Secured Credit Cards

There is no Chase secured credit card available right now. In fact, there’s never been a secured credit card from Chase. Chase offers unsecured credit cards for people with good credit or better. That’s it. So you won’t have to place a deposit to get a Chase credit card, but you will need a 660+ credit score (700+, to be safe).

Although there is no Chase secured credit card, the same cannot be said for many of Chase’s competitors. Capital One, Citi, Discover and Wells Fargo are just some of the major banks that offer secured credit cards.

Secured Credit Card Options & Info

• No Chase secured credit card: Chase doesn’t have a secured card. The easiest Chase credit card to get requires at least good credit.
• Good for low deposits: Capital One Secured Mastercard has a $0 annual fee. It requires a deposit of $49, $99 or $200, based on your credit history. But you always start with a $200 credit limit.
• Easiest approval: OpenSky Secured Visa has no credit check. It charges a $35 annual fee and requires a $200+ deposit.
• Best cash back rewards: Discover it Secured has a $0 annual fee and 1-2% cash back on purchases: 2% cash back on $1,000 spent at restaurants and gas stations each quarter (1% everywhere else). And Discover matches your first year’s rewards. There is a $200+ deposit.

So even though you’re not able to get a Chase secured credit card, you still have plenty of options. And they’ll all help you start rebuilding your credit, plus save some money. Once you get your credit score to 700+, you can start thinking about applying for a Chase credit card.

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.

Here are the best secured credit cards with no credit check:

• Best for low APR: First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card. $49 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $5,000 maximum. 9.99% (V) APR with no penalty APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• Best for low annual fee: OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card. $35 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $3,000 maximum. 17.39% (V) APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• Best for high credit limit: Applied Bank Secured Visa Gold Preferred Credit Card. $48 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $5,000 maximum. 9.99% fixed APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• 2^nd lowest annual fee: First Progress Platinum Select Mastercard® Secured Credit Card. $39 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit, $5,000 maximum. 13.99% (V) APR. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.

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 Capital One Secured Mastercard or the Discover it Secured 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.

The best secured credit card to rebuild credit is the Capital One Secured Mastercard because of its low deposit requirement and $0 annual fee. The deposit is $49, $99 or $200, depending on your creditworthiness, but you’re guaranteed a $200 credit limit.

Another one of the best secured credit cards to rebuild credit is the OpenSky Secured Visa. It doesn’t even require a credit check when you apply, which makes it great for rebuilding really bad credit. Or, if you want to enjoy some perks while you rebuild, Discover it Secured is a rare secured card with rewards. You get 1% to 2% cash back on your purchases.

To be clear, all major secured credit cards can help you rebuild your credit. They all report account information to the major credit bureaus every month. And all those with low annual fees and low deposit requirements are in the running for the top spot. But the Discover, Capital One and OpenSky secured cards each bring something special to the table.

Here are the best secured credit cards to rebuild credit:

• Best for Rewards: Discover it Secured Credit Card – $0 annual fee. $200 deposit required. 2% cash back on your first $1,000 per quarter at gas stations and restaurants. 1% back on all other purchases. Rewards matched after your first year. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• Best for a Low Deposit: Capital One Secured Mastercard – $0 annual fee. $49, $99 or $200 deposit required. $200 minimum credit line guaranteed. No rewards. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• Best for No Credit Check: OpenSky Secured Visa Credit Card – $35 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit. No rewards. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.
• Best for low APR: First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card – $49 annual fee. $200 minimum deposit. No rewards. Reports to all 3 major credit bureaus.

There are a few more cards that belong among the best secured credit cards to rebuild credit with, too. The Citi Secured Mastercard, Harley-Davidson Secured Visa and First National Secured Visa don’t charge annual fees. And that’s one of the most important things to look for in a secured credit card.

The Applied Bank Secured Visa Gold Preferred Card also has a low APR, at 9.99%. But you probably don’t want to carry a balance from month to month with a secured credit card. It basically means paying interest on a loan you’ve given yourself, since you pre-pay your spending limit.

Choosing the best secured credit card to rebuild credit is only the first step toward actually rebuilding. You must also use that card responsibly month after month so that positive information flows to the credit bureaus. Regularly adding positive information to your credit reports gradually covers up the negative past records.

Your card will report positive information as long as you pay your bill on time every month. Using less than 30% of your spending limit each month or paying multiple times per month can also too. But if you really want to rebuild your credit, you’ll need to get the rest of your finances in order as well. That means paying down debt, catching up on past-due accounts and steering clear of collections accounts.

The Discover it Secured Card is the best secured credit card with no annual fee because it gives 1% to 2% cash back on purchases and has a $0 foreign transaction fee to go along with its $0 annual fee. Discover it Secured also matches 100% of the cash rewards a new cardholder earns the first year. And it reports to all 3 major credit bureaus each month.

There are some other worthwhile options, too. The Capital One Secured Mastercard is the best secured card with no annual fee and a low deposit (as low as $49). And motorcycle fans will benefit from the Harley-Davidson Secured Card’s rewards. Whichever no annual fee secured card you choose, you’ll have the opportunity to build your credit for free if you pay your bill in full every month, since your deposit is fully refundable. But it pays to compare offers.

Best Secured Credit Cards with No Annual Fee:

• Discover it Secured Card. $0 annual fee. $0 foreign transaction fee. 2% cash back on the first $1,000 per quarter at restaurants and gas stations and 1% everywhere else. $200 minimum deposit.
• Capital One Secured Mastercard. $0 annual fee. $0 foreign transaction fee. No rewards. $49, $99 or $200 minimum deposit depending on creditworthiness. $200 credit limit.
• Harley-Davidson Secured Card. $0 annual fee. 3% foreign transaction fee. 1 Harley-Davidson rewards point per $1 spent. 2,500 points gets a $25 gift card. Entered for a chance to win a free motorcycle every time card is used through 12/31/2018.
• Citi Secured Mastercard. $0 annual fee. 3% foreign transaction fee. No rewards. $200 minimum deposit.

There are several really good secured credit cards with no annual fee, and they’re available even to people whose credit is damaged. Some actually offer competitive rewards.

Any no annual fee secured credit card is an excellent way to start building up a positive payment history and rebuilding one’s credit score. Eventually, it will be easier to qualify for unsecured credit cards with better terms. But unsecured cards for people with poor credit almost always charge annual fees.

A secured credit card with no deposit wouldn’t be a secured credit card. Secured stands for security deposit, and a credit card without one is unsecured. So, no, you cannot get a secured credit card with no deposit. You can, however, get a secured card with a low deposit. Plus, there are some credit cards with no deposit for people with bad credit. But they tend to be more expensive in the long run, thanks to high fees that you don’t get back.

Here are the best secured credit cards for low deposits:

• Lowest Deposit: Capital One Secured Mastercard – $49, $99 or $200 minimum deposit. This is what’s known as a partially secured credit card because your credit limit ($200 to start) could be higher than the deposit you’re required to place. There’s no annual fee.
• Rewards: Discover it Secured – $200 minimum deposit. You get 2% cash back at restaurants and gas stations, up to $1,000 spent per quarter, plus 1% everywhere else. And Discover doubles all the rewards you earn the first year.
• No Credit Check: OpenSky Secured Visa – $200 minimum deposit. You don’t have to worry about a hard pull further damaging your credit with OpenSky Secured. As long as you’re at least 18 years old and can fund the deposit, you should be good to go. There’s a $35 annual fee.
• No Fee: Citi Secured Mastercard – $200 minimum depositThere’s nothing special about this card, save for its low deposit requirement and no annual fee. But that’s really all you need.
• Unsecured: Credit One Visa – $0 deposit. This isn’t a secured credit card, but it’s worth mentioning. It offers a $300 minimum credit line, up to $75 of which could initially be used up by your first-year fee. The annual fee could be up $99 from the second year on. And the APR could be above 25%.

Any of these cards will help you rebuild your credit if used responsibly. Most importantly, that means paying on time every month.

Finally, it’s worth noting that although you can’t get a secured credit card without a security deposit, you can keep one – sort of. After months of responsible use, your card’s issuer may offer to refund your deposit. They may graduate you to a better offer or give you an unsecured line of credit on your existing account.

The best secured credit card with rewards is Discover it Secured because it has a $0 annual fee and offers 2% cash back on up to $1,000 spent at gas stations and restaurants every quarter. It also gives 1% back on all other purchases, and Discover matches all your cash back earned during the first year.

Another card in the running for best secured credit card with rewards is the AeroMexico Secured Visa. It’s extremely rare to see an airline card for bad credit. But this one gives a nice bonus of 3,500 miles and a companion ticket just for using the card once. Plus, you get 2 miles per $1 on gas and groceries and 1 on all other purchases.

The Best Western Secured card is yet another good secured credit card with rewards. It gives 3 points per $1 on Best Western purchases and 2 on everything else. And you get a 5,000-point bonus for making a single purchase.

Discover it Secured is the best secured credit card with rewards, all things considered. But it definitely isn’t the only card in the conversation. It’s good to weigh all your options before settling on the best card for you. By the way, all of these cards report to the credit bureaus on a monthly basis, giving you the chance to build credit with on-time payments.

Here are the best secured credit cards with rewards:

• Overall: Discover it Secured. $0 annual fee. $200 security deposit. 2% back on the first $1,000 spent on gas and dining per quarter. 1% back on everything else. First-year rewards doubled.
• Airline Miles: AeroMexico Secured Visa. $25 annual fee. $300 security deposit. 3,500 bonus miles and 1 companion ticket ($99 value) after first use. 2 miles per $1 spent on gas and groceries and 1 on other purchases. Companion ticket each account anniversary. Free checked bags on AeroMexico flights.
• Motorcycle Rewards: Harley-Davidson Secured Visa. $0 annual fee. $300 security deposit. 1 point per $1 on all purchases. 2,000 points gets you a $25 H-D gift card.
• Hotel Points: Best Western Secured Credit Card $29 annual fee. $300 deposit. 5,000 bonus points after first use. 3 points per $1 spent at Best Western. 2 points per $1 on other purchases. 10% discount at bwrcarddiscount.com.
• Military Community: Navy Federal Credit Union nRewards Secured Mastercard. $0 annual fee. $500 deposit. 1 point per $1 on all purchases.
• Small Business: Wells Fargo Business Secured Mastercard. $25 annual fee. $500 deposit. 1.5% cash back on all purchases.

There are a few factors you should consider when choosing a secured credit card. They include the annual fee, the minimum deposit requirement and whether the card offers rewards.

Paying an annual fee just to get rewards only makes sense if the amount you’ll earn exceeds both the fee and your expected earnings with a cheaper card combined. Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about that because the best secured credit card with rewards also happens not to charge an annual fee.

The best secured credit card with a low deposit is the Capital One Secured Mastercard because new cardholders may be able to put down as little as $49 and still get a $200 credit line, which would make the card only partially secured. The other deposit options ($99 and $200) are pretty low, too. And there’s a $0 annual fee.

Other secured cards don’t have the potential to be quite as cheap, but there are a few really good options with a $200 deposit minimum. That’s still pretty low compared to the many secured cards that ask for $300-$500+.

Here are the best secured credit cards with low deposits:

• Capital One Secured Mastercard: $49, $99 or $200 minimum deposit ($1,000 max), $0 annual fee and $0 foreign transaction fee. $200 starting credit limit.

• Discover it Secured: $200 minimum deposit ($2,500 max), $0 annual fee and $0 foreign transaction fee. 2% cash back on the first $1,000 spent at restaurants and gas stations per quarter. 1% back everywhere else. First year’s rewards matched.

• OpenSky Secured Visa: $200 minimum deposit ($3,000 max), $35 annual fee. 3% foreign transaction fee. No credit pull when you apply.

• First Progress Platinum Prestige Secured Credit Card: $200 minimum deposit ($2,000 max), $49 annual fee. 3% foreign transaction fee. 9.99% (V) interest rate, and no penalty APR.

The Capital One Secured credit card doesn’t guarantee a low deposit, but it does offer the chance of one. If your credit is toward the bottom of the bad credit range, you’ll probably still have to put down a $200 deposit. But the higher your credit score is, the better chance you’ll have of being assigned a $49 or $99 deposit.

The main difference between a secured credit card and an unsecured credit card is that you’re required to place a refundable security deposit to get a secured card. The amount of this deposit typically serves as the credit limit for the secured card, which means you have to pre-pay for purchases with a secured card. You’ll usually have to put down the deposit when you apply, and you’ll get it back when you close your account or upgrade to an unsecured credit card. Unsecured credit cards, on the other hand, give access to a credit line that isn’t “secured” with a deposit.

There is no difference between secured and unsecured credit cards when it comes to building credit. All major secured cards report account information to the major credit bureaus on a monthly basis, just like unsecured cards. In fact, you can’t tell secured and unsecured cards apart on a credit report. So as long as you use either type of card responsibly, your credit score will improve.

Below, you can get a better feel for the differences and similarities between secured and unsecured credit cards by seeing how they compare in several important categories.

Secured vs. Unsecured Credit Cards: Key Differences

Approval Odds of Secured Credit Cards vs Unsecured Credit Cards

Secured credit cards are easier to get approved for than unsecured cards. Because you’re technically pre-funding your credit line with a secured credit card, you can’t spend more than you can afford to repay. The deposit is held in an account by the card issuer, so if you don’t pay your bills, the deposit is used to cover the cost. That’s why secured credit cards are able to offer nearly-guaranteed approval to people with bad credit, while charging very reasonable fees. That being said, secured credit cards are real credit cards – they have interest rates, and you have to pay your monthly bill on time.

In contrast, unsecured credit cards tend to be harder to get, because the card issuer takes on a lot more risk by extending an unsecured credit line. In other words, you can spend more on an unsecured card than you can afford to repay. There are unsecured credit cards for people of all credit levels, but if you have bad credit, you’re likely to pay high non-refundable fees for a very small line of unsecured credit.

Of course, unsecured credit cards have more potential overall and are what you want in your wallet at the end of the day. No secured credit card offers a $400+ initial bonus or a 0% APR for 12+ months. But plenty of unsecured credit cards do. It’s just that you have to prove yourself before becoming eligible for such an offer. And using a secured card is one of the most dependable ways to do that, especially if you’ve made mistakes with credit in the past.

Choosing Between Secured & Unsecured Credit Cards

Overall, the toughest decision between secured and unsecured credit cards comes when you have damaged credit. With bad credit, it’s harder to get approved for an unsecured credit card, and the unsecured options available to people with bad credit are far less attractive.

If you have limited, fair, good or excellent credit, you should be able to start with a solid unsecured card. If you’ve got bad credit and the flexibility to choose either a secured credit card or an unsecured one, always go secured. It will cost you a lot less in the long run and help you build credit just the same. You can check your credit score for free on WalletHub to see where you stand.

Partially secured credit cards have spending limits that are bigger than the refundable security deposit held by the issuer as collateral. For example, the Capital One Secured Mastercard can be partially secured since your deposit could be as low as $49 while your spending limit starts at $200.

With a partially secured credit card, a credit card company only has a partial guarantee that they will be repaid if the cardholder maxes out the card. That’s why it’s rare for a secured card to be partially secured from the start.

It’s more common for a secured credit card to become partially secured or unsecured after a while. This happens when the issuer gives the cardholder a credit-limit increase. Or, they may give a deposit refund as a reward for consistently paying on time.

The Capital One Secured Mastercard is the only card available right now that can be partially secured from the start.

Best Partially Secured Credit Card:

• The Capital One Secured Mastercard is the only partially secured credit card.
• All Capital One Secured cardholders start with a $200 credit limit.
• The deposit you’re required to place could be $49, $99 or $200, depending on your creditworthiness.
• If your credit history, income and debt situation are all really bad, you’ll probably have to put down the full $200. But if you’re closer to fair credit or have limited experience, it may be partially secured.
• Capital One secured has no annual fee, regardless of what your deposit winds up being.

Don’t get too bummed out about the lack of partially secured credit card options, though. As far as credit building goes, there’s no difference between a fully secured credit card, a partially secured credit card and an unsecured credit card. The amount of your security deposit, if you have one, is not listed on your credit reports.

There are only a couple of added benefits that a partially secured credit card provides relative to a fully secured card. For one thing, they offer the ability to borrow. You can’t really get a loan from a fully secured credit card because you have to fully prepay your purchases. And with a partially secured credit card, you get to keep more of your money out of the credit card company’s custody.

The only American Express secured credit card is the USAA Secured American Express card. It has a $35 annual fee and requires a deposit of at least $250. The card also has a special lowered interest rate of just 4% for deployed military personnel. This card is issued by USAA, but it is on the American Express card network. There is no American Express secured credit card issued by Amex. All American Express-issued credit cards require at least good credit for approval.

To get the USAA American Express secured credit card, you must be a USAA member. You can join USAA if you are active or former military. You’re also eligible to join if your spouse or a parent is a USAA member with a USAA auto/property insurance policy.