Credit Cards for Bad Credit: Secured Cards That Rebuild Your Score
How to get a credit card with a low credit score: no-fee secured cards compared, how deposits and upgrades work, and the warning signs of fee-harvester cards.
Secured Cards guides
A secured credit card requires a refundable security deposit that usually sets your credit limit, and it is for you if you have no credit history or are rebuilding after missed payments and cannot get approved for an unsecured card. It works like a normal credit card: you make purchases, get a monthly statement, and the issuer reports your payments to the credit bureaus.
Compare the minimum deposit, the annual fee, the regular APR, and whether the issuer reports to all three bureaus. Check whether the card can graduate to an unsecured card and return your deposit after a period of on-time payments, since that is the usual path forward. Keep your balance low relative to the limit and pay on time every month.
Read the best secured credit cards, and if your score is in the fair range, the best cards for fair credit. Two no-annual-fee US examples are the Capital One Platinum Secured and the Discover it Secured.
Credit Builder Credit Cards in the UK: How They Work and How to Use One Properly
How UK credit-builder cards from Aqua, Capital One, Vanquis and Tesco work, what they cost, and the month-by-month routine that raises your credit score.
Best Credit Cards for Fair Credit (FICO 580–669) and How to Move Up
The US cards that approve fair credit, which ones pay rewards, how to avoid the fee-heavy traps, and the route to a prime rewards card within a year.
Best Secured Credit Cards to Build or Rebuild Credit
Your deposit is the credit line