The length of time it takes to open a credit card can vary depending on whether you apply online or in person, the type of card you apply for and the card issuer. In some cases, the process is instant, meaning you can get approved and use the card for purchases within a few minutes. For other cards, approval may come quickly, but you can’t use the card until it arrives in the mail.
So how do you know if a card you’re applying for is an instant credit card? Below you’ll find a list of cards that let you start shopping as soon as you’re approved — great for the holiday season — along with some background on how it all works.
Instant Approval Credit Cards vs. Instant Use Cards
Before we dive into which cards you can begin using instantly, it’s important to understand the difference between instant approval and instant use. In many cases, you can get approved for a credit card account instantly — but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can use it right away.
You may have to wait for the physical card to arrive in the mail. An instant use card, on the other hand, allows you to pay for purchases as soon as you’re approved.
“An approval can happen as quickly as a few minutes, unless you have something unusual going on like a fraud alert, frozen credit report, or you’re asking for an unusually large credit limit,” says John Ulzheimer, a credit expert who has worked at Equifax and FICO. In those scenarios, expect to add a few days to your timeline. The card issuer will have to do some additional investigating, or you may have to work with the credit bureaus to unfreeze your file or clear up an item on your report.
If there is nothing unusual at play, approvals are fast — even instant.
Discover Cards You Can Use Instantly
Discover offers instant credit to applicants who are approved and eligible, according to a company spokesperson. Customers can register their account in real time, download the Discover app and add the card to their digital wallet. This function is not available for secured cards, however.
Our Top Discover Card Pick for Instant Credit Access
With a cash back card that offers 5% back on quarterly bonus categories that you activate, being able to get started with the card right away will help you maximize those limited-time earnings. The Discover it® Cash Back card has no annual fee and offers unlimited 1% back on nonbonus spending. The bonus categories, like grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations and more, offer 5% back on up to $1,500 spent in each quarter. Discover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. The card also offers an introductory 0% annual percentage rate promotion for the first 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers; after that, there will be 17.74% to 26.74% variable APR, based on your creditworthiness.
Other Discover cards with instant credit access include:
Capital One Cards You Can Use Instantly
The majority of new Capital One credit card customers are eligible for instant access to a virtual card before their physical card arrives in the mail, a company spokesperson says. This means that once an eligible customer is approved for a new credit card, they can start shopping with a virtual card number that can be found on the Capital One app.
Our Top Capital One Card Pick for Instant Credit Access
Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card
You get to start earning rewards with the Capital One Savor Cash Rewards Credit Card from day one of opening the card. With no annual fee, you’ll get unlimited 3% cash back on dining, entertainment, streaming services and at grocery stores. You’ll also earn 8% on Capital One Entertainment purchases, 5% on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel (terms apply), and 1% cash back on all other purchases.
You earn a welcome offer of $200 by spending $500 in the first three months. The card also offers an introductory 0% APR promotion for the first 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers; after that, the APR will be 18.99% to 28.99% (variable), based on your creditworthiness. The card doesn’t charge a foreign transaction fee.
Other Capital One cards with instant credit access include:
— Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
— Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
— Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
— Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card
American Express Cards You Can Use Instantly
An instant card number feature is available for all American Express consumer credit cards, except for the Amazon Business American Express Card and Amazon Business Prime American Express Card. It allows instant use for all of its products, provided that your identity can be validated. If everything checks out, customers will get an account number that they can use online or load into a digital wallet.
Note that, in some cases, if your information can’t be authenticated, there will be limits on your instant card number, or you may not have access to your full credit line until you receive the physical card.
Our Top American Express Card Pick for Instant Credit Access
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
The Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is a top earner in everyday spending categories, including 6% cash back at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in eligible purchases, plus 6% back on select U.S. streaming subscriptions. You’ll also get 3% back on transit (including taxis/ride-hailing, parking, tolls, trains, buses and more) and at eligible U.S. gas stations, plus 1% on everything else.
As a welcome offer, you’ll get $250 back after you spend $3,000 in purchases on your new card within the first six months, plus the card offers an introductory 0% APR promotion for the first 12 months on both purchases and balance transfers; after that, the APR will be 19.74% to 28.74% variable, based on your creditworthiness. The card has a $0 intro annual fee for the first year, then $95. See Rates & Fees
Other American Express cards with instant credit access include:
— Blue Cash Everyday® Card from American Express
— American Express Platinum Card®
[Read: Best Credit Cards for Excellent Credit.]
Chase Cards You Can Use Instantly
Chase Spend Instantly lets you add a new or replacement card to your digital wallet, like Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, before the physical card arrives — so you can use it for online and in-store purchases. However, if you are brand new to using Chase, you may have to wait for your physical card to arrive. Mastercard, Amazon and business credit cards can’t be added to a digital wallet upon card approval.
Our Top Chase Card Pick for Instant Credit Access
If you’re looking for a solid cash back card to start using right away, the Chase Freedom Unlimited® has a base rate of 1.5% on purchases, plus bonus earnings in other categories. You’ll get 3% on dining (including takeout and delivery services) and drugstore purchases, and 5% on travel purchased through Chase Travel?. You’ll also get a $200 bonus if you spend $500 in the first three months. Plus, the card offers an introductory 0% APR promotion for the first 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers; after that, the APR will be 18.74% to 28.24% variable, based on your creditworthiness. It doesn’t charge an annual fee.
Other Chase cards with instant credit access include:
— Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Citi Cards You Can Use Instantly
Citi offers cardholders the opportunity to access a portion of their credit line to start, but there are some things to note. If approved for instant access for the Citi Custom Cash® Card, Citi Simplicity® Card or Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card, you’ll have to opt into instant access, according to a Citi spokesperson. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for your card to arrive by mail.
Consumers with the AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi or the Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi may have instant access to their card without opting in, enabling them to use their card right away on purchases at AT&T and Costco. For the Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®, American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®, you may make use of a one-time password to have your card credentials delivered immediately via email and text if you are approved for instant access.
Our Top Citi Card Pick for Instant Credit Access
The Citi Custom Cash® Card is a rotating bonus rewards card, but you don’t have to lift a finger. You’ll get an automatic 5% cash back in your top spending category up to $500 spent each billing cycle, and 1% back on everything else. New cardholders can earn $200 in cash back after spending $1,500 on purchases in the first six months. The card also offers an introductory 0% APR promotion for the first 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers completed in the first four months; 17.74% to 27.74% variable APR thereafter.
Other Citi cards with instant credit access include:
— Citi Simplicity® Card
— Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card
— Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi
— Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®
— Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®
— Citi® / AAdvantage Business™ World Elite Mastercard®
— American Airlines AAdvantage® MileUp®
— AT&T Points Plus® Card from Citi
[Read: Cards for Fair Credit]
Are Some Credit Cards More Likely to Offer Instant Access?
Some types of cards are known for having more lenient requirements and may also offer instant credit access. According to Ulzheimer, the most familiar example of instant use cards is retail store cards. “The retail card instant scenario is strategic, meaning it’s instant for a reason; the retailer wants you to have newfound capacity while you’re still in the store,” he says.
The whole process is intended to happen quickly, with the clerk asking if you’d like to apply during checkout, with that purchase going directly on the card.
With general credit cards, each issuer’s application process varies. Getting approved easily and not having any complications with your credit record — such as being in a credit freeze — can increase the chances that you’ll be able to use instant card features. Applying from a preapproved offer you received will boost your chances even more, Ulzheimer says.
[Read: Retail Store Credit Cards]
Instant Credit Is a Perk, but Consider Other Factors
With apps and digital wallets, consumers are becoming used to having everything available instantly. Yet with many credit cards, you may still have to wait a week or two before you can begin using them.
Instant access could sway you toward an issuer, but it’s not the most important factor when choosing a card. Consider other features that will have a greater effect on your wallet or longer-term implications, including APR, fees and rewards.
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Instant Approval Credit Cards That You Can Use Immediately for Holiday Shopping originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 12/01/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
