2021's Best No Credit Check Credit Cards

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 5 secured credit cards with no credit check: OpenSky Secured Visa, the First Progress secured cards, and Applied Bank Secured Visa Gold Preferred. They're all pretty similar, too.

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.

Best Secured Credit Cards with No Credit Check

• First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card: Best for low APR
• OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card: Best for low annual fee
• Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card: Best for high credit limit
• First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card: 2nd lowest annual fee

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 Secured Mastercard® from Capital One or the Discover it® Secured Credit 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.

There is no such thing as a soft pull store credit card. Store credit cards only use soft pulls during the pre-approval process.

When you receive a pre-approved offer for a store credit card, it is because the issuer used a soft pull to do a preliminary check of your credit and determined that you were likely to be approved. But if you choose to apply for the card, the issuer will always perform a hard pull of your credit report. A hard pull will likely cause a small drop in your credit score, but it should bounce back quickly.

While there aren't any soft pull store credit cards, there are a few general-purpose credit cards that do not require a credit check. One example is the First Progress Platinum Elite Secured Credit Card. Another is the OpenSky Secured Visa. They just aren't affiliated with any particular retailer.

There aren't any unsecured cards you can get with no credit check. There are, however, secured credit cards that don't check applicants' credit history.

It is also worth noting that you may receive offers for cards that guarantee approval, or offers that you are “pre-approved” for; but those also require you to apply. And if you submit an application, you are giving the bank permission to permission to check your credit report and your credit score may suffer as a result.

Here's what happens with credit checks for unsecured cards:

Regardless of your credit profile, if you're going to apply for an unsecured credit card, a credit check is necessary. An issuer has to have some indication of your ability to pay back the debt, and the information in your credit report will assist them in making that assessment. Even if you're a student, or have limited credit, an issuer will need to know that before they'll extend you any credit.

And while there is a line of unsecured credit cards available for people with bad or limited credit, approval is not guaranteed without a credit check. That might seem to defeat the purpose, providing customers an opportunity to rebuild or establish credit. But there are instances that may surface during a credit check that would prompt an issuer may reject an application.

If you have a pending bankruptcy on your credit report, you will have little chance of getting approved for an unsecured credit card, and likely most secured cards. You might still be in the running for a secured credit card with no credit check.

The Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card, the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card, and the First Progress Platinum Elite Mastercard® Secured Credit Card all promote no credit check. You'll have to submit a deposit of at least $200 to set your credit limit, and some of that limit will be eaten up by annual fees.

Yes, applying for a secured card does count as a hard inquiry most of the time. Except for a handful of secured credit cards with no credit check, such as the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card and the Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card, applying for a secured credit card will result in a hard inquiry on the applicant's credit report. That is the case with unsecured credit cards, too.

A hard inquiry, also known as a hard pull, will likely drop your credit score by a few points temporarily. But if you haven't had any hard pulls conducted on your credit report over the past six months and you don't plan on applying for a sizable loan in the next few months, this shouldn't be a problem. Your credit score should rebound from a hard inquiry within a few months.

Also, remember that even though your credit score may drop after you apply, responsible use of a secured card will ultimately help your score much more than the inquiry will hurt it. The hard pull will likely be worth it, in other words, especially since secured cards tend to be pretty easy to get approved for. You can track your progress with free daily credit score and report updates from WalletHub.