Credit Cards for Bad Credit
Finding a credit card for bad credit can be difficult. Bad credit cards often come with high fees and interest rates which can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of the card. At Credit Karma, we review all of the credit cards for bad credit and make recommendations based on the fees, customer service, and user feedback. From guaranteed approval to secured cards, we have reviews and recommendations for each credit card type for bad credit. Search All Credit Cards
Featured Cards by Credit Score
Updated: 1/5/2009
POOR CREDIT SCORE OF 549 OR LOWER
With poor credit, your options for credit cards are somewhat limited. Most companies won't provide a credit line without a deposit and virtually all credit cards are going to charge monthly fees. However many of these cards will offer guaranteed approval and are the best ways to start rebuilding your credit. Of these pre-paid and secured cards, these are the 2 best options for bad credit:
Best Pre-paid Credit Card
AccountNow™ Prepaid MasterCard®
- Build your credit with the new iAdvance loan option(SM)
- Instant Guaranteed Approval* – no credit check, no security deposit
- $0 ACTIVATION FEE – when you load your card by direct deposit
- Free Direct Deposit – no more check cashing fees
- Free Online Bill Pay – no need for expensive money orders
- Free Credit Builder† – bill pay transactions are reported to PRBC®
- No Overdraft Fees – no minimum balance required
- Reloadable - $10,000 balance limit
Why we recommend it...
Since you have to load money onto this card, AccountNow™ Vantage is not technically a credit card. However, they do report card usage to PRBC, the fourth, and lesser known, credit bureau. Maintaining this type of card is a small start to establishing or re-building credit. AccountNow™ Vantage's fees are among the lowest of any pre-paid cards.
This was the most taken guaranteed approval card on Credit Karma for October 2008. The lower fees make it a user favorite for the second month in a row. Even though there is no credit check, we are posting the credit score averages to show that virtually anyone can be approved for this card.
Pros:
- Low Fees
- Guaranteed Approval
- Convenience of MasterCard®
- Help build credit with PRBC
Cons:
- No real credit limit
- Have to load money onto card
Credit Score Approval Data*
Average Credit Score Approved for this Card
Lowest Credit Score Approved for this Card
* Credit Karma members have received approvals with these credit scores. We hope this information helps you in your selection. Please note because factors including income, length of credit history, and employment status can affect credit card approval, these are only guidelines and approval is not guaranteed.
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