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[I335]Instant Online Credit Card Application

by Trevor Taylor, Tre

The Internet has changed the lives of many of us in a lot of different ways and we can now do our shopping, book flights, download music, software and books, and even apply online for a credit card. Making an instant online credit card application is quick and efficient and comparison charts make it a cinch to find a low interest rate credit card, or the best credit card deal to suit your personal needs.

Whether you apply online for a credit card for the first time, or are a pro ready to switch to a new low interest rate credit card, there are a plethora of companies and agencies willing to help you find the best credit card deal around. But what of the risks in giving out your personal information online. Are you safer in making a credit card application offline?

Well when you apply online for a credit card, every company offering an instant online credit card application form will have a secure area where you complete the form and your personal details will never be seen by any other human while the information is passed through to the issuing company. It is in fact safer to surrender your personal information or even credit card details over the internet than it would be offline.

The personal details requested in an online credit card application form are no different than a promotion form you would pick up at your local bank or financial institution. But consider the dangers in applying for a credit card offline.. You will invariably post your completed application form to the head office of the credit card issuer or hand it in to the cashier at your bank. Either of these two offline methods is fraught with danger. Post can be lost.. posted to the wrong address etc. and paperwork can be misplaced in any office situation.

You can easily tell when you are in a secure area because the url address on the page you are visiting will start with 'https' as opposed to 'http' for an unsecured site. Also you should see a gold padlock to the right of the address bar on your browser. Never give out your personal or credit card details on the internet unless you see the gold padlock and you are sure the site is a secure area. (You might also check if the security certificate is provided by a reputable organization e.g. Verisign).

There are other advantages in making an instant online credit card application. Firstly when you apply online for a credit card the process is quicker and there's a chance you will receive your credit card at an earlier date than if you completed the application form in ink at home and posted it the following day. Secondly, the facilities for comparing credit cards from different companies is so quick and easy on the Internet and would be impractical to make the same comparisons offline. It is always useful before you apply online for a credit card, to compare interest rates, reward schemes and annual fees before you make your instant online credit card application. This facility makes it easier for you to find a low interest rate credit card or indeed find the best credit card deal that suits your personal requirements.

You are also able to contact the credit card issuers by email should you come across any difficulties in completing your instant online credit card application form. Typically your email will be answered within a few hours, but some will respond almost immediately.

So, to sum up, you can apply online for credit card in the knowledge that when you make your instant online credit card application, your privacy is secured and your personal details are passed through the system safely. Your new low interest rate credit card may turn out to be the best credit card deal on the Internet!

Trevor Taylor

Five years ago, a consumer could apply for a credit card and receive not only confirmation of approval, but also the card's 16 digit number and expiration date in a matter of minutes. Getting a credit card online was truly an instant process. And an easy one. Especially for identity thieves, who could max out a person's virtual credit card before the actual plastic arrived in the unsuspecting consumer's mailbox. Problems such as these ultimately led to the phasing out of instant online credit cards.

At present, American Express? offers 60 second decisions upon submission of an online application. If approved, the consumer is given notice of his or her status, not their numbers. If the consumer does not immediately qualify for online approval, then notification of approval or denial is sent via mail. Consumers with good to excellent credit looking for an instant credit card, therefore, should consider American Express? credit cards.

Most credit card issuers generally take anywhere from five to seven business days before reaching an approval decision and getting the plastic in the mail. With some companies, consumers can expect to wait as long as 30 days. Clearly, the days of the instant credit card are gone.

Individuals without excellent credit that are in a rush to get a new credit card can now expect to wait at least five business days to get the card they applied for. Having good credit facilitates and expedites the decision process. However, those with average and borderline credit scores are often left in credit decision purgatory.

So what should one do if they truly need an ?instant credit card?? One solution is to consider applying for credit cards from different issuing banks. Since each bank varies in its application processing time and approval criteria, applying for credit cards from different companies can expedite the process of obtaining an ?instant credit card,? while also providing an opportunity to make a more informed decision on which credit card to accept and use over the long term.

Perhaps the end of the guaranteed instant online approval era of credit cards is not such a bad thing. The more stringent and time consuming application process currently in place provides consumers and credit card companies immeasurably better protection against identity theft. It also gives the consumer time to evaluate the interest rates and rewards offered by the instant credit cards they apply for and make better decisions about which credit card to use.

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About Author

Both Trevor Taylor & Jeff Weber are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Trevor Taylor has sinced written about articles on various topics from Online Dating, Family Travel and Flirting Tips. Trevor Taylor writes of his experiences in the Credit Card and Real Estate arenas.