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Credit card eligibility checker

Calculate your chances of getting approved

Use our online tool to find pre-approved results and it wont impact your credit score

Get approved for a credit card quickly

  • Add your details to our eligibility checker

  • Explore your options from top credit card providers

  • Choose the right card for your needs

Get approved for a credit card quickly

  • Add your details to our eligibility checker

  • Explore your options from top credit card providers

  • Choose the right card for your needs

Credit cards -- eligibility checker

1,130,072 customers have visited Uswitch to explore credit cards in the last 12 months

16,827 people used our eligibility checker in December 2024

Find the best credit cards from trusted providers

Our experts browse hundreds of products to find the best deals

Virgin Money
Barclaycard
Lloyds Bank
Santander
Tesco
British Airways
American Express
M&S Bank
Nectar
Capital One
Virgin Money
Barclaycard
Lloyds Bank
Santander
Tesco
British Airways
American Express
M&S Bank
Nectar
Capital One
Fact checker
Last updated
January 7th, 2025
Student credit cards, student at laptop

How does the eligibility checker work?

The Uswitch eligibility checker uses the information you've provided to run a soft credit check on your credit file. We do this to estimate the likelihood of you being accepted for a credit card. Unlike a full credit card application, it is not visible to potential lenders.

We run your given details via our soft credit check partners HD Decisions and Capital One. They cross-reference a profile based on your information with the acceptance criteria of different credit cards.

Your information is kept securely and will be used in accordance with our terms of use and privacy policyHD Decisions' terms of use and Capital One's terms of use.

Who can use this service?

Anyone over 18 with a UK address can use our eligibility checker.

To get the most accurate results, you'll typically need at least three years of address history. You could still get a credit card without this, but there'll be a more limited number available to you.

Will using the eligibility checker appear on my credit file?

Not to potential lenders. You might be able to see the search yourself if you look at your report, but as a soft credit check, no one else will be able to.

That's because it's not the same as a formal application for credit, meaning using this tool will not be flagged to potential lenders as an application on your credit report.

A soft credit check simply means, we look at the information you’ve provided and information on your credit report to estimate your credit score (we do not see the score you do).

This also means we can only provide an estimate of your eligibility for a credit card and cannot guarantee acceptance or rejection.

Lots of hard checks (or formal applications) could make it look like you are desperate for credit. This is off-putting to prospective credit card providers or lenders because it suggests you cannot repay debt.

Unlock the best credit card deals for you

See which credit cards you're eligible for in just a few clicks

Our expert says

The eligibility checker helps you to understand what credit cards you'll likely to be approved for based on your credit profile. It also does this without impacting your credit score.

Why do you need my personal and employment details?

Your age, name and address are used to verify your identity and match it up to your credit file.

As credit card providers care about the security of your income, employment status is used as a rough indicator of this.

Some cards have minimum income requirements. To avoid inaccurate probability results, please ensure this is accurate.

How long are my results valid for?

Your eligibility results are estimates based on information pulled from your credit profile on the day you perform the check. However, these estimates may become less accurate as time passes, especially if you do anything that might affect your credit score or your circumstances change.

Our soft credit checking partners (HD decisions and Capital One) refresh the information they use in order to estimate your eligibility on a monthly basis.

So, if you are looking at results that are a few weeks old, a new eligibility check could get you more accurate results.

If you have any pre-approved results, these are only valid for 24 hours from when you first complete the eligibility check.

How Uswitch compares credit cards

What does ‘most popular’ and ‘popularity’ mean?

When we use the term ‘most popular or ‘popularity’ on Uswitch in reference to credit cards, these cards are ranked by the number of clicks they have received on the site in the past 30 days.

The most clicked on cards are at the top, with the least at the bottom. This reflects how popular they are with visitors to Uswitch.com. Consequently, this is a good table to look at if you’re interested in seeing which cards most people think are worth getting.

Does Uswitch compare all the credit cards on the market?

We compare over 100 credit cards from all of the major banks and credit card providers.

However, we do not compare all the credit cards that are available in the UK.

This is because some credit card providers have offers that are only available exclusively through their own website or branch, or through other comparison websites - in the same way some credit cards are exclusively available through Uswitch.

There are also many credit cards that are only available to people in member organisations and clubs.

Credit card guides

Find out more about how credit cards work with our in-depth guides
How many credit cards can you have?
How many credit cards can you have?
How to use a credit card
How to use a credit card
What are the differences between credit and debit card?
What are the differences between credit and debit card?

About the author

Lucinda O'Brien
Lucinda O'Brien has spent the past 10 years writing and editing content for regional and national titles. She applies her industry knowledge to ensure readers can make confident financial decisions.

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