The Credit Card Application Process

The Credit Card Application Process

by Jason Deines

When applying for a loan or other form of borrowing the application process can be extensive and require a lot of information. However, when it comes to applying for a credit card the application process is simple and easy. When determining whether or not to grant you credit, credit card issuers tend to put a lot of emphasis on a person's credit history and whether or not they have made their payments in a timely manner. For credit card issuers to make an informed decision on whether or not to grant credit to an individual they need some basic information.
When applying for a credit card you will have to fill out a credit application whether it is online or one you received in the mail. Generally, there are ten bits of information required to get the approval process going.

1. First and last name
2. Physical mailing address
3. Home phone number
4. Work phone number
5. Date of birth
6. Social security number
7. Employer name
8. Annual household income
9. Signature
10. Date the application was completed


As you can see the process of filling out a credit application requires only a few personal details but combined these details give the credit card issuer the ability to find out additional information about you. Because this information is sensitive you may choose to provide the information by calling the card issuer directly via their 1-800 number or over the Internet on a secure server.

Once your application has been submitted it can take several weeks before you find out whether you have been approved for credit or not. You may need to provide additional information to complete the process. If for some reason you are not approved the card issuer is required to send you a letter stating why or you can call them directly and find out what the reason is. Remember, just because you received a credit card offer in the mail does not automatically mean you will be approved.