
Does getting denied for a credit card hurt your credit score?
Hard inquiries temporarily ding your credit score, but with the right steps, your credit score will rebound.
Nicole Dieker has been a full-time freelance writer since 2012 — and a personal finance enthusiast since 2004, when she graduated from college and, looking for financial guidance, found a battered copy of Your Money or Your Life at the public library.
In addition to writing for Bankrate, her work has appeared on CreditCards.com, Vox, Lifehacker, Popular Science, The Penny Hoarder, The Simple Dollar and NBC News. Dieker spent five years as writer and editor for The Billfold, a personal finance blog where people had honest conversations about money. Dieker also teaches writing, freelancing and publishing classes and works one-on-one with authors as a developmental editor and copyeditor.
Nicole Dieker is the author of Frugal and the Beast: And Other Financial Fairy Tales, in which she reworks classic fairy tales to highlight their hidden financial lessons. She also writes the Larkin Day Mystery series.
"The more you know about credit cards, the better equipped you'll be to make choices that work out in your favor – whether you're taking advantage of your credit card grace period to avoid interest charges, using a 0% intro APR credit card to fund a vacation or redeeming your credit card rewards at their maximum value. Credit is a powerful tool, when used wisely – and as a person who's been writing about personal finance for a decade, I hope to provide you with the tools to make as many wise decisions as possible."
— Nicole Dieker
Hard inquiries temporarily ding your credit score, but with the right steps, your credit score will rebound.
Making too many credit card applications in a short period can hurt your credit score
The sooner you seek help, the sooner you can take steps toward recovery.
You can achieve excellent credit by practicing responsible financial habits.
A higher interest rate will kick in once your promotional APR ends.
So, your credit card application has been denied — here’s what to do next.
Is “preferred” just a marketing term? Here’s what to know.
Here’s what you need to do to get your score within a good credit range.