If applying for a credit card, which credit card type should I apply for in order to get the most chances to get it?
Executive summary
For the highest probability of approval, apply for a secured credit card or a starter/“no-credit” unsecured card — these products are explicitly designed to accept applicants with no or poor credit by using a refundable deposit or alternative underwriting like bill-payment history [1] [2] [3]. For business applicants, fintech or corporate cards that evaluate cash flow instead of personal credit (or that don’t require a personal guarantee) offer the easiest path [4] [5].
1. Secured cards: the closest thing to “guaranteed” approval
Secured credit cards require an upfront refundable security deposit that becomes the credit limit and significantly reduces issuer risk, so approval thresholds are much lower and some secured cards will not even run a credit check — making them the most reliable route for people with no credit or bad credit [1] [6] [7]. Publications repeatedly single out products like the opensky® Plus Secured Visa® and Discover it® Secured as top options because they report to the three major bureaus and have low barriers to entry [1] [8].
2. Starter/unsecured “no-credit” cards: underwriting that looks beyond FICO
Some unsecured starter cards accept applicants with little or no FICO history by using alternative signals — for example, Petal’s CashScore considers bill-payment and banking data — so a person with steady payments but no credit score can be approved for an unsecured card [3]. WalletHub and CardRates note that beginner unsecured cards and some issuer preapproval tools can deliver high approval odds without the deposit requirement, though underwriting standards vary and approval is never guaranteed [9] [10].
3. Instant-approval and store cards: easy yeses, but read the tradeoffs
Instant-decision products and retailer/store cards often approve on the spot and historically have higher approval rates because they target consumers at the point of sale, sometimes offering discounts for signing up [11] [10]. CardRates and WalletHub warn that while these are easy to obtain, store cards may come with high interest and limited acceptance, and instant-approval marketing may reflect affiliate relationships by publishers [10] [11].
4. Business applicants: use fintech and corporate-card paths
Small-business owners who lack a long credit history can often get business cards from fintech issuers or corporate products that assess real-time cash flow and profitability rather than personal FICO scores; some corporate cards like Brex and Ramp don’t require a personal guarantee or traditional credit checks, which raises approval odds for newer firms [4] [12] [5]. NerdWallet and Ramp’s reporting also notes fintech approaches can approve companies with modest monthly inflows, though requirements and thresholds are issuer-specific [5] [4].
5. Practical trade-offs and hidden agendas in the reporting
Across the consumer press, the pattern is consistent: “easiest” usually means secured cards, starter unsecured products, store cards, or fintech business cards — but reviewers repeatedly remind readers that approval is not guaranteed and that many recommendations are informed by issuer disclosures, partner relationships, or advertising [2] [8] [5]. Many roundup articles carry publisher disclosures noting that some featured cards are advertising partners, which can shape which products get highlighted even as editors assert independence [5] [8].
6. Tactical checklist distilled from the coverage
If the goal is maximizing approval odds, prioritize a secured card that reports to the bureaus or a starter unsecured card that uses alternative underwriting; for small businesses, consider fintech corporate cards or secured business cards — and before applying, check issuer preapproval tools to avoid hard pulls, compare deposit/fee terms, and watch for promotional content or affiliate disclosures in recommendation lists [1] [3] [4] [2].