If you have a less than excellent credit history, being accepted for a new credit card may be difficult.  You may find yourself applying and being declined for offer after offer. 

When this happens it reflects adversely on your credit history as it tells financial institutions that you are continually being declined for credit so you are probably a credit risk.

To give yourself the best chance of having your bad credit credit card applications accepted, try applying some or all of the following tips.

Apply For The Right Type Of Card

Search the internet for credit cards for people with bad credit.  This would increase your chances of acceptance as these cards are designed for less than perfect credit profiles.

There is no use in applying for cards that require high credit scores and clean profiles.  Try to find out what credit scores are acceptable before applying for any credit card.

The following is a list of bad credit credit cards that you can apply for:

New Millennium Bank Platinum Visa® or MasterCard®

The BuyRIGHT Prepaid MasterCard®

Orchard Bank Gold MasterCard®

Orchard Bank Platinum MasterCard®

Orchard Bank Secured MasterCard®

Orchard Bank Silver MasterCard®

Imagine® Gold Card

You Deserve Credit.org

For all these cards, bad credit is ok and most offer guaranteed approval with no checks.

Know Your Credit Score

Before making bad credit credit card applications, it is a good idea to know your credit score.  This would prevent you from applying for a credit card with score requirements much higher than your own.

Chances are if you know your score you can apply for cards within that range and not settle for the bottom of the pack.

To apply for your credit report you can visit any of the four credit reporting companies to do so. 

The four companies are:

Experian

Equifax

Innovis Data Solutions

TransUnion

Armed with your credit report you can then closely match your score to that of the credit card you wish to apply for.  A useful tool that tells what FICO scores are needed for various credit cards can be found at Finance Globe.  The website also give a guide to the approval rate of the selected card, this way you have an idea as to how many applications are normally accepted.

Read The Fine Print

Before signing your bad credit credit card applications make sure your read the fine print to know exactly what you are being offered.  Depending on the credit card, there are sometimes high fees that are added to your account and these count as part of your overall credit limit.

Other cards have activation and monthly maintenance fees which are posted to your account. 

On the most extreme end of the scale some credit card companies offer a maximum limit of $300 and after the fees are applied, your credit limit could end up being around $141.  This normally surprises the card holder, but all this information is usually found in the terms and conditions.

Although you may have bad credit now, it does not have to remain this way as you can use your new credit card to rebuild your credit history.  To do this make sure you always pay your bills on time, and stick within your credit limit.

Most bad credit credit card companies report to the major credit reporting companies and if you conduct your account in a satisfactory manner, you may be entitled to limit increases in the future.