What credit score do you need to get a Discover it Card?

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When it comes to finding the right credit card for your lifestyle, you'll want to find one that you're likely to qualify for. Credit card issuers will look at your credit score as well as income and length of credit history when applying for a new card.

This means that those with a credit score above the recommended score can be rejected and those with a lower score can be accepted because of other factors at play.

Below, CNBC Select looks at what credit scores you'll need to qualify for various Discover credit cards. However, whether you're approved depends on other criteria, too.

There are many Discover it^® cards available — from those that offer travel rewards to ones that are geared toward students. Since there are different types of cards, each card has a different recommended credit score. None of the cards have a minimum credit score required for approval. 

Discover also offers a pre-approval form, so people can see whether they would be approved for a credit card and what APR they would receive before they apply. Being pre-approved for a Discover credit card does not affect your credit score unless you decide to apply.

Before applying, take a look at your FICO® Score and see what range your score falls in, that way you can have a good idea of what your approval odds are for each card. FICO Scores are based on five factors:

• Payment history (35%)
• Length of credit history (15%)
• Amounts owed (30%)
• Credit mix (10%)
• New credit (10%)

If you want to improve your credit score, make your payments on time and in full and keep your credit utilization ratio (the ratio of credit used to credit extended) low.

You may also be able to give your credit score a bump by using a service such as *Experian Boost®. It is a free tool that allows you to include on-time utility and subscription payments in the calculation of your FICO® Score. However, it only affects the information on your Experian credit report, so if the card issuer considers other credit reports, this service won't help.

The Discover it® Cash Back is a no-annual-fee cash-back card with rotating categories. This means cardholders will earn higher reward rates on spending categories that change every quarter. 

For the Discover it Cash Back, cardholders will earn 5% cash back on up to $1,500 in quarterly purchases after you activate the rotating bonus categories throughout the year (then 1% ), and 1% cash back on all other eligible purchases. Discover also offers a unique bonus — new cardholders receive a cash bonus equivalent to the amount of rewards they earned on the card in the first year of membership. 

For this card, you generally need a good to excellent credit score to qualify. According to FICO, a 'good' credit score is a score between 670 and 739. FICO credit scores range from 300 to 850, with higher scores indicating greater creditworthiness. 

The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is a no-annual-fee secured credit card for people looking to either improve their credit or build their credit history. Therefore, there is no minimum credit score required to qualify for the card. Even those with no credit history may be eligible.

Since this is a secured card, you'll have to put down a minimum deposit of $200. With a secured card, the deposit acts as collateral if you're unable to make your credit card payments. The deposit is equal to the credit line that's extended to you. 

Starting at seven months from account opening, Discover will automatically review your credit card account to see if they can transition you to an unsecured line of credit and return your deposit. If you've made your payments on time, the issuer may transfer you to an unsecured card and return your deposit. 

This card isn't known for its rewards or perks, but cardholders will still earn 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations (up to $1,000 in combined purchases per quarter) and 1% back on all other eligible purchases. Like other Discover cards, the Discover it Secured Credit Card will match the cash back you earn in your first year of card membership.

The Discover it® Miles is a travel rewards credit card that earns 1.5X miles on every dollar spent. The card does not charge foreign transaction fees, but it doesn't have the perks other travel credit cards provide like airport lounge access or statement credits.

The welcome bonus is equal to the miles you earn from spending on the card in the first year of membership. With the welcome bonus, you're essentially earning 3X miles on all spending in the first year.

To qualify for the Discover it Miles, you'll need a good or excellent credit score. Like the Discover it Cash Back, this means you'll want a credit score of 670 or above.

There are two Discover Student cards: the Discover it® Student Chrome and the Discover it® Student Cash Back cards. You don't need a credit score to qualify for either card. These are good options if you're a college student who doesn't have a credit history. However, to get a student card, you'll need to be at least 18 years old and be in college.

The Discover it Student Chrome and Discover it Student Cash Back vary in the rewards categories they provide. With the Discover It Student Chrome card, cardholders receive 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 worth of combined quarterly purchases each quarter automatically and unlimited 1% cash back on all other purchases.

If you're willing to put in more work to earn rewards, you can opt for the Discover it Student Cash Back which provides 5% cash back on the first $1,500 in purchases in rotating categories each quarter (when you activate), then 1% cash back. Check out Discover's 5% cash-back calendar.

The cards have the same welcome bonus for new cardmembers. Discover will match the cash back you earn in the first year of card membership.

Discover doesn't publish official minimum credit score requirements for its credit cards. However, there are different recommended tiers of credit scores for each card. The best travel and cash-back cards typically require a good to excellent score, while the Discover it Secured Credit Card is designed for those with bad credit or no credit.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit card article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of credit cards. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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For rates and fees of the Discover it® Cash Back, click here.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Secured Credit Card, click here.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Miles, click here.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Student Chrome, click here.

For rates and fees of the Discover it® Student Cash Back, click here.

*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.