Best cards with no credit check

If you have no credit history or poor credit, you may not be able to qualify for mainstream credit cards yet. Or maybe you’re ready to practice using credit but don’t want a hard inquiry on your credit report. Either way, these credit cards offer approval — sometimes instantly — without a hard credit check.

Know that the issuer might still ask for other information, like proof of income, and require you to put down a security deposit or open a checking account. 

Here are our picks for credit-building cards that won’t run a credit check when you apply.

Top cards for no credit check

Best for no interest rate

The secured Chime Visa® Credit Card

Learn more in Bankrate's review

• Bankrate’s view

  The secured Chime Visa® Credit Card requires you to first have to open a Chime® Checking Account. While there isn’t a traditional security deposit, the money you add to the checking account becomes your credit limit. You can’t carry a balance or charge more than what you have in the account, so there’s no interest rate or risk of accruing interest charges.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • Get approved with no credit history or hard inquiry.
  • Depending on how much cash you have available, you could access a higher credit limit than with other secured cards.

  

  Cons

  • With no rewards or upgrade options, the card offers limited long-term value.
  • Chime doesn’t report your credit utilization, which could be a positive credit-scoring factor.

Best for potential high credit limit

opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card

Learn more in Bankrate's review

• Bankrate’s view

  For a low annual fee and security deposit, you can start using the opensky® Secured Visa® Credit Card to build credit. After six months of responsible use, you could be reviewed for a credit limit increase or upgrade to opensky’s unsecured card. The card also offers up to 10% cash back through certain merchant offers, and up to as high as a $3,000 credit limit. A higher credit limit can help keep your credit utilization lower.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • You don’t need a credit score or checking account with the bank to get approved for the card.
  • This card comes with rewards potential, which is uncommon for secured cards with no credit check.

  

  Cons

  • There’s an annual fee, which many other secured cards don’t charge.
  • Although there’s no credit check, you may be denied the card if your income doesn’t indicate you’ll be able to pay your bills.

Best for low security deposit

The secured Self Visa® Credit Card¹

Learn more in Bankrate's review

• Bankrate’s view

  In order to qualify for The secured Self Visa® Credit Card1, you can put down a security deposit of $100 — a lower amount than for most competitor secured cards. If you’re not ready, you can also open a Credit Builder Account first — essentially a loan from Self that you repay in three installments. Having both a credit card and a loan diversifies your credit mix, which is a credit-scoring factor.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • This card reports your credit payments to all three credit bureaus.
  • Build your credit by making on-time repayments to both the Self Credit Builder account and the secured card.

  

  Cons

  • The card has no annual fee only for the first year, then it charges $25 thereafter.
  • There’s no option to upgrade to an unsecured or rewards card.

Best for low annual fee

opensky® Launch Secured Visa® Credit Card

Learn more in Bankrate's review

• Bankrate’s view

  The opensky® Launch Secured Visa® Credit Card only requires a $150 security deposit, lower than other secured cards. It also lets you pay the annual fee in monthly installments for less than the price of a coffee: $24 during the first year, paid in installments of $2 per month, then $36 after the first year, paid in installments of $3 per month. Plus, you can tap into cash back on merchant offers by viewing them in your account.

• Pros and cons

  

  Pros

  • Get approved with no credit check and start building your credit score, as OpenSky reports to all three credit bureaus.
  • Earn cash back rewards by using your card at participating merchants.

  

  Cons

  • The annual fee is low, but paying one at all is uncommon for secured cards.
  • While the minimum security deposit is low, so is the maximum, capping your credit limit potential at $1,000.

Comparing the best cards for no credit check

How to choose a card with no credit check

If you’re ready to apply for a credit card but don’t want the hard credit check, here are a few considerations for choosing one.

• Compare the fine print first. Some secured cards don’t charge an annual fee, while others charge a relatively small annual fee but also offer rewards. Know which matters more to you. Additionally, some credit card APRs run higher than others, and knowing the APR beforehand can save you a headache if you need to carry a balance.
• Consider how much you can put down for a security deposit. Most of the cards above determine your credit limit based on the amount of your security deposit. If you’re only able to put down $200, that’s how much you can spend. But some cards let you put down thousands of dollars. If you are able to deposit more, it might help your credit utilization stay low.
• Have a game plan for moving on. A secured card with no credit check is great to begin with — but it’s rarely going to be your forever card. Have a clear plan in mind of how you’re going to build your credit with your secured card to eventually upgrade it, if applicable, or apply for a good unsecured card down the road.

What’s next?

The bottom line

When you’re building credit, it can be discouraging to sustain even the minor ding of a credit pull when you’re trying to open a new line of credit. Cards that are available without a credit check can allow you to qualify for a card — that you can then use responsibly to build your credit — while avoiding that hard credit check.

Credit cards are excellent tools for building credit when used responsibly. Pay your bill in full and on-time and you could find yourself qualifying for new, better and more varied card options in the future.

Frequently asked questions

• What is a hard credit check?

  A hard credit check — also known as an inquiry or pull — typically shows up on your credit report when a lender checks your information to approve or deny a credit application. A hard credit check may slightly ding your credit score, but multiple hard checks in a row have more of an impact. It can show up on your credit report for up to two years, but the effect on your credit score doesn’t usually last that long.

  A hard credit check is different from a soft credit check, which may not require your permission and doesn’t hurt your credit score. These include checking your own credit report, getting preapproved for a credit card and an employer screening you for a job application.

• How can I check my credit score for free?

  There are a number of ways you can check your credit score and credit report for free. Your card issuer may offer a free credit monitoring program, showing you an estimated credit score. Experian, one of the major credit bureaus, lets you check your FICO score for free. You can also get a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major bureaus every week at AnnualCreditReport.com.