Credit Cards for Fair Credit

The Capital One® Secured Mastercard® is a good option for people with little or no credit history who are looking to build their credit.

What to Like

This Capital One® Secured Mastercard® has no set up or processing fees. Capital One® reports to all three major credit bureaus so you can take steps to build your credit history. While this card does require an initial security deposit, Capital One® may increase your credit limit without any additional deposits if you use your credit responsibly.

Look Out For

Secured credit cards are great for building credit, but they typically come with annual fees and a required security deposit--and without rewards. It’s important to use your credit responsibly in order to build toward a card with more attractive perks.

The Citi® Secured Mastercard® is a great option for consumers looking for a starter card to help build their credit through responsible use and on-time payments.

What to Like

The Citi® Secured Mastercard® is available to people with little or no credit, and reports monthly to the major credit bureaus. There are also no application fees associated with this card, though note the required security deposit.

Look Out For

It’s a secured credit card, meaning you’ll have to put down a security deposit equal to the size of your credit limit. There’s also a relatively high APR.

The Capital One® Secured Mastercard® is a good option for people with little or no credit history who are looking to build their credit.

What to Like

This Capital One® Secured Mastercard® has no set up or processing fees. Capital One® reports to all three major credit bureaus so you can take steps to build your credit history. While this card does require an initial security deposit, Capital One® may increase your credit limit without any additional deposits if you use your credit responsibly.

Look Out For

Secured credit cards are great for building credit, but they typically come with annual fees and a required security deposit--and without rewards. It’s important to use your credit responsibly in order to build toward a card with more attractive perks.

The OpenSky® Secured Credit Visa® Card is a good choice for people who are looking to build their credit without paying too much in fees.

What to Like

The OpenSky® Secured Credit Visa® Card reports regularly to all 3 major credit bureaus, making it useful for building credit. The $35 annual fee is relatively low for a card aimed at people with limited credit history, and there are no other processing, servicing or application fees. There’s no credit check for applicants, and the 18.14% APR is competitive for a card made for low score users.

Look Out For

There’s a slightly higher penalty APR for cardholders who have missed a payment. This is also a secured credit card, meaning you’ll have to put down a deposit equal to your credit line in order to get access to credit.

The Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards Credit Card is a great choice for people with fair to good credit who are looking for a credit card with a straightforward cash back rewards program.

What to Like

Capital One® QuicksilverOne® Cash Rewards offers 1.5% cash back on all purchases. 

Look Out For

This card comes with an annual fee, so it’s important to weigh that against the cash back benefits. 

The Capital One® Platinum Credit Card is a good choice for people looking to establish or rebuild their credit.

What to Like

Cardholders pay no annual fee. Credit lines start small, but can increase over time with reliable payments. The Capital One® Platinum Credit Card also offers $0 fraud liability if your card is lost or stolen, and there’s no balance transfer fee.

Look Out For

Like a lot of cards geared toward establishing or building credit, this card has a relatively high interest rate. You could face high interest costs if you don’t pay off your balance in full each month.

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express has plenty of rewards-earning potential.

What to Like

The Amex EveryDay® Credit Card from American Express is a great card for accumulating rewards on everyday purchases. Cardholders can get 2x points at U.S. supermarkets on up to $6,000 per year in purchases (then 1x), along with a one-time bonus of 10,000 points after spending $1,000 on eligible purchases in the first three months of membership. 

Look Out For

This card has a penalty APR that applies for at least six months after a late payment, so it’s important to stay on-time with your payments.

Chase Freedom Unlimited^SM offers great cash back rewards with no annual fee.

What to Like

With Chase Freedom Unlimited^SM, cardholders can earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every single purchase, which is pretty cool. If you spend $500 on purchases in the first 3 months, you can also earn an additional $150 bonus. The rewards never expire as long as your account is open, there’s no annual fee and there’s also a 0% intro APR for 15 months on both purchases and balance transfers.

Look Out For

This card includes a 3% foreign transaction fee. Chase Freedom Unlimited^SM also doesn’t have 5% cash back in rotating categories, which is a feature of the standard Chase Freedom card.

The Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard® is great for consumers with good to excellent credit who want to pile up travel rewards fast.

What to Like

Cardholders earn 2x miles on all credit card purchases. If you can budget out $3,000 in purchases for your first 90 days, you can earn 50,000 bonus miles too. The Barclaycard Arrival Plus™ World Elite MasterCard® also features a 0% introductory APR on balance transfers for 12 months within 45 days of account opening, a waived annual fee in the first year and no foreign transaction fees.

Look Out For

After the first year, cardholders pay an $89 annual fee, so that should be weighed against the benefits of any rewards earned. Cardholders also pay a 3% or $5 (whichever is greater) balance transfer fee.

The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is a travel rewards card aimed at excellent credit consumers.

What to Like

Cardholders get 2 points for every dollar spent on travel and restaurants, and 1 point for every other dollar spent on purchases. The Chase Ultimate Rewards program offers a 25% discount on travel purchases made using points. The card also has no foreign transaction fee and offers a 50,000 point bonus if you spend $4,000 in the first 3 months.

Look Out For

After the first year, there’s a $95 annual fee. There’s no intro APR for purchases or balance transfers.