How your GM Rewards Credit Card Application is Evaluated

FAQs

My GM Rewards Card

How is my GM Card application evaluated?

Goldman Sachs uses your credit score, your credit report (including your current debt obligations), and the income you report on your application when reviewing your GM Card application. This article highlights a number of factors that Goldman Sachs uses, in combination, to make credit decisions but doesn't include all of the details, factors, scores or other information used to make those decisions.

If you apply for GM Card and your application is approved, there's no impact to your credit score until you accept your offer. If you accept your offer, a hard inquiry is made. This may impact your credit score. If your application is declined or you reject your offer, your credit score isn't impacted by the soft inquiry associated with your application.

If your application was declined, learn what you can do to try and improve your next application.

You can call us at 1-833-773-0988 to speak with a specialist, if you have questions about applying for GM Card. 

Requirements to get GM Card

To get GM Card, you must meet these requirements:

  • Be 18 years or older, depending on where you live.
  • Be a U.S. resident.
  • If you have a freeze on your credit report, you need to temporarily lift the freeze before you apply for GM Card. Learn how to lift your credit freeze with TransUnion. 
  • You might need to verify your identity with a Driver license or State-issued Photo ID.

Conditions that might cause your application to be declined

When assessing your ability to pay back debt, Goldman Sachs looks at multiple conditions before making a decision on your GM Card application.

If any of the following conditions apply, Goldman Sachs might not be able to approve your GM Card application.

If you're behind on debt obligations or have previously been behind

  • You are currently past due or have recently been past due on a debt obligation.
  • Your checking account was closed by a bank (for example, due to repeatedly spending more than your available account balance).
  • You have two or more non-medical debt obligations that are recently past due.

If you have negative public records

  • A tax lien was placed on your assets (for example, due to a failure to pay sufficient taxes on time).
  • A judgement was passed against you (for example, as a result of litigation).You have had a recent bankruptcy.
  • Your property has been recently repossessed.

If you're heavily in debt or your income is insufficient to make debt payments

  • You don't have sufficient disposable income after you pay existing debt obligations.
  • Your debt obligations represent a high percentage of your monthly income (for example, your  unsecured debt obligations, such as loans that aren't backed by collateral, are 50% or more of your total income).
  • You have fully utilized all of your credit card lines in the last three months and have recently opened a significant amount of new credit accounts.

If you frequently apply for credit cards or loans

  • You have a high number of recent applications for credit.

 

If your credit score is low

Goldman Sachs uses TransUnion and other credit bureaus to evaluate your GM Card application. If your credit score is low (for example, if your FICO9 score is lower than 660 or if the Vantage score is lower than 630), Goldman Sachs might not be able to approve your GM Card application.

Why your credit score is used

Credit scores can indicate how you use and pay off debt.

How credit scores are determined

Information found in your credit report is used to determine your credit scores, which might include the following:

  • Your history of debt payments
  • Hard inquiries on your credit score from new credit applications
  • The amount of debt you currently have on your credit accounts
  • The age of your credit accounts
  • The amount and type of loan accounts you have open
  • The percentage of available credit you've utilized
  • If and when you had a foreclosure, declared bankruptcy, or had debt sent to collections

 

It’s common to see varying credit score when you look at different sources, however Goldman Sachs uses TransUnion FICO and TransUnion Vantage Score for your GM Card application. Your credit report and the timing of when your credit score is updated can affect your credit score.

By law, you're allowed to get a free annual copy of your credit report and file a dispute with TransUnion if you find an error.

For information about credit scores from TransUnion, please click here.

What you can do if your application is approved with insufficient credit or it's declined

If your application is declined, a message with an explanation is sent to the primary email address you used to apply for GM Card. The message might show your credit score. If information provided by a credit bureau contributed to your application being declined, you can request a free copy of your credit report from that credit bureau using the instructions in the email you receive. 

If you have a freeze on your credit report, you need to temporarily lift the freeze before you apply for GM Card. Learn how to lift your credit freeze with TransUnion. 

If your application is declined because your identification information couldn't be verified.

Make sure your name, address and other information provided on your GM Card application is correct. If you find inaccurate information, re-enter the information as needed.

Your credit score won't be impacted if you're declined, or don't accept your offer. Your credit score might be impacted if your application is approved and you accept your offer.

You can apply for GM Card again, but you might receive the same decision.

If you want to receive a different decision on your application when you apply again, you should review your credit report to see if you have conditions that might result in a declined application and then check for these common errors in your credit report.

If you're approved but your credit limit isn't enough.

You can apply for GM Card when you buy a GM vehicle at dealerships. If your application is approved but the credit limit is insufficient for your desired transaction, you can also choose a different payment method to compliment your GM Card, within credit card transaction limits of the dealer.

How your initial credit limit is determined

To determine your initial credit limit, Goldman Sachs uses your income and the minimum payment amounts associated with your existing debt to assess your ability to pay.

In addition, Goldman Sachs uses many of the same factors that are used to assess whether your application is approved or declined, including your credit score and the amount of credit you utilize on your existing credit lines.

Why your application is pending or in review

Goldman Sachs might need more time to review some applications, or request more information to verify your identity.