What matters most on a card for bad credit
When your score sits in the poor range (300–579 on the FICO scale), the goal of a card is not rewards. It is a steady record of on-time payments reported to the credit bureaus. Payment history is 35% of a FICO score and amounts owed is 30%, so a card you can pay in full each month does most of the work.
Look for four things:
- Reports to all three bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion).
- No annual fee, or a small one. A refundable deposit comes back; a fee does not.
- A path to an unsecured card so your deposit is returned without closing the account.
- Prequalification where offered, so you can see your odds with a soft inquiry.
APR matters less if you pay in full, but nearly every card here charges well over 25%, so carrying a balance gets expensive fast.
Comparison table: deposits, fees and APRs
| Card | Type | Deposit | Annual fee | Regular APR (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One Platinum Secured | Secured | $49, $99 or $200 for a $200 line | $0 | 28.99% variable |
| Capital One Quicksilver Secured | Secured | $200 minimum | $0 | 28.99% variable |
| Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Secured | Secured | $200–$5,000 | $0 | 27.49% variable |
| U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured | Secured | $300–$5,000 | $0 | 28.74% variable |
| Citi Secured Mastercard | Secured | $200–$2,500 | $0 | See Citi's site |
| OpenSky Plus Secured Visa | Secured, no credit check | $300–$3,000 | $0 | 28.24% variable |
| Chime Credit Builder | Secured, no credit check | No minimum | $0 | None (no interest) |
| Self Visa | Secured, no hard check | $100 minimum | $0 first year, then $25 | 27.49% variable |
| Mission Lane (Green Line) | Unsecured | None | $0–$59 | 29.99%–33.99% variable (Forbes) |
| Credit One Bank Platinum Visa | Unsecured | None | $75 first year, then $99 billed $8.25/month | 29.24% variable |
| Milestone Mastercard | Unsecured | None | $175 first year, then about $199/year with monthly fees | 35.9% |
Card terms change, so check the issuer's site before you apply.
Best picks by situation
Lowest upfront cost: Capital One Platinum Secured
The deposit is $49, $99 or $200 depending on your application, and all three get a $200 starting line. There is no annual fee or foreign transaction fee, it reports to all three bureaus, and Capital One considers you for a higher line in as little as six months. Read the full Capital One Platinum Secured review.
Secured card with cash back: Bank of America or U.S. Bank
Bank of America's Customized Cash Rewards Secured pays 3% in a category you choose (6% the first year), 2% at grocery stores and wholesale clubs (3%/2% tiers capped at $2,500 in combined quarterly purchases) and 1% elsewhere. U.S. Bank's Altitude Go Secured earns 4X on dining (first $2,000 each quarter). Both have $0 annual fees and are reviewed for upgrades to unsecured versions. If you'd rather keep it simple, Capital One Quicksilver Secured pays a flat 1.5%.
No credit check: Chime Credit Builder or OpenSky Plus
Chime Credit Builder has no credit check, no annual fee and no interest, but you need a Chime Checking Account, and the card never graduates. OpenSky Plus Secured skips the credit check and the annual fee, and you can pay the deposit in installments over 60 days. Compare more in best secured credit cards.
Unsecured with no deposit: Mission Lane
Mission Lane's prequalification shows your exact card, fee and APR before a hard pull. The annual fee can be $0 or as high as $59, and APRs are high, so check the offer carefully. See unsecured cards for bad credit for the full cost picture.
High-fee cards: be clear about what you pay
Credit One and Milestone approve many people with damaged credit, and both report to all three bureaus. But the fees are steep relative to the credit you get.
- Credit One Platinum Visa: $75 the first year on a $300 minimum limit, then $99 a year billed at $8.25 a month. Our Credit One review walks through the math.
- Milestone Mastercard: $175 the first year on a $700 limit, leaving $525 of usable credit. From year two it is $49 a year plus $12.50 a month, about $199 a year in total.
Both first-year fees equal exactly 25% of the starting limit, the maximum federal rules allow. Over two years, Milestone's fees add up to more than most secured card deposits, and a deposit comes back to you. If you can set aside $49 to $200, a secured card is almost always the cheaper way to build the same history. Learn to spot these offers in how to choose a card for bad credit.
Cards you may still see recommended
- Discover it Secured is closed to new applicants. Discover stopped taking applications in June 2026, and existing accounts are moving to Capital One servicing. No reopening date has been announced.
- Petal 1 Rise no longer accepts applications.
- Target Circle Card is not an easy-approval card; it generally needs good to excellent credit. See store cards for bad credit for better-fit options.
Your next steps
- Pull your free reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, which now offers free weekly reports from all three bureaus, and dispute errors.
- Use prequalification where offered. Capital One, Mission Lane, Credit One and Milestone all offer it.
- Apply for one card at a time. Each application is a hard inquiry.
- Keep the balance low and pay in full every month.
- Add other tools if you want faster progress, such as a credit-builder loan or becoming an authorized user on a trusted family member's card.
For a step-by-step approval plan, see how to get approved with bad credit, or browse all credit card guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cards with no credit check are the easiest, such as Chime Credit Builder and OpenSky Plus Secured. Chime requires a Chime Checking Account, and OpenSky Plus requires a deposit of at least $300. Neither checks your credit at all.
Usually, yes. A secured card from a major bank often has no annual fee and returns your deposit when you upgrade or close the account in good standing. Unsecured bad-credit cards skip the deposit but often charge annual or monthly fees you never get back.
Not as a new applicant. Discover stopped taking applications in June 2026 and existing accounts are moving to Capital One servicing. Consider Capital One Platinum Secured or a Bank of America secured card instead.
It depends on the issuer. Capital One considers line increases in as little as six months, Citi reviews secured accounts starting at 9 months, and U.S. Bank's Cash+ Secured graduation comes after 12 months of responsible use, according to CNBC Select.
Capital One Platinum Secured — Capital One
Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Secured review — Forbes Advisor
U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured — U.S. Bank
Citi Secured Mastercard — Citi
OpenSky cards — OpenSky
Chime Credit Builder — Chime
Self Visa review — NerdWallet
Mission Lane Visa review — Forbes Advisor
Credit One Bank Platinum Visa — Credit Karma
Milestone credit card review — NerdWallet
Discover it Secured review — Bankrate
What's in your credit score — myFICO
Card terms, rates and fees change often and APRs are variable. Information was checked in October 2026; confirm current terms on the issuer's website before applying. MoneyVerge may be compensated by some card issuers; this does not affect our assessments.