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Shopping Cart Trick for Credit Cards (2021 Guide + Update) – Apply Without Hard Pull

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What is the Shopping Cart Trick? It is a trick to get credit cards without resulting in a hard pull in the process!

This method will grant you the option to receive store specific credit by soft pull, please note that a hard pull may be done in some cases. This valuable to you if you’re trying to earn rewards such as cash back bonuses despite how you are limited on credit cards.

HOWEVER, please be aware that you are adding more credit cards to your collection so the average age of credit card accounts will decrease resulting in affecting your credit!

Shopping Cart Trick Eligibility

  • Opt-In For Credit Card Promos:
    • You’re opted in for credit card promotions if you receive credit card promotions in your mail. You’re automatically opted in if you receive those offers UNLESS if you manually opt out.
  • Applies To Cards Issued By Comenity Bank Only:
    • Some cards issued by Synchrony & Wells Fargo will work too.
    • Many retail stores partner with Comenity Bank to provide a credit card suited for that specific store. A list of qualifying stores will be provided below.
  • Turn Off Pop-Up Blocker:
    • Many credit card offers pop up, so if you have you pop-up blocker disabled, you might miss an opportunity. Have your pop-up blocker off!
  • Be Aware With Your SSN:
    • Credit card offers that require you to enter your full Social Security Number usually results in a hard pull. The offers that only ask for the last 4 digits of your SSN are not hard pull, so be aware and proceed with caution when applying for credit cards.

Can You Use The Shopping Cart Trick Via Mobile?

The Shopping Cart Trick can be done on your mobile device. It is possible to have the iPhone and the Android pull up the same pop-ups that are pulled up when you are on your PC. However, you must be sure you are visiting the desktop version of the site rather than the mobile version.

How Often Should You Use The Shopping Cart Trick?

The Shopping Card Trick can be used multiple times to get credit cards from many stores. However, banks will notice if you are opening too many accounts in such a short amount of time. Thus, be advised that you do not want to use this method too aggressively to avoid lowering your credit score.

Shopping Cart Trick – Stores That Qualify

Comenity Bank Store Credit Cards

Comenity Bank Medical Credit Cards

Comenity Bank Education Credit Cards

Comenity Bank Airline & Hotel Credit Cards

Comenity Bank Auto Credit Cards

Comenity Bank Misc Credit Cards

Synchrony Retail Store Credit Cards

Wells Fargo Retail Store Cards

How To Execute The Shopping Cart Trick

  1. Visit the website of the store that you wish to get a card from.
  2. Register/join their website or loyalty program. (Provide your personal information. Providing your address is a must since it allows them to send you promotions.)
  3. Add items to your shopping cart.
  4. Continue the check-out process until you reach the final payment page. If you have not received an offer, try again or try another website. NOTE: you do not have to purchase anything. The process ending up to the final checkout page increases your chance of an offer popping up.
  5. Accept the offer and complete the application.

Shopping Cart Trick Benefits

  • Building Your Credit Score:
    • Is your credit score bad? No worries! This trick will help you in the rebuilding process of your credit score. This trick will negate a hard pull on your credit, so it won’t reveal any negative information that will negatively affect your credit. Following this method, the borrower will be able to show that he/she can pay back the money despite having bad credit, so lenders will be more likely to loan money to him/her.
  • Credit Card Bonuses:
    • There are a variety of bonuses depending on the credit card you apply for. For example, a few cards may offer cash back bonuses or a few cards may offer store-related/partner-related benefits. Follow up on the credit card’s benefits by reading the full details!
  • Ability To Request Higher Credit Limit:
    • The typical limit on these types of credit cards is around the $500 range. Upon receiving your credit card, you have the option of requesting a higher limit to suit your spending habits!
KeyBank Checking Bonus Banner
Chase Business Bonus Banner

Bottom Line

Looking to increase your credit score or get more deals from stores? If so, then the Shopping Cart Trick is the trick for you. Of course this trick is not for everyone, but if your credit score isn’t so great and want the benefits of a credit card, try this trick!

The process is fairly simple to execute and a great way to earn added benefits and rewards! Keep in mind to follow the eligibility requirements to receive the benefits of The Shopping Cart Trick! Let us know how this process goes for you by commenting below!

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Filed under: Credit Card Bonus Offers

Disclaimer: These responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

About Danny Nguyen

Danny Nguyen has a keen sense in how to save and make money while being as frugal as possible. With this, he is committed to passing on this knowledge and skills to our readers. Outside of work, Danny enjoys helping and giving back to the community, reading, working out, and spending time with what matters most - family!

View all posts by Danny Nguyen

Comments

  4. son parker john says

    I never knew my credit score could ever increase above 810 excellent credit rating across the three credit bureaus and got the past eviction with the negative items on my credit report been erased away without no traces been found until i met this awesome credit repairer named Anatolievic who did an absolute credit repair job on my credit report file but i can’t just keep wondering how he helped me to fix all my credit mess.

  5. Antonio says

    hi i was just reading the shopping card trick is dead. have you read anything about this

  6. Romaine Sweat says

    Can someone tell me what I’m doing wrong I apply for a few cards and they said no.

  7. Sundi says

    Ok people now that you’ve gotten your credit started, it’s time to get some knowledge from the MyFico community. Don’t COMPLETELY depend on blogs – I’m telling you this from experience.

  9. Crystal DiMatteo says

    Am i completely ignorant or something? How do you do the trick? I guess i need specific instructions andi do not see them on this site. i know you dont know me but i would really appreciate your help. I feel like an idiot. Thanks so much .

  10. Michelle Silvestri says

    THANK YOU ray! I was referred to ray creditrebuild with the understanding he could assist me with my credit…I was trying to buy a home. So I gave him the job and he got my credit report smoothly with no trace. Go for the best hacker alive, his email address is raycreditrebuild at g/m/a/i/l dot com i was so surprised now I’m able to buy a house. I real appreciate and i promised about telling people what he did for me… He is a very good and understanding hacker you can easily reach him on

  13. corinna sanders whitson says

    I JUST HAD THAT HAPPEN !!! I already have 2 comenity credit cards with a solid history and when i applied for the ulta card I only provided my last 4 and they did a HARD pull … score dropped 29 points !!! WTH !!!???

  14. Tara Elliott says

    Yes, I believe the shopping cart trick is dead. I got my VS (1800), Express (1800), and Wayfair (2500) cards all during the past four years using it and it worked perfectly. I’ve staggered getting a new one over a year or so each time. However, 4-5 months ago I attempted the same trick with Pottery Barn and while I did get approved for a $2500 CL, it was a hard pull rather than the soft pool from the other three Commentity Cards. My score dropped just about the same as yours.

    Additionally, I have always been able to request a higher credit limit from those first three cards with success, but I made a credit limit increase recently to my VS card (I’ve done it every 6 months since I’ve had it bringing it from the initial $200 up to it’s present $1800 – the same with my Express and Wayfair, they each started low) and not only did I not get the increase, I received a hard inquiry from it. So I now have 2 hard inquiries (thankfully only on Experian) from Commenity -the Pottery Barn card I got with only the last four of my ss# and from that credit limit increase request with VS. Commenity has changed significantly. I’m not going to ask for any more credit from them.

  15. Jeri says

    Same here. Only asked for the last 4 digits of my ssn. But resulted as a hard inquiry! My credit scores dropped significantly!

  16. Angry says

    When applying for a wayfair account through comenity bank. Don’t let the shopping cart trick fool you! I applied only asked for the last 4 digits of my ssn and it resulted in a hard inquiry. My credit score went from 673 to 633!

  17. John Wildstar says

    I did Boscovs 2 days ago, at 11 am in the morn..they only asked for last four digits of social, I bought 55.00 worth of clothes in the shopping cart and I got instantly approved for $4,000 credit limit but…at 10:17 pm that night I get an alert that they did a hard pull on EQ approx 10 hours after I already got instant approval. I guess I can’t complain about the delayed hard pull I did get a nice SCL

  18. Mark S. says

    I cant believe i wasted my time trying to get a secured credit card when this exist. I have gone for 7 years with NO credit and now need a new car. My score is way too low to get a decent loan so I decided to rebuild it. I used this site a couple nights ago. One thing I will mention is that Wayfair was the first I applied for. All along I thought it was a soft pull when it was actually a hard pull. However that didn’t make a difference in MY credit score, it may in others. My score actually went up 29 points. I was approved for 3 different cards all with $1000 limits. They all did a Hard Pull but from what I am guessing, they came from the same bank, same time same date, so it shows as 4 additional hard pulls. I personally don’t care. I just wish I had found this site months ago. I made very small initial purchases and plan on keeping the card paid off to boost my credit file.

    What I CAN’T figure out though, is how to do the Total Rewards card. That one I would really like to have. Does anyone know where and how to apply for that. I don’t expect any problem since my score is higher today than it was 2 days ago. Thanks for the information.

  19. Sara says

    Are you notified right away that you’re approved? Mine said it was reviewing my information. It only asked for the last 4 digits of my SS#

  20. Sara says

    Are you notified right away that you’re approved? Mine said it was reviewing my information. It only asked for the last 4 digits of my SS#

  21. Hankster says

    Be careful!!! Too many Comenity cards with high balance and they will decrease your cl.

  25. Brittney says

    Did you create a new account? I alrwsy Receive emails from them. On the computer or phone?

  30. Tiera says

    This method worked for me! I got approved with Children’s Place with a $750.00 limit. This is great because I shop for my daughter there quite often.

  31. CJ says

    Mine started at either $300 or $400, I bought something for like $63, and paid all except like $15 – when my first statement came out I logged in and requested an increase and it was increased to $3,000! Also, HSN started me at $1,500 and 5 months later it’s at $4,600 – I just kept requesting increases; sometimes I was denied, sometimes I wasn’t. Just make sure you do not click the box to give consent for them to perform a hard pull.

  32. Joe says

    I tried two yesterday (2/27/18). Overstocked worked as advertised, Sportsman Guide did a hard pull (reported on Equifax report today).

  33. Karen says

    I just got Overstock but my limit was only $250. I only chose that one because I was hoping for a high credit limit.

  36. Denise says

    Hi there! This month, I have gotten the shopping cart trick to work with J.Jill, Coldwater Creek, and also New York & Co. 🙂

  37. Ashley W says

    I received three cards(Capital One, MasterCard and Capital One Plat.) in the mail since I opted in several weeks ago. Do I add a new email address every time?

  38. Amanda says

    I was able to get one with New York & comp. with this trick but I haven’t been able to get it to work with any others.

  39. Jess says

    Thanks. I did opt in about 2 weeks ago. Pop ups on. Do you know which report victoria secrets pulls from. My addresses and names differ on all 3

  40. jessica says

    I have a rather large file, a lot of negative student loan debt, bankruptcy, and a released (paid) tax lien. scores 571 on Transunion and 612 with Equifax. Got approved with the SCT for wayfair, vs, Williams Sonoma, new York and co and boscovs. I cant for the life of me get it to work for overstock. I log in every day change the cart etc, but got it on the first try with new York and co today….weird. There is hope keep trying!

  41. Terrence L Boyer says

    Its not guaranteed…wait a day or so…make sure you allow popups and you opted in weeks ago..i have 20 cards from doing it….warning though its no hard pull but all thoze csrds brings your average age of credit down considerably, so make sure you do em all in the same period and u r prepared to wait a year for that credit hit to be absolved and two years for the hit to completely be removed

  42. Terrence L Boyer says

    Its not guaranteed…wait a day or so…make sure you allow popups and you opted in weeks ago

  43. Terrence L Boyer says

    Opt in usually takes a couple of weeks i believe and also turn popups on in settings

  45. Ayrton Carson says

    I have gotten at least 15 Comenity cards this way including HSN and Overstock. In every case I was only asked for the last 4 digits of my ss#. If you apply for one of their cards using an online application then you will need to put in your entire ss# but when you get a pre-approval “pop up” offer it only asks for the last 4 digits.

  46. Christy says

    I did it in December 2016. I received an Overstock card, Wayfair card, Brylane Home, J. Crew and New York & Company. My credit took a hit only because I opened up too many cards at one time ( new account and inquiries). However, it jumped up after 4-6 months because I continued to pay on time.

  48. Jessica says

    I tried doing it in incognito in chrome and in private browsing in explorer. I opted in. Tried 3 days now. My address and name carry on Equifax and TransUnion. What should I do.

  49. spicy says

    I got Williams Sonoma, $500, and paid it before the bill even came, just the same day the card arrived and I could sign up for online payments to them. Then a couple days after I paid, I was offered $1500 at West Elm and $500 at New York and Co the same day.

  50. kisha says

    keep trying because i know that new york and company works i was able to get a card via the shopping cart trick.

  52. S. Stafford says

    It has Wayfair on the list for those that do not do hard inquiries but that is incorrect. I received a inquiry on Equifax.

  54. Ashley W. says

    I tried to do the VS, and Express and New York and Company, and nothing worked for me. I even pulled my credit via the creditscore.com to match my info and still didn’t get the pop up. I am so discouraged!

  58. Max says

    Why did you apply? It’s always a hard pull when you apply. If you accept the popups when you see them, it won’t be a hard pull. But it will be if you you go back and apply for card.

  59. Max says

    Why did you apply? It’s always a hard pull when you apply. If you accept the popups when you see them, it won’t be a hard pull. But it will be if you you go back and apply for card. I hope this helps.

  60. Nicolas A. Gonzalez says

    new one:

    This new site gives you a $20k credit line with no credit check.  Just like my jewelers club, but they do bigger lines.  same terms as MJC –  thestuffclub???????

  61. JANE DOE says

    Thank you,It’s what i needed to get ahead without messing with my score & a great way to build it up responsibly! Love your website

  62. Ann M says

    You’re right they don’t have one. I work there and we do accept the VS card but we don’t issue our own. Idk why these guys think that they do.

  63. Steven Alva says

    I was checking this out because I saw a card issued by Comenity Bank on a site I will be purchasing from. all the sites I visited, HSN and Overstock require full SS#. They may not pull a credit report. I think just asking for the last 4 digits would not fulfill the anti-terrorism and or Dodd-Frank requirements. But I dont see credit for a laptop at HSN not requiring a credit inquiry.

  64. BestrafeDU says

    Worked at Boscov’s for me. The don’t really sell anything I want but it’s a $750 line to help rebuild. My home address is slightly different with each Bureau but I specifically used my home address as it is on Equifax.. EXACT match. APT 111 is on the same line as the street number so if I put APT 111 in the “address 2” or seperate box, no popop. Boscovs allows you to do so. SCT is no bueno elsewhere for me.

  65. Bill says

    I got the shopping cart trick to work with an old address, but when i tried to apply it wanted to use that address on the application. Is there a way to change to current address if approved for the card?

  68. Linda says

    Tried the shopping cart trick (SCT) back in October 2017 for Overstock, Wayfair, and Meijer. I did get the pop ups, so I applied. But they were ALL hard pulls. This upset me greatly because I monitor my credit very closely, and now I have these extra inquiries on my credit report. I wish I had known in advance.

  72. Rian says

    Was approved for Victoria’s Secret and Simply Be using this method. I can’t get this to work for anything else, but I am not giving up!

  73. Trena says

    I don’t believe Bath and Body Works has a branded card. I use my Victoria’s Secret card in the store.

  77. Tracie says

    I have been able to get several without a hard pull.

    Victoria Secrets
    Venus
    Pier 1
    Jcrew
    pottery barn
    JJILL
    Sonoma Williams

    Just make sure you clear your history, sign up and first and last name and phone number
    and add your address and email. I am truly amazed at how easy this was with no hard pulls. I did the Virgin America and that was the only hard pull and got approved. However, they are selling their cards to BOA and closing existing accounts next year.

  78. Kimberly A. Fuselier says

    Well…. I’ve tried numerous times via the store’s website & without success. I’m frustrated!! Not giving up & you can believe that!! Thanks for all the info!!

  79. heather says

    i just tried boscov and got approved. tried a couple other stores and didnt get a pop up. will try a few more stores.

  80. LM says

    My fiance and I both followed these checkout steps for Overstock and got approved for $8000.00 and $1500.00. The next day I checked my credit report and Overstock did a hard inquiry via Experian but not Transunion and Equifax. I had my fiance pull his after I saw the inquiry and of course he too had a hard inquiry! We are both educated about credit and monitor our credit closely. We also use Credit Karma which alerts us about pulls from Transunion and Equifax, but not Experian. We love this trick and it works, but Overstock is definitely a hard inquiry so be mindful of this. In a little over a week I have been approved for Pottery Barn $1500.00, Overstock $1500.00, Victoria Secret $500.00, and Pier 1 $1000.00.

  81. Kate says

    Anissa, I think you are going to the Comenity website directly.. Don’t do that. You want to go the website you want to buy something for.
    For example- go to Victoriasecret.com and put some things into your shopping cart. Then begin the checkout process. The payment page is where the preapproval pop up will appear if it’s going to.
    I’ve literally had this pop up with almost every one I’ve tried sooner or later.
    Good luck!

  82. TODD says

    X I must be somewhat lucky everyone I attempted to get which is 11 of their cards I got a pop up on the first try accumulated $60,000 and available credit my Boscovs was 8000 and every 31 days you hit the love button and they increase anywhere from $200 up to $750 every 31 days

  84. DLVon says

    It can take 5-6 times to get a popup and sometimes you STILL never get one. Its a hit and miss trick. I have 4 cards and I had to try over 30 times to get it to work. It’s NOT a go here and get a card the first time trick. Try a store with a $75 cart, if you don’t get it, try the next day with a $100 cart. Then $150. if it doesn’t work try again in a week. Some have better success using their cell phone, some with their computer. The reason yo sign up for an account is sometimes they email you a pre-approved email for a card after a short time. If your seeing the FULL SSN screen your doing the APPLY LINK or the see if your approved. You do NOT have to apply for anything with this trick. You shop and check out, hand type all information as its ON YOUR CREDIT REPORT. When you get the payment screen it should popup if your getting it. If not leave and try again later. The Name and address on your credit report is VERY important. If your report has you listed a John C Doe, on the first line for First nake enter ” JOHN C” for the last name “DOE”.. copy the info perfect from your credit report. Hope this helps a few.

  85. J says

    I got Victoria secret…new York and company…and express this way…you must enter all information and not do auto fill. Also it is best to open an incognito browser. No information is stored there. I tried several times…didn’t get them at first but a few months later got 4 cards

  86. Anissa says

    So far, the ones I tried are asking for the full social security # and when you go in to most to register for online access, you have to already have a credit card with them. It’s asking for the account# of the card. I am so confused with how this goes. Which ones do the soft pull only?

  87. Michelle says

    I have tried the shopping cart trick at numerous stores that you recommend but it doesnt work
    I opted in 2x but its still not allowing me to get pop up offers. Whats next

  88. chris lauder says

    After you get the card from the shopping cart trick how do you get them to increase your credit limit?

  89. Terrence Boyer says

    Hmmmm…Nothing to do with days or weeks ect……I’ve just received over 14000 from 8 cards in one week…..sometimes I changed email addresses….sometimes I got to the last page and clicked on the cart again and removed or added some thing and it worked…sometimes I checked out as guest….also what the experts aren’t mentioning, is this bank is soft PERIOD…u can simply call them and tell them you want soft inquiry because you don’t want your credit to dip….worked also….also you can chat on site and request this….have ..Wayfair..Dillards ..Boscov…Overstock…Buckle…Victoria Secret…and some weird one Ronan…or something like that lol…got email so fast I forgot to write them down…..but you can definitely call them….also I’ve raised my credit over 127 points in three weeks and have proof….get secured credit union loan..get a self lender loan also….don’t apply for ANYTHING….have someone in family put you on their credit card….also if you can afford it open up 5000 or higher secured card …and use it as a gas card 100 max for month….and as to deleting store cards …call customer service……GOODLUCK

  90. Barbra says

    I have read numerous articles on the Shopping Card trick, and have read a lot of the comments that followed. There is one question that I have not seen asked or addressed.
    Here goes: If I went to a website, let’s say Ann Taylor, for example. I entered my info, whether it is through registering, or checking out as a guest. I did not get a pop-up (and I followed the correct steps, opt-in, no cookies, clear cache, clear browsing history etc), so since I didn’t get a pop-up, no preapproval.
    So, if I want to go back a few days, weeks, etc. later, since I would already be registered from before, would I get a pop-up preapproval? I read some people go back at a later time and get approved.
    What do you do (if anything) different the second time as opposed to the first try?
    Also, how do you delete or cancel your registration on those websites?

  91. Barbra Ann says

    What if you enter all your information and you don’t get a pop up and you have registered. The next time you try your information is already on file does that disqualify you from getting a pop up again

  95. e* says

    Total Rewards is a HARD PULL despite only asking you for your last 4 of SSN. 🙁 I learned this the hard way last year…did the shopping cart trick on Ann Taylor, Victoria’s Secret, and Total Rewards, got the hard pull on Total Rewards.

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