Why You Received a PRE-APPROVED PREMIER Bankcard® Offer

A practical explanation of why PREMIER may have selected you for a pre-approved offer, what the mailer tells you about the screening process, and what it does not tell you about your credit profile.

If you received a PRE-APPROVED PREMIER Bankcard® offer, your credit information met the initial criteria used to select recipients for that particular solicitation. The current PREMIER mailer states that the recipient's credit history met the issuer's basic approval standards.

That gives you a useful clue about why the offer was sent, but it does not tell you exactly which characteristics of your credit file caused you to be selected. PREMIER does not disclose a public formula showing precisely how each recipient is chosen for a particular prescreened offer.

This spoke focuses on why you may have received the offer. For the mechanics of the screening process itself, see How Prescreening Works.

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The Short Answer: Your Credit File Matched the Offer Criteria

A prescreened offer starts with criteria established for a particular credit product or solicitation. Consumer credit information is then used to identify people whose available information meets those criteria.

If you received the PREMIER offer, the screening process identified your credit information as meeting the criteria associated with that offer at the time the screening occurred.

It is important not to read more into that than the mailer actually says. Receiving the offer does not tell you that PREMIER considers you a particular type of borrower, nor does it provide a detailed explanation of your credit history.

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What the PREMIER Mailer Actually Tells You

The wording on the current offer provides more information than simply saying "you were selected." It states that your credit history met PREMIER's basic approval standards and that this increases the chance that your application will be approved.

The offer also makes clear that the final credit limit is based on creditworthiness at the time of application. In other words, the prescreening result is based on an earlier review, while the actual account decision occurs after you respond.

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Which Parts of Your Credit File May Matter?

The exact PREMIER prescreening formula is not publicly disclosed, so it would be misleading to say that one particular item definitely caused you to receive the mailer.

In general, credit-card issuers can evaluate information such as payment history, existing credit accounts, balances, recent credit activity, and other information contained in a consumer's credit file when establishing credit criteria. The precise criteria can vary by issuer, product, and solicitation.

Your credit file is also only one part of the overall application process. Information provided when you apply can be considered separately from the information used to identify recipients for the mailing.

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Does Receiving the Offer Mean Your Credit Is Good?

Not necessarily. A pre-approved offer should not be interpreted as a general grade or endorsement of your credit.

It means your available credit information met the criteria used for that particular offer. Different credit products have different eligibility standards, and the fact that you received one offer does not establish that you would qualify for every type of credit card or loan.

Likewise, receiving a PREMIER offer does not mean that every aspect of your credit report is positive. Prescreening is a targeted selection process, not a comprehensive explanation of your financial history.

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Does the Offer Mean PREMIER Knows Your Current Financial Situation?

Not necessarily. Prescreening is based on information available when the screening was performed. Credit information can change between the date of that screening and the date you apply.

For example, your balances, account activity, recent applications, or other information may have changed since the prescreening occurred.

That is one reason the current PREMIER mailer says the credit limit assigned after approval will be based on creditworthiness at the time of application.

The offer is therefore better understood as a snapshot-based invitation rather than a permanent statement about your credit profile.

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Why a Credit-Building Card Might Be Offered to You

PREMIER Bankcard® markets credit cards that can be used by consumers interested in establishing or rebuilding credit. A prescreened solicitation allows the issuer to identify consumers who meet the criteria associated with a particular offer rather than sending the same offer indiscriminately.

That does not mean PREMIER has determined that you specifically need to rebuild credit. It means your available information met the criteria used for that solicitation.

If you are considering the card for credit-building purposes, the more important questions are what the account costs, how the account reports, what credit limit you could receive, and whether the terms fit your situation.

See How PREMIER Bankcard® Helps Build Credit for information about how account activity can become part of your credit history.

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Why Did You Receive This Offer Instead of Another Card?

A prescreened mailing does not necessarily mean the issuer compared every available credit card and determined that the PREMIER card was the best match for you.

The more limited explanation is the accurate one: PREMIER used criteria for its solicitation, and your credit information met those criteria when the screening was performed.

Other issuers can use different criteria and may send different offers to the same consumer. That is why receiving a particular mailer should not be treated as a recommendation or a statement that the card is the only credit product for which you may qualify.

If you are comparing the PREMIER card with other credit-building products, see PREMIER vs. Other Credit-Building Cards.

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Why You Should Still Review the Offer Carefully

The fact that a credit offer was targeted to you does not make the account terms less important. The offer should still be evaluated based on its actual costs, credit limit, APR, and other conditions.

For example, the current PREMIER offer reviewed for this guide advertises a credit limit of up to $700, with an approved credit-limit range of $300 to $700. It also discloses a Program Fee ranging from $0 to $95, an Annual Fee ranging from $25 to $99, and a Monthly Fee ranging from $0 to $10 after the account is opened.

The offer states that annual and monthly fees can reduce the initial available credit. Its disclosed initial available-credit range is $225 to $613.

Those costs are not explained by the fact that you received a pre-approved mailing. They are simply part of the account terms that should be considered before applying.

See PREMIER Bankcard® Fees & Costs Explained for a detailed breakdown of the current fee structure.

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Receiving the Offer Does Not Require You to Apply

A prescreened offer is an invitation, not an obligation. You can review the terms and decide whether you want to apply.

If the fees, APR, credit limit, or other account conditions do not fit what you are looking for, receiving a pre-approved offer does not change that calculation.

You can also choose not to receive future prescreened offers. The current PREMIER mailer provides the prescreen opt-out telephone number 1-888-567-8688.

Opting out of prescreened solicitations is separate from your existing credit accounts and does not mean that information is removed from your credit report.

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What Happens If You Decide to Apply?

If you respond to the PREMIER offer, you move from the prescreening stage into the application process. The issuer can then review the information required for the application and make the final account decision.

This is where the distinction between why you received the offer and whether you are ultimately approved becomes important.

The current offer states that your credit limit, if approved, will be based on creditworthiness at the time of application. The advertised "up to $700" amount therefore should not be interpreted as a guaranteed starting limit.

For more detail about this distinction, see PRE-APPROVAL vs. Full Approval.

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The Most Accurate Way to Interpret Your PREMIER Offer

That distinction keeps the offer in perspective. There is a real difference between being selected for a pre-approved solicitation and being approved for an account.

If you decide to apply, the next questions are practical ones: What credit limit will you receive? What will the account cost? What terms apply? And how will you manage the account if you open it?