Best No Credit Check Credit Cards

The easiest credit cards to get approved for with no credit or bad credit are secured credit cards. These cards have annual fees as low as $0 and report monthly to the 3 major credit bureaus. Some even give rewards of 1% or more. To help people with no credit or bad credit maximize their odds of approval for a credit card, WalletHub’s editors compared the approval requirements for more than 1,500 credit card offers, along with their fees, rates and rewards.

Easiest Credit Cards to Get Approved For

This content is not provided or commissioned by any issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of an issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by an issuer. Please keep in mind that while some offers may come from WalletHub advertising partners, sponsorship status played no role in card selection. 

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Credit cards for no credit are credit cards that offer high approval odds to people with limited credit history, even total newcomers with no borrowing experience. The best credit cards for no credit can also help you save money, thanks to $0 annual fees and even rewards in many cases. 

Based on WalletHub’s years of experience and analysis of 1,500+ credit card offers, all major credit cards for people with no credit history can make everyday spending safer and more convenient, as well as help you build a good credit score (some cards are from WalletHub partners). To help point you in the right direction, WalletHub editors compared all of the credit cards for people with no credit in WalletHub’s database of 1,500+ offers using a 100-point credit card rating system that has been perfected over the years. You can check out the top options below.

As you compare credit cards for people with no credit, it’s important to remember that responsibly using a credit card is the best way to build credit from scratch. Using a credit card doesn’t have to be risky, either. You don’t even need to spend any money to benefit. According to WalletHub’s research, simply having an open credit card account that’s in good standing will send positive information to the major credit bureaus every month.
 

4 Best Credit Cards for No Credit (February 2023)

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Yes, you can get an unsecured credit card with a 500 credit score, but you will likely end up with high fees, high interest rates, and a low credit limit. The best unsecured credit card to get with a 500 credit score is the Credit One Visa card.

The Credit One Visa offers a $300 starting credit limit, the potential for automatic credit line increases, and an annual fee of $75 intro 1st yr, $99 after. Cardholders earn rewards on select purchases, too.

Still, the odds of getting approved for a decent unsecured credit card are higher with a credit score of at least 640. And the higher your credit score is, the better your chances of getting an unsecured card with good terms will be.

Unsecured Credit Cards to Get with a 500 Credit Score

While Credit One Visa may be the best unsecured credit card for people with a 500 credit score, it's still not the most attractive option overall. People with bad credit who are in the market for a credit card should look into applying for a secured card instead. Most secured cards come with $0 annual fees, and some cards, such as the Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card, give rewards on purchases.

Secured cards are also easier to get than unsecured cards because you'll have to pay a security deposit, usually $200 at a minimum, to open the account. The amount of your deposit determines your credit limit in most cases, and you can increase your limit by adding more money to your deposit. Your deposit is fully refundable when you close the account in good standing.

The best instant approval credit card with no credit check is the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card. Since it's a secured credit card, it requires a deposit of $200, at a minimum. The annual fee is $35. It's important to note that instant approval is not guaranteed.

Some of the Best Instant Approval Cards with No Ccredit Check

If you get one of these credit cards and keep your account in good standing, you can improve your credit score. And you'll eventually be able to get some of the best deals on the market.

A business credit card with no personal credit check is hard to come by. Secured business credit cards are much easier to get than regular unsecured business credit cards, but there's still a personal credit check involved, and you'll have to pay a security deposit. A personal credit check allows lenders to measure a business owner's ability to pay back any debts when there's little or no business credit history to review.

In addition to the personal credit check, lenders require business owners to provide a personal guarantee. This states that the business owner is personally responsible for paying off any balance if the business is unable to do so. Very few business cards don't require a personal guarantee.

If you don't have good credit, there are personal credit cards that do not require a credit check at all. You can use them for business purposes, but they usually require a security deposit and don't let you borrow money.

If you decide that you're comfortable applying for a business credit card despite the personal credit check, check out our editors' top picks for the best business credit cards for each credit level. You might also be interested in WalletHub's credit building guide. This will help you on your road to excellent credit.

The best American Express business credit card with no credit check is the American Express Corporate Platinum Card because it offers the best rewards. Amex offers a few corporate credit cards that do not check the applicant's credit history or report account activity to the consumer credit bureaus. Amex will review the company's financial track record instead.

Best American Express Business Credit Cards with No Credit Check

• The American Express Corporate Platinum Card: $550 annual fee
• The American Express Corporate Gold Card: $250 annual fee
• The American Express Corporate Green Card: $75 annual fee

To get an American Express corporate credit card, your company must be a corporation, LLC, or LLP, and have an annual revenue of at least $4 million. That means Amex corporate cards are not a good option for small business owners.

Credit cards for small business owners with no credit check are hard to come by. All of the Amex cards for small businesses, for instance, require a personal credit check. If you are in the market for a credit card with no credit check, you will most likely have to apply for a personal credit card instead, which can also be used for business-related purchases.

For more options, you can compare 2023's best credit cards with no credit check on WalletHub.

Unsecured credit cards for bad credit are credit cards that do not require a security deposit, which makes it possible for people with damaged credit to borrow money for emergency expenses. Unsecured credit cards for bad credit also have tougher approval requirements and higher fees than secured credit cards – the other option for people with bad credit scores (some offers are from WalletHub partners).

To help you keep costs down, WalletHub’s editors put their years of experience to work comparing all of the unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit in our database of 1,500+ offers and rating them in a variety of categories. Below, you can learn more about the cards WalletHub’s proprietary 100-point credit card rating system identified as the top options. If you decide to apply for one of these unsecured cards, make sure you have a plan for repaying what you spend. 

According to WalletHub research, unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit charge more than twice as much interest as the average credit card, so the sooner you pay, the less you’ll have to spend. In addition, unsecured credit cards for people with bad credit tend to have low spending limits, and you can’t increase your credit limit simply by paying more, as is the case when you add to a secured card’s deposit. As a result, WalletHub’s credit card experts recommend getting a secured card unless you absolutely need an emergency loan of $200 or less.

Best Unsecured Credit Cards for Bad Credit

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One of the best secured credit cards with no credit check is OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card because it is among the cheapest options and will likely give you a decision within moments after you apply. There are, however, a few more secured credit cards with no credit check to choose from.

Best Secured Credit Cards with No Credit Check

The annual fees on secured credit cards with no credit check range from $29 to $48 per year. The cards require a minimum deposit of $200. All these cards report information to the big 3 major credit bureaus each month. So, any of them can help you immediately begin rebuilding your credit.

Still, it's important to note 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 your monthly bill payments.

Why You Shouldn't Rule Out Secured Cards With a Credit Check

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 most secured cards with a non-discharged bankruptcy on your credit report. But there are plenty of other cards whose main requirement is that you have enough money to fund the security deposit. Plus, while they may do a credit check, most applicants should still get approved.

What You Need to Know About Credit Checks

Keep in mind that the hard inquiry that comes with a credit check shouldn't be too big of a deal, 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.

The best no-credit-check credit card with no deposit is the Tomo Credit Card, which uses a proprietary method to determine eligibility instead of your credit history. The Tomo Credit Card offers cardholders N/A on purchases and a $0 annual fee.

This card's balance is automatically paid in full, starting out each week and then shifting to a more traditional monthly payment, using your linked bank account. This means you can't carry a balance from one billing period to the next, and no interest charges will accrue.

While an unsecured credit card can be appealing because it doesn't require a deposit, most unsecured cards require a credit check, limiting your options. Some people looking for a card with no credit check may want to consider a secured card with a refundable deposit to increase their options.

Best Secured Credit Cards With No Credit Check

If you have bad credit, looking for no-credit-check cards can increase your chances of approval and help you build credit. You can also check out the best unsecured credit cards for bad credit for more options without an initial deposit.

No, there aren't any soft pull store credit card. Store credit cards only use soft pulls during the pre-approval process.

Things to know about the store cards pre-approval and application process:

• When you receive a pre-approved offer for a store credit card, it means the issuer used a soft pull to do a preliminary check of your credit. 
• Getting pre-approved for a store card means the issuer determined that you were likely to be approved. Note that approval is not guaranteed.
• If you choose to apply for a store 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. They just aren't affiliated with any particular retailer.