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.
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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.
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’ picks

Great for building a credit history††
AvantCard
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AvantCard

Great for building a credit history††

AvantCard

  • Regular purchase APR

    35.99%* Variable
  • Annual fee

    $39
Regular purchase APR

35.99%* Variable

Annual fee

$39

Great for no annual fee††
Capital One Platinum Credit Card
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Capital One Platinum Credit Card

Great for no annual fee††

Capital One Platinum Credit Card

  • Regular purchase APR

    30.74% (Variable)
  • Annual fee

    $0
Regular purchase APR

30.74% (Variable)

Annual fee

$0

Great for cash back and average credit††
Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card
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Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

Great for cash back and average credit††

Capital One QuicksilverOne Cash Rewards Credit Card

  • Rewards rate

    1.5% - 5%
    Cash back
  • Annual fee

    $39
Rewards rate

1.5% - 5% Cash back

Annual fee

$39

Great for access to unsecured credit††
Milestone® Mastercard®
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Milestone® Mastercard®

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 automatic credit limit increases††
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit
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Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit

Great for automatic credit limit increases††

Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa® for Rebuilding Credit

  • Rewards rate

    1%
    Cash back
  • Annual fee

    $75 for the first year, $99 thereafter
Rewards rate

1% Cash back

Annual fee

$75 for the first year, $99 thereafter

Great for high flat-rate cash back††
Citi Double Cash® Card
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Citi Double Cash® Card

Great for high flat-rate cash back††

Citi Double Cash® Card

  • Rewards rate

    1% - 5%
    Cash back
  • Annual fee

    $0
  • Welcome bonus

    $200
Rewards rate

1% - 5% Cash back

Annual fee

$0

Welcome bonus

$200

Great for access to unsecured credit††
Indigo® Mastercard®
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Indigo® Mastercard®

Great for access to unsecured 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 access to credit††
Merrick Bank Secured Credit Card
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Merrick Bank Secured Credit Card

Great for access to credit††

Merrick Bank Secured Credit Card

  • Regular purchase APR

    22.70%* Variable
  • Annual fee

    $36 the first year. Billed $3 per month thereafter
Regular purchase APR

22.70%* Variable

Annual fee

$36 the first year. Billed $3 per month thereafter

Great for automatic credit limit increases††
Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa®
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Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa®

Great for automatic credit limit increases††

Credit One Bank® Platinum Visa®

  • Rewards rate

    1%
    Cash back
  • Annual fee

    $39
Rewards rate

1% Cash back

Annual fee

$39

Great for flexible cash back††
Citi Custom Cash® Card
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Citi Custom Cash® Card

Great for flexible cash back††

Citi Custom Cash® Card

  • Rewards rate

    1% - 5%
    Cash back
  • Annual fee

    $0
  • Welcome bonus

    $200
Rewards rate

1% - 5% Cash back

Annual fee

$0

Welcome bonus

$200

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†† The opinions you read here come from our editorial team. Intuit 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.