How To Apply And Get APPROVED For an FNB Credit Card (4 Simple Steps)


Credit Cards can be used as brilliant finance tools if used correctly.

They offer quick ways to get cash, and if you travel often, FNB’s (First National Bank) credit cards will also cover every holiday with R5 million in medical insurance, and up to R1 million in liability insurance among a wealth of many other benefits.

The best part? These days you don’t even need to walk into a branch to apply for one.

To apply and get approved for an FNB credit card you’ll need to:

  1. First, find out if you qualify for an FNB Credit Card.
  2. Compare and select the FNB credit card that best meets your needs.
  3. Then, get your FNB credit card application documents together.
  4. Start the FNB credit card application online, on the phone, or inside an FNB branch near you.

If the process seems a bit vague now, don’t worry! In this tutorial, I’ll literally hold your hand and walk you through the entire process from start to finish to give you the best chance of getting approved. So make sure you keep reading!

01. See If You Qualify For an FNB Credit Card

The qualifying criteria will vary depending on the credit card you choose; however, there is a minimum qualifying criterion that everyone applying for an FNB credit card must meet.

According to FNB, there are three important criteria that you need before you can apply for a credit card:

  • Most importantly, you need to be a South African citizen. FNB will not approve foreigners because foreigners can’t be held liable within South Africa.
  • You need to earn at-least R84, 000 per year, which is around R7,000 per month.
  • Last but not least, you need to be at least 18 years old. It’s illegal for companies in South Africa to issue a credit to anyone under 18.

If you said ‘yes’ to all three of the above criteria, then you can comfortably move on to the next step of the process. Which is to choose an FNB credit card that best suits your needs.

02. Compare and select the FNB credit card you want

FNB has plenty of different credit card options to choose from that all offer different credit amounts, so before moving on to the next step, you need to have a general idea of which credit card will best suit your needs.

To make this easier for you, I went ahead and laid out all the different credit cards FNB offers in a table below, a long with some of the pros and cons that come with each.

FNB Credit Card:Minimum Annual Income Needed:Cost Per Month:Access to eBucks Rewards?Free Global Travel Insurance?Perfect For:Online Application Link:
FNB GoldR84,000R51YESYESSmall credit to save on fuel and groceries.VIEW
FNB PremierR240,000R92YESYESSomeone who likes the convenience of a dedicated banker.VIEW
FNB Private ClientsR750,000R209YESYESBetter APR rates for higher earners.VIEW
FNB Private WealthR1.5mR265YESYESTailored rates & benefits for the wealthy individual.VIEW
Petro CardR84,000R55NONOThe person that’s constantly on the road.VIEW
Table comparing FNB bank accounts based on annual income needed, monthly fee and eBucks rewards.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The amount of credit that FNB will offer you, and the APR (annual percentage rate) they’ll offer really depends on your financial situation and other economic factors. The only way to find out these two things is to apply for a credit card, which is precisely why I didn’t include APR and credit amounts in the table below. But if you want an idea, as a general rule of thumb, the better your credit score, the more credit FNB will offer, and also, the lower the APR will be.

03. Get Your FNB Credit Card Application Documents Together

Great so you know you fit the criteria, you have an idea of the credit card you want to apply for, now before we dive into the application, let’s go over all the documents you’ll need.

  • Your most recent payslip.
  • Proof of residence. This can include tenants agreements, or even a utility bill if it has your name on it. If you’re living at home with a family member, you can also use their utility bill and get your family member to write a signed letter stating that you live with them. You can also use a bank statement if it has your physical address on it.
  • South African I.D. This can include a valid driver’s license and a South African passport.
  • Three months of your most recent bank statements.

If you’re going to apply for the FNB credit card online, then you’ll also need to get high-quality photocopies of these documents. If you have a mobile phone with a decent camera, then you can also use this to make scan your documents. But make you make it look as decent as possible.

If you’re going to use a phone to make photocopies here’s the best way to do it:

  • Lay a white piece of paper beneath your documents one at a time, and position your camera horizontally above your document as perfectly as possible.
  • Take the picture as far away enough that you get the full document in the frame, but close enough so that you only see the white paper as the background.
  • Once you’ve taken the picture, review it, and make sure all the writing is readable.
  • Send the pictures to your email address so that you can access it from the computer you’ll be using for the application.

Managed to get copies on your computer of all the documents you need? Great, now you’re fully prepared, and we can get stuck into the actual application.

04. Start The FNB Credit Card Application Online, On The Phone, or Inside an FNB Branch

At this point you know that you meet FNB’s credit card criteria, you know which card you’re going to apply for, and you have all the documents you need for the application on your computer ready to go. Now comes the easy part. All you need to do is start the application process.

There are three ways you can apply for a FNB credit card:

Apply for a FNB credit Card Online.

This method is simple and can be done at home as you’re reading this blog.

  1. First, choose the credit card you want to apply for here.
  2. Now, at the top right of your screen, you’ll see an orange ‘Apply now!’ button. Click there.
  3. Insert your I.D number, email address, and cellphone number
  4. Then follow the prompts from there.

If you get stuck you can also get an FNB representative to help. Simply give them a call on 0860 FASTAP (327827).

Apply for an FNB credit card on the phone.

If you’re not that tech-savvy and you’d like to apply on the phone or via email then here are your options.

  • You can apply through the telephone by calling 0860 FASTAP (327827)
  • Or you can apply via email. Simply email FNB fastapp@fnb.co.za

Once you’re in contact them they’ll walk you through the entire process.

Apply for an FNB credit card by walking into your local FNB branch.

Prefer to do things the old school way? Then consider walking into your local FNB branch. Before you go out searching for one, use this FNB branch locater tool that they offer. It’ll save you a few hours of searching.

Make sure you don’t forget to take all your documents with you to avoid having to go back home just to fetch something that you forgot. This can be extremely annoying.

Final Thoughts

Applying for an FNB credit card can be pretty simple if you prepare beforehand. To avoid disappointment, make sure you meet FNB’s minimum criteria, and more importantly, make sure you get all your documents together before you begin the application.

YOUR TURN: Do you know of a better way to apply for an FNB credit card? Or did you feel like I missed something important? Please let us know in the comments below so we can start learning from each other!

2 thoughts on “How To Apply And Get APPROVED For an FNB Credit Card (4 Simple Steps)

  1. Good day,
    I wish to know if one can qualify to apply online for FNB Gold if he is self-employed, but almost meet R84 000 Annually.

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