Bad Credit Credit Cards – What Credit Score Do I Need for a Chase Credit Card?

Chase has some of the most popular and best credit cards on the market. If you’re planning to apply for one, you’ll need to know the suggested credit score for a Chase credit card.

There isn’t any information on the Chase website about this, so it can be tough to gauge your chances of approval. Fortunately, there’s enough information available to recommend credit scores for Chase credit cards. Here’s a breakdown of what score you’ll need based on the Chase card you want and other factors that can affect your Chase credit card application.

Suggested credit scores for Chase credit cards

Most Chase credit cards are intended for consumers with good to excellent credit scores. That means you should have a FICO® Score of 670 or higher when you apply. A score above 700 is even better and gives you a strong chance at approval. You can check your credit score with each credit bureau to find out how you’re doing before you apply for a Chase credit card.

This applies for the majority of the credit cards in Chase’s lineup. For example, a good credit score is recommended to get any of these popular Chase cards:

Good credit is also recommended for any of Chase’s co-branded airline credit cards or hotel credit cards.

Keep in mind that this is only a suggested credit score for Chase credit cards. Every card issuer takes your full credit history into consideration. It will look at your payment history, credit card debt, credit utilization, and all the other information on your credit report.

Since your credit score isn’t the only factor that matters, the recommended credit scores for Chase credit cards don’t guarantee approval or denial. There are occasionally applicants who get approved with credit scores of 650 or below. You can try an application if you’re in that situation, but you’re probably better off building your credit first.

Chase credit cards that don’t require good credit

There are a few Chase credit cards available to consumers with lower credit scores:

• Chase Freedom® Student credit card: Since this is a student credit card, you don’t need a long credit history to get approved. Students have reported approval with limited to no credit history. You’ll have a much better chance of approval if you are a Chase customer with a Chase bank account. 
• Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card: The suggested credit score for this Chase credit card is 640 or above.
• Disney® Visa® Card: The suggested credit score for this Chase credit card is 580 or above.

Other factors that affect your Chase credit card application

When you apply for a Chase card, the credit card company will look at two other key factors that you should know about.

Recent credit accounts you’ve opened

Chase’s 5/24 rule can affect your application if you’ve gotten multiple credit cards in the last two years. Here’s a quick explanation of how it works. When you submit your application, Chase checks how many personal credit accounts you’ve opened in the past 24 months. If it’s five or more, your application is automatically denied.

For the typical consumer who doesn’t open many credit cards, this won’t be a concern. But if you think you may be near Chase’s limit, double-check how many cards you’ve opened in the last two years before you apply for another one.

Annual income

Annual income can be just as important as your credit score for Chase credit cards. Chase uses your reported income in deciding whether to approve your application and in setting your credit limit.

Certain Chase cards have minimum credit limits. If Chase isn’t willing to extend you this much credit, it will deny your application. These minimum credit limits are based on what type of credit card you’re applying for. Here are the types of credit cards Chase offers and their minimum credit limits:

• Visa Traditional: No minimum credit limit
• Visa Signature®: $5,000
• Visa Infinite®: $10,000
• World Elite Mastercard®: $5,000

To find out what type of card you’re looking at, check the card’s picture and look at the logo in the bottom right corner. Visa Traditional cards only have the word “Visa” there, while the other three types of cards typically include their full names in their logos. There is one exception with the Chase Freedom Flex℠. Although it only has the world “Mastercard” in the logo, it’s a World Elite Mastercard®.

While you can’t be sure about the credit limit Chase will extend to you based on your income, the minimum amounts above can at least give you an idea of which cards you have a good chance of getting.

The right credit score for a Chase credit card

Chase is somewhat unique in that its credit requirements don’t change for most of its cards. With good or excellent credit, you could qualify for any Chase card. Just make sure you’ll also pass the 5/24 rule as a cardholder and that Chase could reasonably extend you sufficient credit for the card you want based on your income.