What unsecured credit cards can I get after a bankruptcy?

The Fingerhut Credit Account is the easiest unsecured card to get approved for. But it won’t suit everyone’s needs. Fingerhut is an online marketplace, and its card can only be used to make purchases on the site. So, while it will give you an unsecured line of credit, it won’t really help you cover emergency expenses.… read full answer

If you’re looking for a card that can be used for anything, the Credit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card is your best bet. You can get approved for it with bad credit. It offers a $300 starting spending limit. And you can use it wherever Visa is accepted.

Those aren’t your only options, though. WalletHub’s editors compared all of the unsecured credit cards in our database of 1,000+ offers. And we selected our favorite easy-to-get offers.

Here are the easiest unsecured credit cards to get:

• Good Overall: Fingerhut Credit Account.
• With Rewards: Credit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card.
• For Small Businesses: Capital One® Spark® Classic for Business.
• For Limited Credit: Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card.
• For Students: Deserve® EDU Mastercard for Students.

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​.

A credit score of at least 550 to 650 is needed for an unsecured credit card in most cases, though it’s possible to get approved for an unsecured card with a lower score or even no credit score. For example, some of the best beginner and student cards are unsecured and will approve applicants with little or no credit.… read full answer

If your credit score is below the 550 to 650 threshold needed to get a good unsecured card, you’d be much better off applying for a secured card such as the Discover it® Secured Credit Card or the Secured Mastercard® from Capital One. They’re easier to get than unsecured cards because you’re putting up your own money, typically a minimum deposit of $200, to secure the account.

For people with bad credit who are set on getting an unsecured card, two of the best options are the Credit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card (cash back on select purchases) and the Indigo® Mastercard® for Less than Perfect Credit (no upfront fees). Remember, unsecured credit cards for bad credit do not require a security deposit to open an account. As such, they typically come with low credit limits, high fees and high interest rates.

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

Types of unsecured credit cards

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.

Popular Unsecured Credit Cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card - Good
• Wells Fargo Cash Wise Visa® card - Good
• Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card - Limited History
• Capital One Platinum Credit Card - Limited History
• Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® with Cash Back Rewards - Fair

Secured or unsecured?

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.