The best second chance credit card is the cheapest offer that you can get approved for with damaged credit. After all, your top priority at this point in your credit career should be to open a credit card and make on-time payments in order to add positive information to your credit reports every month. Beyond that, you should try to save as much money as possible.
With those criteria in mind, our editors compared 1,000+ credit cards in search of the best second chance offers available. You can find their favorites below.
2017’s Best Second Chance Credit Cards
| Best For… | Card Name | Editors’ Rating | One-Time Fee | Annual Fee | Minimum Deposit |
| No Credit Check | OpenSky℠ Secured Visa® Credit Card | 4 Stars | $0 | $35 | $200 |
| International Travel | Capital One® Secured Mastercard® | 5 Stars | $0 | $0 | $49, $99 or $200 |
| No Security Deposit | Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® | 3 Stars | $0 | $0 - $99 | $0 |
| Rewards | Discover it® Secured Credit Card | 5 Stars | $0 | $0 | $200 |
Unless you absolutely need an emergency loan, placing a refundable security deposit to open a secured credit card account is the best way to make the most of your second chance. The deposit makes it a lot easier to get approved, and you’ll get it back when you close your account in good standing. An unsecured credit card for bad credit, on the other hand, is likely to have high, non-refundable fees and provide only a very small credit line.
We also recommend signing up for a free WalletHub account to get free credit scores (updated daily) as well as personalized credit-improvement advice.
