If you already have other credit cards or have encountered some issues with your credit score, it’s important to know exactly who is receiving your credit information when you apply for a new card.
Unlike a creditor, which is a bank that offers credit to customers, a credit bureau is the agency that tracks and provides credit information to financial institutions.
Credit bureaus are the places that determine your credit score and then report that information back to banks and other financial institutions any time you apply for a credit card, loan, mortgage, etc.
The three major credit bureaus used by Home Depot are:
Equifax
Equifax Inc. is an American multinational consumer credit reporting agency headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the three largest consumer credit reporting agencies in the US.
Experian
Experian is an American-Irish multinational consumer credit reporting company. Experian collects and aggregates information on over 1 billion people and businesses including 235 million individual U.S. consumers and more than 25 million U.S. businesses.
TransUnion
TransUnion is an American consumer credit reporting agency. TransUnion collects and aggregates information on over one billion individual consumers in over thirty countries including “200 million files profiling nearly every credit-active consumer in the United States”. Its customers include over 65,000 businesses.
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Does Home Depot Offer Credit Cards To Customers?
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that Home Depot offers several different credit options to their customers.
Home Depot offers the following credit cards to customers:
- Home Depot Consumer Credit Card
- Home Depot Project Loan Credit Card
- Home Depot Pro Xtra Credit Card
- Home Depot Commercial Account Credit Card
Home Depot’s consumer credit limit varies depending on customer credit, but the Home Depot Project Loan Credit Card can loan up to $55,000 to cover the costs of all of your project materials up front.
Is It Hard To Get Approved For A Home Depot Credit Card?
As long as you have a decent credit score, getting approved for a Home Depot Credit Card is not very difficult.
In fact, while many major creditors require customers to have a credit score of at least 700, applicants can qualify for Home Depot credit with a score of just 640.
Does Home Depot Report Your Credit Card Activity To Credit Bureaus?
As with any major credit card, the Home Depot Credit Card tracks your spending and payment history and reports this information to all major credit bureaus. So, before deciding to use your Home Depot Credit Card, make sure you’ll be able to pay off your purchases in a timely manner.
But it’s important to remember that Home Depot isn’t a credit reporting agency. Instead, Citibank is who will be tracking and reporting your credit. In keeping with all major creditors, Citibank reports credit to credit bureaus once a month.
How Can You Get Approved For A Home Depot Credit Card?
The main criteria for getting approved for a Home Depot Credit Card is to have a credit score of 640 or higher. Through Home Depot’s automated and instant credit check system, applicants with a score lower than 640 will not be approved.
Here are some basic tips for maintaining or improving your credit score:
- Always pay your bills and loans on time
- Don’t max out your credit cards (or get too close to your credit limit)
- Only apply for credit when you absolutely need it and/or when you feel confident you will be approved
- Take advantage of pre-approval when you’re not sure whether you’ll qualify for a new card or loan
- Find small ways to contribute positively to your credit over time (maintain a credit card that you use for small purchases and pay off consistently, for example)
How To Apply for Home Depot Credit Cards?
The easiest way to start the process of receiving a Home Depot Credit Card is to visit HomeDepot.com’s Credit Center online. From there, you can read about each of the different card options, seek pre-approval to find out if you qualify, and apply for your card.
Here is a detailed list of steps for applying for a Home Depot Credit Card:
- Visit Home Depot’s Credit Center online
- Click “Pre-Qualify Now” next to the card option you feel best fits your needs (pre-qualification allows you to check your eligibility without impacting your credit score)
- Once you are prequalified, click “Apply Now”
- Follow the steps provided on the screen
- Once your application process is complete, you should be notified of your approval status instantly
- Once approved, wait for your credit card to be shipped to your address
In total, the process of applying for Home Depot Credit online takes just a few minutes. However, receiving your physical card in the mail could take up to 2 weeks.
FAQs
What credit bureau does Home Depot use for business credit?
Home Depot pulls from three major credit bureaus for all of their credit approvals: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
What bank issues Home Depot credit cards?
All Home Depot credit cards are issued by Citibank.
Does Home Depot do a hard credit check?
Yes. Home Depot does a hard pull credit check before approving customers for their Home Depot Credit Card. Customers must have a credit score of 640 or higher to qualify.
Does Home Depot give instant credit?
Yes. When applying for a Home Depot credit card, approval usually takes place on the spot and, if approved, you will receive your card within 14 days. However, in some cases, instant approval may not be possible, and you will be notified of the decision within 30 days.
Do Home Depot credit cards have a cash back or rewards program?
No. The Home Depot Credit Card does not offer an ongoing cashback or rewards program.
Conclusion
Like most major credit card issuers, The Home Depot relies on the three major credit bureaus in the US–Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion–for their consumer credit information.
Home Depot customers are expected to have a credit score of at least 640 to qualify for a Home Depot Credit Card, and this score is pulled through a hard credit check any time you apply for credit through Home Depot.
Customers can choose from four different Home Depot Credit Cards, with the most common one being the Home Depot Consumer Credit Card. Credit limits for this card vary depending on the creditworthiness of the individual customer.
