How to increase the chances of getting any credit card?

MEM62

Alex9384 said:

But some also say "the lender thought they can't make any money off you, that's why you was declined".

That is incorrect. You do not need a large outstanding balance to be a profitable customer as the CC company has a revenue stream from transaction fees when you spend on it.  However, you do need to use the card regularly.   

Alex9384 said:

I'm still not eligible for some cards, despite meeting their criteria (minimum income, etc.) and I have a perfect credit history with no late or missed payment ever in my life. 

That statement is a contradiction.  If you met their criterion then you would be accepted for the card.  And, as you will not know what the criterion is it is unlikely you will know in what respect your are failing to meet it.    

Fighter1986

There's no one answer fits all.

All lenders have different criteria.

Some might prefer a customer who has a history of leaving a rolling balance on their card each month, others might not.

Some might judge you for having available credit in excess of your annual income, others might take a more pragmatic view of how much you've actually borrowed in the past and how much you've repaid.

At the end of the day, it's all conjecture. None of us know each lender's critera.

All we know are good, best practice rules of thumb:

Keep your balances low compared with your limits (Circa 33% or less)
Never miss a payment
Pay any card that isn't on a promotional rate in full each month
Pay any card which is currently on a promotional rate slightly over the minimum (by £1 is fine) so that you don't have the "Minimum payment" marker appear on your credit file
Don't make cash withdrawals
Don't apply for credit more than once or twice in any six month period
Don't open more than one account in any six month period
Avoid owing a significant portion (more than 33~50%) of your annual income (mortgage excluded)

Usually adhering to the above puts you in the best position to be most likely approved for the best products on the market, but it's never a guarantee, as we will never know what each lender's more granular criteria are.

This is why pre-application eligibility checks and all-of-market eligibility checks from the likes of Moneysupermarket et.al are an asset.