Key takeaways
- American Express offers preapproval opportunities for some of its cards.
- To get preapproved, you can check for offers on Bankrate's CardMatch tool, prequalify on Amex's website or keep an eye out for targeted credit card offers in the mail.
- Preapproval does not guarantee approval, but it does indicate that you meet the minimum criteria for a specific card.
American Express is known for its popular rewards credit cards, including a roster of cash back credit cards and those that earn travel rewards in the form of Membership Rewards points. Not only do the top Amex cards offer excellent earning rates, but many feature generous welcome bonuses consumers can earn when they meet a minimum spending requirement.
Still, many people wish they could gauge their eligibility for American Express credit cards before they apply. After all, applying for a credit card means having a hard pull placed on your credit report, and you’ll want to avoid this if you have no chance for approval to begin with.
Fortunately, this is where Amex preapprovals come in. There are options that allow you to see whether you’re likely to be eligible for an American Express credit card before submitting a full application — and generating the subsequent hard credit pull.
What is credit card preapproval and how does it work?
If you’re wondering how to get preapproved or prequalified for an American Express credit card, you should know that at the core of this process is a screening procedure. Credit card preapproval means that a card issuer has taken a “soft” look at your credit history and you’re likely to qualify for the card products.
Though many card issuers use the terms “preapproved” and “prequalified” interchangeably, American Express distinguishes between them and presents both kinds of offers. With Amex, “prequalified” offers are cards that are tailored to an applicant’s credit profile, but aren’t at all an in-depth look at your eligibility. Pre-qualified offers often turn up in your mailbox thanks to issuers partnering with credit bureaus to generate possible good candidates for the issuer’s products.
Preapproved offers, on the other hand, are a step beyond prequalified offers and signify the highest approval odds an issuer can offer with just a soft credit pull. These offers indicate the issuer has looked closely at your profile via a soft credit pull and determined that you appear to meet the minimum criteria for a given card.
With either preapproved or prequalified Amex offers, the issuer uses information like your income to determine if you’re in the target audience for a particular card. Preapproval, however, offers the better indicator of whether you’ll ultimately be approved for a card.
Keep in mind: Neither credit card preapproval nor prequalification guarantees you'll get the credit card; they only confirm you appear to be a viable candidate. To find out for certain if you can be approved for a credit card, you'll have to formally apply.
How to get preapproved for an American Express credit card
If you’re wondering how to get preapproval for American Express credit card offers, there are several strategies to consider.
Check for offers on Bankrate’s CardMatch tool
First, consider using Bankrate’s CardMatch tool to check your eligibility for the best rewards credit cards from American Express. Using this tool will not have an impact on your credit, and you can find out which offers you are eligible for without completing a full application first. Information required for the CardMatch tool includes your name, ZIP code, home address, email address, phone number and the last four digits of your Social Security number.
American Express offers preapproval opportunities for some of its cards. In addition to higher approval odds, these preapproved offers could also come with elevated welcome bonuses.
Prequalify on Amex’s website
American Express also has a dedicated page on its website for prequalified offers (though not preapproved at the moment). This page asks you to input your personal information before showing you any American Express credit cards you may be eligible for.
Once again, these prequalified offers from American Express only place a soft pull on your credit report, so checking your eligibility won’t have any impact on your credit.
Additional ways to prequalify for American Express credit cards
While you can use the CardMatch tool or the American Express website to check for American Express preapprovals online, you may also receive targeted credit card offers in the mail. These offers can include better welcome bonuses or cardmember terms than those available to the general public, so make sure to keep an eye out for them.
Best American Express credit cards for preapproved offers
Some American Express credit cards save their best introductory offers for customers who are preapproved, although you may have to use the CardMatch tool to see if you’re eligible. American Express credit cards that are popular for preapproval include the following:
Best for travel
The Platinum Card® from American Express
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While the annual fee on The Platinum Card® from American Express is high, keep in mind all the benefits you receive. As a cardholder, you’ll get up to $200 in airline fee credits per year, up to $200 in Uber Cash credits annually, a fee credit for your Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application airport lounge access and more (terms apply, enrollment required for some benefits).
On top of all of these perks, the Amex Platinum frequently targets CardMatch visitors for a higher welcome bonus. You might score 125,000 or even 150,000 points after meeting the spending threshold.
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- Rewards rate: 5X points on up to $500,000 spent on directly-booked airfare and flights and prepaid hotels booked through American Express Travel (per calendar year), 2X points on prepaid car rentals through American Express Travel and 1X points on other purchases
- Welcome offer: 80,000 points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new card in your first six months
- Annual fee: $695
Best for dining and travel rewards
American Express® Gold Card
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The American Express® Gold Card is a good pick for those who spend in lifestyle categories like dining and travel. For the extreme foodie that likes to cook, there’s also 4X back on U.S. supermarket spending (up to $25,000 in purchases per year, then 1X).
Like the Amex Platinum, the Gold card occasionally returns targeted offers when you apply through CardMatch — so keep an eye on your matches that boost your welcome offer opportunity.
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- Rewards rate: Earn 4X points on restaurants worldwide(on up to $50,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points), plus, at U.S. supermarkets (on up to $25,000 in purchases per year, then 1X points), 3X points on flights booked directly with airlines or on amextravel.com and 2X points on rental cars through amextravel.com plus 1X points on other purchases.
- Welcome offer: 60,000 points after spending $6,000 in purchases within first six months, plus, receive 20% back in statement credits on eligible purchases made at restaurants worldwide within the first 6 months of Card Membership, up to $100 back. Limited time offer. Offer ends 11/6/24.
- Annual fee: $325
Best for groceries
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
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The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is one of the best credit cards for groceries due to its exceptional earning rate of 6 percent cash back at U.S. supermarkets (up to $6,000 in spending per year, then 1 percent). You can also earn a generous welcome bonus. Just remember that this cash back card only lets you redeem your rewards for statement credits.
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- Rewards rate: 6 percent cash back on U.S. supermarket purchases (up to $6,000 per year, then 1 percent); 6 percent back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions; 3 percent cash back on transit; 3 percent back on U.S. gas station purchases; 1 percent back on other purchases
- Welcome offer: Earn a $250 statement credit after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months
- Annual fee: $0 annual fee for the first year, then $95
How to increase your chances of getting preapproved
If your goal is getting approved for any credit card — whether preapproval or outright approval — the best thing you can do is keep your credit score in tiptop shape. Generally speaking, the best credit card offers go to those with “very good” or “excellent” credit, or FICO scores of 740 and higher. However, you may also be able to get preapproved with a “good” credit score (any FICO score that falls between 670 to 739).
If you check your credit score and find it needs some work, you can improve it by using credit responsibly. For example, make sure you pay all your bills on time each month and pay down debt to decrease your overall credit utilization. Also, make sure you’re not opening or closing too many accounts at once, which are both factors that can impact your credit score.
The bottom line
American Express preapprovals aren’t that hard to come by if you have a good credit score and can prove your ability to repay.
Fortunately, you don’t have to wait around for an offer to show up in the mail. With Bankrate’s CardMatch tool, you can fill out some basic information and take matters into your own hands.
