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When shopping for a secured credit card, there may be a number of reasons you want to apply for the card without adding a credit inquiry to your credit report. Credit inquiries not only show where you have applied for credit, but depending on the individual credit report, can decrease your score by at least five points. From a lender's viewpoint, multiple inquiries within a short period of time can also indicate a credit risk.
There is a difference between the types of inquiries you might see on your credit report, often referred to as hard pulls (or inquiries) and soft pulls. Soft pulls do not require your permission and also do not affect your credit score. These types of inquiries are often the result of background checks, pre-approvals, or even checking your own credit score. Hard inquiries require your authorization and usually occur when lenders for auto loans, credit cards, or mortgages, are determining your credit worthiness.
If you're worried about getting rejected for credit cards, resulting in multiple hard inquiries on your credit and a lower score than you started with, check out these secured cards that don't require a credit check for approval (though some might do one after approval to determine your APR). (See also: 5 Best Secured Cards)
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