Credit cards for fair/average scores
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CK Editors’ Tips††: If you have fair or average credit, you’ll probably have the chance to continue to build your credit while also benefitting from rewards and other useful card features. While you likely won’t yet qualify for the most lucrative rewards cards on the market, there are options out there.Read more
What to consider when choosing a credit card for fair credit
It can be difficult to find a credit card when you have fair credit because not all issuers advertise what kind of credit you need to qualify for a particular card. But some do, so watch out for any cards that note fair or average credit as a standard for approval. Otherwise, it may be helpful to find credit marketplaces and articles (like those on Credit Karma) that classify specific cards as right for this credit band — those sources are more likely to rely on accurate information than rumors.
It can be difficult to find a credit card when you have fair credit because not all issuers advertise what kind of credit you need to qualify for a particular card. But some do, so watch out for any cards that note fair or average credit as a standard for approval. Otherwise, it may be helpful to find credit marketplaces and articles (like those on Credit Karma) that classify specific cards as right for this credit band — those sources are more likely to rely on accurate information than rumors.
How we picked the best credit cards for fair credit
Finding a credit card for fair or average credit can feel like a guessing game, so we made our picks from cards that we could confirm were targeted at people with fair credit. Issuers don’t always make this information readily available, so we made our picks from cards that specifically advertise this feature or that allow themselves to be displayed as an option for people with fair credit on Credit Karma’s marketplace. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.
Jump to editors’ picksFinding a credit card for fair or average credit can feel like a guessing game, so we made our picks from cards that we could confirm were targeted at people with fair credit. Issuers don’t always make this information readily available, so we made our picks from cards that specifically advertise this feature or that allow themselves to be displayed as an option for people with fair credit on Credit Karma’s marketplace. Read more about our methodology for picking the best credit cards.
Great for building credit with no deposit††
Great for building credit with no deposit††
Capital One Platinum Credit Card
Regular purchase APR
29.99% (Variable)Annual fee
$0
Regular purchase APR
29.99% (Variable)
Annual fee
$0
Great for rebuilding credit††
Great for rebuilding credit††
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit
Rewards rate
1%Cash backAnnual fee
$75 for the first year, $99 thereafter
Rewards rate
1% Cash back
Annual fee
$75 for the first year, $99 thereafter
Great for building credit with rewards††
Great for building credit with rewards††
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
Rewards rate
1.5% - 5%Cash backAnnual fee
$39
Rewards rate
1.5% - 5% Cash back
Annual fee
$39
Great for building your credit history††
Great for building your credit history††
AvantCard
Regular purchase APR
30.74%* VariableAnnual fee
$39
Regular purchase APR
30.74%* Variable
Annual fee
$39
Great for access to unsecured credit††
Great for access to unsecured credit††
Milestone® Mastercard®
Regular purchase APR
24.90%Annual fee
$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
Regular purchase APR
24.90%
Annual fee
$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
Great for high flat-rate cash back††
Great for high flat-rate cash back††
Great for rebuilding credit††
Great for rebuilding credit††
Indigo® Mastercard®
Regular purchase APR
24.90%Annual fee
$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
Regular purchase APR
24.90%
Annual fee
$75 the first year; $99 thereafter
Great for commuter students††
Great for commuter students††
Discover it® Student chrome
Rewards rate
1% - 2%Cash backAnnual fee
$0
Rewards rate
1% - 2% Cash back
Annual fee
$0
Great for credit limit increases††
Great for credit limit increases††
Cerulean® Platinum Mastercard®
Regular purchase APR
29.99%* VariableAnnual fee
$125
Regular purchase APR
29.99%* Variable
Annual fee
$125
Great for access to unsecured credit††
Great for access to unsecured credit††
Destiny™ Mastercard®
Regular purchase APR
24.90%Annual fee
$75 First Year, $99 every year thereafter
Regular purchase APR
24.90%
Annual fee
$75 First Year, $99 every year thereafter
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†† The opinions you read here come from our editorial team. Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors' opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when it’s posted.