What credit score do I need for a store credit card?
Last Modified 16th of February 2021
Getting a store card for your favourite high street shop can be a good way to earn back rewards on things that you would have bought anyway. Unfortunately most store cards have some of the highest interest rates of any credit option, along with big penalties for late payment. On top of all that they often make it non-trivial to make a payment, making it all too easy to forget and incur those charges.
Fortunately, all of these features mean that store cards are highly profitable for the companies who provide them and as a result they are some of the easiest credit products to be approved for, even if your financial history isn’t great.
Is there an actual minimum credit score?
The short answer is that no, there is no specific credit score that store card providers look for in order to accept your application or not. Most people will be accepted relatively easily and even if your credit is bad you might still get accepted. But it does depend on what your file looks like.
What they look for
Remember that these companies make a lot of money through late payment charges and penalties, so if you have a history of occasionally making payments late or accidentally going past your overdraft limit you might just be their ideal customer.
What they don’t want
What they don’t want of course are customers with a history of defaulting. So if you have multiple collections or a bankruptcy behind you then you could be turned down. In reality though, most store cards will never have high balances, so the risk for the creditor is low compared to the profit they will hope to make from you.
Is it worth it?
Aside from the question you should also consider carefully whether a store card it worthwhile. Certainly if you have very bad credit this might be the easiest way to secure credit with which to repair your credit rating, but if you do slip up you could hurt your credit score further and cost yourself money.
