 TITLE: What Is a Preapproved Credit Card Credit Offer? CONTENT: Do Preapproved Offers Affect Your Credit Score?\n-----------------------------------------------\nGetting preapproved for a credit card generally won't impact your credit scores.\nWhen a credit card company prescreens you for an offer, it will result in a soft inquiry on your credit report. Soft inquiries, also called soft pulls, never impact credit scores. In this case, the card issuer is reviewing your credit report to see which cards or offers you could be eligible for, not checking your credit report to make an approval decision. That's an important distinction because a credit check that leads to an approval or denial is often a hard inquiry, which may lower your credit scores a little.\nIf you see that you're preapproved or prequalified for a credit card and then apply, the card issuer may check your credit before making a decision, which can lead to a hard inquiry.\nGetting preapproved for a credit card can be beneficial because it lets you know you've passed the initial step toward getting a card. While being preapproved doesn't guarantee you can get the card, being turned down for preapproval may prompt you to work on improving your credit and trying again later rather than submitting an application. END