Best Credit Cards for Limited or No Credit

Did you think you had to pick between a secured card or a rewards card? The Bank of America® Cash Rewards Secured Card provides an answer, offering both in one handy package.

Unlike most cards, you’ll get to choose your own 3% category from a nice selection, including the rare and valuable online shopping.

The Bank of America Cash Rewards Secured card requires a deposit of $300 to $4,900 to be approved; the amount you deposit will help determine your credit limit.

The Discover it® Secured (Review) is our pick for the best secured credit card. Rather than punishing you for having no credit, this card actually has a decent cash rewards program, with a great intro bonus.

You’ll need to make a minimum security deposit of $200, with a maximum of $2,500.

Discover will review your credit card account every eight months. If these automatic reviews show evidence of responsible card use, on this and other accounts, Discover may return your security deposit and allow you to keep using the card.

There isn’t an option to upgrade the Discover it Secured to an unsecured card. Instead, cardholders need to just apply for a different Discover card as usual.

The Secured Mastercard® from Capital One (Review) is a good pick if you want to pay the lowest security deposit possible.

Depending on your creditworthiness — such as income and rent payments — you’ll be given a minimum required security deposit. This will be one of the following:

No matter which amount you’re required to deposit, you’ll end up getting a $200 credit limit. So you may end up paying just $49 for a $200 limit, if Capital One decides you’re worth the risk.

The maximum security deposit for the Capital One Secured card is $1,000.

You don’t need to be a student to apply for the Journey Student Rewards from Capital One (Review), despite the name.

This rewards credit card is designed for average or limited credit. But you may have a chance of being approved with no credit history, especially if you have a decent income and solid employment history.

The Capital One Platinum Credit Card (Review) was designed for people with fair or average credit histories, though it may also be accessible for people with limited or no credit.

There aren’t many features (though you will get relatively easy access to a higher credit line) but you can use this card to help build up your credit scores and eventually qualify for a sweet rewards credit card.

The Petal® 2 Cash Back, No Fees Visa® Card is specifically designed to help you break into the world of credit. How?

Even if you have no established credit history at all, with no credit scores, you still have a chance at approval because Petal will take a look at your “full financial picture.” This means you’ll have to link your bank account to Petal, so it can see how you handle your money. If you do have some established credit, Petal will check it with a hard inquiry, and in this case you may not have to link your bank account.

You won’t find any fees here, apart from potential interest fees. No annual fee, foreign transaction fee, late payment fee, etc. And you can avoid interest fees, too, by always paying your statement balance in full.

There’s even a solid cash back rewards program, where you can earn more by making on-time payments. Overall, it’s an excellent and inexpensive option for improving your credit scores.

Having a tough time qualifying for credit cards? You may have to think about the OpenSky® Secured Visa® Credit Card (Review), although no credit check cards like this are usually seen as a last resort, after secured cards.

No credit check means OpenSky won’t look at your credit reports when you apply, giving you an opportunity even if you’re dealing with terrible credit. And that means no hard credit inquiry, which is a good thing for your credit.

This is a secured card, and it requires a deposit of $200 to $3,000 to get started. Your credit line will be equal to the amount you deposit. You won’t need a bank account to fund the deposit, a rare find among secured cards.

There’s an annual fee, but it’s a modest price to pay for the ability to build up your credit scores.

This card, like others of its ilk, has a reputation for slow payment processing and subpar customer support. If you have limited or no credit, without any big problems on your reports, you probably won’t have to go down this road.

If you don’t have a bank account to make your security deposit, you won’t be able to apply for most secured cards.

But the Citi^® Secured Mastercard^® (Review) allows you to pay the deposit by other methods; you’ll need to visit a Citibank location in person to do this. If you do have a bank account, you can simply use the online application as you normally would.

A security deposit of $200 to $2,500 is required. Your credit limit will be equal to the deposit.

After using the card for some time, Citi may review your card account and credit to see if you qualify for an upgrade. We heard from a reader who was offered an upgrade to the Citi® Diamond Preferred® Card (Review) in less than a year.

If you’re a student with limited or no credit, your first look should be to the Discover it® Student Cash Back (Review). With excellent cash back rates and terms, it’s a great rewards card in general, not just a great student card.

The rewards program is just like the non-student version, the Discover it® Cash Back (Review). The benefits are the same, except the student version gives you a little bonus for having good grades.

It’s easy to stay fee-free: With no annual fee and no foreign transaction fee, this card could be completely free to use if you avoid interest charges by always paying your balance in full.

If you’re a student who needs a card to get you around the country, or a handy payment method when you’re traveling overseas, the Bank of America Travel Rewards® Credit Card for Students could fit the bill.

For no annual fee you’ll get solid rewards, with an above-average 1.5X points for non-category purchases. And if you can plan your travel through the Bank of America Travel Center you’ll earn double that, which translates to a 3% cash back equivalent.

You’ll pay no foreign transaction fees either, a handy feature for anyone on a trip outside the country. See all of our favorite cards for studying abroad here.

The Deserve Edu Mastercard (Review) is rather unique. There are two features that make it more accessible for international students than the average card:

So if you haven’t started building up your credit in the U.S. yet, or you have a thin credit profile, you’ll still have a decent shot at approval with the Deserve Edu.

To qualify, international students will need their student visa, passport ID, school document (e.g. I-20 or DS 2019), and proof of a U.S. bank account balance.

See some other useful credit cards for international students here.

Relocating to the U.S. comes with a set of challenges, one of which is the problem of how to start building up your credit. How do you get approved for credit cards and other financial products if you don’t yet have an established credit history?

The Jasper Mastercard® (Review) was designed to fill that gap for professional immigrants, lowering the traditional barriers to entry. You don’t need a credit history to get approved, and you don’t need an SSN to apply, although you will need to get one and provide it to Jasper within 60 days of card activation (if you’ve been living in the U.S. for at least a year, you’ll need to undergo a credit check and provide an SSN to apply).

You can also apply for this card before you even land in the U.S. — you can submit an application up to 60 days in advance, or check to see if you’re prequalified if your move date is further away.

While the Jasper card was originally created to help immigrants, anyone in the U.S. with limited or no credit can use it to help improve his or her credit scores.

Self is a company that provides credit builder loans, a special type of loan where the sole purpose is to help you improve your credit scores. It’s like a reverse loan — first you make all your loan payments, showing a responsible payment record, then you get the funds.

Enter the Self Secured Visa® Credit Card (Review). It’s a unique card, only available to eligible Self customers in good standing.

The great thing about this card is that if you follow all the steps below, there’s no chance of denial (and no hard inquiry either). That makes it an easy grab.

The application process is relatively straightforward:

1. Have an open Credit Builder Account.
2. Make at least three on-time monthly payments in a row.
3. Make at least $100 in payments on your Credit Builder Account.
4. Make sure you’re all caught up on fees.
5. Choose your credit limit and request your card. Your credit limit can’t be any more than your Credit Builder Account balance.
6. Pay the annual fee.