chase biz account to find the CIP in there!
Guess you can use this as another successful DP for acquiring biz credit cards through an in-branch pre-approval with fixed interest rate APR .
My minor issue now is that the CL is rather low at 6k. I have a big purchase coming up that pretty much covers the 5k MS. Are there any surefire ways to bump up the CL even though I just approved for the card? I’m aware that you can’t transfer CL between personal & biz card. This also my first Chase biz card, so I don’t have another biz card to transfer credit from.