Meet Basic Requirements

• When you complete a credit card application, the lender will ask you for basic information, such as your address, places you have lived in the past, the name and address of your employer and your identity information. The lender may also ask about your personal resources. This can include if you have a checking account and a savings account, if you own any stocks or contribute to a 401(k) and what balances you have in all of your accounts. Filling this information out accurately will improve your chances of getting approved.
  
  

Have a Source of Income

• A lender needs to see that you can pay to repay any debt you build on your credit card. Having a steady source of income will improve your chances of getting an unsecured credit card with a high credit limit. You can also list other types of income you receive regularly, such as rental payments from investment properties, alimony payments, child support payments or Social Security payments.
  
  

Have a Good Credit Score

• Your credit score ranks you on a scale of creditworthiness. People with high credit scores, known as prime borrowers, typically get the most approvals for new credit cards and the best rates. People with low credit scores, known as subprime borrowers, receive more denials or have lower available credit limits. If you have a great credit score, you will likely get approved for an unsecured credit card. If you have a good credit score, you may still receive approvals from lenders.
  
  

Considerations

• If you do not qualify for an unsecured credit card on your own, you may qualify with a co-signer. A co-signer agrees to take on the responsibility for the debt if you default on your credit card payments. Having a co-signer may improve your chances of approval, since the lender will have a second person to charge with payments. However, the credit card activity will appear on the co-signer's credit report as well as yours. If you default on your payments, it could hurt the co-signer's ratings.