Like many others online, I’ve been intrigued by the “shopping cart trick” for credit card pre-approvals. Skeptical but curious, I decided to test it out myself at the beginning of March. Initially, I didn’t see any pre-approval offers. Following advice from online forums, I cleared my browser history and tried again. To my surprise, I immediately received pre-approvals for several store cards: Victoria’s Secret and Ann Taylor (both with $500 limits), and Wayfair ($1000). Since I only planned to proceed with one, and I shop at Wayfair, I chose their offer.
I had also seen mentions of the Sportsman’s Guide Visa being available through the shopping cart trick. I attempted this several times, but a pre-approval offer didn’t appear, so I stopped trying. Then, on April 9th, I received a pre-approval letter from Sportsman’s Guide Visa! The letter instructed me to visit a link or call customer service to accept the offer.
Today, I finally had a chance to check the link provided. It timed out repeatedly. Frustrated, I went directly to the Sportsman’s Guide website and decided to try the shopping cart trick one more time. This time, the Sportsman’s Guide credit card pre-approval popped up! I accepted the offer. However, the pre-approval didn’t specify a credit limit, so I called customer service. I was informed of a $2,500 approval – importantly, this was a soft pull on my credit.
My main reason for wanting the Sportsman’s Guide card was to close my Credit One account and increase my overall available credit. Recently, my credit scores have unfortunately dipped across the board due to opening multiple new accounts. While my Equifax and TransUnion inquiries are still low, Experian shows four inquiries. I’ve decided to stop applying for any more credit cards now, as I feel I have what I need and have the discipline to manage them responsibly.
So, my experience confirms that the shopping cart trick is indeed real, and it works for the Sportsman’s Guide credit card pre-approval. If you don’t see results immediately, don’t give up. Persistence can pay off!
Update:
The Sportsman’s Guide Visa card arrived without any issues. The $2,500 credit limit is as expected. My existing Wayfair card (which has a zero balance) didn’t prevent the Sportsman’s Guide card from being issued or remaining open. And, as promised, there was still no hard pull on my credit report. This marks the end of my credit card applications for now. My credit score has taken a hit due to the recent flurry of new accounts. I’m officially “in the garden” for the foreseeable future – as you credit enthusiasts say!
