Can I apply for 3 credit cards in one day?

ToReadItSanctifiesIt

I have just applied for 2 credit cards. One with Tesco which was instantly successful, and another with Santander which apparently takes 7-10 days to process!!!


I don't want to wait that long for the card as I am planning a purchase quite soon.


It is okay to apply for a third credit card on the same day, which if successful means I could just cancel the Santander before it is even approved? Or will I risk looking like I am having some sort of mad financial panic, which I'm not of course.


Even if it is not ideal to do this, I'm thinking that applying for so many so close together (ie all right now) might not actually render a problem as none of the applications are probably yet showing up on my credit report? So to each credit card provider, it looks as if I have not applied for any others yet today?


*My credit rating is very good.

blitzboy

You can apply for 20 in a day if you want to, there's no written rule on it.


Really it depends what your future financial plans are, if you aren't planning on applying for any additional credit in the next few (say 6) months anyway then it won't do any harm as it will be irrelevent what your credit file says for a few months as you wont be needing it.

Then by the time you do need it again (eg in 12 months) your credit file will show that no new applications have been made for 12 months and you have some (hopefully) well managed credit history.

bsms1147

Why would a third application be any quicker to process than the ones already started?

Cycrow

because some banks are quicker than others.

plus if the application is referred rather than an instant decision (like in the OP) then it takes longer while someone looks at your file.

applying elsewhere might get you an instant decision, so would be quicker.

different banks have different criteria, so not getting an instant decision from one, doesn't mean you wont get one from another

bigadaj

I think my clarity took nearly a month from application to being useable, no problems just really slow.

eskbanker

ToReadItSanctifiesIt wrote: »

I have just applied for 2 credit cards. One with Tesco which was instantly successful, and another with Santander which apparently takes 7-10 days to process!!!

I don't want to wait that long for the card as I am planning a purchase quite soon.

It is okay to apply for a third credit card on the same day, which if successful means I could just cancel the Santander before it is even approved? Or will I risk looking like I am having some sort of mad financial panic, which I'm not of course.

Why do you say 'of course'? To the outsider, I'd have to say that applying for three cards in one day because waiting 7-10 days is too long does seem pretty impatient to say the least!

ToReadItSanctifiesIt wrote: »

Even if it is not ideal to do this, I'm thinking that applying for so many so close together (ie all right now) might not actually render a problem as none of the applications are probably yet showing up on my credit report? So to each credit card provider, it looks as if I have not applied for any others yet today?

You seem to be assuming that the data available to these companies is only updated as frequently as the reports you get from one or more of the CRAs!

The_Boss

I applied for three on one day last February - NatWest, Tesco and Aqua. Was accepted for all of them. I'd successfully applied for a Capital One card 3 months previously too. So no harm doing so unless you want a loan or mortgage not too far along the line.

tinkerbell28

You can apply for as many as you like.

I'd advise doing the one you want first though. Then the next and so on.

It really won't matter 6-12 months down the line.

I've done it all this month, new contract, clarity for travel and utility. As were moving soon and in another 6 months will be looking at new mortgage. So want the searches to have time to bed into settled, well run accounts.