How to Check Credit Card Eligibility?

Credit cards are wonderful financial tools for managing your monthly expenditure, getting rewarded with cashback and points, and attaining exclusive access to lounges and events. All they ask for is financial discipline. In case you are looking to check credit card eligibility for specific cards or generally, we have compiled a list of things to keep in mind before applying for your next credit card. Credit card eligibility ranges from salary to age and more, which we have detailed below.

Check Your Credit Card Eligibility

Factors Affecting your Credit Card Eligibility

1. Age

One of the most important criteria for credit card eligibility is age. In most cases, banks and NBFCs will issue credit cards to applicants who are between the age of 21 to 70. This is because most of the employed workforce is part of this age group, which ensures risk mitigation for the bank. Usually, people start working in a job or on their own business after the age of 21 and continue up to 60-70 years of age.

There are exceptions, however, wherein certain entry-level credit cards are issued to applicants above the age of 18. These are usually backed by security such as fixed deposits. Here you can also check how credit card companies make money.

2. Income and Nature of work

Apart from age, the issuing bank also judges your income and nature of work before deeming you eligible for credit cards. A lot of banks will differentiate between the incomes of salaried and self-employed persons. For credit card eligibility, the minimum salary is usually above Rs 20,000-25,000 per month for most basic credit cards. This can go up to Rs 5 lakhs for some super-premium cards.

For self-employed, a lot of banks refrain from issuing credit cards without deposits. However, those who do will expect an ITR showing a monthly income of Rs 30,000 and upwards. Credit card eligibility in India is a tricky affair, and a lot of it depends on your relationship with the bank. A credit card without income is an almost impossible feat.

3. Location

Serviceability is an important factor in determining credit card eligibility, too. Your Pincode needs to be serviceable by the respective bank to be able to issue you a credit card in the first place. While most banks service most major pin codes, you will need to verify on a case-to-case basis.

4. Credit Score

Apart from age, income, and location, a credit score is an important factor to ascertain your credit card eligibility. Once you apply for a new credit card, the bank will send a request to credit bureaus to check your credit score. Only if it is compliant with the card you want, will the application be processed.

Rule of thumb: the more premium the card, the higher is the credit score ask.

5. Payments

Although payment pattern is part of your credit score, banks usually also check payment history separately. This is a big consideration when issuing you a new credit card given it helps the bank assess whether you will be able to repay your dues in time or not.

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