Our best instant approval credit cards

Applying for a credit card is usually done online these days. When applying online, it’s a good idea to use eligibility checking tools like those found through our partners at Uswitch. You'll get quick results - usually within a few minutes - and even be pre-approved for certain credit cards.

Pre-approval dramatically reduces your chances of rejection, but it’s not an absolute guarantee. When you apply for a pre-approved deal, the lender will carry out its own checks, including a hard credit check and your application could fail at this point.

The quickest cards to get are typically cards that have less restrictive eligibility criteria. With that in mind, most people - even those with bad credit - are more likely to be pre-approved for bad credit credit cards or credit builder cards.

The best way to find out which cards you'll be accepted for is to check your eligibility with our partners at Uswitch, which will match you with the cards that you're most likely to get. It uses a “soft search” credit check, which won't affect your credit score, and gives you a list of cards you could apply for based on your likelihood of approval.

If you're looking for a credit card with the best chance of being pre-approved, your most likely option would be cards that have more lenient eligibility requirements.

In most cases, these will be cards that cater to people with lower credit scores or limited credit histories, such as bad credit credit cards, or credit builder cards.

These cards typically have low credit limits and high interest rates. It's always a good idea to use an eligibility tool like those found through our partners at Uswitch, which will find you any cards you're pre-approved for.