Are there other places like Fingerhut for bad credit?

You can buy gift cards with a credit card at some retailers but not others. For example, you can buy gift cards with a credit card at Walmart, Target and Amazon.com but not at Giant or Harris Teeter. Many stores don’t allow it because buying gift cards with counterfeit or stolen credit cards is a common practice. On that note, you may earn rewards when buying gift cards with a credit card, but if you use the money from those same gift cards to pay your credit card bill, you could lose your account due to rewards abuse.… read full answer

Here’s what you should know about buying gift cards with a credit card:

• A store may or may not allow it. It depends on how confident they are in their fraud protection.
• Retailers where you can buy gift cards with your credit card include Amazon, Target, Walmart, The Home Depot, Walgreens, CVS, Simon Malls and GiftCards.com.
• Some stores where you can’t buy gift cards with a credit card include Giant, Save Mart and Harris Teeter.
• Your issuer may or may not let you earn rewards for gift card purchases. For example, gift cards aren’t eligible for rewards on any American Express cards. But if you do get rewards from gift cards, you can’t turn those gift cards into cash and use the money to pay your bill.
• Many credit card rewards programs allow you to redeem your points or miles for gift cards, so that’s another avenue to get them with your credit card.

As more stores update their credit card security measures, you’ll probably see more and more places that let you buy gift cards with a credit card. But it’s always good to ask in-store before checking out, so you don’t end up being surprised.

There are a few ways to get Walmart credit card cash back. You can get cash back at the register in Walmart. You’ll get a $25 cash reward just for signing up and spending $25. And you’ll also get cash back on every purchase you make. All of that goes for both the … read full answerWalmart Store Card and the Walmart Mastercard. But you can only get a cash advance at an ATM with the Walmart Mastercard.

Here’s how to get Walmart credit card cash back:

• At the register. You can withdraw up to $100 in cash when you spend any amount at Walmart. It’s treated like a purchase, not a cash advance, so it’s not quite as expensive.
• At signup. When you get a Walmart credit card and spend $25 at Walmart on the same day, you’ll get a $25 statement credit.
• On purchases. You get 3% cash back on Walmart.com purchases, 2% on Murphy USA and Walmart gas, and 1% on everything else.
  
• At an ATM. The Walmart Mastercard allows you to withdraw up to $200 at a time from an ATM (monthly limit listed on your statement). But there’s a fee and a high interest rate, so it’s not ideal.

The best way to get Walmart credit card cash back is definitely to earn it by using your card. You save quite a bit on Walmart.com purchases, in particular. And if you need cold, hard cash rather than a statement credit, be sure to get it at the register rather than an ATM.

The best secured credit card with no credit check is the OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card because it has the lowest annual fee, at $35. There are a total of four secured credit cards with no credit check: OpenSky Secured Visa, Green Dot primor Visa Gold Secured, Green Dot primor Visa Classic Secured, and Applied Bank Secured Visa Gold Preferred. They’re all pretty similar, too.… read full answer

The annual fees on secured credit cards with no credit check range from $35 to $49 per year. All of the cards require a $200 security deposit. And they all report information to the big 3 credit bureaus each month. So any of them can help you immediately begin rebuilding your credit.

It’s important to note, however, that even a secured credit card with no credit check has some approval requirements. You have to be at least 18 years old, for one thing, and you need enough money for the refundable security deposit as well as monthly bill payments.

Here are the best secured credit cards with no credit check:

• Best for low APR: Green Dot primor Visa Gold Secured Credit Card. $49 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $5,000 maximum. 9.99% fixed APR with no penalty APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• Best for low annual fee: OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card. $35 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $3,000 maximum. 17.39% (V) APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• Best for high credit limit: Applied Bank Secured Visa Gold Preferred Credit Card. $48 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $5,000 maximum. 9.99% fixed APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• 2^nd lowest annual fee: Green Dot primor Visa Classic Secured Credit Card. $39 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $5,000 maximum. 13.99% fixed APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.

Before you apply for a secured credit card with no credit check, make sure you actually need it. Even secured cards that require a credit check are pretty easy to get. They’re meant for people with bad credit. And the refundable security deposit you place reduces the risk for issuers.

Individual issuers may have specific requirements that rule some people out. For example, you can’t get the Capital One Secured Mastercard or the Discover it Secured Card with a non-discharged bankruptcy on your credit report. But there are plenty of others whose main requirement is that you have enough money to fund the security deposit. And while they may do a credit check, most applicants should still get approved.

The hard inquiry that comes with a credit check shouldn’t be too big of a deal, either, if you end up opening an account. The score damage will be temporary. And you won’t be able to qualify for any worthwhile loans until you improve your score anyway. So if you don’t need the best possible score right now, taking a short-term hit to achieve long-term gains is the way to go.

Finally, if you’re nervous about getting rejected, you can check for pre-approval before applying. Pre-approval doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed an account. But it is a sign that your odds of approval are extremely high. If after all that you’re not confident in your ability to get approved, you can always go for a secured credit card with no credit check.