Credit score advices to obtain premium secured credit cards? If your issuer can’t or won’t upgrade you — and keep in mind that not all secured-card issuers even offer unsecured cards — you can apply for unsecured cards separately. Eventually you’ll want to close the secured card to recoup your deposit. Several issuers specialize in unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit, but NerdWallet generally doesn’t recommend them. That’s because these “subprime specialist” cards tend to charge high fees that can easily add up to much more than a typical minimum security deposit — annual fees up to $99, application fees, “activation” and “processing” fees, monthly maintenance fees and so on. And unlike the deposit on a secured card, those fees are money you can’t get back. Our roundup of the best and worst cards for bad credit has more information on cards to avoid.
OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card: Details and benefits: The two reasons you may want to apply for the OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card is if you don’t own a checking account, but still want access to a credit card, or if you’re looking for a secured card with a decent annual percentage rate. For everyone else, the $35 annual fee should make this card a non-starter. That being said, OpenSky Secured Visa can help you build or rebuild your credit, as the issuer, Capital Bank, reports your monthly payments to the three major credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
First Progress checks your credit when you apply for one of its secured cards, but it’s not a “hard” inquiry, meaning it doesn’t affect your credit score. The First Progress Platinum Elite Mastercard® Secured Credit Card gets the nod here as the lowest-cost First Progress card. Getting a secured card without a hard inquiry on your credit report can be a benefit to those with lower credit scores, when every point counts. The interest rate on this card is decent for a secured card, though it’s best to pay your balance in full every month, especially when building credit. The annual fee of $29 isn’t terrible — but there are good secured cards available with no annual fee at all.
The Capital One Secured card is Investopedia’s choice for Best Secured Card due to its low fees and security deposit flexibility, allowing customers to send in their account deposits in installments rather than having to make it all at once. Capital One also offers automatic credit line increase reviews after as little as six months of responsible card use. No annual fee makes this a good entry level card for those needing to build their credit.
If you are unable to obtain a standard credit card, or just don’t want your credit score to endure any additional searches, does that mean you’re cut off from obtaining a credit card? The answer is no. Though it’s a little more complicated than a standard application; what you need is a secured credit card. What Is The Difference Between A Standard and a Secured Credit Card? Secured cards are secured for the lender. They will provide you with a credit card, and a credit limit, which you can use as normal. However, they hold your deposit as a security against any balance you accumulate. Find additional info on found here.