How Long Does it Take to Get a Credit Card? (Tips + FAQs)

People are such babies—canoodled, pampered, and spoilt by the service industry. 

I’m one of them.

I’m used to 10-minute grocery, 30-minute food, and same-day Amazon package deliveries. 

So imagine my surprise when I first found out you can’t get a new credit card instantly (one of the many first-world problems I wasn’t prepared for).

If you’re as offended as me—or simply curious about when you can get a new or replaced credit card—you’re in the right place.

Let’s dive right in—

How Long Does it Take to Get Approved for a Credit Card?

You can get approved for a credit card in less than 60 seconds once you fill out an online credit card application and hit “submit”—but receiving the card can take from a few days to a few weeks. 

You won’t be left hanging—federal guidelines say your issuer must let you know by email if you’re approved or notwithin 30 days of applying for the credit card.

How Long Does it Take For a Credit Card to Come in the Mail?

Here’s a quick but detailed look at how long it takes to receive a new and replacement credit card from top issuers in the US:

How long does it take to get a new credit card: timelines for other popular issuers

Here are quick answers on how long it takes to get your hands on some other popular credit cards—

1. How long does it take to get a Merrick Bank credit card in the mail?

It usually takes anywhere between two business days to two weeks to get a new Merrick Bank credit card. (You can get a replacement card within 7–10 business days.)

2. How long does it take to get a Best Buy credit card?

You can get your hands on a Best Buy credit card within seven days to two weeks of applying. (The replacement card typically arrives much faster—between 5–7 business days.)

3. How long does it take to get a Walmart credit card?

You’ll receive your Walmart credit card within 7–10 days of applying for it. (The replacement card can take 4–6 business days to arrive.)

How Does Credit Card Approval Work?

When you apply for a credit card, the issuer will look at some key information:

• Updated credit report.
• Credit history.
• Credit score.
• Income information.
• Other debt obligations (such as your housing payment or rent).
• How you’ve handled credit in the past.

Even if you know what they’re looking at, the whole approval process is a bit of a gamble—mainly because this is proprietary information for your issuer. 

So make sure you have a great credit score and an accurately-filled application to stand a chance.

However, fast approvals almost never happen if you’re applying for specialty credit cards (like student or business cards) or high-end cards that require higher credit scores. (Your issuer may have to review your application manually to make sure you meet the qualifications.)

How Long to Get Approved for Credit Card: The Preapproval Process

Preapproval is like a trailer before a movie, and may sound like another painful process—but it can be really beneficial. 

The issuer will take a look at your basic financial details (run a soft inquiry), and give you an idea if you’d be approved for the credit card. 

This doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the credit card—but it’s definitely a green flag.

Preapproval or prequalification can happen in two different scenarios:

• When you initiate the process—some credit cards let you provide basic information and become prequalified online. 
• When your issuer makes the first move—you may receive pre-approved credit card offers in the mail (meaning the issuer has run a preliminary assessment of your credit to see if you’re a potential candidate). 

Regardless of who courts whom, this extra step lets you gauge your ability to be approved for a credit card without filling out a full application or tolerating a hard inquiry on your credit report. 

How Fast Can I Get a Credit Card? 

Some tips on how to get a credit card faster

There are some measures you can take to get your credit card faster—

1. Look for instant approval

This is a feature some credit card companies offer—you’ll know if you’re approved for a credit card within minutes of submitting your application. 

This instant approval can shave a few days off the process of getting a credit card. 

Some credit card companies with instant approval include SoFi, Chase, and American Express.

 2. Apply for an instant-use card

Some credit card issuers will give you access to a credit card number immediately after you’re approved. 

This way, you don’t have to wait for your physical credit card to arrive before you can start using it. (These credit card numbers can also be added to digital wallets.)

For instance, American Express gives you access to an instant card number when you’re approved for its consumer credit and charge cards.

Other popular issuers that offer instant-use credit cards include:

• Apple
• Bank of America
• Capital One
• Goldman Sachs
• Synchrony Bank

3. Expedited shipping

You can pay for expedited shipping to speed things up.

Most credit card companies offer expedited delivery—either for free or for a fee:

• Chase and Bank of America can deliver your new card in less than two business days at no charge. 
• USAA can ship your card overnight for $8. 
• Issuers like Barclays and Capital One can deliver your card within three business days for $15 and $16 respectively (see the beginning of this article for a table of the top issuers’ fees).

How Long Does It Take for Credit Card to Arrive & Other Key FAQs

1. Why are credit card approvals delayed?

Here are a couple of scenarios where credit card approval is delayed—

• When you forget to lift a freeze on your credit report before applying—stopping your lender from viewing your credit history. 
• If the lender wants to verify your identity—they may call you to confirm your information and whether you applied for the card in the first place.
• When you’re applying for an unusually large credit limit.

• If the information in your application is different from what’s in your credit record.
• When you already have a large credit line with the bank.

2. How can I check on credit card application status?

Most credit card issuers let you check your application status online—some others you’ll have to call. 

Here’s a table with the links (and the card service phone numbers) to check application statuses for some top issuers:

3. How long does it take to get a secured credit card?. 

If you have funds on hand, the entire process should take about 10 business days.

Secured credit cards are relatively easy to qualify for. They’re for people without a credit history or looking to rebuild their credit—so the credit score requirement is fairly low and the approval is usually quick. 

However, accessing the card is a longer process, because you’ll have to pay a security deposit in case you default on the card. 

Your credit card application won’t be complete—and the card won’t be shipped—until you submit the deposit.

4. How long does it take to get a credit card refund?

It typically takes 3–7 business days to get a credit card refund. 

This applies to simple refunds, in which the seller agrees to a return. 

Once they process your refund, it’s up to the card issuer to post the credit to your account. 

What happens if a seller doesn’t agree to a refund? 

You can dispute the charge with your card company and get your money refunded. 

This separate process may take as long as six months to resolve.

Your card issuer will treat any money refunded to your account as account credit—so don’t expect a check for the refund.

5. How long does it take to get a replacement credit card?

It takes on average 3–5 days to get a replacement credit card.

Replacement cards usually arrive faster than brand-new cards, because they’re processed as soon as you make a request—this shaves off the time needed to process a new application. 

See our table at the beginning of the article for a breakdown of how long top issuers take to deliver a replacement card.

6. How long does it take to get a credit score after getting a credit card?

It takes up to six months of account activity to give you a credit score with some versions of the FICO® Score. 

VantageScore is usually calculated within a month.

Your credit score availability depends on two factors:

• How soon your lender reports your new account information to the credit reporting companies (Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax).
• The credit scoring formula used.

7. How does applying for a credit card impact credit?

The act of applying for a credit card in itself doesn’t affect your credit score. It’s the lender’s inquiry (which is a simply a record that they accessed your credit report).

It’s wise to minimize hard inquiries and their impact on your credit. 

But what if you want to apply for several credit cards? 

Credit bureaus usually treat multiple hard inquiries for the same type of loan as one hard inquiry (as long as the applications come in within a short time of each other). But this courtesy doesn’t extend to credit cards—so you want to avoid going on an application spree. 

Find a card with the benefits you want and which you’re likely to qualify for—and start there.

Jennifer Streaks, Senior Personal Finance Reporter at Business Insider, explains, “When applying for new credit, the lender will perform a credit check. This results in a hard inquiry which means the lender pulled your credit report from one of the main three credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, or TransUnion. The drop in your credit score may be roughly five points and the impact decreases over time.”

8. What happens if your credit card application is denied?

If your credit card application is denied, your lender will send you a letter or an email explaining why you weren’t approved. 

If they reviewed your credit score, they’ll let you know—you’ll also receive a free credit report so you can dispute any irregularities. 

You can also try calling your issuer’s reconsideration department if you’re denied a credit card—you may be able to provide additional documentation or an explanation to get approved.

Key Takeaways

To get quick access to a credit card, search for instant approval options, apply for an instant-use card, and consider expedited shipping.