What is the best Bank of America unsecured credit card?

The easiest Bank of America credit card to get is the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card because applicants can get approved with bad credit. This means the odds of approval are good even with a credit score below 640. On the other hand, the majority of Bank of America credit cards require limited to excellent credit in order to qualify.… read full answer

Easiest Bank of America Credit Cards to Get

• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card: requires bad credit or better
• BankAmericard® Secured Credit Card: requires bad credit or better
• Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Credit Card for Students: requires limited credit or better
• Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students: requires limited credit or better

Having one of these Bank of America credit cards may increase your chances of landing a higher-tier credit card in the future, if you use it responsibly. That means paying your bill on time every month and keeping your credit utilization below 30% of your credit limit.

An unsecured credit card is a credit card with a credit line that is not "secured" by collateral such as a refundable security deposit. In contrast, secured credit cards require a deposit of at least $200-$300, and the deposit amount becomes the account’s spending limit. Most of the time, the phrase "credit card" refers to an unsecured credit card.… read full answer

What kinds of unsecured credit cards are there?

More than 9 in 10 credit card offers are unsecured, with no deposit needed. So, it’s no surprise there are lots of slightly different types of unsecured credit cards. There are unsecured cards for each credit rating, from excellent credit to bad credit. There are unsecured credit cards for students, small business owners and everyone else. Some reward cardholders for making purchases, while others offer low introductory APRs. Some have low fees; others don’t.

Given the variety, finding the right card for your needs is not as simple as just setting out in search of an unsecured credit card. You need to compare the available offers based on the features – other than security deposit requirements – that figure to have the greatest impact on your life. For your convenience, we’ll highlight a handful of the best, most popular unsecured card offers below.

Here are some popular unsecured credit cards:

• Cash rewards: Chase Freedom Unlimited®. Good credit required.
• Travel rewards: Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Excellent credit required.
• Store card: Best Buy® Credit Card. Good credit required.
• Warehouse Clubs: Costco Anywhere Visa® Card by Citi. Excellent credit required.
• For students: Journey Student Rewards from Capital One. Limited History accepted.

Should you choose a secured or unsecured credit card?

Deciding between an unsecured credit card and a secured credit card is a matter of creditworthiness. People with bad credit or limited credit history will benefit most from a secured card because they may not be able to get good terms with an unsecured card. Few banks and credit unions are willing to take on the risk of lending to applicants with badly damaged credit. As a result, there is a limited selection of unsecured credit card offers for people with below-average credit, and the cards that are available can be pretty expensive. Credit cards for students with no credit are a notable exception, though.

Given that borrowers basically prepay for their purchasing power with secured credit cards, such cards offer higher approval odds and charge lower fees than unsecured cards for poor credit. Secured credit cards also report to the major credit bureaus each month, and they look exactly like unsecured credit cards on credit reports. That means using a secured card responsibly can help you build or rebuild your credit just like an unsecured credit card. To learn more, check out our secured vs. unsecured credit cards comparison.

One of the easiest unsecured cards to get approved for is the Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit. You can get approved for it even with bad (300) credit. It offers a $300 starting spending limit. And you can use it wherever VISA is accepted.

This isn’t your only option, though. WalletHub’s editors compared all of the unsecured credit cards in our database of 1,500+ offers. And we selected our favorite easy-to-get offers.… read full answer

Here are some of the easiest unsecured credit cards to get approved for:

• Rewards: Credit One Visa.
• Small businesses: Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business​.
• No credit: Capital One Platinum Credit Card
• No annual fee: Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card.
• Easiest store card: Fingerhut Credit Account.
• Students: Journey Student Rewards from Capital One.

The easiest unsecured credit cards to get generally work best for minor emergencies. You will only receive a small amount of spending power, after all.

Unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit also tend to be very expensive, charging lots of fees and high interest rates. So, if you don’t need a small emergency loan, the best course of action is to improve your credit inexpensively with a secured card. Secured cards are cheaper than unsecured cards, build credit just as effectively, and offer the closest thing you’ll find to guaranteed approval.

To learn more, check out WalletHub's complete list of the year’s easiest credit cards to get approved for​.