In the past, individuals would have to fill out an extensive credit application, wait for their credit history to be pulled and reviewed by the credit issuer, and wait longer for their new credit card to arrive in the mail. In recent years, this process has been streamlined by allowing individuals to apply online for credit cards. Now, instead of waiting weeks to be approved for and receive a new credit card, the process takes just a matter of days.

When you apply online for credit cards, the process is very simple. The individual will go to the website of the bank or corporation that issues the credit card they desire, type their information into an online application form, and hit the submit button. Within the hour, and often in as little as a few minutes, the company that issues the credit cards will send the individual a response of whether or not their application has been accepted. For applications that have been accepted, the credit card is placed in the mail that same day and will be received by the individual within 5 to 10 business days. Because the process to apply online for credit cards is so simple, many individuals are choosing to apply for their credit cards online instead of the traditional method.

To apply online for credit cards, there are a few basic safety tips to keep in mind. The first and most important tip is to be sure that the site that you are using to apply online for credit cards is a legitimate and reputable website. Since the popularity of online credit applications has risen in recent years, individuals with identity theft on their minds have created a host of fake websites designed to trick individuals into supplying their personal information to these sites. Once these criminals have the individual's personal information, they use it to open credit account in the individual's name. Because the statements for the credit cards and the credit cards themselves will usually go to a different address or PO Box, the individual whose identity has been stolen is usually unaware of the theft until one of their legitimate credit applications is rejected or they find credit that they have not obtained listed on their credit report.

The best credit cards to apply for online are ones issued by the four major credit card companies; Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express. When you apply online for credit cards from these companies, check to be sure that the website you are on is the actual website of the company and not just a replica. The web address for the site should contain the name of the company without anything between the "www" and the name of the company. For example, if you apply online for credit cards from Visa, the web address of the site you are filling out the application should start with "www.visa.com." By ensuring that the site you are filling out the online application on is a legitimate one, you are greatly reducing the possibility that your information will be stolen by identity thieves.

It's also possible to get a credit card through one of the numerous comparison websites across the internet, or in fact to do your own comparing and contrasting.