Guitar Center Credit Card Approval Odds Uncovered (For Both Cards)

Short Answer

Guitar Center offers two store credit cards: the Gear Card and the Essentials Card. The minimum credit score required for the Gear Card is 680. The Essentials Card is typically available to those not approved for the Gear Card. For more on your Guitar Center credit card approval odds, see below.

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Guitar Center Credit Card Approval Odds

Guitar Center has two store credit card options: the Gear Card and the Essentials Card. If you don’t qualify for the Gear Card, you may be offered the Essentials Card, a Guitar Center corporate customer service representative said.

The Gear Card is backed by Synchrony Bank and the Essentials Card is backed by Fortiva. We were told by Synchrony Bank that if your credit score is around 680, you may be approved for the Guitar Center Gear Card. Fortiva told us that you may be approved for the Guitar Center Essentials Card even if your credit score is below 620, depending on other factors like income.

How to Apply for the Guitar Center Gear Card

The Guitar Center Gear Card is a store rewards credit card. You’ll earn five points for every dollar spent in-store and online. For every 1,000 points, you’ll get a $10 rewards certificate that you can use on your next purchase. Promotional offers vary; you may be offered 0% interest for 36 or 48 months. (For more ways to save at Guitar Center, see our article.)

You can apply for a Guitar Center Gear Card online or in stores. You must be a U.S. citizenship and provide a valid email address, Social Security number, and verifiable income information. And, if you know the amount of the initial purchase you’d like to make, you can enter that information on the application.

Synchrony uses TransUnion to check your credit. Approval may be instant or can take up to 14 days.

If you are approved, your initial credit limit can range from several hundreds of dollars to several thousands of dollars. Synchrony sometimes offers automatic credit limit increases after about six months. To request a credit limit increase, call Synchrony’s customer service department at (800) 374-9700.

If your application is denied, you should receive an explanation from Synchrony either electronically or by mail. Even if you are denied the Gear Card, you may still be eligible for the Essentials Card.

How to Apply for the Guitar Center Essentials Card

The Guitar Center Essentials Card does not have any of the rewards associated with the Gear Card, but it is still a financing option for Guitar Center purchases.

The Guitar Center Essentials Card application is an in-cart offer during the online checkout process. It does not require a “hard” pull of your credit. Approval for this type of financing is sometimes referred to as the “shopping cart” trick. (For the list of stores where the shopping cart trick works, see our article. And, if the shopping cart trick isn’t working for you, check out our list of possible fixes.)

The basic application requirements for the Essentials Card are the same as for the Gear Card; you must be a U.S. citizen and provide a valid email address, Social Security number, and verifiable income information. Fortiva uses TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax to check your credit.

If your application is denied, you should receive a notification from Fortiva either electronically or by mail.