The Merrick Bank Secured Card is a pretty good credit card for people with bad credit who don’t mind paying a small annual fee in order to begin rebuilding their credit. This Merrick Bank credit card has a
$36 annual fee the first year (
$0 after) as well as a $3 monthly fee that kicks in the second year. Account activity is reported to the three major credit bureaus, so on-time payments will help improve your credit score.
Merrick Bank Secured Card Review Highlights
Fees aren’t terrible (or great)
The
Merrick Bank Secured Card has a
$36 annual fee the first year, which gets replaced by a $3 monthly fee on your first account anniversary. So it’s not the most expensive option you’ll come across, but it’s not the cheapest, either.
Reasonable, flexible security deposit
A lot of secured credit cards require a higher minimum deposit than the
Merrick Bank Secured Card’s
$200. So you won’t have to temporarily sacrifice too much cash.
You can also add to your deposit whenever you want, up to a total of $3,000. Having a higher limit helps make everyday spending more manageable and fuels credit score growth.
If you’d like to monitor your progress, WalletHub’s
free daily credit score updates can help.
Possible credit-limit increases
After your account has been open for at least nine months, Merrick Bank might increase your credit limit if you’ve paid the bills on time and kept your credit utilization low. If you get a higher limit, you won’t have to put down an additional deposit.
Not a good option for financing
The
Merrick Bank Secured Card charges interest at a fairly high rate. Besides, it’s generally not a good idea to carry a balance from month to month with a secured card. Since you self-funded your credit line, you’d be getting charged interest for spending your own money.
Good user reviews
Reading Merrick Bank Credit Card reviews can be helpful, giving you a sense of what actual cardholders think of the offer and perhaps alerting you about pitfalls to avoid. In general, though, users on WalletHub have a pretty high opinion of the Merrick Bank Secured Card, giving it a score of
3.7 / 5 on average. A majority of people award the card at least four stars.
Far better secured cards are available
Before applying for the
Merrick Bank Secured Card, make sure to check out WalletHub’s picks for
2025’s best secured credit cards. You can pay less in fees and actually earn rewards on purchases in some cases.
Note: This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. Opinions and ratings are our own.