Before making that decision, the bank will consider some or all of the following. They will review customers credit history.


If they are an existing bank customer, they may glean enough information from internal records about the customer's existing account history, looking at how much and how often they lodge money, how much and how often thy spend each month, how well they managed debt on their accounts in the past, and how much they currently owe etc.
For new customers to the bank, they will glean much of this type of information from external credit reference agencies, such as Experian, as they may also do this for existing customers also. In most instances, they will ask you on the application form about your current employment status and salary.

When considering an application for a credit card, the bank will make one of three decisions: Approve the application fully, approve the application with a low credit limit than the customer asked for, or reject the application.

Assuming it is accepted in some form, the customer will be sent a card and PIN (personal identification number) in the post, or these may be picked up at the bank. These two items are needed to access the funds. They will be processed and transferred to the customer in seperate packages, so that no one else has access to the account.