 TITLE: 7 Common Credit Mistakes and How to Avoid Them CONTENT: Applying for Multiple Credit Cards at Once\n------------------------------------------\nVirtually every time you apply for credit, the lender runs a hard inquiry to check your credit report. This helps them determine whether to approve your application. When you're seeking certain types of loans, such as mortgage and auto loans, having multiple inquiries in a short period typically won't do much harm because they're all counted as one inquiry when calculating your credit score.\nThat's not how it works with credit cards, though. When you apply for multiple credit cards in a short period, typically each inquiry will count against you. In general, one additional hard inquiry may knock a few points, if any, off your credit score. But multiple inquiries can have a compounding effect on your credit score and cause creditors to view you as a riskier borrower.\nTo avoid damage to your credit, research credit cards and your likelihood of being approved before completing an application—then apply for the one you think is a fit. Experian CreditMatch™ can help you with providing you with credit cards according to your credit profile. END