Credit score 650 - Which cards can I get?

by aditya.singh · 23 Dec 2025, 10:40 pm · 986 views · 18 replies

23 Dec 2025, 10:40 pm

I just checked my CIBIL score and it's 650. From what I've read online, this is considered "below average" and I'm worried about my options.

Background:

Age: 26, working in IT for 3 years
Monthly salary: ₹65,000 in hand
I have one credit card (ICICI basic card) with ₹1.5L limit
I missed 2 EMI payments on my bike loan last year (was going through a rough patch, but paid everything now)
Credit utilization is around 60-70% usually

I really want to get a better card with more benefits - I travel for work and would love a card with lounge access and travel benefits. But I'm seeing all these premium cards need scores of 750+.

Questions:

With a 650 score, what cards can I realistically get approved for?
Should I even apply now or wait until my score improves? (Don't want more rejections hurting my score)
How long will it take to improve from 650 to 750+?
Are pre-approved offers more lenient with credit scores?

I know I messed up with those missed EMI payments. I've been paying everything on time for the last 6 months but my score hasn't really moved much. Any advice would be really appreciated.

18 Comments

amit.verma · 25 Dec 2025, 05:57 pm

First things first - bring that credit utilization below 30%. That's killing your score. With ₹1.5L limit, try to keep outstanding below ₹45k. Pay off whatever you can right now.

rahul.joshi · 28 Dec 2025, 08:47 am

Don't apply randomly hoping to get approved. Each rejection is a hard inquiry that drops your score by 5-10 points. Better strategy:

Check pre-approved offers in your banking apps (soft inquiry, no score impact)
Try cards from banks where you have salary account
Consider secured cards if you want guaranteed approval

rajesh.nambiar · 6 Jan 2026, 02:29 pm

Amazon Pay ICICI is known to approve low scores. I got it at 635. Not the best card but it's something. 5% cashback on Amazon is decent.

karthik.sundaram · 26 Dec 2025, 07:38 am

I was at 645 last year, OneCard approved me instantly. They seem more flexible with scores. Started with ₹80k limit. After 6 months of good usage, limit increased to ₹1.5L and score jumped to 720.

rahul.joshi · 28 Dec 2025, 12:58 pm

Basic cashback cards (SBI Cashback, ICICI Amazon Pay)
Co-branded cards (Flipkart Axis, Amazon ICICI)
Entry-level travel cards (maybe Axis Vistara, IndusInd Pinnacle)

Premium cards like Infinia, Magnus, Amex - forget it for now.

neha.gupta · 29 Dec 2025, 04:40 am

The credit utilization is a bigger red flag than the score itself. I had a friend with 680 score get rejected because his utilization was 85%. Banks see high utilization as desperation for credit.

varun.malhotra · 2 Jan 2026, 05:58 pm

Secured credit cards don't care much about score. HDFC, Axis, ICICI all offer them. Put ₹1L in FD, get a card with ₹80k-1L limit. After a year, they convert to regular card and release FD. Quick way to rebuild credit.

ananya.reddy · 5 Jan 2026, 02:06 am

Your salary is good enough for decent cards. The score and utilization are holding you back. Focus on those two things for 6 months, then try applying. Meanwhile, use your existing card responsibly.

neha.gupta · 29 Dec 2025, 10:20 pm

Pay bills on time: 35% of score
Keep utilization under 30%: 30% of score
Don't apply for new credit: avoid inquiries

Realistically: 8-12 months to hit 750 if you're disciplined.

kavya.krishnan · 5 Jan 2026, 06:08 pm

I had similar situation - 648 score, missed 1 loan EMI. Here's my recovery timeline:

Month 0: 648, started paying everything on time
Month 3: 665, paid off credit card completely
Month 6: 701, utilization under 10%
Month 9: 738, got approved for HDFC Millennia
Month 12: 761, approved for Axis Privilege

It takes time but it's very doable.

siddharth.patel · 30 Dec 2025, 05:09 pm

My personal experience - was at 640 after a loan settlement. Got approved for:
[YES] IDFC First Wealth (₹50k limit)
[YES] Federal Bank Celesta (₹75k limit)
[YES] AU Bank Altura Plus (₹1L limit)

Rejected for:
[NO] HDFC Regalia
[NO] Axis Magnus
[NO] SBI Vistara Prime

meera.bhat · 1 Jan 2026, 10:18 am

Check if your bank offers pre-approved limit increase on your existing ICICI card. Sometimes they'll bump it up without hard inquiry. More limit = lower utilization = better score.

arjun.mehta · 1 Jan 2026, 10:31 pm

That 60-70% utilization needs to drop IMMEDIATELY. Here's what I did when I was in your situation:

Paid off as much as possible
Requested limit increase on existing card
Set up alerts at 30% utilization
Started paying twice a month instead of waiting for bill

Score went from 655 to 735 in 7 months.

neha.gupta · 3 Jan 2026, 11:13 pm

Pre-approved offers are definitely more lenient. I had a 660 score and got pre-approved for Axis Flipkart card through their app. Applied and got it. Same card through normal application = rejected for my friend with 670 score.

nikhil.rao · 4 Jan 2026, 11:11 am

Pre-approved offers shown in official banking apps
Direct calls from bank's credit card division offering cards
Emails from bank about pre-approved offers

ishita.sen · 7 Jan 2026, 03:33 pm

Those 2 missed EMIs will stay on your report for 3 years but their impact reduces over time. After 12 months of perfect payment history, their effect is much less. Keep grinding.

rohan.kapoor · 10 Jan 2026, 10:55 am

Whatever you do, DO NOT apply for multiple cards at once hoping one approves. Saw a guy apply for 8 cards in 2 months, all rejected, score dropped from 670 to 615. Each inquiry hurts.

vikram.iyer · 9 Jan 2026, 07:58 am

Another option: Credit card against salary account. If you have salary account with HDFC/ICICI/Axis, they're much more lenient about scores for their own account holders. I got HDFC Regalia at 695 score because I had ₹3L average balance in salary account.