Best credit cards for bad credit in December 2024
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- Best for building credit with savings: Self - Credit Builder Account with Secured Visa® Credit Card
- Best card with no interest for bad credit: Chime Credit Builder Secured Visa® Credit Card
- Best low-cost secured card for bad credit: Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
- Best for no credit check: Firstcard® Secured Credit Builder Card with Cashback
- Best rotating cash back card for bad credit: Discover it® Secured Credit Card
- Best for building business credit: Nav Prime Card
- Best customized rewards for bad credit: Bank of America® Customized Cash Rewards Secured Credit Card
- Best low-cost credit-building card: Mission Lane Visa® Credit Card
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Showing 8 results
Best for building credit with savings
Intro offer
N/A
Annual fee
$25
Regular APR
28.74% (Variable)
Why you'll like this: You can build credit on two fronts thanks to its combo of a secured loan and credit card.
Best card with no interest
Intro offer
N/A
Annual fee
None
Regular APR
N/A
Why you'll like this: It doesn’t charge interest or require a traditional security deposit, making it an especially low-risk credit-building option.
Intro offer
N/A
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
29.99% (Variable)
Why you'll like this: You may be eligible to put down a security deposit as low as $49 and still get a $200 minimum credit line.
Best card for no credit check
Intro offer
N/A
Rewards Rate
1% - Up to 15%
Annual fee
N/A
Regular APR
0% APR
Why you'll like this: It doesn’t require a Social Security number or credit check to apply, making it extremely accessible.
Intro offer
Cashback Match™
Rewards Rate
1% - 2%
Annual fee
$0
Regular APR
27.49% Variable APR
Why you'll like this: It’s one of the only secured cards that offers solid rewards with no annual fee. You can even graduate to an unsecured card with responsible use.
Regular APR
N/A
Annual fee
Nav Prime is $49.99/month, which gets reported as a tradeline.
Why you'll like this: It’s available even with a low personal credit score and reports two tradelines to credit bureaus, helping you build credit more efficiently.
Best customized rewards for bad credit
Regular APR
28.24% Variable
Annual fee
None
Why you'll like this: Its rewards rates match the rates you’ll get on its unsecured version, so you won’t miss out while working on your score.
Intro offer
N/A
Rewards Rate
N/A
Annual fee
$0 - $59
Regular APR
19.99% - 33.99% (Variable)
Why you'll like this: Its fees are relatively low and you won’t have to tie up hundreds in a security deposit.
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Compare Bankrate’s best cards for bad credit
Card Name | Our Pick For | Recommended Credit Score | Credit-Building Features |
Bankrate Review Score
|
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Building credit with savings |
No credit history* |
No deposit required No hard pull on your credit report Reports to the three major credit bureaus |
3.1 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on Self's secure site
|
|
No interest |
No credit history* |
No credit check No min. security deposit SpotMe overdraft protection No annual fee
|
4.2 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on Chime's secure site
|
|
Low-cost secured card |
No credit history* |
Access to CreditWise® credit alerts Reports to the three credit bureaus Automatic account review after six months |
4.1 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on Capital One's secure site
|
|
No credit check |
N/A |
In-app credit monitoring No credit check |
3.0 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on Firstcard's secure site
|
|
Cash back card |
No credit history* |
Free access to FICO credit score Automatic account reviews after seven months Discover® Identity Alerts |
4.5 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on Discover's secure site
|
|
Building business credit |
No credit history |
Reports two tradelines to credit bureaus Access detailed business and personal credit reports Access to Nav Business Checking account |
3.1 / 5 Our writers, editors and industry experts score credit cards based on a variety of factors including card features, bonus offers and independent research. Credit card issuers have no say or influence on how we rate cards.
Apply now
on Nav's secure site
|
|
Customized rewards |
No credit history |
Free access to FICO credit score No annual fee |
|
|
Low-cost unsecured card |
Bad to Fair (300 – 670)* |
Reports to all three credit bureaus |
|