How Long Does It Take To Get A Credit Card Approved?

How long should you expect to wait for your new credit card to arrive? Canstar explains how long it takes to get a credit card, and why.

So you’ve applied for a credit card – congratulations! How long until your credit card application is approved, and how long after that until your card is in the post on its way to you?

How long does it take to get a credit card?

Most online applications take just 10 to 15 minutes to fill out, but there is a wait time for the card application to be approved or rejected, and then a further wait time until the card is “despatched” or put in the post by the card provider.

Some card providers these days offer instant approval, which is when an automated approved/rejected response is emailed to you within 60 seconds after you submit your online application. It is conditional approval, meaning you will be approved if the rest of your application checks out. When you receive instant approval, you need to send in copies of your supporting documentation before your card will be officially approved and sent to you.

We’ve researched the market regarding how long it takes to get a credit card as part of our regular star ratings – and here are the results, sorted alphabetically by credit provider:

Provider	Min Approval Wait	Max Approval Wait	Max Card Despatch Time
American Express	Instant	10 days	14 days
ANZ	Instant	5 days (Rewards Travel Adventure Card)	5 days
Australian Military Bank	Instant	1 day	5 days
Auswide Bank	1 day	1 day	1 day
B&E Personal Banking	2 days	2 days	7 days
Bank Australia	2 days	2 days	2 days
Bank of Melbourne	Instant	1 day	2 days
BankSA	Instant	1 day	2 days
BankVic	1 day	1 day	5 days
Bankwest	Instant	2 days	2 days
bcu	2 hours	12 hours	10 days
Bendigo Bank	1 day	5 days	1 day
Beyond Bank	1 day	1 day	3 days
BOQ	5 days	5 days	5 days
Citi	5 days	5 days	1 day
Coles	Instant	Instant	3 days
CommBank	Instant	Same day	1 day
Community First Credit Union	2 days	2 days	5 days
CUA	1 day	1 day	7 days
Defence Bank	4 hours	4 hours	7 days
ECU Australia	2 days	2 days	2 days
First Option Credit Union	1 day	1 day	10 days
G&C Mutual Bank	1 day	1 day	5 days
Heritage Bank	1 day	1 day	1 day
Holiday Coast Credit Union	Same day	1 day	Same day
Horizon Credit Union	Same day	1 day	5 days
HSBC	Same day	5 days	2 days
Hume Bank	Same day	1 day	3 days
Hunter United	1 day	1 day	5 days
IMB	1 day	1 day	1 day
Intech Credit Union	1 day	1 day	5 days
Jetstar	Same day	Same day	1 day
Latitude Financial Services	Instant	5 days	7 days
Macquarie Bank	Same day	2 days	1 day
Macquarie Credit Union	2 days	2 days	7 days
ME Bank	2 days	2 days	2 days
MyState	1 day	1 day	1 day
NAB	2 days	5 days	Same day
Newcastle Permanent	2 days	3 days	1 day
Northern Inland Credit Union	1 day	1 day	10 days
P&N Bank	4 hours	4 hours	5 days
People’s Choice Credit Union	1 day	1 day	1 day
Police Bank	2 days	2 days	1 day
QBANK	1 day	1 day	2 days
QT Mutual Bank	1 day	1 day	1 day
Qudos Bank	2 days	2 days	5 days
Queenslanders Credit Union	1 day	1 day	1 day
SCU	1 day	1 day	10 days
Select Encompass Credit Union	Same day	1 day	4 days
SERVICE ONE Alliance Bank	1 day	1 day	2 days
St.George Bank	Same day	1 day	2 days
Summerland Credit Union	2 days	2 days	2 days
Suncorp Bank	Same day	3 days	1 day
Teachers Mutual Bank	Same day	1 day	10 days
UniBank	Same day	1 day	10 days
Victoria Teachers Mutual Bank	1 day	1 day	5 days
Virgin Money	2 days	7 days	2 days
Westpac	Instant	1 day	2 days
Woolworths Employees Credit Union	Instant	1 day	5 days
Source: Canstar View, 12 December 2016. Where provider has provided wait time in hours, this has been converted to days where appropriate, for the sake of comparison. Please note this information has been provided to Canstar by the card providers – please check directly with your card provider to confirm data.

If you’re currently comparing credit cards, the comparison table below displays some of the low interest credit cards currently available on Canstar’s database for Australians looking to spend around $2,000 per month. Please note that this table features links direct to the provider’s website, and is sorted by Star Rating (highest to lowest), followed by provider name (alphabetical). Use Canstar’s credit card comparison selector to view a wider range of credit cards.

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Canstar provides an information service. It is not a credit provider, and in giving you information about credit products Canstar is not making any suggestion or recommendation to you about a particular credit product. See Canstar’s Financial Services and Credit Guide for more information.

Why is it taking so long for my credit card to arrive?

There are several reasons why your credit card may not arrive in a fast manner.

First, if you have not received your card, the lender may still be assessing whether or not you meet their eligibility criteria and what credit limit they may offer you. This is a detailed process that involves looking at your income and expenses and your current financial position.

Secondly, if you did not receive instant approval, you may receive a follow-up phone call from the lender instead, asking you to provide further information or further supporting documentation for your application.

Thirdly, if you received instant approval, your card will not be sent to you or activated until you have provided the supporting documentation for your application and the lender has assessed your application and officially approved you for a credit card.

Fourthly, one of the most common reasons for your bank delaying in sending you a credit card is that they are exceptionally busy processing a large volume of applications. This happens a lot during major marketing campaigns, when the lender gets a huge number of applications for one particular product or class of products.

You may think that applications are all handled by computer now and nothing gets looked at by a real human, so there should be no delay due to the number of applications. But actually, the law requires that real humans do have to approve your application, and computer systems do get slower when they are overworked!

If you have waited more than a month to hear back about your credit card application, feel free to contact your lender and ask them about the status of your application.

How will my card get here?

Most lenders will post you your credit card in the mail, although some lenders still require you to visit your nearest branch to sign for it. Your credit card should come with a letter of introduction and a product disclosure statement (PDS) explaining the terms and conditions for using your new credit card.

You may also receive a glossy brochure explaining the basics of how your new credit card works, such as how to make purchase transactions at the register, how to make repayments on your credit card, and how to earn points in the attached rewards program (if any). Make sure you understand how to use your card before making any purchases or cash advances (ATM withdrawals, cash out, etc.) using the card.

How do I activate my credit card?

Information about how to activate your credit card should be included in the letter of introduction, PDS, or “how to” brochure that accompanies your new card.

Most lenders allow you to activate your new credit card using their online banking portal or mobile banking app, simply by logging in online and selecting the option to activate a new credit card. Other lenders may still need you to call them on the phone in order to activate the card. Those few lenders who still require you to pick up a new credit card in person should activate your new credit card while you are there with them – but don’t be afraid to ask if you’re unsure.

You also need to sign the back of your credit card when you activate it, as this protects you against unauthorised transactions if someone steals your card and tries to forge your signature. Once you have signed the back of your card, you can start using it normally.

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