Beginner Credit Builder Cards

 (Scroll to the end to see my favorite card!)

U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Secured Card

The  U.S. Bank Cash+ Visa Secured Card has no annual fee. It does require a deposit between $300 and $5,000. It also comes with a ton of possible rewards! You can choose from two categories each quarter that give 5% cash back on purchases up to $2,000, as well as 2% cash back on an everyday category of your choice and 1% cash back on everything else.

U.S. Bank Visa Secured Card

The U.S. Bank Visa Secured Card has no annual fee but also no rewards. It requires you to make a minimum deposit of $300.

Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Card

The Capital One Quicksilver Secured Cash Rewards Card has no annual fee and no hidden fees. There is a deposit required that's normally $200 minimum, but you can pay it in pieces at a time, as long as it's all done within the first 35 days. If approved, you'll get 1.5% cash back on everything and automatically get considered for a higher credit limit after six months. If you reach six months having made all your payments on time, you'll also get your deposit back then.

U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Visa Card

The U.S. Bank Altitude Go Secured Visa Card does require a deposit. If approved, you'll get points as cash back, which include 4% on dining and restaurant delivery and 2% for groceries, streaming services, gas stations and EV charging. You'll also get 1% back on everything else. There's a 0% APR balance transfer for the first year and no annual fee. As a signup bonus, you can get 20,000 bonus points if you make $1,000 worth of purchases in the first 90 days of your account being open!

Petal 1 Visa Card

When you submit an application for the Petal 1 card, you'll automatically get considered for both the Petal 1 and Petal 2. They consider both your credit score and your bank info when deciding whether to approve you. This card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. The credit limit will be between $300 and $5,000 and it requires no security deposit. The only thing offered in terms of rewards are select merchant offers of 2% to 10% cash back, which are specific store or restaurants that are chosen by the card and not by you.

Petal 2 Visa Card

The Petal 2 has no annual fee and requires no deposit. The credit limit offered is between $300 and $10,000. Like the other Petal card, there are select merchant offers that give 2% to 10% cash back. However, this one has more cash back available. You'll receive 1% cash back on all purchases, and after 6 on-time monthly payments, this will be increased to 1.25% cash back. After 12 on-time monthly payments, you'll get bumped up to 1.5% cash back.

Avant Card

The Avant Card requires an annual fee of $29 to $59, but doesn't have other hidden fees or require a deposit. Your limit will be between $300 and $1,000 and will be determined by credit check. There are no rewards offered with this card.

Capital One Platinum Secured Card

For the Capital One Platinum Secured Card, you'll need a deposit between $200 and $1,000. However, if you're unable to pay $200 for a deposit, you can go to their site and if you qualify, they may charge you $49 or $99 dollars to open the card while still giving you a $200 credit limit. This card has no fees but also offers no rewards.

Bankamericard Secured Card

The Bankamericard Secured Card requires a deposit of $200 to $5,000. It has no annual fee, but also doesn't give any rewards.

Chase Freedom Rise Card

The Chase Freedom Rise Card requires you to go to a physical Chase bank location to apply. Chase bank has said publicly that having a Chase checking account will improve your chances of getting approved for the Freedom Rise. If approved, you'll get 1.5% unlimited cash back. If you set up autopay in the first 3 months of having the card, you'll receive a $25 statement credit.

Tomo Credit Card

The Tomo card doesn't require a deposit to open. Instead of checking your credit score, they choose how much your credit line will be by reviewing the bank information that you're required to submit upon application. If you're approved, you won't be charged interest, but there is a monthly fee of $2.99 that this card charges in place of an annual fee. The most unique thing about this card is the way it functions: instead of behaving like a normal credit card, this one acts more like a charge card where you're required to pay the full balance every seven days. This requirement is enforced by autopay, which you're required to sign up for when you get the Tomo card. Despite this, it still reports to the bureaus monthly, just like a credit card. As far as rewards, it does give 1% cash back on all purchases. After three months have passed, you can extend your autopay to trigger at intervals longer than a week, but this is only after your relationship with them has been established.

UPDATE: As of August 2024, Tomo credit lines have stopped showing up in data from all three of the major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). The bureaus appear to have terminated their business relationships with Tomo entirely, so using this card will no longer build your credit or improve your credit score.

OpenSky Secured Visa Card

The OpenSky Secured Visa Card has a $35 annual fee, but only requires a $200 deposit. It doesn't do a credit check. It also doesn't have any rewards available.

OpenSky Plus Secured Card

The OpenSky Plus Secured Card has no annual fee, but does require a $300 minimum deposit. It also doesn't do a credit check. It does not offer any rewards.

 

 

And as a special addition, this last card holds a special place in my heart because it was my first one!

Discover It Cash Back Card

The Discover It Cash Back Card has no annual fees and no foreign transaction fees. The most exciting thing about this card is the rewards: not only do you receive 5% cash back in a different category each quarter and 1% cash back on everything else, but at the end of your first year with the card, Discover will match all the cash back you earned! This equates to 10% back on the rotating categories and 2% on everything else for the first year!

There's also a secured version of this card. You can deposit $200 to $2,500. It offers 2% cash back at gas stations and restaurants on up to $1,000 each quarter, as well as 1% on everything else and the same end-of-year match for cash back. There's also no annual fee.

For a limited time, you can get a $100 statement credit if you're approved and use the card in the first three months! Just click the affiliate link button below to get this offer!

Get $100 credit with Discover!

 

 

After a list this long, I'm sure there's a card in there somewhere that'll work great for you, no matter what your current financial situation is! If there's a missing card that belongs in this category that you want to know more about, you can submit it through the Contact link at the top of this page. Otherwise, happy credit building!