Can anyone get a secured credit card?

No, not everyone can get a secured card. While secured credit cards have more lenient approval requirements and are generally designed for people looking to repair their bad credit, approval is not guaranteed.

Even though secured cards are open to applicants with bad credit, other factors are also taken into consideration. These include your income, debt, and general ability to make credit card payments. In addition, all secured cards require you to be at least years 18 years old. And you’ll need a valid U.S. address and a Social Security number (SSN) for most. If you ever get denied for a secured credit card, consider some tips to improve your chances next time you apply.

For good odds of approval, it’s worth checking out some of the best secured credit cards with no credit check. The OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card, for instance, is open to applicants with bad credit and does not perform any credit checks. It requires a minimum security deposit of $200 and charges a $35 annual fee. If you’d like better rates and spending-based rewards, feel free to also take a look at our Editors' top picks of the best secured credit cards. ​

Hi!  I’m glad you wrote – sorry if your credit isn’t at the level you’d like it to be right now, but it sounds like you are working to take steps to improve it.  A secured credit card is a great way to begin to build it back, and even people with bad credit are likely to qualify.  Wallet Hub has a great search tool for finding possible secured credit cards and offers this advice: “If you've made some missteps along the way and now have bad credit (or below-average credit), applying for one of the following credit cards could be a good first step to a fresh start (certain offers are sponsored). To rebuild your credit history you must make on-time payments to all of your creditors and maintain balances below your credit limits. By doing so, positive information will get added to your major credit reports each month and will dilute the effects of previous mistakes like bankruptcy , foreclosure, charge-offs or missed payments . Before you apply for a credit card for poor credit, however, you should compare all of the offers on this page to make sure that you’re getting the best terms for your needs. Our recommendation is that you choose a secured credit card , as it will offer the highest chances of approval and charge the lowest fees. Finally, avoid falling for the trap of thinking a prepaid card can help you build credit. While some advertisements might suggest that, it’s simply not true. “

I hope this info helps – best wishes to you!

The way I know it is: you can't get approved if you have a pending bankruptcy, or if they can't verify your identity. I'm sure there are other things that would get you rejected, but at least you should make sure you've got those two down.