Is It Safe To Apply For A Credit Card Online ? Yes, now a days with multiple corrective safety measures at place, it is comparatively safe to apply credit card online than earlier days.
Scammers and fraudsters have the habit of trying new ways to access or pawn your personal data online. Banks have sufficient security measures to keep these threats and vulnerabilities at bay! Measures like these have paved the way for online applications of credit cards.
People these days apply for credit cards online and get a response immediately. Now days almost all the banks have sufficient security measures in place that keep your applications safe and secure. Also, there are specific methods that you can implement to make your application not only quick but also safe and secure.
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Is It Safe to Apply For A Credit Card Online on The Internet?
Identity theft is real and alarming. Hence, it’s advisable to be alert and careful when it comes to your personal information or sensitive data. You should not let excess caution rule you out applying online for credit cards. Banks have security measures, so there is minimal risk.
Here are some reasons why it is safe to apply for a credit card online. Read on to know!
- Applications trace the path through the issuer’s secure and reliable site. When you click on the “Apply” option for credit cards, you are redirected to the bank’s or credit card union’s secure application processing page.
- Banks use a security technique called the SSL encryption technique. One of the easiest ways to identify this is to locate the ‘HTTPS’ and a ‘padlock’ symbol at the address bar. This implies that the site is SSL encrypted. Sometimes this SSL certificate for a particular website expires. So check this step every time you open a banking or finance website.
- Encryption ensures that every detail you send in is in the form of code lines. Later, a random decoding key is generated at the credit card company’s end to decode or decipher the application you have sent. Hence, until the key is obtained, it is next to impossible to unscramble or manipulate your data.
Is It Better to Apply for A Credit Card Online Or In-person?
Applying for credit cards online or in person is two sides of the same coin. Here are some advantages of both the options.
What are the advantages of applying for a credit card online?
- Convenient and time-saving
It is a time saver if you apply for a credit card online. You eliminate all the time and energy needed to go to your nearest branch to do these formalities. It will become cumbersome and time-consuming if you choose to do this via the nearest branch.
- Easy to check the cibil score
Before applying for a credit card online, you can quickly check your cibil score, which becomes a matter of a few minutes. If your cibil score is sufficiently high, you can immediately choose to apply for a credit card online.
- Opportunity to research on various available options
When you decide to apply for a credit card online, it becomes inevitable to do some research and gather data beforehand. In fact, that is a good practice. You must have a knowledge of various credit cards offered by multiple banks. Understand their features, discounts, offers, and deals available on all the credit cards and apply for any or as many of them as per your requirement. After the analysis, just go ahead and fill the form.
- Exclusive offers
Some banks offer some offers if you buy their credit card online. These add-on offers may not be otherwise available if you choose to apply offline from your nearest bank. Often, these offers are also limited offers, applicable only to the online application of credit cards.
5. Cashback offers
There are credit card companies for whom there are no physical branch established or only one head office is setup. Those companies provide many lucrative cashback offers if you apply their credit card online. In-fact they might not have physical apply option at all.
What Are the Advantages of Applying for A Credit Card Offline?
- No technical expertise required
If you choose to apply for a credit card offline, you must visit the bank. The bank’s representative will guide you through the procedures and give you all the details. This eliminates your effort in online research.
- You do not have to do the formalities.
In the case of online applications, the candidate needs to fill-up the form. If you want to go for a credit card, the bank’s representative will do the formalities. You need to carry all documents required, and the representative shall collect them, fill out your form, and attach IDs. He may ask you for details, and you have to answer them.
- Instant doubt clarification
Applying for credit cards offline makes it highly conversational. You can clear all your queries at the go with the bank’s representative face-to-face. You can ask the representative about the offers, deals, and discounts as well.
To sum it up for you, there are two ways to apply for a credit card. One is through an online application, and the other is through an offline application. You can now choose the mode of application after reading the advantages offered by both methods. Hence, if you have a good knowledge of the various types of credit cards and are confident about your research, go for an online application. If not, it is best to visit the nearest bank and complete your formalities.
Is It Safe to Apply for A Credit Card Over the Phone?
Applying for a credit card on the phone is as good as applying for it online. However, the hours within which you can do so may be limited due to shifting timings. However, here are some demerits of the same:
- Applying for a credit card over the phone is generally time-consuming.
- You cannot compare the offers provided by various other credit cards.
- Limited business hours.
So, we suggest skipping the idea of the telephonic application of credit cards.
Is it better to get a credit card through your bank or credit union?
Applying for your credit card via your bank is more convenient. Here are some reasons why we suggest so:
- Credit unions are ‘member only.’
Approvals to get credit cards may not be very easy until you become their member.
- Restricted member permits
Most credit card unions restrict their facilities to specific communities or organisations only. Hence, finding a group where you fit in to become a member of a credit card union can be difficult.
- Low rates
Banks associated with union credit card associations often offer low rates.
- It is a challenge to qualify
Sometimes, having an average score can not be sufficient to qualify for the union member association.
Final Words !
To conclude, online applications for credit cards are safe, secure, and reliable compared to earlier days when hackers could easily hack the database and scam the users. However, you need to ensure that you take some privacy measures and be alert whenever you do anything related to banking activities.
