Credit Cards for Students with Bad Credit
WalletHub makes it easy to find the best student credit card with bad credit.
Credit cards for students with bad credit make it possible to build positive credit history at a low cost. Very few student credit cards accept applicants with bad credit scores, usually requiring limited credit or better for approval. But there are other credit cards for students with bad credit to use instead – most notably, secured credit cards. Secured cards tend to have low fees, and the refundable security deposit you must place doubles as your credit limit, ensuring you won’t get in over your head (some cards are from WalletHub partners). Unsecured cards for bad credit tend to be far more expensive in the long run.
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Best Credit Cards for Students with Bad Credit:
- Credit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card
- Secured Mastercard® from Capital One
- OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
- Discover it® Secured Credit Card
- Milestone® Mastercard® - Less Than Perfect Credit Considered
- Fingerhut Credit Account
- First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card… show more
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Showing 1 – 6 of 6
OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Secured Card
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Min Deposit of $200
One-Time Fees
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None
Regular APR
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17.39% (V)
Additional Info
- No credit check necessary to apply. OpenSky believes in giving an opportunity to everyone.
- The refundable* deposit you provide becomes your credit line limit on your Visa card. Choose it yourself, from as low as $200.
- Build credit quickly. OpenSky reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
- 99% of our customers who started without a credit score earned a credit score record with the credit bureaus in as little as 6 months.
- We have a Facebook community of people just like you; there is a forum for shared experiences, and insights from others on our Facebook Fan page. (Search “OpenSky Card” in Facebook.)
- *View our Cardholder Agreement located at the bottom of the application page for details of the card
- See More Details & Reviews About TheOpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card
Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card Applied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card
Secured Card
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Min Deposit of $200
One-Time Fees
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None
Regular APR
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9.99%
Additional Info
- Better than Prepaid...Go with a Secured Card! Load One Time - Keep On Using
- Absolutely No Credit Check or Minimum Credit Score Required
- Automatic Reporting to All Three National Credit Bureaus
- 9.99% Low Fixed APR - Your Rate Won’t Go Up Even if You Are Late
- Activate Today with a $200 Minimum Deposit - Maximum $1,000. Increase Your Credit Limit up to $5,000 by Adding Additional Deposits Anytime
- See More Details & Reviews About TheApplied Bank® Secured Visa® Gold Preferred® Credit Card
Credit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card Credit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card
One-Time Fees
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None
Regular APR
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17.99% - 23.99% (V)
Annual Fee
$0 - $99
Monthly Fee
None
Rewards Rate
0 - 1% Cash Back
Minimum Credit
Bad Credit
Rewards Details
- Earn 1% cash back rewards on eligible gas, grocery purchases and mobile phone, internet, cable and satellite TV services. Terms apply.
Additional Info
- See if you Pre-Qualify without harming your credit score
- Track your progress with free online access to your Experian credit score, terms apply
- Looking to rebuild credit? We report to the major credit bureaus monthly
- Accounts are automatically reviewed for credit line increase opportunities
- Make paying your bill easier with the ability to choose your payment due date, terms apply
- Stay in-the-know with customizable account alerts via email and text
- Enjoy peace of mind with $0 Fraud Liability
- See More Details & Reviews About TheCredit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card
Destiny Mastercard® Destiny Mastercard®
One-Time Fees
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None
Regular APR
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24.9%
Additional Info
- All the benefits of a Mastercard, without a security deposit
- Keeping your account in good standing may help establish and/or improve your credit history
- Less than perfect credit is okay, even with a prior bankruptcy!
- Prequalify for a card today and it will not impact your credit score
- Reports to all three major credit bureaus
- See More Details & Reviews About TheDestiny Mastercard®
Total VISA® Credit Card Total VISA® Credit Card
One-Time Fees
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$89*
Regular APR
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34.99%*
Annual Fee
$75 1st yr, $48 after*
Monthly Fee
None 1st year, $6.25 after*
Minimum Credit
Bad Credit
Additional Info
- Checking Account Required
- Fast and easy application process; response provided in seconds
- A genuine Visa® card accepted by merchants nationwide across the USA and online
- Manageable monthly payments
- $300 credit limit (subject to available credit).
- Reports monthly to all three major credit bureaus
- Select your favorite card design from our gallery, for free!
- *See rates, fees, costs and limitations for additional details
- See More Details & Reviews About TheTotal VISA® Credit Card
First Access VISA® Credit Card First Access VISA® Credit Card
One-Time Fees
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$95*
Regular APR
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34.99%*
Annual Fee
$75 1st yr, $48 after*
Monthly Fee
None 1st year, $6.25 after*
Minimum Credit
Bad Credit
Additional Info
- Get the security and convenience of a full-feature, unsecured Visa® Credit Card – accepted at millions of merchant and ATM locations nationwide and online
- Reporting monthly to all three major credit reporting agencies
- Perfect credit not required for approval; we may approve you when others won’t
- Easy and secure online application
- $300 credit limit (subject to available credit)
- Receive your card more quickly with optional Expedited Processing (additional fee applies)
- Get a result in as little as 60 seconds upon completion of the online application
- Select your favorite card design from our gallery, for free!
- All credit histories considered for this no security deposit credit card
- Online Customer Center available 24 x 7
- Issued by The Bank of Missouri
- *See rates, fees, costs and limitations for additional details
- See More Details & Reviews About TheFirst Access VISA® Credit Card
NO FOREIGN FEE
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WalletHub's Best Credit Cards for Students with Bad Credit
The best credit card for students with bad credit is Discover it® Secured Credit Card because it has a $0 annual fee, a $0 foreign transaction fee and very nice rewards. The Discover it Secured Credit Card gives 2% cash back on a total of $1,000 spent each quarter at gas stations and restaurants – great for commuting and eating around campus. All other purchases earn 1% back. Discover also doubles all the rewards cardholders earn the first year.You don’t have to be a student to get the Discover it Secured Credit Card. But “student” credit cards do not accept applicants with poor credit. So you have to consider other options. With that in mind, WalletHub’s editors compared 1,000+ credit card offers in search of the best cards for students with bad credit, and you can find their selections below.
Best Credit Cards for Students with Bad Credit Compared
| Credit Card | Best For | Annual Fee | Minimum Deposit |
| Discover it® Secured Credit Card | Best Overall | $0 | $200 |
| OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card | No Credit Check | $35 | $200 |
| Fingerhut Credit Account | Store Card | $0 | None |
| Milestone® Mastercard® - Less Than Perfect Credit Considered | No Deposit | $35 - $99* | None |
| Secured Mastercard® from Capital One | International Travel | $0 | $49, $99 or $200 |
| Credit One Bank® Visa® Credit Card | No Security Deposit | $0 - $99 | None |
If you happen to have bad credit as a student because of mistakes made with a credit card you were an authorized user on, things actually aren’t so bad. Authorized users aren’t responsible for making payments, so they can’t really be punished for mistakes made by the main accountholder. As a result, you can simply ask the major credit bureaus to remove any authorized-user accounts that have negative information associated with them. Doing so could immediately improve your credit standing and expand your credit-card options.
Questions & Answers
Comparing student credit cards with bad credit can be tough. But you’ve got the knowledgeable WalletHub community on your side. We encourage everyone to share their knowledge while respecting our content guidelines. Please keep in mind that editorial and user-generated content on this page is not reviewed or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution. In addition, it is not the financial institution’s responsibility to ensure all posts and questions are answered....show moreshow less
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Featured Credit Cards
Ask the Experts
Ask the Experts: Credit Card Tips for Students with Bad Credit
• What advice do you have for students who find themselves with a bad credit score?
• What should students with bad credit look for in a credit card, and how should they use it?
• Would you recommend that a student with poor credit open a secured credit card account?
• Is there any benefit to having bad credit as a student versus later in life?
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Meeghan Rogers
Assistant Professor of Finance, Business Management, Farmingdale State College - School of Business
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Jacob P. Sybrowsky
Ph.D. CRC®, Associate Dean, Woodbury School of Business, Utah Valley University
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Julie Kalkowski
Executive Director of the Financial Hope Collaborative at Creighton University
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Amanda Alt
Instructor of Accountancy, University of Illinois, Gies College of Business
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Nan Qin
Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Northern Illinois University, College of Business
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Stephen Calkins
Professor, Wayne State University Law School
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More Experts
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