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Zolve Azpire Credit Builder Card review: Build credit with a debit card

If you’re looking to boost your credit, this card is worth a look; however, you’ll forgo all the bells and whistles typically found in similar cards.

 /  13 min
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Snapshot

3.5

Bankrate rating
Info
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5

Bottom line

This is one of the only debit cards that gives you a chance to build credit, making it a great option if you want to avoid traditional credit card fees and interest. But since it doesn’t report on credit utilization, it may not be your most efficient credit-building option.

Best for building credit with no interest
Image of Zolve Azpire Credit Builder Card + Checking Account

Zolve Azpire Credit Builder Card + Checking Account

3.5
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5
Bankrate score
Info
No Credit History
Info
Recommended Credit

N/A

Intro offer

Info

10%

Rewards Rate

Info

Annual fee

Regular APR

Zolve Azpire Credit Builder Card + Checking Account overview

The Zolve Azpire card charges no annual fee and no interest and is one of the only debit cards that reports payment history to all three credit bureaus. You don't need a Social Security number to apply and it requires no credit checks, making this an especially accessible card for people with bad credit, fair credit or no credit history

But since the Zolve Azpire card doesn’t report on credit utilization — a major component of a FICO score— it may not be your most efficient credit-building option, and you'll need to open a Zolve bank account to be eligible for the card. 

As long as you can pay off all your purchases, a no-annual-fee secured credit card could be a better credit-building tool — especially one that lets you put up a large deposit and get a matching high limit.

  • Credit Card Cash Back

    Rewards

    • You can get cash back rates ranging from 1.5 percent to up to 10 percent with select merchants.

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis 

  • Credit Card Search

    Rates and fees

    • $0 annual fee
    • No intro APR offer for purchases and balance transfers
    • No security deposit
    • No ongoing regular APR

    Expert Appraisal: Typical
    See our expert analysis

  • Credit Fair

    Credit-building features

    • Reports activity to the three credit bureaus
    • No credit check required
    • Potential to upgrade to an unsecured card

    Expert Appraisal: Good
    See our expert analysis

Zolve Azpire pros and cons

Pros

  • Checkmark

    It’s not a traditional credit card, but it still reports payment history and account age to all three credit bureaus.

  • Checkmark

    With no fees or interest charges to worry about, it's a potentially safer option than traditional credit cards.

  • Checkmark

    You have a chance to upgrade to an unsecured credit card after a few months of responsible card use.

  • Checkmark

    No Social Security number, credit check or minimum deposit required, making this an accessible credit-building option.

Cons

  • It doesn’t report on credit utilization to the three credit bureaus, which makes up a big chunk of your credit score.

  • Cash back is limited to Dosh offers, which may be available even without the Azpire card.

  • You can likely find a more lucrative upgrade option than the unsecured Zolve card after you’ve built better credit.

How the Zolve Azpire works

To use the card, you'll need to add money to a Zolve account that helps fund the Azpire card. These funds are also your credit limit. When you use the Azpire card, the issuer will automatically pay itself back using your account funds and then report your positive payment history to credit bureaus.

This allows you to grow your credit score over time. You may even be able to graduate to an unsecured credit card with a $5,000 limit in only four months.

Why you might want the Zolve Azpire card

If you’re eager to build credit and want to earn rewards at the same time, the Zolve Azpire Credit Builder card could be a great starting point. 

Rewards: Earn with Dosh

Though the Zolve Azpire card lacks a traditional cash back program, it can still earn rewards via the issuer’s partnership with Dosh, a cash back app that offers savings at participating outlets. While Dosh is available as a standalone app, you can earn rewards and build credit at the same time with the Zolve Azpire card. You can earn cash back on purchases with hotel bookings, restaurants, retailers, department stores and more.

Redeeming cash back you’ve earned with the Zolve Azpire card and Dosh is relatively straightforward. Once you’ve earned at least $15 in cash back, you can transfer funds to your Azpire, PayPal or Venmo account. You can also donate your cash back to charity.

You might not be able to enjoy the diverse redemption options that competing rewards cards offer, but you also won’t have to worry about which redemption method will yield the best value, making the Zolve Azpire a relatively low-maintenance card for those new to credit.

Credit-building features: No credit check and the chance to upgrade

Though the Zolve Azpire card is missing some of the perks you’ll find on credit cards, it stands out for its accessibility and credit-building features. It also gives you a path from debit card to unsecured credit card without the typical in-between step of a secured credit card.

Why you might want a different credit-building card

Despite the fact that the Zolve Azpire card has fantastic features, its absence of a welcome offer and limitations as a debit card can be significant drawbacks

Welcome offer: Doesn’t have a sign-up bonus

Like most debit and credit-building cards, the Zolve Azpire card doesn’t include a welcome offer. Opening an account won’t earn you any cash back or bonuses, either. 

While a welcome offer shouldn’t be your primary focus when building credit, a handful of cards available with a low credit score or limited credit history include a one-time bonus. Unless such offers spur overspending, they can be a great perk. 

The Discover it® Secured Credit Card, for example, matches all of the cash back you’ve earned with the card at the end of your first year, with no specific spending requirement.

Rates and fees: No fees but you can’t carry a balance

If you want to avoid some of the major downsides of traditional credit cards, including annual fees, interest, foreign transaction fees and more, the Zolve Azpire card should be a welcome sight. Many credit cards available with poor credit or a limited credit history come with either high fees, high APRs or both, which could make building credit costly. 

But since the Zolve Azpire card is a debit card — not a credit card — you can't carry a balance on the card since you aren’t borrowing money when you use the card to make purchases. Therefore, it lacks the payment flexibility you’d get with a traditional credit card, and you'll need to pay off your purchases in full.

Having the option to carry a balance could come in handy from time to time, even if it costs you a bit in interest charges. For example, according to Bankrate’s credit card payoff calculator, if you needed to chip away at $500 in expenses over six months, you’d face $44 in interest charges if you made $90 monthly payments on a card with a 30 percent APR. That’s not ideal, but it may be a reasonable cost if you have no other way to cover emergency expenses.

With the Azpire card, transaction amounts exceeding your checking account balance may be declined if you don’t have enough funds in your account to cover it. According to the card’s terms, if a transaction did post in excess of your account balance, you’d need to immediately make a deposit to cover it or your account could be closed after 60 calendar days with a negative balance. So if you need time to pay off a sudden expense, you'll have to consider another option. 

And you should be aware of how much is in your account at any given time to prevent purchasing over your account balance. On the plus side, you won’t be charged an over-limit fee if you accidentally make a purchase in excess of your balance.

How the Zolve Azpire card compares to other credit-building cards

The Zolve Azpire card could make a lot of sense if you’re looking for a low-cost way to build credit without a traditional credit card, but you may be able to improve your score faster with a card that reports on utilization.

If you’re open to a credit card, these could be terrific alternatives thanks to their low cost, simplicity and flexibility:

Image of Zolve Azpire Credit Builder Card + Checking Account

Zolve Azpire Credit Builder Card + Checking Account

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards rate

10%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

No Credit History
Info
Image of Capital One Platinum Secured Credit Card
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
Apply now Lock
on Capital One's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

N/A

Rewards rate

N/A

Recommended Credit Score

No Credit History
Info
Image of Discover it® Secured Credit Card
Bankrate Score
See Rates & Fees , Terms Apply
Apply now Lock
on Discover's secure site

Annual fee

$0

Intro offer

Cashback Match™
Info

Rewards rate

1% - 2%
Info

Recommended Credit Score

No Credit History
Info

Who is the Zolve Azpire right for?

The Zolve Azpire card may not work for everybody, but anyone who wants to improve their credit with minimal costs and application barriers might consider this card.

Bankrate’s take — Is the Zolve Azpire card worth it?

If you’re looking for a way to build credit without a traditional credit card, the Zolve Azpire card could definitely be worth it.

Since the Azpire is a debit card, you won’t have to worry about a credit check, paying annual fees or racking up debt via interest charges. You can simply add money to your account, make purchases and automatically pay them off. This should make it easy to build up a positive payment history. 

But the Azpire card doesn’t give you the option to pay off purchases over time, so if you don’t have enough funds in your account to cover a purchase, your transaction will likely be declined. While it’s wise to avoid credit card debt when you can, having the flexibility to carry a balance short term can sometimes be helpful.

And since the card doesn't report credit utilization, it may not help you build credit as effectively or efficiently as a traditional credit card. 

As long as you can pay off your purchases in a timely manner, a no-annual-fee secured card that offers a clear upgrade path may be the better way forward.

How we rated this card

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Our proprietary card rating system takes into account a mix of factors when scoring credit cards for students and people building credit, including each card’s cost, APR, credit-building tools and more.

We analyzed over 50 of the most popular cards designed for students and people with no credit history, bad credit or a fair credit score and scored each based on where its key features stood in relation to others in its category. 

Here are some of the key factors that gave this card its score: 

Frequently asked questions

Written by
Re'Dreyona Walker
Associate Editor, Credit Cards

Re’Dreyona Walker is an editor for Bankrate and CreditCards.com, focusing on product guides and reviews. As a personal finance expert, she is dedicated to providing honest product reviews as well as in-depth, comprehensive guides to assist readers in building credit and finding the best credit cards for their needs.

Edited by Editor II, Credit Cards

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Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, and have not been reviewed or approved by any advertiser. The information, including card rates and fees, is accurate as of the publish date. All products or services are presented without warranty. Check the bank’s website for the most current information.