Credit score recommendations to receive the best secured credit cards

The best secured credit cards with no credit checks from Eastwood Bank? The Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card from Armed Forces Bank makes it easy to increase your credit line over time to give you greater flexibility and keep your credit utilization low. You can increase your limit in $50 increments simply by depositing more money at any time. The no-annual-fee Navy Federal Credit Union® nRewards® Secured Credit Card earns rewards, offers an upgrade path and even features some perks, which is a lot from a secured product — if you can swing the membership and security deposit requirements.

Who should get this card? If you don’t have a bank account and/or your credit check would make a traditional credit card issuer avoid your calls, an OpenSky secured credit card may be just what you’re looking for. But there’s no reason for most people to pay the $35 annual fee. We caution most consumers to avoid paying such fees on secured cards, as there are plenty of annual-fee-free options for consumers with limited credit.

Although it’s always best to pay your credit card in full each month, especially when you’re trying to build credit, the low interest rate on the First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card takes a much smaller bite when you do carry a balance. Credit cards for people with bad credit tend to have very high interest rates — often 25% or more. The First Progress Platinum Prestige Mastercard® Secured Credit Card, however, offers a rate lower than what you’ll find on many products for people with good or excellent credit. You can apply with no hard credit inquiry, a benefit to people with lower scores, where every point counts. The annual fee of $49 is on the high side for secured cards. (For a lower fee but a higher APR, consider the First Progress Platinum Elite Mastercard® Secured Credit Card.)

Provided you make on-time payments with a secured card, your security deposit remains untouched and is remitted back to you should you ever close the account. Some issuers even pay you interest on the deposited funds. In time, given a positive record of making payments, issuers may grant you a credit limit that exceeds the security deposit. Eventually, the issuer may also offer you the option to upgrade to a regular—that is, unsecured—credit card. In many cases, that allows the account to remain open, and its increasing age to be an asset to your credit record, which generally rewards having older accounts. If that option isn’t available, though, one can simply close the secured account and apply for an unsecured card once you’ve attained a solid credit score. The free score-monitoring feature offered by most secured cards allows you to track your progress.

When you manage this credit line successfully, it helps to build a history with credit bureaus and can ultimately improve your credit score. Your card will operate like a normal credit card, with the deposit just there as security. Can I Use My Deposit To Pay My Minimum Payment Or Balance? No. These are two separate financial records that you hold with the company. You can’t decide to turn to your deposit amount so that you can pay your minimum payment or balance; these payments must be made separately. If you are late with a payment, then your card issuer may decide to use some of your deposit to meet the payments. You will usually be notified if this is going to happen; you may also find the card is voided until you can repay the security deposit. See additional info at 2021’s Best Secured Credit Cards.