Credit cards for bad credit help people with credit scores from 300 to 639 rebuild their credit and save money. The best credit cards for bad credit have annual fees as low as $0, and some even give rewards equal to 1% cash back or more on purchases.… show more Plus, all major credit cards for people with poor credit will report account information to the credit bureaus each month (some offers are from WalletHub partners).… show more Below, you can see WalletHub’s editors' picks for the best credit cards for people with bad credit right now. Show
The right credit card for most people with bad credit is going to be a secured card. Secured credit cards charge the lowest fees and offer the best approval odds. But if you need a small emergency loan, you’ll have to compare unsecured cards for people with bad credit, which tend to be expensive. If you’re not sure which card to get, you can’t go wrong with one of our editors’ best credit cards for bad credit, which were selected from 1,500+ offers. show less 4 Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit in November 2022
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Secured Credit Card → Min Deposit of $200 WalletHub's Take: The PCB Secured Visa® Credit Card is a moderately priced secured credit card that can help cardholders build credit, thanks to monthly reporting to all three major credit bureaus. The PCB Secured Visa Card also offers a wide range of potential deposit amounts: $200 to $1,000 the first year, up to $5,000 after. This gives people with a lot of cash on hand extra flexibility with their spending limit. Pros
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WalletHub's Take: The Indigo Credit Card is a pretty good unsecured credit card for people with bad credit, offering a $300+ credit limit with no security deposit needed. The Indigo Card has an annual fee of $0 - $99, which is worth paying if you have damaged credit and need a credit card for emergency borrowing. Pros
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Regular APR → 26.99% - 29.99% (V) WalletHub's Take: The Mission Lane Visa® Credit Card is a pretty good unsecured credit card for people with bad credit or limited credit history. The Mission Lane Card offers a starting credit limit of $300+ and does not require a security deposit, but it does have a high APR and an annual fee of $0 - $59. Pros
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WalletHub's Take: The Revvi Card is a pretty good unsecured credit card for people with bad credit who want to earn rewards but need to borrow for emergencies. Cardholders earn 1% cash back on all purchases, after paying the card’s bill, and the card has a $300 minimum credit limit with no deposit needed. Pros
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Secured Credit Card → Min Deposit of $49, $99 or $200 WalletHub's Take: The Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card is a very good credit card for building credit at a low cost. The card is easily worth it because it offers a $0 annual fee and a $200 starting credit limit in return for a refundable security deposit that could be as low as just $49. Or, the deposit requirement could be $99 or $200, depending on the specifics of your credit history and the current state of your finances. Pros
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Secured Credit Card → Min Deposit of $200 Regular APR → 25.99% Variable WalletHub's Take: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is 2022’s best secured card because it has a $0 annual fee and gives good rewards on purchases (1% to 2% cash back). The Discover it Secured Credit Card is also worth it because it doubles the rewards cardholders earn the first year. The minimum deposit for Discover it Secured Credit Card – $200 – is on the low end for a secured credit card, too. Pros
WalletHub's Take: The Total Visa Card is an expensive unsecured credit card for people with bad credit. The Total Visa Credit Card does not require applicants to place a refundable security deposit, but it does charge high fees, starting with an $89 “program fee” that’s assessed before account opening. There’s also a $75 annual fee the first year, which is replaced by a total of $123 in monthly and annual fees each year after. Pros
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Regular APR → 24.99% - 29.99% (Variable) WalletHub's Take: The Surge® Platinum Mastercard® is a legit credit card for people with bad credit, not a scam. It reports to the three major credit bureaus each month, which allows cardholders to build credit by paying on time and using only a portion of their credit limit. The problem is the Surge Credit Card’s fees can be very high: $75 - $99 annual fee and up to $120 in monthly fees starting the second year. And at 24.99% - 29.99% (Variable), its APR is among the highest on the market. The Surge Card does not offer rewards on purchase, either. Pros
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WalletHub's Take: The Destiny Mastercard® is not a good option for most people because it charges a high annual fee and has a 24.9% APR. The Destiny Mastercard® can help people with bad credit improve their credit score and borrow modest amounts, but other cards can do the same thing at a lower cost. Pros
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Regular APR → 24.99% - 29.99% (Variable) WalletHub's Take: The Reflex Card is an expensive starter credit card for people with limited or no credit history, as well as those with bad credit looking to start over. It belongs to the Mastercard credit card network but is issued by Celtic Bank and managed by Continental Finance Company. Pros
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Credit Cards. List Last Updated On: Nov 11, 2022 View More Credit Cards Last Updated On: Nov 11, 2022 Banks Offering Credit Cards in {{filters.loc}}{{bank.reviews_formatted}} {{(bank.reviews == 1) ? 'Review' : 'Reviews'}} Discover it® Secured Credit CardWhy We Like It: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is the best credit card for bad credit because it has a $0 annual fee and gives up to 2% cash back on purchases. Cardholders earn 2% cash back on up to $1,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants each quarter, plus 1% back on all other purchases. Discover also doubles all the rewards earned the first year. What We Don’t Like: The Discover it Secured Credit Card requires a $200+ security deposit, and the amount you put down becomes your spending limit. But all of the very best bad-credit credit cards require a deposit, and very few credit cards for people with poor credit scores offer both rewards and no annual fee. Who Should Get It: Apply for Discover it Secured Credit Card if you have bad credit and plan to use the card consistently for at least a year. Alternatives to Consider: There are several other secured cards with attractive rewards, including the
Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card. OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit CardWhy We Like It: The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card won’t check your credit history when you apply, so even applicants with a very bad track record borrowing should have high approval odds. The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card also reports to the major credit bureaus on a monthly basis, which will help you improve your credit score as long as you pay the bills on time. What We Don’t Like: Your credit limit will equal the amount of your refundable security deposit. There’s also a $35 annual fee. Who Should Get It: Credit card shoppers who want a credit card for bad credit with no credit check should get the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card. Alternatives to Consider: The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card is another option with no credit check. Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit CardWhy We Like It: The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card has a $0 annual fee and rewards cardholders with 1.5 - 5% cash back on purchases. What We Don’t Like: Approved applicants will be required to place a refundable deposit of $200+, which will become their credit limit. Who Should Get It: People with poor credit who want low fees and cash back rewards should strongly consider the Capital One Quicksilver Secured card. Alternatives to Consider: The Discover it® Secured Credit Card is a low-cost secured card with good rewards. Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding CreditWhy We Like It: The Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit is one of the best unsecured credit cards for bad credit, as cardholders get a $300 starting credit limit without placing a security deposit. They also earn 1% cash back on gas and grocery purchases, as well as 1% back on mobile phone, internet, cable and satellite TV services. What We Don’t Like: This card charges an annual fee of $75 intro 1st yr, $99 after. Still, it’s one of the cheapest unsecured credit cards for bad credit available right now. Who Should Get It: Consider applying for Credit One Visa if you have bad credit and need to borrow a small amount of money for an emergency expense. Alternatives to Consider: The Credit One Bank® NASCAR® Credit Card is another unsecured option with good rewards. U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured CardWhy We Like It: The U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured Card is one of the best credit cards for bad credit because it has a $0 annual fee and rewards cardholders with 1 - 5% cash back on purchases. More specifically, you get 5% cash back on up to $2,000 spent each quarter in two categories combined. You get to choose the 5% categories from a list, which includes things like gas and groceries. You also get to choose a category for unlimited 2% cash back. And all other purchases get you 1% back. What We Don’t Like: You have to activate new bonus categories each quarter in order to earn the bonus rewards. Plus, this card requires a refundable security deposit of at least $300. Who Should Get It: Consider applying for the U.S. Bank Cash+® Visa® Secured Card if you have bad credit and its rewards match up well with your spending habits. Alternatives to Consider: The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Credit Card and the Discover it® Secured Credit Card both have good rewards for people with bad credit. In general, the best credit cards for bad credit are secured cards with no annual fee. That’s true for everyone with poor credit, except people who need a modest emergency loan. Even the best unsecured credit cards for bad credit still charge an arm and a leg for a very small amount of borrowing power. To help you find the right card for your needs, WalletHub’s editors compared hundreds of offers – both secured and unsecured – and selected the best credit cards for people with bad credit in the most popular categories. Below, you can see how the top cards compare as well as what each is best for. Credit Cards for Bad Credit ComparisonBelow, you can learn more about the dos and don’ts of choosing a credit card at this important stage of your credit career. To select the best credit cards for people with bad credit scores, WalletHub’s editors regularly compare more than 1,500 credit card offers based primarily on their approval requirements, credit-bureau-reporting practices, and fees. Rewards, interest rates, and security-deposit requirements are also key factors for certain categories. People with poor credit scores have varying needs and financial circumstances, so WalletHub’s editors select the best cards for different use cases. Although some cards are from WalletHub partners, best-card selections are made purely based on expected cardholder savings.
In addition, we recommend signing up for a free WalletHub account. You’ll get free credit reports and scores, updated daily, as well as personalized credit-improvement advice and 24/7 credit monitoring. You won’t have to wonder how long it will take for your credit score to improve, either. You can actually watch it happen – likely in 12-18 months – on WalletHub. Finally, if you’re still not sure which credit card will best meet your needs and ultimately take your credit to the next level at the lowest cost, we’ll highlight a notable option from each major credit card company below. That way, you won’t have to worry about missing out because you’ll know what all the big players bring to the table. WalletHub actively maintains a database of 1,500+ credit card offers, from which we select the best credit cards for bad credit for different applicants as well as derive market-wide takeaways and trends. The underlying data is compiled from credit card company websites or provided directly by the credit card issuers. We also leverage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to develop cardholder profiles, used to estimate cards’ potential savings. Credit Cards for Bad Credit FAQComparing credit cards for bad credit can be tough. But you’ve got the knowledgeable WalletHub community on your side. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge while respecting our
content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not the financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered.show more
Sort Q&A Most Popular …show more show less {{ans.user_fullname}}, {{ans.user_title}} @{{ans.user_login}} Answer provided by user: {{ans.user_fullname}} What is the minimum credit score for a credit card? Reply 21 0Cancel Reply Answer provided by user: WalletHub There is no minimum credit score to get a credit card, if any credit card will do. Some credit card companies don’t even check applicants’ credit history, and the main approval requirement is that you earn more money than you spend. So it’s certainly possible to get a credit card even if you have a very low credit score or no credit score at all. But there is a difference between getting approved for a credit card in general and getting one of the better offers. The credit score needed for credit card approval ultimately depends on which specific card you want to get. Most of the time, credit card companies have a credit score tier they’re looking for, and applicants will need a score in the required tier (or higher) for a good chance of approval. The tiers are bad, fair, good and excellent. The thing is, credit cards require scores that are a bit higher than the traditional minimum for each tier in the overall credit score range, according to WalletHub’s research. So for each credit tier, you can see a “traditional” score range and a “WalletHub recommended” score range below. Here is the credit score needed for a credit card at each level:
One way to estimate your credit card approval odds is to check for pre-approval. Many major issuers will allow you to check for free. It won’t hurt your credit score. And you’ll get a pretty good idea of your chances. Plus, if you’re not sure what your score is yet, you can check your latest credit score for free on WalletHub. You’ll also get personalized credit card recommendations with high approval odds. Just remember that having a qualifying credit score does not guarantee credit card approval. The credit card application process takes many other factors into account. Payment history, existing debt and income play big roles, too. 7 0 Show more answers 21 Upvotes What are the easiest credit cards to get approved for? 32 0Cancel Reply John S Kiernan, Credit Card Editor Answer provided by user: John S Kiernan, Credit Card Editor The easiest credit cards to get approved for with no credit or bad credit are secured credit cards. These cards have annual fees as low as $0 and report monthly to the 3 major credit bureaus. Some even give rewards of 1% or more. To help people with no credit or bad credit maximize their odds of approval for a credit card, WalletHub’s editors compared the approval requirements for more than 1,500 credit card offers, along with their fees, rates and rewards. Easiest Credit Cards to Get Approved For
Why People Trust WalletHub Unlike other sites that only promote cards they're paid by, WalletHub's editors focus on finding the best cards. WalletHub makes it easy to find the easiest credit cards to get. It’s important to get a good credit card because credit cards are the best credit-building tools available to us. They all report information to the major credit bureaus on a monthly basis, and unlike loans, they don’t require you to incur any debt. Some credit cards are much easier to get approved for than others, though. You can learn all about the best easy approval credit cards below. This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of an issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer. Please keep in mind that while some offers may come from WalletHub advertising partners, sponsorship status played no role in card selection. View entire answer 32 Upvotes Can I get an unsecured credit card with a 500 credit score? Reply 21 0Cancel Reply Chip Lupo, Credit Card Writer Answer provided by user: Chip Lupo, Credit Card Writer Yes, you can get an unsecured credit card with a 500 credit score, but you will likely end up with high fees, high interest rates, and a low credit limit. The best unsecured credit card to get with a 500 credit score is the Credit One Visa card. The Credit One Visa offers a $300 starting credit limit, the potential for automatic credit line increases, and an annual fee of $75 intro 1st yr, $99 after. Cardholders earn rewards on select purchases, too. Still, the odds of getting approved for a decent unsecured credit card are higher with a credit score of at least 640. And the higher your credit score is, the better your chances of getting an unsecured card with good terms will be. Unsecured Credit Cards to Get with a 500 Credit Score
While Credit One Visa may be the best unsecured credit card for people with a 500 credit score, it’s still not the most attractive option overall. People with bad credit who are in the market for a credit card should look into applying for a secured card instead. Most secured cards come with $0 annual fees, and some cards, such as the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card, give rewards on purchases. Secured cards are also easier to get than unsecured cards because you’ll have to pay a security deposit, usually $200 at a minimum, to open the account. The amount of your deposit determines your credit limit in most cases, and you can increase your limit by adding more money to your deposit. Your deposit is fully refundable when you close the account in good standing. 2 0 21 Upvotes What is the lowest credit score? Reply 30 0Cancel Reply Answer provided by user: WalletHub The lowest credit score is 300. The most commonly used credit-scoring models from FICO and VantageScore range from a low of 300 to a high of 850. It’s easy to get confused about what the lowest credit score is. It would make more sense to start at 0, for one thing. Credit scores haven’t always used 300 as the lowest score, either. Some older models, along with some niche, industry-specific scores still used today, use 0, 250 or 300 as the lowest credit score possible. But pretty much any score most people will see nowadays uses the standard 300-850 scale. It is very rare for anyone’s credit score to drop anywhere close to the absolute lowest credit score possible. Around 0.1% of people have a credit score between 300 and 350. The average credit score in the U.S. is actually verging on “good” credit. And even if you drop into the bad credit score range, you aren’t alone. Close to 4.5% of consumers have bad or very bad credit. There are tried-and-true ways to help rebuild your credit score, too. Finally, it’s important to point out that not everyone has a credit score. Having no score does not mean you have the lowest credit score possible, however. It just means you don’t have enough credit history to generate a score. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that around 26 million consumers were considered “credit-invisible,” as of 2015. An additional 19 million had a credit record, but were considered “unscoreable” due to either too little credit history or a lack of recent credit history. The credit bureaus are actively working to reduce the number of people without a credit score, either by adding non-traditional data to credit reports or using machine learning to get more out of limited information. 7 0 Show more answers 30 Upvotes Can a poor person get a credit card? Reply 19 0Cancel Reply Christie Matherne, Credit Card Writer Answer provided by user: Christie Matherne, Credit Card Writer Yes, a poor person can get a credit card. While credit cards do require some income for approval, people with low income can qualify for a credit card as long as they are at least 18 years old, even if they have poor credit or limited credit history. Some of the best cards for applicants with low-income are secured cards, which require an up-front security deposit that makes them easy to get approved for. Best Credit Cards for Low Income Applicants
Credit card issuers require applicants to list their annual income on the application. This allows the issuer to decide what kind of credit limit and monthly payment the person can afford. Income on a card application can include money from a part-time job, retirement pensions, or public assistance benefits, for example. If you’re 21 years or older, you can include shared household income. There is no minimum income requirement for getting a credit card, but a person with low income may not qualify for as many card options as someone with a lot of annual income, and your credit limit may be low. Signing up for a free WalletHub account will make the search easier, with personalized card recommendations based on your financial situation. 0 0 19 Upvotes Is it impossible to get a credit card with bad credit? Reply 16 0Cancel Reply Ryan P Page, Staff Writer Answer provided by user: Ryan P Page, Staff Writer No, it is not impossible to get a credit card with bad credit. You can get a secured credit card with bad credit, as well as certain unsecured credit cards intended specifically for people with bad credit scores. Some credit cards won’t even check your credit history when you apply. Popular Credit Card Options for People with Bad Credit
With limited options, finding a solid credit card can be frustrating when you have bad credit. However, the benefits of having a card will usually outweigh the stress of the search. For example, picking the right credit card and using a credit card responsibly is one of the most effective ways to rebuild your credit. 3 Steps to Getting a Credit Card with Bad Credit
Whichever card you decide to get, it is crucial that you pay your credit card bill on time and ideally in full each month. Late payments will hurt your credit score, and credit card balances carried from month to month can be very expensive. Check WalletHub’s guide on paying credit card bills for tips to keep your accounts in good standing. 0 0 16 Upvotes View More Questions Not Finding Your Question? Ask Your Own Featured Credit Cards186 Reviews 2,707 Reviews 66 Reviews In search of even more advice for how you can safely escape bad credit, we went back to school, posing the following questions to college and university professors who specialize in personal finance. You can check out their bios and responses below.
Walter P. Smith
Sarah Marsden Greene
Kashif A. Ahmed
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Matthew Imes
Carolin Schellhorn More Experts We work hard to show you up-to-date product terms, however, this information does not originate from us and thus, we do not guarantee its accuracy. Actual terms may vary. Before submitting an application, always verify all terms and conditions with the offering institution. Please let us know if you notice any differences. † Approval Odds are WalletHub estimates intended to gauge your likelihood of approval for a particular product. Approval Odds are based on WalletHub data and are not provided or endorsed by the lender. Approval Odds are not meant to imply or guarantee that you will be approved by the lender or that credit will be extended. WalletHub may share your information with third-parties in order to show personalized offers, as well as enable you to interact more easily with pre-fill forms or applications. You can opt-out of sharing your personal info here. Ad Disclosure Certain offers that appear on this site originate from paying advertisers, and this will be noted on an offer’s details page using the designation "Sponsored", where applicable. Advertising may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). At WalletHub we try to present a wide array of offers, but our offers do not represent all financial services companies or products. Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided, commissioned, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any issuer. What is the easiest card to get with bad credit?Petal® 1 “No Annual Fee” Visa® Credit Card. Best Overall. ... . Navy FCU nRewards® Secured Credit Card. ... . Tomo Credit Card. ... . OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card. ... . Discover it® Secured Credit Card. ... . Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit. ... . Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card.. What card is good for those with a very low credit score?Best Credit Cards for Bad Credit (November 2022): Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card: Best for rebuilding credit. Mission Lane Visa® Credit Card: Best for low annual fee. Discover it® Secured Credit Card: Best secured card with rewards.
What kind of credit card can customers with a bad credit history?Secured and unsecured credit cards
There are two types of credit card options for bad credit, secured and unsecured. A secured credit card requires a deposit of a certain amount of money into a savings account, and the credit limit is often based on a percentage of the deposited amount.
Can I get approved for a credit card with a score of 500?Yes, you can get an unsecured credit card with a 500 credit score, but you will likely end up with high fees, high interest rates, and a low credit limit. The best unsecured credit card to get with a 500 credit score is the Credit One Visa card.
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