Getting approved for a Forever 21 credit card requires a good to excellent credit score. Forever 21 offers store credit cards through Comenity Bank, which typically approves applicants with credit scores of 670 or higher. However, even applicants with scores in the good credit range (630-689 according to FICO) may be approved depending on other factors in their credit profile.
What is the Forever 21 credit card?
The Forever 21 credit card is a store card that can only be used at Forever 21 stores and on the Forever 21 website. It is issued by Comenity Bank and gives cardholders the following benefits:
- 15% off first in-store purchase
- 10% off subsequent purchases
- Exclusive offers and promotions
- Special birthday discount
Like other store cards, the Forever 21 card tends to have less stringent approval requirements than general purpose credit cards. However, it still requires applicants to have fair to good credit in most cases.
What credit score is needed?
Forever 21 and Comenity Bank have not published the minimum credit score needed for the Forever 21 card. However, most applicants will need a FICO score of at least 670 to be approved. Here’s a breakdown of the credit score ranges:
- Excellent credit: 750-850
- Good credit: 670-749
- Fair credit: 580-669
- Poor credit: 300-579
Applicants with excellent credit (scores of 750 or higher) have the best approval odds for the Forever 21 card. Those with good credit in the 670-749 range also have a strong chance of approval.
Even if your score is in the fair range (580-669), you may still get approved depending on other factors in your credit history, like:
- Low credit utilization ratio
- No recent missed payments
- Long credit history
- Mix of credit types
If your credit score is under 580, your chances of approval are much lower unless you have an existing relationship with Comenity Bank.
How credit scores impact credit card approvals
In general, the higher your credit score, the better your approval chances for any credit card. Credit scores are calculated based on information in your credit reports, including:
- Payment history -Whether you pay bills on time
- Credit utilization – How much of your available credit you use
- Credit history length – How long you’ve had credit
- Credit mix – Different types of credit like credit cards, loans, etc.
- New credit – Number of new accounts opened
Lenders have minimum credit standards when reviewing applications. For most credit cards, a good or excellent credit score meets the basic requirements. Applicants with lower scores are seen as riskier.
Store credit cards like the Forever 21 card tend to be more lenient than major credit card issuers. But excellent or good credit still offers the best approval odds.
How utilization rate impacts scores
Your credit utilization ratio compares how much credit you’re using to your total available credit. For example, if you have a $10,000 credit limit across all cards and a $2,000 balance, your utilization is 20%.
Experts recommend keeping your utilization under 30%. High utilization drags down credit scores because it suggests you rely heavily on credit or may be overextended.
People with excellent credit tend to have very low utilization, such as under 10%. Low ratios can offset other negatives in your credit history when applying for new credit.
How payment history impacts scores
Payment history is the most important factor in your credit scores. It measures whether you pay all accounts on time each month. Even one 30- or 60-day late payment can drop scores significantly.
People with excellent credit have no late payments or defaults on their credit reports. A history of on-time payments makes lenders more confident in your ability to manage debt responsibly.
How history length impacts scores
The length of your credit history accounts for about 15% of FICO scores. In general, the longer your history, the better. Many credit scoring models require at least 6 months of credit history to generate a score.
Consumers with short credit histories are riskier to lenders, as they have not proven long-term responsible behavior. Excellent scores reflect long, established credit histories.
How credit mix impacts scores
Credit mix measures the different types of loans and credit cards in your history. It makes up about 10% of scores. Lenders like to see a healthy mix of credit, including:
- Mortgages
- Auto loans
- Credit cards
- Personal loans
- Student loans
Consumers with only credit cards or only one type of credit have a higher risk profile. A diverse mix of accounts demonstrates you can manage different types of credit successfully.
Factors besides your credit score
While your credit score is the most significant factor in credit decisions, lenders also consider other information before approving your application. These additional factors can outweigh a marginal credit score.
Income
Having sufficient income to make the required payments is key. Many issuers have minimum income requirements. With the Forever 21 card, having higher income than the debt and credit limits requested improves your approval chances if your score is marginal.
Existing relationship
For store cards, having an existing account with the issuing bank can help. Current Comenity Bank accountholders may have better Forever 21 approval odds versus new applicants with similar scores.
Other credit factors
Even if your score falls below the average approved range, positive factors like low utilization, no late payments, and long credit history can outweigh a lower score. Having significant assets or home equity may also help.
Improving your credit score
If your credit score needs a boost, improving it before applying for the Forever 21 credit card can increase your chance of approval. Here are some tips for raising your score:
- Pay all bills on time – Set up autopay if needed.
- Pay down balances – Getting utilization below 30% can provide a quick boost.
- Don’t close old accounts – Keeping accounts open preserves credit history length.
- Check for errors – Dispute any inaccurate information on your credit reports.
- Limit hard inquiries – Too many in a short period can lower scores temporarily.
In addition to these steps, taking out a new credit builder loan or secured credit card can also help build positive payment history and improve your mix of credit types.
Check your credit before applying
Checking your credit score and reports before submitting your Forever 21 credit card application is highly recommended. This gives you time to correct any errors you find and see where your credit currently stands.
You can get free copies of your credit reports annually from Experian, Equifax and Transunion at annualcreditreport.com. Many credit cards and personal finance sites also offer free credit scores.
Reviewing your credit first lets you confirm your score falls within the approval range for the Forever 21 card. If your score is marginal, monitoring it for a few months to improve it before applying may be beneficial.
Conclusion
You’ll generally need good to excellent credit for the best approval odds for a Forever 21 credit card. Minimum FICO scores of 670 are recommended, but even applicants in the fair credit range may be approved depending on other positive factors in their credit history. Checking your credit before applying, maintaining low utilization, and ensuring a history of on-time payments can all help increase the likelihood of getting approved.