Instant approval is almost never instant. No matter what the credit card company is going to issue you a credit card application before it issues you credit.  The average time that people wait for this instant approval is about one to two weeks, while some companies give you a decision within 60 seconds, you still need to have the card made and delivered to you. Generally, the better your credit rating the faster the response time for a credit card application. Once a decision is made you will be notified by mail or email (depending on whether you applied online or not ).