The
Fifth Third Bank Secured Card is worth considering if you have a credit score below 640 and a Fifth Third bank account. Using this card responsibly can help you build credit, and your credit limit is based on your balance in a Fifth Third Bank savings account, which earns interest.
The downsides of this offer are the
$24 annual fee, high APR and lack of rewards. You won’t earn cash back, miles or points with this card, and if you don’t pay your bill in full every month, the card will cost you a lot more than it’s guaranteed to already.
What I Like About the Fifth Third Bank Secured Card
Available to people with bad credit
Believe it or not, but not all secured cards will accept people with bad credit. Fortunately, you can get the
Fifth Third Bank Secured Card with a bad credit score and use the card to rebuild your credit standing.
Reports to the major credit bureaus
Fifth Third Bank relays key account information to Experian, Equifax and TransUnion on a monthly basis. If this information reflects on-time payments and reasonable credit utilization, your credit score should improve. You can track your progress and get customized credit-improvement advice
for free here on WalletHub.
Security deposit earns interest
The
Fifth Third Bank Secured Card’s spending limit is based on the amount you have deposited in a Fifth Third savings account. The money in this account earns a bit of interest, meaning your balance should grow over time. That is not the case with most secured cards.
What I Don’t Like About the Fifth Third Bank Secured Card
$24 annual fee
The
Fifth Third Bank Secured Card is more expensive than the average credit card offer, according to
WalletHub’s Credit Card Landscape Report. It can still help you rebuild your credit at a relatively low price compared to unsecured credit cards for bad credit and some secured cards. But there are plenty of cheaper options, too, including several secured cards with no annual fee.
27.49% (V) APR
Carrying a balance from month to month with this card will cost you a pretty penny. Its APR is well above the average, both for a secured card and among all credit card offers available right now.
Besides, carrying a balance with a secured card isn’t the best idea because your spending limit is based on your deposit. In other words, you’re basically paying to borrow from yourself if you see interest charges on a secured card. You won’t owe interest if you pay the bill by the due date each month.
No rewards on purchases
Unlike some of the best secured credit cards available right now, the
Fifth Third Bank Secured Card does not offer an initial bonus or reward you for making purchases moving forward. Not earning rewards costs you at least 1% on every purchase.
If you’d like to explore alternatives, you can compare WalletHub’s editors’ picks for the
best secured credit cards on the market right now.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.