Deserve Classic Mastercard Review for May 2026

May 14, 2025

Written By John S Kiernan

WalletHub Managing Editor

Fact checkedFact Checked by Alina Comoreanu, WalletHub Senior Researcher

WalletHub Senior Researcher

Editor’s Rating

3.1 out of 5 rating 3.1 / 5

Opinions and ratings are our own. This review is not provided, commissioned or endorsed by any issuer. WalletHub independently collected information for some of the cards on this page.

Note: This card is no longer open to new applications. Information listed here may no longer be accurate. People are also interested in the Petal® 2 Visa® Credit Card.

Pros

No membership fees
No foreign fee
Qualify with fair credit

Cons

No rewards
High regular APR

The Verdict: The Deserve® Classic Mastercard is a credit card designed for people with fair credit. Deserve Classic will help you build credit if you pay your bill on time every month, but it doesn’t bring much else to the table.

You won’t earn points, miles or cash back with each purchase you make. Instead, you’ll be the one doing the paying. If you don’t pay your bill in full every month, you’ll have to pay interest at a pretty high rate.

If you get approved for the Deserve Classic Credit Card, your spending limit could be as high as $1,500. But Deserve doesn’t disclose the minimum amount your credit limit could be. And while they advertise the ability to upgrade to Deserve Pro with “good behavior,” they don’t detail what that means.

So at the end of the day, the Deserve Classic Mastercard isn’t a bad way to get your credit career in shape. Below, you can learn more about this card’s strengths and weaknesses as well as see how it compares to some of the most popular starter cards on the market.

Deserve® Classic Mastercard

3.79 out of 5 rating109 Reviews

Regular APR

23.99% (V)

Annual Fee

Credit Score

Fair

Additional Info

A credit card for those who are new-to-credit, or just starting out
Cellphone Protection
Extended Warranty
Mastercard Platinum Benefits
More Details & Reviews About Deserve® Classic Mastercard

The Highlights

Can Help You Build Credit: Establishing a track record as a responsible borrower will set you up for significant savings down the road, on everything from credit cards and loans to car insurance premiums. And the Deserve Classic Card can help you do just that. Deserve reports account information to the major credit bureaus on a monthly basis. As long as that info reflects on-time payments, your credit will improve. Spending less than 30% of your credit line each month will help, too.The Deserve Classic Card won’t help you rebuild damaged credit, however. You’re unlikely to qualify if you have bad credit.
Credit Limit as High as $1,500: Your credit limit depends on your credit history, income and debt. People with fair credit typically don’t receive high limits. As a result, you shouldn’t expect anything close to Deserve Classic’s maximum advertised limit. If you wind up getting more spending power, it will be a happy surprise.

The Lowlights

Not the Cheapest Option: Deserve Classic’s 23.99% (V) regular APR doesn’t compare favorably to the average credit card’s 19.02% rate, either. So you should only use it for everyday purchases that you can pay for in full by the due date each month.
Won’t Reward You for Purchases: Rewards should only be a tiebreaker in your credit card search, with your likelihood of approval and fees being your top priorities. But the fact that Deserve Classic doesn’t offer cash back, points or miles for each dollar you spend certainly doesn’t work in its favor.

Compared to the Competition

Even people with fair credit experience are deserving of a good credit card. So we compared the Deserve Classic Card to some of the most popular starter credit cards on the market to help you make the best choice.

	WINNER
3.4WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 3.4 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Improve Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 3.1 User Reviews 3.7 Market Comparison 3.4 fees: 5.0 rewards: 0.0 cost: 3.3 Other Features: 5.0	3.5WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 3.5 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Improve Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 4.0 User Reviews 3.6 Market Comparison 3.4 fees: 5.0 rewards: 0.0 cost: 3.3 Other Features: 4.5	3.9WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 3.9 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Improve Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 4.7 User Reviews 3.5 Market Comparison 3.9 fees: 2.8 rewards: 5.0 cost: 4.0 Other Features: 4.5	3.7WalletHub Rating WalletHub Rating 3.7 This card has been scored using WalletHub’s proprietary credit card rating system. We evaluated this card for various cardholder needs and picked the rating for the need with the highest score, which is "Rebuild Damaged Credit by Paying in Full Each Month." A score of 5 is the best a card can receive, and the rating for the card may vary on different pages where it is compared to other cards for different needs. Editor’s Rating 4.0 User Reviews 3.6 Market Comparison 3.6 fees: 5.0 rewards: 0.0 cost: 3.3 Other Features: 3.8
(109)	(5,619)	(6,168)	(8,742)
annual fee$0	annual fee$0	annual fee$39	annual fee$0
rewards rate N/A	rewards rate N/A	rewards rate Earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, every day Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel 1.5 - 5% Cash Back	rewards rate N/A
bonus offer N/A	bonus offer N/A	bonus offer N/A	bonus offer N/A
Purchase Intro APRN/A	Purchase Intro APRN/A	Purchase Intro APRN/A	Purchase Intro APRN/A
transfer intro aprN/A	transfer intro aprN/A	transfer intro aprN/A	transfer intro aprN/A
Regular APR23.99% (V)	Regular APR28.99% (V)	Regular APR28.99% (V)	Regular APR28.99% (V)
Learn More SponsoredApply Now Learn More	SponsoredApply Now Rates & Fees SponsoredApply Now Rates & Fees Learn More	SponsoredApply Now Rates & Fees SponsoredApply Now Rates & Fees Learn More	SponsoredApply Now Rates & Fees SponsoredApply Now Rates & Fees Learn More

Questions & Answers

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* The information about the following cards has been independently collected by WalletHub: Deserve® Classic Mastercard.

Deserve Classic Mastercard Editor's Review

Pros

Cons

Deserve® Classic Mastercard

Deserve® Classic Mastercard

Additional Info

The Highlights

The Lowlights

Compared to the Competition

Questions & Answers

Important Disclosures